CHAPTER 54: CHAPTER 54: HEART OF THE STONE GIANT

The heart of the Stone Giant is an essential Magic Potion material for a Second-Class Wizard Apprentice to advance to a Third-Class Wizard Apprentice, and it’s generally not available for purchase.

Because keeping the Stone Giant heart active is necessary for Magic Potion making, it needs to be soaked in the potion to maintain its activity for two months.

A Second-Class Wizard Apprentice must consume the potion within two months to advance to a Third-Class Wizard Apprentice.

Therefore, the heart of the Stone Giant is typically sought out by Second-Class Wizard Apprentices after reaching their limit, followed by completing a series of processes including hunting, potion making, and advancement.

Handling the heart of the Stone Giant is a case study in the course "Basic Introduction to Magic Potions", where Herag used a model for several experiments during lab classes, a process he’s already familiar with.

He is also the only Wizard Apprentice in this batch of courses who successfully completed the Stone Giant heart experiment; others did not succeed.

"Do First-Class Wizard Apprentices need to fight when handling the Stone Giant’s heart?" Herag sent a message to the task issuer.

The task issuer named Bessie seemed to be a woman.

"First-Class Wizard Apprentice? Are you sure you can handle the Stone Giant’s heart?" Bessie asked.

"I attended Mr. Larry’s Magic Potion course and am familiar with handling the Stone Giant’s heart," Herag replied.

"Hmm... why don’t you come to the Lion Cafe in town and let’s talk face to face," Bessie decided to meet him.

The Lion Cafe is located at the center of town, a place where many wizards choose to talk, exchange ideas, or relax.

As Herag approached the Lion Cafe, he could smell the aroma of coffee wafting in the air.

He pushed open the door and immediately saw a familiar face, the tall woman who bought three bottles of White Sage Healing Potion from him.

"Herag?" Bessie asked.

Herag smiled, "What a coincidence."

Bessie was also surprised, laughing, "I didn’t expect it to be you. If those White Sage Healing Potions were indeed crafted by you, then I have no doubt about your Magic Potion skills."

Herag chuckled, "I wouldn’t dare deceive anyone in such matters. After all, once I leave the Moonlight Forest, I’m just a weak First-Class Wizard Apprentice and can’t afford to lie."

The meaning was clear; outside the Moonlight Forest, he would be unprotected. If he dared to deceive, they could easily deal with him.

"Rest assured, I’m not one to break the rules; otherwise, who would dare cooperate with me in the future? Sit down, the others will arrive soon," Bessie explained.

Herag nodded and sat down by the table, knowing that taking this task involved risks and everything out of the Moonlight Forest depended on his ability to adapt.

"But what task doesn’t involve risk? Even picking mushrooms can lead to so many problems," Herag sighed internally.

The two chatted willingly and unconsciously about topics related to Magic Potions.

Herag knew a lot about these topics, as Shenlan’s database stored a wealth of information. Whatever question Bessie raised, Herag could immediately respond and expand into many subjects.

"Truly knowledgeable, Mr. Herag!" Bessie was genuinely surprised at how knowledgeable a First-Class Wizard Apprentice could be, and it indeed astonished her.

Soon after, two other people Bessie had arranged arrived.

One named Rock Dean, a Third-Class Wizard Apprentice, wore a heavy spectacle frame and entered with a scrutinizing glance at Herag.

The other, named Emma Marcy, was a freckled-faced woman who seemed to have a close relationship with Bessie, as they hugged upon meeting.

After the group sat down and introduced themselves to each other, Bessie said, "Everyone’s here. Let’s discuss the plan. Departure time is two days later; I’ll prepare everything needed, Herag will handle the Stone Giant’s heart, he won’t participate in the combat..."

After Bessie finished, Rock spoke, "I have a question. Why bring a First-Class Wizard Apprentice to handle the Stone Giant’s heart?"

"Though Herag is only a First-Class Wizard Apprentice, his expertise in Magic Potions is high, so I’m assured of his capability," Bessie explained.

Rock sipped his coffee, "If you think that’s fine, then so be it."

Rock’s job was to deal with the Stone Giant, regardless of whether the heart would be handled successfully or not.

The Stone Giant generally requires Third-Class Wizard Apprentices to manage; Bessie invited two Third-Class Wizard Apprentices this time, which made success almost certain.

Herag was too weak to directly engage in combat, avoiding being affected by the fighting.

If Herag were injured or killed due to combat, handling the Stone Giant’s heart would fall to the three of them, who weren’t proficient in Magic Potions.

Magic Potions require a lot of financial resources and supplies; most Wizard Apprentices struggle to gain substantial experience without ample accumulation.

After confirming the specifics, they left the cafe, with Herag returning home to begin preparing the potion needed to soak the Stone Giant’s heart.

"Florob Worm Slime, Hoklap Juice, Lionfish’s Stinger..."

After counting the necessary Magic Potion materials, Herag began crafting the potion called Broad-spectrum Potion.

He placed Florob Worm Slime into a beaker, then ignited the Lionfish’s Stinger, placing it into the beaker, and then infused Magic Power while chanting several syllables.

Thick White Mist rose continuously from the beaker, filling the room shortly thereafter.

Herag wore protective goggles, ignoring the surrounding White Mist, focusing heavily on the beaker.

"Reaction countdown of 9 seconds," Shenlan provided the countdown to the reaction time.

As soon as the time ended, Herag immediately poured a pink powder into the beaker, which was ground from a fruit known as Scarlet Grass.

Two hours later.

"It’s done."

A round crystal bottle in front of Herag contained a purple solution that occasionally bubbled on the surface with a soft popping sound.

He sealed the bottle with an oak-made stopper, having successfully crafted the Broad-spectrum Potion.

At night, the sixth star in Herag’s mind already had a basic shape, and he expected to complete meditation and fulfill advancement conditions to become a Second-Class Wizard Apprentice within two months.

"Luckily, the ingredients for the Dawn Potion can be bought in the Forest, avoiding the huge risk of hunting to acquire materials."

Herag was already preparing the Dawn Potion-related materials, needing only the main Demon Flower Root, which was currently unaffordable, but completing this task would allow him to complete the necessary materials for a Dawn Potion.

...

Two days later, Herag met with the group at an inn in the Northern Forest Region.

The route they would take this time was not heading toward the Moonlight Forest but towards the east.

Upon arrival, Herag noticed that the inn’s atmosphere was different from usual, with an Official Wizard and several Third-Class Wizard Apprentices stationed there, enhancing the security forces.

"Was it because of what happened that day..." Herag thought of the incident where Lune was killed by Shivara.