Letho sighed heavily.

"The ingredients for Serpent's Eye aren't rare, but the preparation is incredibly complex. One wrong move and it's all for naught. We've tried, but our grasp of alchemy and venomous arts isn't enough to produce a perfect batch."

"It takes a master of venomous arts and alchemy, but unfortunately, no one from this generation of Viper School witchers has reached that level."

Hearing this, Lynn's face was etched with sympathy.

It was like back when King Foltest ordered the abandonment of Vizima because of the striga, and a new city was built nearby. Everyone knew that once the new city was finished, property prices would soar. Any sensible person would find a way to buy land there. Even if they couldn't afford to build a house yet, they'd buy the plot and hold on to it.

But while most people had this foresight, not everyone had the coin to buy land. Those who saw the opportunity but were too poor to even make a down payment were undoubtedly the most miserable. They could only watch helplessly as they missed their chance to get rich, continuing their impoverished lives.

The witchers of the School of the Viper felt much the same.

But then, Lynn had a different thought.

He was not like the others.

He had his Golden Finger, the stat panel.

Any skill that appeared on his panel could be maxed out. He had no intention of using Serpent's Eye poison on his own people, but you never knew what the future held. The poison would eventually find a fitting use. As the saying goes, "knowledge is never a burden." It was always a good idea to learn more.

Solemnly placing the manuscript in his runed leather pouch, Lynn turned to George.

George had been waiting patiently. As a witcher from the School of the Griffin, he had received a fine education from a young age and showed no sign of impatience. When Letho finished speaking, he began.

"Lynn, what I am about to teach you is our school's unique Griffin Meditation."

"Griffin Meditation?" Lynn was intrigued. The name itself hinted at something profound.

George nodded and continued.

"Just as our school's swordsmanship is the standard witcher technique from the Old Order, the meditation method you other schools practice is also the standard one from that time."

"But our founder, Eland of Larvik, drew from the sorcerer's notes left behind by Alzur. He improved upon Alzur's modified sorcerer's meditation to create the Griffin Meditation, which is better suited to a witcher's body."

A look of pride flickered across George's face.

"Lynn, you know that our school has the strongest magical ability of all the schools, but do you know why?"

Lynn shook his head.

"Because we Griffin witchers have the most Chaos energy. Let me give you an analogy: the stronger a person is, the more powerful their strike will be. Likewise, the more Chaos energy we have, the more we can channel when casting Signs, and the more powerful the Sign becomes."

"Griffin Meditation allows us to absorb far more Chaos energy during meditation than you do with the standard method. That's why we have more Chaos energy. Of course, the Griffin Trial of the Grasses is also different from other schools. Our mutagens cause a witcher's body to mutate in a direction that more closely resembles a sorcerer's physiology..."

"Our school's gear is also cleverly designed to enhance our spellcasting and Chaos energy recovery speed. But none of these are the most important. The true foundation is the Griffin Meditation. Without it, the improvements from our mutagens and gear would be limited."

Lynn nodded thoughtfully.

Then, George's voice took on a tone of regret.

"However, our school begins teaching Griffin Meditation to apprentices, and they practice it without interruption. Lynn, you're only starting now. The final results might not live up to your expectations."

Lynn was young, but George and Letho were not fools. They could see that Lynn was a man of great ambition, which was why he was seeking the secret techniques of their schools.

But no matter how young Lynn was, he had already undergone the Trial of the Grasses. With so few living examples, George had no idea how effective the Griffin Meditation would be for a witcher from another school. He was worried Lynn would ultimately be disappointed.

Lynn, however, simply smiled with a carefree air.

"It's all right, George. I've always believed that hard work will be rewarded. After all, everything else can deceive you, but the knowledge and skills you learn cannot."

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Whatever results I achieve, I will gladly accept them."

George agreed wholeheartedly with Lynn's words, and even Letho felt the profound truth in what he said.

Thus, Lynn became incredibly busy over the next few weeks.

He spent half his time studying, memorizing, and learning the Viper School's venomous arts and practicing the Griffin Meditation.

The other half was dedicated to teaching archery to the elven commoners he had rescued.

The Phoenix Archery that Lynn had learned was a high-level technique known only to the Phoenix Guard, the elite soldiers of the elves' most prosperous empire, the Sun Dynasty.

Even when the Sun Dynasty was still alive, an elf from the "warrior" caste had to pass through countless trials and hardships to join the Phoenix Guard. But now, Lynn was selflessly teaching this advanced archery to them. Even if these elves never reached the level of the Phoenix Guard, they would still be far superior to archers who learned cruder techniques.

The elven commoners were truly simple-hearted. After being rescued and welcomed at Kaer Morhen, and with Lynn willing to impart such precious archery skills (the Sun Dynasty had fallen so long ago that even the elves themselves no longer remembered its feats or the Phoenix Guard), they were deeply moved. They not only trained with incredible dedication but were also wholeheartedly willing to serve Lynn.

One day, Lynn was on the outskirts of a forest outside Kaer Morhen, teaching the elves archery as usual.

Practicing archery required not only bows and arrows but also plenty of open space. Beginners missing the target was common, and a single mistake could easily turn into a murder. That's why Lynn moved the training grounds outside the castle, so as not to affect anyone else.

.....

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