One year later.

In the house Locke rented with Lorne on Dwarf Street, Locke donned a pair of rubber gloves in his room.

He then grabbed a poison dart frog from a glass container and crushed it completely into paste using tools.

Next, he added a blue-ringed octopus, mashing it together with the frog remains.

After mixing in castor beans and grinding them into the concoction, Locke poured the liquid into a glass vessel inscribed with twenty-one Ogham runes.

Sitting on the floor, Locke began chanting the incantation: "Nifreis Nifreis"

As the spell echoed, the twenty-one Ogham runes lit up sequentially, extracting special substances from the mixture while evaporating the waste.

This was the most critical step of the life school's botanical magic trick spell, [Poison Berry Shot].

Locke proceeded with extreme caution. According to Witch Sophia's warnings, any mistake in this process could lead to toxin leakage, causing severe harm to nearby lifeforms.

Spell toxins were substances that couldn't naturally dissipate in the environment.

Moreover, using rituals and magic to combine toxins from existing plants and animals into supernatural poisons was inherently dangerous.

A single misstep could trigger spell backlash.

Failure would be the mildest consequence.

Witch Sophia had once told him about a Level 3 aptitude apprentice from her generation at Lilith's Cottage. While learning this spell, the apprentice had inscribed one Ogham rune at the wrong angle, causing the toxic mixture to explode and permanently disfigure him.

The incomplete spell toxin had become embedded in his skin through the explosion.

Among all trick spell models, [Poison Berry Shot] was relatively dangerous but also highly potent.

Thus, it required prolonged study and repeated simulations, reckless attempts were forbidden.

Locke glanced at the ten rings on his fingers, five brand-new Deep Blue Jades stabilizing his mana, and five Indigo Jades transmitting supplemental mana to compensate for his inability to fully power [Poison Berry Shot] with his own reserves.

Only with these gems' assistance did he dare attempt this 0.4-circle spell after just one year of study.

As time passed, the liquid in the glass vessel completely evaporated, leaving behind a single drop of translucent lavender fluid.

Locke checked the mechanical clock in his room, a full hour had elapsed.

His mana was now completely depleted.

An ordinary apprentice would have to abort the spell at this stage, as continuing without mana would lead to loss of control and magical backlash.

But Locke activated the five Indigo Jades on his right hand, channeling their stored fifty mana points back into his body.

With this replenishment, he opened the glass vessel and carefully let his Invisible Mandrake Vine manifest. He then dripped the lavender liquid onto one of its leaves.

Instantly, the vine reacted as if in agony, all its leaves trembling violently as twenty-one Ogham runes surfaced on its epidermis.

After about ten minutes, the convulsions ceased, and the runes gradually faded.

Small, raspberry-like purple berries now dotted the Invisible Mandrake Vine's stems.

Simultaneously, a new spell model composed of twenty-one Ogham runes took form in Locke's consciousness.

Spell potency: 0.4-circle.

This even surpassed the 0.3-circle Stone Crab bloodline modification Professor Alder had performed on him back on Corfu Island.

Locke exhaled in relief and examined his hands. The five Deep Blue Jades were now cracked beyond use, and the Indigo Jades showed countless fractures, clearly spent.

But the gains justified the costs.

He had mastered [Poison Berry Shot].

Moreover, completing this spell had significantly boosted his mental strength.

Locke murmured an incantation, directing his remaining mana. The Invisible Mandrake Vine responded, launching five purple berries at a caged calf in the room.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The berries shattered on impact, releasing liquid and toxic fumes. The calf, roughly the size of an adult human, collapsed instantly without even a second of struggle.

Locke immediately retrieved dissection tools, opened the cage, and began analyzing the calf's body to assess his spell's actual damage.

"Skin shows purple web-like patterns with subcutaneous bruising. Black mucus in nasal and oral cavities, indicative of neural and vascular destruction."

"Heart, liver, and kidneys exhibit tofu-like necrosis."

"This exceeds textbook descriptions of [Poison Berry Shot]'s effects. Standard toxins primarily damage nerves, but mine induces systemic organ failure."

Locke pondered. "My spell's toxin simultaneously destroyed the calf's nervous and circulatory systems while causing irreversible internal damage."

"This enhancement likely stems from synthesizing the blue-ringed octopus, castor beans, and poison dart frog, all Level 5 materials."

Though no special synthesis formula had appeared, repeated syntheses had amplified their base toxicity.

Since [Poison Berry Shot]'s potency depended on its ritual components, using enhanced materials had surpassed the spell's intended effects.

Locke estimated his version might have reached 0.5-circle power, surpassing the standard 0.4-circle benchmark, thanks to the fully synthesized ingredients.

This realization explained his mental strength's dramatic surge post-completion. More powerful spells naturally yielded greater mental growth.

Sitting down, Locke retrieved a Rose Red Jade and began absorbing its crimson mist, the most effective mental enhancement method he'd discovered this past year.

An hour later, the gem faded to plain white as Locke reached his current mental capacity limit.

His eyes flashed with blue light upon opening them. "Including [Green Grasp], I've now mastered three spell models."

"Especially [Poison Berry Shot], its performance exceeded expectations, potentially doubling my mental strength growth rate."

"I originally planned to reach second-class wizard apprentice in two years, but now..."

"I wonder if my mental strength has hit 50 already. I should borrow Witch Sophia's amethyst matrix to test."

"This year, I've completed the three foundational public courses and benefited immensely from Witch Sophia's private tutelage."

His progress over twelve months had been staggering.

The Locke of one year ago would be dead within seconds against his current self.

Chanting [Green Grasp]'s incantation, Locke willed his Invisible Mandrake Vine into motion, not through tendril extension, but via rapid leaf growth that wove into a shield.

He'd mastered this supplementary spell to [Vine Hand] months ago due to its simplicity.

It could restrain enemies or form defensive barriers, a versatile auxiliary spell.

With four spells now at his disposal, Locke's combat versatility had increased dramatically.