The next morning, Marcus sat in the Luminaris Academy dining hall, working through his sixth breakfast pastry
while studying an advanced alchemy text. Around him, students gossiped about the latest Phantom killing.
Victor Thornbeck had been found as a golden statue, and now the City Guard had increased patrols throughout
the merchant quarter.
"They say Phantom must be Diamond Rank at minimum," a student at the next table whispered. "The wards
Thornbeck had installed were Silver Rank quality, and they were shattered like glass."
Marcus took another bite of his pastry, not looking up from his text. Let them speculate. The more they
overestimated Phantom's power, the more fear he could leverage.
"Mr. Aldrich."
Marcus looked up to find Professor Blackthorne standing beside his table. She was carrying a leather case and
wore an expression that suggested this was official business.
"Professor," Marcus acknowledged, closing his book.
"Come with me. We need to discuss your alchemy progress."
That sounded ominous. Marcus grabbed his remaining pastries and followed her through the academy halls to
her private office—a space filled with shelves of rare ingredients, reference texts, and completed potions that
probably represented more wealth than most merchants saw in a lifetime.
Professor Blackthorne closed the door and activated a privacy ward. Then she turned to Marcus with an
expression that was hard to read.
"Marcus, you've been studying alchemy with me for six months. In that time, you've advanced from complete
beginner to skill level that rivals Bronze Rank alchemists." She paused. "Yesterday, you created a Master-grade
Strength Enhancement Elixir. As an Iron Rank student."
Marcus kept his expression neutral, his mind racing. Had he been too good? Had she become suspicious?
"That shouldn't be possible," Blackthorne continued. "Master-grade results require either Bronze Rank
alchemical skill or exceptional natural talent combined with perfect execution. You're Iron Rank, Marcus. Iron
Rank in both cultivation and alchemy certification."
She opened the leather case, revealing a set of official documents with the Royal Alchemist Guild's seal.
"So I'm making this official. These are the testing materials for Bronze Rank Alchemist certification. I'm
sponsoring you for early advancement testing." She met his eyes. "If you pass, you'll be recognized as a Bronze
Rank Alchemist regardless of your cultivation rank. The youngest in academy history."
Marcus processed this carefully. Alchemist ranks, like cultivation ranks, progressed from Iron to Bronze to
Silver and beyond. Most alchemists advanced their alchemy rank in parallel with their cultivation rank—a
Bronze Rank cultivator typically had Bronze Rank alchemy skills.
But they were technically separate progressions. It was possible, though rare, to have mismatched ranks. A Gold
Rank warrior might only have Iron Rank alchemy skills. Or, in Marcus's case, an Iron Rank cultivator could
potentially have much higher alchemy skills.
"When is the test?" Marcus asked.
"Three days from now. You'll be required to create three potions under observation: a Bronze Rank difficulty
Mana Recovery Elixir, a Bronze Rank difficulty Antidote for Basilisk Venom, and a Bronze Rank difficulty
Strength Enhancement Elixir. All must be at least high-grade quality to pass. Master-grade on any earns you
honors."
Three days. Marcus could do that easily, even without his 100x Effect. His paranoid over-preparation for his
own potion-making had given him skills beyond what a normal Iron Rank student should possess.
"I'll take the test, Professor. Thank you for the opportunity."
Blackthorne smiled slightly. "Don't thank me yet. The Alchemist Guild examiner is a Silver Rank alchemist
named Cornelius Ashford. He's... notoriously strict. His pass rate is under thirty percent. But if you pass under
his examination, your certification will be beyond question."
After leaving her office, Marcus made his way to his next class—Advanced Mana Theory with Professor
Aldwin, a Gold Rank mage who specialized in cultivation techniques.
"Today," Professor Aldwin announced, his voice carrying to every corner of the lecture hall, "we're discussing
advancement through the ranks. Specifically, the reality of how long progression actually takes versus the
idealized timelines."
He waved his hand, and a chart appeared on the wall behind him, written in glowing letters:
AVERAGE ADVANCEMENT TIMELINES: Iron to Bronze: 2-3 years of dedicated cultivation Bronze to
Silver: 5-7 years Silver to Gold: 10-15 years Gold to Platinum: 20-30 years
"These are averages for talented individuals with access to mana crystals," Aldwin explained. "For those
cultivating only ambient mana without crystals, multiply these timelines by five to ten. Most awakened
individuals never advance beyond Bronze Rank in their entire lives."
A hand shot up—Gerald Thornhill, always eager to show off his knowledge. "But Professor, what about people
who use high-grade mana crystals? Couldn't they advance faster?"
"Certainly. A steady supply of high-grade crystals can cut these times in half or more. But that requires wealth.
A single high-grade mana crystal costs five thousand gold pieces. To advance from Iron to Bronze, you'd need
to absorb roughly ten high-grade crystals—fifty thousand gold just for one rank advancement." Aldwin smiled
grimly. "This is why powerful families maintain their power. They can afford to purchase advancement for their
children."
Marcus listened carefully, doing mental math. He could produce mana crystals infinitely. He'd been absorbing
them nightly for six months now, using crystals he'd transmuted himself. No cost except time and the rocks to
transform.
At his current rate, he'd hit Bronze Rank within another month. Silver Rank within a year. And that was being
conservative—if he pushed harder, absorbed more crystals per night, he could accelerate dramatically.
But that would be suspicious. An Iron Rank student suddenly jumping to Bronze after only seven months at the
academy? Possible, but it would draw attention. Better to pace himself, make it look natural.
"Mr. Aldrich," Professor Aldwin called out. "You've been Iron Rank - Mid Stage for quite some time. Are you
planning to advance soon?"
Marcus swallowed his current bite of pastry. "I'm building a solid foundation, Professor. Rushing advancement
can lead to unstable cultivation base. I'd rather advance slowly and correctly than quickly and poorly."
"A wise philosophy. Though I hope you do advance eventually. You're one of my better students, theoretically
speaking. It would be a shame if you remained Iron Rank forever."
After class, Marcus headed back to his rented room. He had planning to do.
The alchemy test in three days was important—Bronze Rank Alchemist certification would give him access to
better recipes, better ingredients, and most importantly, the legal ability to sell Bronze Rank potions without
suspicion. He could start converting some of his mana crystal wealth into legitimate business income through
alchemy.
But more immediately, he needed to think about his next Phantom contract. The fifteen thousand gold from
Thornbeck had already been deposited. He'd also spent about thirty thousand gold on equipment repairs and
replacements after that contract went wrong.
His current liquid wealth: one hundred and eighty-five thousand gold in various hidden accounts and physical
storage.
His mana crystal reserve: over three thousand crystals of various grades, worth probably half a million gold if
he tried to sell them all at once (which would cause market chaos and draw massive attention).
He was wealthy. Very wealthy. But wealth meant nothing if he died.
Marcus pulled out his contract analysis notes. He'd been tracking patterns in the Starfall Guild's available
contracts, looking for opportunities that matched his current power level while offering maximum pay.
Current rank: Bronze - Peak Stage (though he carefully maintained the appearance of being Iron Rank in his
academy life).
Available contracts in his range:
Silver Rank - Low Stage target: Count Aldrich Mortimer, corrupt judge. Bounty: forty thousand gold.
Bronze Rank - Peak Stage target: Captain Helena Voss, city guard captain selling protection to criminals.
Bounty: eighteen thousand gold.
Bronze Rank - High Stage target: Merchant Thomas Blackwell, slave trader. Bounty: twenty-two
thousand gold.
The Count Mortimer contract was tempting—forty thousand gold was excellent pay. But Silver Rank targets
were risky even with his 100x Effect. Silver Rank opponents had decades of combat experience, sophisticated
techniques, and usually very good defensive equipment.
Worth keeping on the list, but not his first choice.
Captain Voss was same rank, lower pay. Blackwell was slightly lower rank, decent pay.
Then Marcus saw a new contract that hadn't been there yesterday:
Bronze Rank - Peak Stage target: Alchemist Frederick Von Drake, creating addictive potions and selling
them to youth. Bounty: thirty thousand gold. Special note: Target has extensive alchemical knowledge
and uses his lab as a fortress.
Marcus smiled slowly. An alchemist. That was interesting.
Von Drake would have rare ingredients in his lab, expensive equipment, possibly finished potions worth selling.
The bounty was thirty thousand gold, but the secondary loot could be worth much more.
And Marcus, as a fellow alchemist, would know exactly how to navigate an alchemical laboratory's defenses.
Perfect.
He'd take that contract tomorrow night. But first, he needed to prepare.
Marcus spent the rest of the day in his warehouse base, reviewing everything he knew about alchemical security
systems. Labs typically had fire suppression wards, containment fields for volatile reactions, and alarm systems
tied to ingredient storage. But they also had blind spots—ventilation systems for toxic fumes, drainage channels
for waste materials, access points for delivering large equipment.
He'd scout Von Drake's laboratory tomorrow during the day, using his Marcus Aldrich identity. Maybe buy
some basic ingredients from a nearby shop, ask casual questions about the area, observe the building's layout.
Information was survival. Paranoia was preparation.
And preparation kept you alive.
As night fell, Marcus sat in his warehouse workshop and began his nightly cultivation routine. He pulled out
five high-grade mana crystals from his vault—crystals he'd personally transmuted from stones he'd collected
outside the city.
The crystals pulsed with concentrated mana, pure and powerful. Marcus held one in each hand and began the
absorption meditation he'd learned from academy texts.
The mana flowed from the crystals into his body, filling his channels, strengthening his cultivation base. It was
a slow process—even high-grade crystals took thirty minutes to fully absorb. But it was working. He could feel
his Iron Rank foundation solidifying, approaching the threshold to Bronze.
Another month, he estimated. Maybe less. Then he'd officially be Bronze Rank, matching what he already was
with his Phantom identity.
The duality was exhausting sometimes. Remembering to act weaker as Marcus, remembering to be stronger as
Phantom, never letting the masks slip, never allowing even a hint of connection between the two identities.
But it was necessary. It was survival.
Marcus absorbed all five crystals over the course of three hours, then checked his cultivation progress through
his system interface:
IRON RANK - HIGH STAGE: 73% to Bronze Rank
Good progress. At this rate, twenty more days until advancement.
He stored the depleted crystals—even drained, they could be recharged with ambient mana over time and resold
—and prepared for bed.
Tomorrow would be busy. Scout Von Drake's lab, attend classes, take detailed notes for his upcoming alchemy
certification test, and begin detailed planning for his next assassination.
Just another day in the life of Marcus Aldrich, perpetually hungry student and secret assassin.
Just another day of paranoia keeping him alive.