Greg had never been able to understand why people in the Department of Alchemy always managed to cause explosions when they were clearly just mixing harmless-looking items.
He used to firmly believe they must be secretly adding some contraband ingredients to their experiments, leading to such frequent accidents.
After all, the scientific education he had received before transmigrating told him that chemical reactions had rules; as long as one strictly followed the formula, no accidents would happen.
That was until he saw with his own eyes Alice and Chloe drop a small vial of potion that looked as clear as water onto that Golden Glow Spider Silk—and the very next second, accompanied by a deafening roar, a burst of orange-red flame rose from the workbench, forming a perfect spiral pillar of fire that shot straight into the ceiling.
From then on, he believed it.
The alchemy techniques of this world were just that metaphysical.
It didn't care about science or logic, only feeling and inspiration.
When Alice and Chloe were conducting experiments, they often said things he couldn't understand at all, such as:
"The mana flow of this material is a bit volatile," "Its affinity with that reagent doesn't quite match," "I feel like it's in a bad mood today and needs to be soothed first."
At first, Greg thought they were joking, but after learning his lesson the hard way, he realized they had been dead serious from the start.
"Senior Greg, Victoria, are you two really alright?"
A soft voice pulled Greg back to reality from his painful memories.
He raised his head and saw Silvia's face filled with concern.
The pink-haired girl tilted her head slightly, worry in her warm eyes as she looked at the two wretched figures before her, who claimed they had stepped out for some fresh air but looked more like they had just escaped with their lives from a battlefield.
Victoria's long, sleek gray hair had now become slightly curled—not the carefully styled kind, but frizz singed into shape by a blast of intense heat.
Right now, she looked as if she had just crawled out of a fire, an empty, exhausted look of survival in her eyes.
Greg wasn't faring much better.
His normally handsome face was covered in dust, and a few tiny stone fragments were even hidden in his hair, faintly reflecting the sunlight.
Right now, he didn't look at all like an elite student about to represent the academy in the Hundred Academy Exchange; he looked more like a miserable laborer who had been hauling bricks at a construction site all day.
Victoria nodded weakly. "We're... alright... I guess..."
Greg nodded along, his voice equally exhausted. "Yeah, not dead yet."
He and Victoria had originally thought that since they didn't have to conduct the experiments themselves, staying in the lab would be easy.
After all, the real labor was being done by Alice and Chloe; they just needed to play cards on the side or hand over a tool once in a while.
However, reality slapped them hard in the face.
Because the two of them had to stay hyper-focused, staring at those two experimental 'lunatics' so they could use magic to block and minimize the blast radius the instant sparks flared.
This required immense concentration and reaction speed, because even a minor oversight could flatten the entire laboratory.
What was even worse was that once Alice and Chloe started experimenting, it was as if they entered a state of possession.
No matter how hard Greg and Victoria yelled until their throats were sore, the two turned a deaf ear, completely engrossed in their dangerous experimental procedures.
Once, Greg even saw Chloe continue adding reagents to a test tube that was already smoking. He screamed, "Stop!" but Chloe merely smiled at him and said, "Don't worry, Big Brother, I know what I'm doing"—and then the very next second, the test tube blew up.
Only when the two collapsed into complete unconsciousness from sheer exhaustion, as they had just now, could Greg and Victoria finally escape the laboratory and catch their breath.
"You two are working so hard for the upcoming exchange..."
Silvia looked at the pair and sighed softly.
Her voice carried heartfelt admiration, along with a tinge of faint shame.
She thought about the situation in her own team.
Her mentor was Professor Grace, the First-year Chief Professor.
However, because Professor Grace was combat-oriented rather than theoretical-type, she hadn't forcefully demanded that they prepare anything specific for the exchange.
Professor Grace had merely told them not to humiliate Glory Cael Magic Academy at the exchange; her focus was on the subsequent Five Academy Tournament.
So during this period, Silvia had been preparing at her own pace, practicing magic control daily and reviewing theoretical knowledge.
Silvia had thought she was preparing very hard over the past few days.
But seeing Greg and Victoria working themselves to the bone for the exchange made her suddenly feel like she was slacking off a bit too much.
"Want to go to the dungeon to blow off some steam?"
Greg suddenly spoke up, proposing to Victoria beside him.
His voice carried an eager craving, like someone trapped in an office for too long who finally caught sight of the weekend's dawn.
Hearing this, Victoria's dim gray eyes instantly lit up like two ignited stars.
She nodded vigorously, her voice laced with uncontrollable excitement. "Great idea! I definitely need a good release!"
If any other students heard their conversation, they would surely think there was something wrong with their heads.
The dungeon?
That was one of the most dangerous places in the world, filled with fierce magical beasts, lethal traps, and unpredictable perils of every kind.
Ordinary students turned pale at the mere mention of the word "dungeon," wanting nothing to do with it for the rest of their lives.
Yet these two were talking about going to the dungeon to relax?
To ordinary students, people like them were either lunatics or Jiahao—their logic was completely beyond comprehension.
Victoria turned to her friend beside her, expectation in her gray eyes. "Silvia, do you want to come along?"
Silvia fell silent for a moment, her pink hair gently swaying in the breeze.
She actually really wanted to stay by Greg's side.
She was even quietly plotting in her heart whether she could find another chance behind Victoria's back... to steal another taste.
However, as soon as that thought emerged, she quelled it herself.
Because she saw a light in Greg and Victoria's eyes—a deep regard for the upcoming exchange, a craving for victory.
That light was so fiery and brilliant that it left her feeling a touch ashamed.
"They're working so hard, while I'm still thinking about stealing a taste... I can't be like this!"
So as not to be left behind by the two of them, she also intended to go back and prepare with renewed effort.
She wanted to showcase her best self at the exchange as well, so Greg would see that she was also making progress, also working hard.
Only then would she be worthy of continuing to stand by his side.
"S-Sorry."
Silvia lowered her head, a hint of apology in her voice:
"Since I still want to continue preparing for the exchange, you two should go on your own this time."
With that, she bade them farewell, turned around, and took her leave.
Her figure faded into the distance through the light and shadow of the corridor, carrying a resolute determination.
Watching Silvia's departing back, both Greg and Victoria couldn't help sighing in their hearts:
"As expected of a good kid. That study attitude is totally different from slackers like us."
Rate on N.U.
