Wizard Bloodline

"Do any of you have a potion that can help restore mental energy? Lend it to me if you do."

Given the situation, meditating on the spot was impractical, so Ronan asked if anyone had such a potion. Old Wills and the others shook their heads, but the middle-aged wizard, Barry, offered to ask the other wizards traveling with them.

Barry made his way through the group, asking each one. The responses were mostly negative, with some murmured complaints.

"Didn't we agree to pay after reaching the town? Why are we being asked for something now?"

When Barry returned empty-handed, Ronan wasn't surprised. It was a long shot anyway. Potions for mental recovery were as costly as focus potions, and low-level wizards in the treehouse district were unlikely to have them. Even if they did, they wouldn't part with them easily, despite Ronan specifying that he intended to buy, not take for free.

"Never mind, let's move on."

Ronan was about to continue when a timid voice spoke up.

"Would any potion that helps restore mental energy work?"

Ronan turned to find it was Barry's son, the young Level 2 apprentice who had barely dared to breathe before him.

"Do you have one? Let me see."

Ronan quickly asked, remembering Barry had introduced his son as Sean.

"He doesn't have anything!"

Barry interjected sharply before Sean could speak, glaring at his son. "Do you even know what a revitalizing potion looks like, or how much it costs? You shouldn't talk nonsense!"

"I don't have a revitalizing potion, but I've made my own! It's almost as effective."

Sean protested, pulling out four or five vials from his pouch.

Ronan was intrigued. "You're an alchemist?"

Sean smiled sheepishly, while Barry sighed, "He fancies himself one, messing with recipes from cheap books instead of focusing on proper study... Sigh."

Ignoring Barry's comment, Ronan inspected the potion Sean handed him.

The vial was of low-quality crystal, filled with a gray liquid with visible black sediment, giving Ronan pause.

"Are you sure it helps restore mental energy?" Ronan asked Sean.

Sean pounded his chest confidently, "Of course! I've used it myself several times. Just one vial fully restores my mental energy. It's just..."

Sean hesitated, "There's a small side effect."

Ronan expected as much. "What side effect?"

"Drowsiness. It makes you sleepy right after drinking..."

Drowsiness?

Ronan frowned. "How long do you usually sleep after taking it?"

"Half an hour."

Sean answered without hesitation, earning a smack on the head from Barry. "Sleeping for half an hour after taking it? That's a sleep potion, not a mental recovery one!"

Sean clutched his head, retorting, "That's why I named it the Drowsiness Potion!"

Everyone was left speechless, while Ronan considered the potion.

"Is it always half an hour?"

"Not necessarily, sometimes only twenty minutes."

"Have only you tried it?"

"Y-yes."

Sean glanced at Barry nervously as he answered.

After questioning Sean, Ronan pondered for a moment, then opened the vial and took a sip. Finding the taste tolerable, he drank the rest in one go.

The others were startled, but it was too late to stop him. They watched Ronan closely for any reaction.

The potion acted quickly. 

As Sean described, Ronan soon felt a wave of drowsiness, yawning repeatedly as his eyelids grew heavy.

One yawn, two, three...

"Whoosh—"

Ronan suddenly snapped awake, feeling as though he had taken a brief nap on a warm afternoon, leaving him surprisingly refreshed.

"How long was I asleep?"

Ronan asked, and Old Wills checked his brass pocket watch, hesitating before replying, "Half a minute? Maybe less."

"Ah."

Ronan's eyes lit up with delight.

As he suspected, the drowsiness side effect varied from person to person.

While the small-framed Sean slept for half an hour, Ronan's robust physique meant he only needed a brief nap.

The potion's mental recovery effect was impressive, nearly refilling Ronan's depleted reserves.

"Great, this potion is very useful for me!"

Ronan patted Sean's shoulder in appreciation, handing over two low-grade magic stones to buy all the potions Sean had.

In truth, Sean's "Drowsiness Potion" wasn't as miraculous as it seemed. It simply induced a deep sleep state to quickly replenish energy, unlike revitalizing potions that could restore energy during an ongoing fight.

But in this situation, and for someone with Ronan's physicality, it proved unexpectedly suitable.

Ronan offered Sean some encouraging words before urging everyone to continue their journey.

Barry tried to return the two magic stones, but Sean was thrilled to have helped Ronan, gaining newfound confidence and respect from those around him, including Barry.

The group continued toward the town, encountering surprisingly few obstacles. Apart from a few would-be robbers who fled upon seeing their numbers, the journey was uneventful.

With about ten minutes left before they would exit the forest, the group grew restless.

Many whispered among themselves, occasionally glancing at Ronan. Some deviated from the path, seemingly ready to slip away into the woods at any moment.

Ronan watched with a cold expression, having anticipated this.

As safety seemed assured, some began to balk at the four-magic-stone fee.

"Why should we pay him four magic stones when he did nothing?"

"If I'd known it would be this easy, I wouldn't have agreed to the fee!"

Ronan understood their thoughts but couldn't be bothered to address them.

Barry looked worried, hesitant to speak to Ronan.

As they moved forward, some began to lag behind or edge toward the bushes, ready to break away.

Just as the makeshift group seemed on the verge of falling apart...

"Roar!"

A distinct beastly roar echoed from ahead, sending a shiver through everyone. 

Thanks to the support from the alliance leader, Roll, for making this possible!