My Muscle System in the Mage World

However, Aur remained calm. In the book, it was mentioned that the integration of the essence and the blood of the ogres would take time.

After all, both contained different properties. Although in extreme heat they could be melted to the point of union, it would still require some time, and Aur needed to carefully control the fire to prevent burning.

After what seemed like an eternity, Aur's eyes brightened as he carefully sensed the changes happening in the furnace.

The essence had finally completely merged with the green blood of the ogre, turning into a golden liquid. However, even now, it seems to lack something.

Aur slowly turned the heat to low and maintained it that way while his focus shifted to the other side.

"Now for the final step," Aur muttered, taking out a chalk and starting to carve an intricate circle around the furnace.

This chalk wasn't ordinary; it was a conductor of mana, allowing mana to freely flow through it. These things were quite commonly used when making a spell or in this case doing an alchemy.

Aur carved and carved, creating various patterns in the large circle he drew.

A slight sweat formed on his forehead; however, he didn't have time to pay attention to it as he never stopped carving.

Some patterns were intricate stars, while others depicted weird creatures drawn messily in the circle like a child's drawing.

However, upon closer inspection, observers would find a strange resonance and a weird pattern that made one dizzy just by looking at it.

Finally, Aur carved a straight line and looked around at the messy patterns drawn from the chalks.

Next, he slightly jumped out of the circle instantly.

Aur gave a finishing touch as he slowly carved another circle outside the circle and took deep breaths, adjusting all his thoughts.

"I have about 11 percent light blue mana, which should be enough," Aur assessed checking his mental space, sensing the surrounding mana and instantly starting to pour all his mana into the chalk.

Shing….

A strange sound resonated throughout the entire room. The moment Aur started to infuse mana into the pattern, the intricate design inside the circles began to glow one by one with a blue hue.

Aur closed his eyes, using his comprehension to slowly manipulate the mana in the circle. The hardest part of alchemy was this step. Combining the essence and other ingredients might not be difficult, but this part was incomparably strenuous.

If Aur made a single mistake, the alchemy would fail. Even if he executed every step perfectly, there was no guarantee of successfully concocting the potion.

In the whole village, there was only a single alchemist, which showed just how difficult this single step was.

As the light blue mana was poured into the pattern drawn from the chalk, eventually all the chalk disappeared, leaving behind pure light blue mana.

"Rise," Aur shouted, and the pattern immediately floated in the air and went inside the furnace, merging with the golden liquid.

Suddenly, the golden liquid took on a trace of spirituality.

Aur immediately touched the hot furnace, and his hand slightly burned from it, but he didn't care for now.

He quickly increased the power of the flame to the limits he could manage with the Elemental Mastery spell.

After twenty breaths of time, Aur closed the flame and opened the furnace lid with a frown on his face.

The golden liquid, which was previously shining with spirituality, had turned into a murky black liquid.

"A failed product," Aur said, entering into deep contemplation. "What went wrong?"

He had done everything almost perfectly as instructed in the basic alchemy book, but it still went wrong.

"Sure enough, it is not easy to become an alchemist," Aur muttered, his brow furrowing as he stared at the murky black liquid with a tinge of heartache. These batches of materials were worth around twenty middle-grade mana crystals, comparable to a spell, but now they had all been wasted.

Who wouldn't feel a headache after spending so many resources?

"Forget it, I should increase my intelligence attribute to at least 3 points before trying again. Until that time, I can increase my muscle attribute by using the Devour spell," Aur reasoned, swiftly formulating a training plan in his mind.

Currently, he possesses ten spells in total, each covering various aspects of combat: Elemental Mastery, Wizard's Hand, Ten Leaps, Turtle's Shell, Rock Skin, Thieving Hand, Tranquil Mind Incantation, Blink, Zephyr Cloak, and Devour.

While his arsenal of spells was extensive, Aur couldn't help but feel a slight deficiency in lacking an investigative spell.

However, he reassured himself that his heightened senses and intuition compensated for this, allowing him to sense and perceive things without the need for a specific spell.

His perception had already reached new heights, allowing him to sense even the slightest disturbances in his surroundings.

As for Zephyr Cloak, it was a spell he had acquired through the Thieving Hand spell during his first mission as he stole that wizard apprentice spell. This spell enabled Aur to seamlessly blend into the air, masking his presence completely.

While Zephyr Cloak wasn't considered a low-grade spell, it paled in comparison to Aur's heightened perception.

Aur dedicated himself to another round of gruelling training.

Throughout the day, he focused on honing his physical abilities, diligently allocating his stat points to increase his intelligence attribute. At night, he absorbed the essence of any beast he could find using the Devour spell.

Training was monotonous, each moment feeling like an eternity. Yet, for Aur, this was precisely what he desired.

With each passing second, he felt the gradual increase in his body's strength, his muscles pulsating with newfound power. A profound sense of satisfaction and accomplishment enveloped him.

In any world, Aur would never tire of refining and strengthening his body.