"Oh ho ho!" Chuckled slyly female voice behind Soren and Drew. "Is that a challenge I hear?" 

It was carefree Rika and towering behind her was Keith who looked like he didn't give a single care in the world. 

"Indeed it is, Mentor," Soren replied. "We were just discussing the terms of the challenge. Nothing too harmful." 

Rika smirked. It seems that she predicted this would happen. 

"A friendly competition between two Alchemists. So what is it?" 

Soren flicked his long hair back and smiled."Simple, to see how many regiments we can make in the allotted amount of time. Whoever makes the most with the highest accuracy will win. I was hoping you could tell us what regiment we would be making today. From my knowledge, it's an F-Rank vial-type regiment." 

Rika clapped her hands together, her eyes couldn't contain her excitement. 

"Ah! For once, someone actually read the syllabus! You are correct, we'll be making a regiment called Follicle." 

>>>

Follicle is a vial-type regiment that induces hair growth. It's used to cure balding which is a common condition in approximately one in five inhabitants in the universe thus making it one of the most sold regiments in the universe. Even someone who isn't an Alchemist can make it at home though it would be considered illegal since they aren't certified. The regiment itself was a mistake that came about when an Alchemist a thousand years ago spilled a drop of Minotaur urine, meant for another experiment, into a vial of a hair removal regiment. 

Sounds dumb, doesn't it? Well, most things happen because of accidents. Think of extra dark pretzels (I believe they are called 'Splits'). 

After further research, Alchemist discovered that Minotaur urine has the property of reversing the effects of regiments but it only works with F-Rank Regiments that are either spray or vial types since you can't exactly make pills with Minotaur piss. There have been many attempts to create pills using the liquid but all have failed miserably. The reason, if one tries heating up the urine, it will lose its effects or evaporate depending on which one happens first. If it's freeze-dried, it explodes. If it's used directly into the pill, even if it's just a drop, the powder will turn into an unusable goop. Even if one puts it in a centrifuge and tries to isolate the minerals, that also doesn't work because the liquid from the urine activates the minerals. Thus, Minotaur urine can only be utilized in its raw form. 

Now how does one obtain Minotaur urine? 

Simple just ask a random Minotaur on the street if he's willing to provide his piss for Alchemy and he'll gladly do so. Just kidding. The toilets in Ozwarth automatically separate urine and feces by race. All one has to do is purchase Minotaur urine from the city. It's cheap by Alchemist standards. One liter of Minotaur piss costs around 50 Kalas which was enough to make about 100 Follicle regiments! A little Minotaur urine can go a long way! 

>>>

Drew had made Follicle a few times when he was still studying under Uncle Ryhard so he was somewhat familiar with how to make it. However, at the time he couldn't make that many since his Otrio quantity was much lower. Now that he was E-Rank he could make tens of Follicles without an issue. Though it has been a few months since he last made one so he definitely needed a refresher. Glancing over the recipe once should do the job. 

"Rest assured. We'll be doing a short tutorial on how to make one just for those who aren't familiar with it," Keith explained glancing at the time on his wristband.

Drew exhaled a sigh of relief. 

"Phew, I feel better hearing that. By the way, is there a minimum amount we are required to make?"

"The minimum required for everyone to make is ten but you can make more. Any extras you make will be sold at low-income communities at a discounted price. You will receive 70% of the profit via a direct deposit from each one that is sold."

Drew's eyes grew wider.

More side cash! He screamed in his heart. 

"If you don't mind," Soren interrupted. "Do you Mentors mind if you proctor our challenge?" 

Rika winked. 

"No problemo~!" 

"This will be an interesting source of entertainment," Keith said bluntly, placing his hand on his chin. 

"How 'bout this, you two can begin once we finish the demonstration. You will have until the lunch break to complete your regiments. After that, you can just rest in the lounge until two. It's currently 9:00 so we'll begin the demonstration!" 

"Music to my ears." Soren hummed confirming that everything was okay. 

Drew nodded in agreement. 

"That's fine."  

And so Rika and Keith performed their demonstration on how to make Follicle. With both of them being C-Rank Alchemists, their Otrio control and experience were much greater than the rest in the room. Every step was conducted with finesse. 

Follicle was a regiment made with ten types of Otrio berries and Minotaur Urine, with no synthesized chemical ingredients. The sequence in which each berry was incorporated was essential. Some of the berries had to be dried while others had to be crushed or else the regiment could explode. Luckily, the Mentors had already done some of the work for the volunteers so all that needed to be done was to properly measure out the types of berries plus the Minotaur Urine and dump them in the correct order while taking notes of the temperature of the regiment. From there, one must input a little bit of their own Otrio to activate the ingredients, and it's done. 

Drew was mesmerize by the Mentors' demonstration. Their Otrio flowed smoothly, like a stream flowing down a mountainside. The grace and swiftness involved with inserting every single precisely measure ingredient was something Drew has never seen. He was taught Alchemy by Uncle Ryhard and Gerald but they didn't specialize in it. Now watching full-fledged Alchemists concoct a simple regiment like Follicle, Drew realized he had much to learn, but there was something that stood out. 

Though Drew wasn't experienced he could sense something off about the Mentors' Otrio flow, especially Keith's. Maybe it was partially due to his increased sensitivity to Otrio or maybe he was hallucinating but there was something bothering him about Keith. One's Otrio flow is a reflection of their personality. People could hide their personality but they can't hide their Otrio flow. Drew only learned about this a few days ago from Gerald but thanks to his keen observation, he was able to catch on rather quickly. Drew's own Otrio flow was calm like a steady wind blowing through a valley with a slight chill hiding behind it. Yet, on a turn at a dime, the chill could leap out, turning those calm winds into a snowstorm. But it wasn't as if these winds were predictable, to begin with. Who knows, it could even become a tornado. 

While Keith's Otrio flow could be considered to have a consistent and calm flow akin to his demeanor and dead traffic light eyes. One with increased sensitivity could tell that it was rough and sharp at the same. It was burning with something. Passion? Hate? Revenge? It seemed like he was holding something in. Well, like that was any of Drew's concerns. 

As soon as both Mentors finished the demonstration, they dismissed everyone on their merry ways to create their regiments. It was now 9:30 and there were about two and a half hours remaining for Drew and Soren to complete their challenge. 

Neither of them spared a single second. 

"May the best Alchemist win." Soren smiled, wishing him all the best. 

Tick. 

Tick. 

Tick. 

The clock was ticking. 

Drew fired up the Otrio Stove. The core embedded in its base glowing a soft green hue as it resonated with Drew's Otrio. From there, Drew carefully inputted the correct measurements of each berry onto the touch screen interface that appeared on his desk. In an instant, glass bowls containing each Otrio berry dispensed up from underneath the workspace. Funny enough, the berries were arranged in a ROYGBIV manner. All Drew had to do was dump in the berries in the correct sequence into the Otrio stove and control his Otrio carefully so then the regiment doesn't explode. 

Now that almost everything was prepared, Drew began by dumping the crushed orange Liangon Berries into the Otrio Stove. However, the berries didn't fall to the bottom but floated in the space enclosed by the glass walls of the Otrio Stove. Within a blink of an eye, the residual berry chunks dissolved into a blob of viscous orange liquid. Without sparing a moment, Drew poured in the seeds of the blue Seacharm Berries and the yellow Sunikle Berries into the Stove where they dissolved into the orange liquid. Another interesting phenomenon occurred, the seeds managed to also dissolve but the colors didn't mix. Instead, each color occupied a fraction of the viscous blob floating within the Otrio Stove. 

Okay, the time seems just about right. Drew smiled as he allowed his Otrio to flow to his hands. 

In a circular motion, Drew injected his Otrio into to blob, ensuring that there was an equal amount of Otrio being distributed into the liquid. With another circular motion combined with a dome-shaped hand motion to both the front and the back of the stove, Drew manipulated the liquid inside it. The colorful liquid that was once separated had now combined into a homogenous purple color. Yeah, it makes no sense but that's just the part of the mysterious nature of Otrio berries. Drew repeated this process with the rest of the colorful berries, putting in the red Cairem berries, the violet Umbra berries, Indigo Midna berries, and finally the green Hacrke berries, until the liquid turned a bright magenta color (again another color that makes zero sense when you consider the color spectrum but that's okay since half of Alchemy simply cannot be comprehended by science). 

A few moments later, it was time to remove the liquid from the stove. Drew prepared a glass bowl and used his Otrio to create a bubble to carefully lift the liquid from the stove into the glass bowl. With a snap of his fingers, the Otrio bubble broke with the liquid falling perfectly into the bowl.

Now the final ingredient, Minotaur Urine. 

With a micropipette, Drew drew approximately five milliliters of Minotaur Urine from a glass container. Surprisingly, the urine didn't stink at all. It was a translucent orange color, akin to that of egg yolks, and smelled like flowers. Well, Minotaurs were vegetarian so it wouldn't be too weird that flowers were part of their diet. 

Drop. 

Drop. 

Drop. 

The Minotaur Urine fell into the magenta liquid. In an instant, the liquid turned a light gray color. There were even some white sparkles which were traces of the Otrio contained within the Otrio Berries. With a quick transfer into a vial and the snap of a cap, the regiment was complete. 

One Follicle regiment complete! Drew smiled, exhaling a sigh of relief before moving on to the next regiment. 

However, before he start, he had seen Soren complete his third regiment. Drew may have superior Otrio control compared to those his level but it was nowhere near the level of Soren or the Mentors. Soren may have started out with the same number of Krasos as Drew but his Otrio was much purer than Drew's which allowed him to incorporate the berries faster into the bright magenta blob but what really separated Drew from Soren was also his efficiency. Drew was used to making regiments one at a time until he got them to perfection but he never made multiple regiments at once. The reason for this was because Gerald wanted Drew to perfect making a single regiment before being taught how to make multiple at the same time.

That lesson was put on hold for now. 

Thus, Drew decided to take the liberty of watching Soren make one regiment. 

As Soren let the final berries dissolve in the Otrio stove, Soren prepared multiple viles while prepping the berries for the next regiment. Upon removing the magenta liquid from the stove, he transferred the next set of berries into the Otrio stove before finishing up his previous regiment. 

Oh! I see! Drew exclaimed to himself. No wonder why Soren was making regiments faster than me. As he completes the base for the first regiment, he starts the second one and while the berries in the second regiment are dissolving, he finishes off the first regiment. From there, he prepares the berries for the third regiment and repeats the process over again. That's very efficient. 

Drew made sure to take note of Soren's sequencing technique before starting his second regiment. 

Once he finished putting in all the berries for the second regiment into the Otrio Stove, Drew began prepping the berries for his third regiment. When the berries completely dissolved to the second regiment, Drew transferred the liquid into a glass bowl then dumped in the berries for the third regiment. While those dissolved, Drew finished up the second regiment then prepared the berries for the fourth regiment. This all took place within the span of ten minutes.

>>>

Soren was just about to finish his fifth regiment. He had used up more Otrio than he predicted he would so he planned on recovering for a little. He decided to take a glance over at Drew's side. Drew only had two regiments completed but looking at his technique, he seemed to be copying Soren. 

Don't tell me he didn't learn how to sequence until now. Soren scoffed to himself watching Drew emulate him almost perfectly even his timing was immaculate.

The set up of the berries, the completion of one regiment before starting the next one on a dime. All of that was beyond the level of a normal F-Rank Alchemist let alone an incoming E-Rank Alchemist. He could be considered to be on par with more experienced E-Rank Alchemists.  

What a frightening learning speed. It's no wonder why Winter hired him. At his rate, he could become a D-Rank Alchemist in less than a year. Well, he couldn't have made it into Star if he wasn't something special but it's nothing compared to the geniuses. Sequencing is one of the easier things to learn in Alchemy so it's no surprise that he was able to grasp the idea quickly. 

Sequencing may seem simple but it's harder to execute than one think it does. Sequencing the process of making multiple regiments at once. When the first regiment is being made in the Otrio stove, the Alchemist should prep the materials for the second regiment. When the first regiment is removed from the stove, the ingredients for the second regiment are dumped in. Finish the first regiment and, start prepping the berries for the third regiment and the whole process is repeated over and over again. Timing is the key to Sequencing and the only way to get better at it was to make multiple regiments in a row in one sitting.

Soren was genius himself but it thanks to the resources from the Khan family which allowed him to achieve the genius level. In front of ‘real’ geniuses, Soren could only call himself proficient. When he first started off learning Alchemy, Soren was spilling things left and right but at the time, he was only ten years old thus his coordination wasn't very good. It wasn't until his third or fourth year learning Alchemy where he began to learn about Sequencing and that took him about a day to grasp. 

However, when Soren looked at Drew he couldn't help but be surprised. To think Drew had only been in the profession for slightly over half a year and achieved that level of proficiency was impressive. Half the reason for this was thanks to Gerald's spartan training while the other half was due to Drew's genuine interest in the profession and his prior education, Kraus Central Academy. 

>>>

Kraus Central Academy, KCA, was ranked amongst the top five Compulsory Education schools in all of Kraus. The KCA was best known for their medical and business programs with many of their graduates attending Star and eventually holding high positions within many firms in Ozwarth. The director of Ozwarth Medical Center and Star's Dean were such examples of prominent figures who attended KCA. 

Drew was a part of KCA’s joint program thanks to his overall rank being above 200 during his time in Compulsory Education. However, he was in the lowest class for the joint program so he what you could call the dumbest of the smartest. In the joint program, Drew was taught the basics of Alchemy. He never actually did it since he was in the lowest class but he learned just about the most fundamental aspects of Alchemy theory which is something not many students had access to. Because of this, Drew's interest in Alchemy began to form but once he graduated from KCA, over a year ago, he thought he would never have the chance to learn Alchemy for real until that day. 

Luckily for Drew, he had retained almost all the knowledge he had acquired from his time at the KCA. As such, learning the fundamentals of practical Alchemy was much as easier as he knew the reasons as to why certain steps were done and why certain techniques were created. Accuracy and efficiency. This is the reason why Drew was able to grasp Sequencing rather quickly, all because he had strong fundamental knowledge from Compulsory Education. Though he was fumbling along the way to time exactly when certain steps of the Follicle regiment were completed, he knew that with a bit more time and practice he could perfect it. 

>>>

"Did you seriously just figure out Sequencing now?" Soren asked Drew just to confirm his suspicions. 

Drew lightly nodded as he finished up another Follicle regiment. 

"Yeah, I never actually learned it until I saw you do it. I've only learned about it in theory but this is my first time doing it in a more practical environment." 

"Well, that answered a lot of my questions." Soren chuckled. "You have a very strong Alchemy foundation. Who exactly did you learn from?" 

Drew scoffed. He was now coming to understand why Gerald placed so much emphasis on reinforcing his existing knowledge. Alchemy, like mathematics, is a subject that builds on top of each other. In mathematics, if one is unable to solve for a variable using simple algebra then how are they supposed to solve a polynomial? The idea is the same with Alchemy. If one doesn't know why certain herbs are combined together in certain proportions, then how exactly are they supposed to understand the properties of the regiment they're making? 

"Thank you for the praise, but most of my existing knowledge came from Compulsory Education. Everything else came along thanks to practice and from there, it all just started to make sense." 

"KCA, you've learned from the best." Soren praised. "If you had only entered Star a year earlier, perhaps you could've been in the Elite-Class. We would've been peers." 

"A shame isn't it? However, I am rather content with where I am right now." Drew smiled. 

To Drew, keeping a lower profile was much more beneficial to him than having a high one. Drew had to laugh but his plans already went out the window when he threw himself out there during the auction and revealed himself to be Axel Snow's assistant. Now, all Drew was trying to do was let news about him die down so then he could mosey along with life with a lower risk of him being exposed as Axel Snow himself. Drew couldn't help but agree with all those superhero movies about trying to balance a double, well triple life. What a mess. 

"Suit yourself." Soren shrugged. "Also, I do advise you to increase your pace, or else you may just lose." 

Yet, Drew didn't allow Soren to get to his head. A valuable lesson played in Drew's mind from Gerald and Senior Neilson: Never let your opponents see you sweat. 

"Don't worry," Drew replied calmly as he capped another regiment. "We've only just begun.”