'Doesn't this mean… I won't have the material to pass this test?'
The perfect scenario in Auric's mind shattered into pieces. He thought he could pass this test, but it looked like fate didn't favor him.
"How about personally asking her? Since she could do it without the item, she might be willing to sell it to you," Lindwurm asked.
'No. I won't do that. Her encounter with me was a coincidence. She was supposed to get that item even without our encounter. Getting that from her would just show my incompetence and my over-reliance on luck.'
Lindwurm's eyebrows twitched. Auric was too stubborn.
"Wait a moment. I will try to contact other people to find the item." The president didn't want to embarrass himself since he had given his permission.
But the chance was extremely low.
In Auric's mind, he had abandoned the idea of getting the Thorny Oak. However, he didn't wish to give up because of a missing material.
Auric looked down, pondering. 'What if I use a much more potent energy and let them evolve during the process so that the element flares up and they burn more energy from that material?'
Lindwurm was the one getting startled this time. He never thought Auric would come up with this solution.
"That is possible."
He explained, "The evolution will increase the intensity of the user's element, so this sudden increase will consume more elemental energy from the material. If you help people during their evolution instead of before, you will feel your element becoming less effective in suppressing the other party's element."
Hence, Auric mentioned he didn't want to use more energy than necessary on Johan.
Mr. Golanz's condition required him to lower the excess 13%, so if he could just get an item with 14% or 15%, he might succeed.
Auric explained, 'I will first lower about 10% by using the material, leaving him with about 3% element. There should be 4% to 5% elemental energy left within the material, and this is where the evolution begins.
'The sudden increase in intensity during the evolution will lower the effectiveness of the second material, so the original effects will go down to 2% to 3%. I will adjust the rest with my energy.'
In theory, it was possible. However, there was one technical difficulty. There was no way a newbie evolution master could do it.
To be able to pinpoint the exact amount would require a very high elemental sensitivity, which was usually developed by experience.
However, Auric could see the particles that reflected the concentration and intensity of one's element.
With everything he had seen so far, he was quite confident he could find the perfect timing.
Auric's expression turned solemn. Seeing how the president hadn't been able to find a shop that still had the item in stock, Auric asked, "President. If it's not too much for you, I'll still continue. Instead of one, I'd like to request 2 items instead."
"2 items?" The president was flabbergasted. He couldn't think of a way Auric could succeed.
"Why are you so bold, kid?" Fredrick sighed helplessly.
Auric ignored that question and simply gave him the names of the items. "I'd like to get the Man-Eating Plant and the Valeca Hummingbird."
The president was stunned once again by his pick. The Man-Eating Plant was indeed a plant element material, but Valeca Hummingbird was a wind element material.
'Don't tell me…' The president thought of one possibility that he didn't want to believe.
At first, he hesitated to grant Auric permission, but upon seeing the confidence in Auric's eyes, he decided to give him the chance. "Alright. However, it won't be two materials. There will be three. The last one is Swift Hawk."
This addition was a direct message for the plant evolution master. This item was precisely meant to stimulate the energy from within Golanz's body so that it would go back up above 100% before using his own energy to lower it down to 100%.
In other words, it was a safety net in case Auric failed.
Auric also understood this reason and agreed. "I understand."
"Prepare the materials. We should still have them in stock," the president ordered aloud.
Due to the prior confusion, there was uncertainty reflected on Golanz's face.
"Am I really going to do it here, sir?" Golanz asked, looking pitiful. He might have volunteered because he didn't have enough money, but he was still worried about his prospects.
If everything had gone smoothly earlier, he would have had no problem with Auric, but now, he couldn't help but recall what happened to Titus.
The president nodded with a serious expression. "Of course. I will take responsibility as the president. I will make sure you evolve as promised in the contract. I will personally compensate you if anything happens."
With the great president personally guaranteeing it, Golanz felt relieved.
The president turned to Auric. "In addition, even though you lack the material and choose an alternative route, you should know what happens if you fail, right? If you decide to go like this, I will ban you from taking another exam for two years."
Two years was definitely not a small punishment. It was normal for people to take two years to become a silver-grade evolution master. Most people would take even longer.
So, this punishment was a way for the president to compensate Auric for not being able to get the item he wanted.
But for Golanz, who didn't have extensive knowledge about evolution masters, it looked like a harsh punishment.
"If you are so bold, you surely have prepared yourself for such a punishment, right?"
Auric gulped. The punishment was definitely harsh from his perspective. With his sensitivity, he was sure he could become a silver-grade evolution master in less than two years.
It would restrict him, but if he didn't get the third star in this test, he would have to wait for another half a year to get it.
However, Auric clenched his hands as he had gathered his resolve. "Yes. I'm prepared for it. Please allow me to continue."
The president nodded before turning to Golanz. "As you can see, I will properly discipline him if he makes a mistake. However, I will give him full authority. Please follow his instructions. If you choose to trust him, trust him without a shred of doubt. That's the worst thing that can happen to an evolution master."
"I understand. Thank you very much, sir." Golanz bowed.
"Thank him if he succeeds instead."
"Yes."
With the establishment of the agreement, Auric extended his hand, guiding Golanz to the evolution chamber. "This way."
The plant evolution master followed right behind.
While waiting for the materials to be brought over, Auric explained, "Mr. Golanz. Please follow my instructions completely. Your success will depend entirely on whether you follow my instructions or not."
"We all understand the struggle. A mistake that happens because someone doesn't follow you…" Golanz smiled. "Don't worry. I will follow your instructions no matter how weird they are. Just don't tell me to kill myself, okay?"
"Ahahaha. Of course, I'm not going to tell you such a thing." Auric chuckled. "There's only one simple instruction from me. When I tell you to start the evolution process, I would like you to do so."
"Understood." Golanz nodded with a resolute expression, assuring him that he wouldn't mess around.
The plant evolution master had been observing him, but he didn't know what Auric was trying to do.
"First, let me check your condition one more time. Can you release your avatar and maybe circulate your power according to your battle technique?"
"Sure." Since it was an alternative, Golanz understood his desire to double-check everything.
However, only Lindwurm saw through Auric's true intention. "You… you are trying to get his battle technique to increase your earth element, aren't you?"
'You caught me…' Auric playfully replied.
"In that case, why didn't you ask the two other people to do it as well?"
'Well, if I'm going to fill up my element, won't it be better if I fill it up with extreme elements?'
"I'm talking about using the knowledge from the previous two to sell the books and earn more money!"
'Ah!' Auric's mind went blank for a second. He forgot about that.
"You forgot, didn't you?" Lindwurm narrowed his eyes.
'I thought I wasn't bothered by that guy's provocation, but it turned out I was still bothered enough that I forgot about it. It was my mistake.'
Auric surprisingly admitted his mistake straight away.
Lindwurm thought Auric would be more prideful and try to brush it off with a casual remark.
Seeing how sincere he was, Lindwurm ended up losing the desire to get mad at him. He had already prepared a few lines of rebuttal if he made an excuse, but it looked like the opportunity didn't come.
"Excuse me. I have brought the materials." A staff entered the chamber with a tray filled with materials.
"Thank you." Auric smiled. He had already seen and comprehended the steel ability, so he would write it down once he was done with the examination.
He first grabbed the Man-Eating Plant. Of course, it left behind a simple egg-like embryo where the element from the original man-eating plant was concentrated. It could be said to be the essence of the plant itself.
"Please absorb this. Absorb every single bit of elemental energy contained in it according to my instructions. I will help you with the rest."
Golanz took a deep breath before grabbing the plant essence. There was a flow of plant element entering from his hand and gradually flowing to the heart.
Auric immediately channeled his energy to Golanz's heart, creating a thin barrier. This barrier had a small tunnel that would link the two sides.
Golanz's element would flow from the inside, while the element from the plant would flow from the outside.
More importantly, this tunnel would continue all the way to Golanz's hand, practically creating a new channel that limited the flow and prevented the plant element from reacting to Golanz's element.
Auric then pressed his hand slightly harder on Golanz's chest.
Golanz took the gesture as Auric's signal to start. He absorbed the energy according to the channel's size.
"What's wrong, President?" Fredrick asked, looking at the president, who was furrowing his brows.
"I guess he's really a 17-year-old kid. Even though he understands the method, his skills are still quite rough. If it were me, I could do it much faster and more smoothly. However, the fact that he can do it… means he's better than you, right?"
"Is that last comment even necessary?" Fredrick twitched his eyebrows.
"Well, just watch. You will benefit from this test as well."
Fredrick wanted to argue, but he couldn't really refute it.
Even the plant evolution master beside Auric was amazed by the method.
'The ability to create a channel that doesn't interfere with the two elements and allows a gradual exchange… Extreme Bridge Management. I guess you can learn from everywhere, even someone who is trying to become an evolution master.'
Auric was extra careful since this was the first time he had used this method. He had also told Lindwurm not to give him any advice before the treatment was over. Instead, he would give him feedback on how to improve. This was a challenge for Auric after all.
The flow continued and gradually diminished Golanz's earth element.
"I'm getting more comfortable," informed Golanz. Since the previous two had experienced the same thing, he wanted to let him know that he had done everything correctly.
"That's good. Please get ready. I will take you for a ride soon."
"Got it."
Auric observed the concentration of the magical energy to the very limit. He didn't even blink for several minutes.
The moment Golanz's element had reached a certain amount, Auric immediately opened his mouth. "Now!"
Golanz closed his eyes and immediately channeled his power into his avatar to start the evolution process.
That evolution process intensified his power, overpowering the energy from the plant.
If Auric didn't do anything, the channel he had created might break, resulting in the uncontrollable clash between the two.
Auric bit his lip as he concentrated even more.
'If this is not enough, then I'll push it to the limit.'
The president, who watched what happened, muttered under his breath, "Ah, yes… this technique is really… the legendary Dual Fusion Method."