The "Free Transmutation" segment had finally reached its ultimate judging phase.
Fleur, feeling a flutter of nervousness, arrived at the entrance of the great hall that had been temporarily converted into the final venue.
Just then, she spotted a familiar figure—Lucien was leaning against a pillar, his eyes closed as if resting.
However, his condition made Fleur's heart skip a beat.
Lucien looked terrible. His usually fair skin was now a sickly, pale white, and even his lips had lost their color. His entire being radiated an obvious exhaustion, looking like someone who had just recovered from a serious illness.
"Lucien?" Fleur hurried over, her blue eyes filled with concern. "You... you look awful. Do you need to go to the hospital wing?"
Hearing her voice, Lucien opened his eyes. His emerald green irises looked a bit dim.
He waved his hand gently, forcing a weak smile. "I'm fine, Fleur. I just... overdid it researching a problem last night. I just need a little rest."
Lucien let out a breath, feeling helpless inside. This "burned out" look was entirely the fault of that "Youth Apple"!
Last night, he had used a drop of Qilin blood to activate the "Seed of Idun's Apple."
But when he started pouring magic into the seed to complete the initial infusion, Lucien truly understood what the System meant by "requires a vast amount of pure magic."
That tiny seed was like a bottomless pit.
It sucked away his magic frantically. The speed and volume were far beyond his calculations.
Even more troublesome was that this infusion process had to be continuous—no interruptions allowed. According to the System, during a single growth stage, the seed could only recognize and accept magic from one specific wizard.
If he switched people halfway, the accumulated "infusion progress" would reset to zero, and he'd have to start all over.
Furthermore, the magic it required had to carry the wizard's personal signature. The kind of natural, non-attributed pure magic produced by the Sorcerer's Stone actually wouldn't satisfy its growth needs.
Just this first attempt had nearly drained every drop of magic from Lucien's body.
Lucien had never experienced the sensation of hitting absolute zero on his magical reserves before. It was worse than pulling an all-nighter for a month to grind out a thesis and then immediately jumping into a no-holds-barred boxing match.
Even now, he could still feel the hollowness and weakness that came with magical exhaustion.
He possessed SS-level magical talent. In terms of recovery speed and maximum capacity, he was already leagues ahead of his peers, and even most adult wizards.
But this was just the very first stage of planting and cultivation!
Lucien couldn't help but feel a profound sense of "sympathy" for Idun, the Goddess of Youth in mythology who was responsible for tending these apples. The job of a gardener was likely grueling work, definitely not some relaxing, romantic gig.
Additionally, according to the System's explanation, as the Youth Apple entered different growth stages, the amount of magic required for each subsequent infusion would increase exponentially.
The only saving grace was that this wizard-draining "Magical Infusion" wasn't a daily requirement. It only needed to be done roughly once every half month.
Otherwise, if he had to go through this every day, Lucien wouldn't be able to do anything else.
In the interim, he just needed to water and nurture the apple tree using various magical materials, or specific concoctions brewed from those materials.
However, the seemingly mundane requirement of "watering with magical materials" was just as headache-inducing when looked at closely.
Lucien had studied the long list of materials and found that it covered almost every type of material known to the wizarding world.
Many were already extremely rare, and some were on the brink of extinction due to over-harvesting or ecological changes.
The real kicker? The list explicitly included several materials that the Ministry of Magic had officially declared extinct.
That was the hardest part.
If this magical world truly had so-called gods in ancient times—if that Age of Mythology really existed—then the Youth Apple, as a relic of that era, naturally required "nutrients" that originated from that long-lost environment.
Thousands of years had passed, the world had changed, and it wasn't surprising that some materials had vanished completely.
As for the loan repayment task—"Cure three different Blood Maledictions"—Lucien already had his first clear target: Nagini, whom he hadn't met yet.
Nagini carried a rare blood curse; those afflicted were known as "Maledictuses."
A Maledictus was born with an ability similar to an Animagus, allowing them to transform into a specific animal. But this was a process that demanded a terrible price.
Eventually, the human's reason and emotions would be completely swallowed by the beast's nature, leaving them forever lost in their animal form.
Lucien rubbed his temples, which were still throbbing faintly. These things couldn't be rushed.
Collecting materials, curing curses...
He would just have to take it one step at a time.