Syl: Chapter 77 - 84 (Patreon)

Chapter 77: Salamander

While continuing down the tunnel toward the scent and my ultimate goal, I did manage to come across a single rock elemental. It didn't notice me, and I managed to land a fully boosted [Permeable] on it. Now that it was primed and ready for my assault, I cast and held [Torrent] with Alpha while the rest paired up and held two empowered [Water Orbs].

We coordinated our attack, but the [Torrent] was far faster than anticipated and blasted through the rocky hide of the elemental. Chunks of rock were blasted under the high-velocity water, rapidly eroded into crumbled rock and mud when they struck against the walls. When the orbs hit, what little remained of its body was thoroughly soaked, and the orb's detonation from opposite ends rapidly crumbled what remained of its rocky hide into a muddy slurry.

I could see the elemental trying to reconstitute its form with [Mana Sight] as it desperately tried to flood the earthen slurry with its own mana. I could see the water interfering with its attempts; it was a rock elemental, not a mud elemental, after all. Combining [Sneak Attack] with a Debuff and another attack spell was deadly. It was great to see my skills interacting, bringing back fond memories of when I combined multiple of my slime traits.

Speaking of my slime traits, I regretted hardly using them in this excursion. I had evolved and gained new strengths, but with my low skill levels, I had prioritized them. I could have simply engulfed the rock elemental and assaulted it with [Acid Slime], but then I'd gain experience, further advancing my class without allowing my skills to catch up.

I approached the elemental, rapidly burning through its mana, grabbed it with a pseudopod, and began to work on the [Dissection]. Any more spells risked shattering its valuable crystal, and if I wanted to purchase slime cores for myself, I needed all the money I could get.

<Rock Elemental LV 12 defeated. Experience gained.>

'Still, I wonder what the salamander is even doing in a silver mine?'

Sneaking through, I eventually found a giant red lizard monster lazing on a pile of unrefined silver ore. It was currently snacking on the charred remains of a spider. Blackened bones and a few random weapons and tools surrounded the pile. I noticed four significantly melted remains of an elemental crystal.

<Inferno Salamander LV 5.>

'What, do you think you're a dragon or something sleeping on a treasure hoard?' I questioned.

The salamander was mainly red except coated in an outer layer of blackened scales that seemed to pulse a deep orange in tune with its breathing. It was about the size of an overgrown horse. Definitely one of the most diminutive evolved monsters I'd ever encountered. I assumed it must be on par with the Earthshaker bear and myself regarding monster tier, although I also had almost twenty class levels to rely on.

'Not to mention, I'm basically immune to fire. I think I'm this thing's worst nightmare.'

I'd be taking full advantage of my skills here by starting the fight by laying down all the available debuffs and landing a major [Sneak Attack]. I started off with [Permeable], then [Erode], and finally [Flammable] just for the extra experience.

<[Flammable] resisted.>

Shocked, I cast the spell three more times before it landed successfully. Being such a fire-based creature, I could only assume the world wasn't happy with me trying to lower its fire resistance - not that I planned on actually trying to damage it with [Fire Magic]. Thankfully, despite the salamander resisting the spell, my level in [Vanish] was too high for it to even notice what was going on.

My groundwork prepared, we coordinated three empowered [Water Orb] spells pushed to their maximum. I wanted all three to land simultaneously to ensure [Sneak Attack], and I was a little worried about [Torrent] potentially damaging its scales. With silent precision, we launched our spells at the salamander; it let out a horrendous shriek before it was silenced as its living space was flooded by three massive quantities of water. We immediately started creating another set of spells when I noticed a blinding heat source at the center of the flooded room.

<Proficiency gained. [Thermal Vision LV 2] improved to [Thermal Vision LV 3].>

I had to disable the trait as the white-hot coloring emanating was becoming blinding. The water in the room was rapidly transformed into steam as a fiery inferno burst outwards. We fired our three orbs again at the creature, briefly extinguishing the expanding flame before it reignited and evaporated the water. With all the steam and flame, the room must have felt like a sauna, and I was grateful that I wouldn't have to relive the experience of being boiled alive again.

The salamander, now free from all the water, glared at its assailant, me. Its blackened scales no longer pulsed with an orange glow and instead blazed in a blueish white with hints of the previous orange. It let out a hissing screech full of reptilian rage as it unleashed a torrent of flame at me. The flames blanketed my body, and I could only smirk as they washed over me with no impact at all.

The creature must not have been able to sense what was transpiring under its blanket of flames, as when I snaked a pseudopod from behind to blast it with more water, it was caught completely unawares. I watched its eyes frantically dart towards where the attack came from. It expected a new foe, but my tendril had already snapped back into my form. I fired another water blast while it was distracted and could visibly see the shock on its face when I was completely unharmed.

Outraged at the transgression, the flames between its scales shone even brighter as it inhaled deeply. I tried firing some water into its mouth directly while presenting such an exploitable opening, but the water turned to vapor when it neared the vicinity of its toothy maw. It was frustrating to see how its flame had defeated my meager level of water magic, I had wanted to beat it with magic, but it appeared I'd need to overpower it with slime instead.

Before I could switch to attacking with slime, it completed what it attempted and unleashed another column of flame from its gullet, matching its scales in a gradient of blue-white-orange. The flames crashed into me. I felt no damage to my core, but this time, I could feel it was destroying my slime mass. I rapidly replaced the burnt-away slime with fresh slime from the storage and simultaneously triggered [Slime Conversion].

I was about to flee from the flame when I had an epiphany. Instead, I changed my chimeric monstrosity skin into that of the greyish green of a hobgoblin and grabbed the [Fire Resistance] trait. The change was immediately noticeable, and the depleting slime mass halted; combining my newly borrowed trait and [Blaze Slime] gave me the fire immunity required to overcome this blue flame.

I could have attacked again, but I decided to instead wait as [Mana Sight] told me this creature was rapidly using up its natural supply to fuel its flame organ. I could see the mana flow from its extremities and focus down into a specialized organ inside its chest cavity. This attack was powerful but would cost it significantly, and then I'd strike while it was fatigued. My desire to watch how the creature's mana flowed gave me insight and led to another skill upgrade.

<Proficiency gained. [Mana Sight LV 4] improved to [Mana Sight LV 5].>

When the flames started dying, I could see the creature almost collapsing to the ground. It had expended far too much energy, but it must have wanted to ensure I was vaporized in its flame and wasn't willing to risk not giving its utmost effort. The molten rock around me had turned to a sort of lava, and the few present ores had turned into slag. Was this really a Silver-rank monster? Or had it evolved recently? I wouldn't have survived the encounter if I wasn't a slime, even if I was actively dodging. I certainly couldn't imagine anyone in Roderick's party surviving such an encounter, although admittedly, I'd never seen them fight seriously.

When I emerged unharmed from the flame, I could see the despair in the creature's eyes. Its blackened scales were no longer accented by the fiery glow but instead looked like the last coal embers. It tried to retreat, but I was far too fast for it as I promptly blocked off its retreat paths with tendrils. It tried lashing out with its front claws and even biting with its maw, which probably still held some threat to ordinary creatures; I'd give it a personal rating of more potent than the wolves but weaker than badgers.

It was straightforward for me to grab the creature by its limbs and lift it up so it was helpless. It flailed and tried launching some weakened flames, but nothing I couldn't handle. I engulfed the entire creature in slime; its natural body temperature was very high, and in desperation, I could feel it briefly flaring to some extreme temperatures. Compared to its hide, internally, it was fragile, and it died shortly after I invaded and turned up the acid. [Dissection] happily pointed out all the valuable parts.

<Inferno Salamander LV 5 defeated. Experience gained.>

<Quest complete. Payment has been deposited into your account.>

<Racial Experience threshold reached. Chimeric Mimic Slime (Blue) is now LV 4.>

<5 Trait Points are now available.>

<Profile [Salamander] complete.>

I was a little disappointed I didn't gain a class level, too, but that was short-lived when I looked over the new profile of the creature. It had two traits that were both juicy targets for mimicry: [Inferno Sac], which was the improved version of [Fire Sac], and [Draconic Scales (Lesser)]. Being able to breathe fire was very impressive, and I couldn't wait to try it out, but the scales were fascinating.

<[Draconic Scales (Lesser)]

Provides high defense and minor resistance to most elements, scaling with trait level.

Unlike true dragon scales, however, it does not provide magical resistance as your draconic lineage is far too distant and inadequate.>

I applied the scales to myself and admired them. Most surprising was that I could apply the trait to myself even when in a human or elven form, hinting that both races could have a bloodline with a dragon. I was just happy I had another trait I could use while adventuring without creating some elf-salamander hybrid form.

As for harvested goods, its flame organ, scales, claws, and fangs were all identified as valuable. I could feel [Dissection] proudly showing off the work of the preserved flame organ, which was by far the most valuable part. Despite being extracted, the organ still pulsed with a dangerous level of heat, definitely not for unprotected hands.

After depositing it all, I formed my own organ, filled it with mana, and let out a small belch of blue flame. While an immediate thought was creating a hydra of salamander heads, all belching fire, my freedom of form meant I could also, in theory, just place the organ in my arm and create my own channels to let it erupt from my hands.

I let my mind wander happily while scavenging what remained of the salamander's small treasure hoard.

Chapter 78: Quest Complete

Thanks to [Mapping], I thoroughly searched the rest of the tunnels and pathways and regretfully concluded that I couldn't find the final rock elemental. I was prepared to start heading back to the mine entrance, but first, I wanted to try each of my new forms to claim the first-time and perfection bonuses.

The orc form felt solid and robust. I liked the raw strength it held over a regular human and, in particular, against my frail, by comparison, elven form. Still, I couldn't see myself using it over a bear or some other chimeric monstrosity form. In theory, I could potentially infiltrate the orcs, but I certainly didn't want to rehash my goblin experience.

I had already tried the elemental forms, so I skipped them and tried out the spiders I could access. Much to my embarrassment, coordinating eight legs took a few attempts, but I was easily skittering up the tunnel walls shortly after. The web creation traits were intriguing because I was only imitating the organ, so it felt strange that I could produce a web. Examining it closely, I discovered that the trait substituted the likeliest available resource to create the phenomenon, which, in my situation, was a pittance of mana. Unfortunately, the trait alone wasn't enough to give me the instincts and creativity needed to make a proper web, and my best effort was a crude star shape that might trip someone at best. If I ever used this trait, I'd have to stick to spraying it out, although again, I could accomplish so much more if I just used slime with maximum adhesion.

I found the salamander form lacking overall, and if not for the two traits I stole, I'd likely never use it. It was frail, lacked strength, and wasn't that nimble. The only things it had going for it were its impressive scales and extreme firepower, both of which I could borrow without significantly applying its form. It was almost a one-trick pony, which likely brought it far until it met something that directly countered its one trick.

I shifted back into my disguise and practiced adding scales under my robe and experimenting with trying to use the [Inferno Sac]. I discovered that without borrowing [Fire Resistance], I couldn't handle the maximum output of the trait without burning away my slime. I'd need a higher level of [Blaze Slime] to handle it without fusing some Hobgoblin or Salamander into my form, which could take the trait.

'I should be thankful that recreating the organ itself is enough for me to borrow the trait; if I had to add even more salamander parts to take it, I'd ruin my disguise.'

Speaking of disguise, I thankfully remembered that I needed to remove the [Identity Block] on my profile. I was glad my warning was adhered to, and nobody ventured into the mines that I was aware of. Dealing with the consequences of being discovered was a bridge I hoped I wouldn't be forced to cross any time soon.

I exited the cavern to a late afternoon sun and a few terrified-looking guards, whose expressions were relieved when they saw it was me.

"Thank the Gods you survived, ma'am. We all feared the worst when we felt that terrible explosion," one of the guards said.

'...Sorry, that was me.' I mentally apologized before responding.

"Thanks for the concern. Do you know how long it's been since I entered?"

"Well over a day." He answered, "I pray you were successful?"

'That explains my mental fatigue. I worked through an entire night without realizing it.'

"The salamander, spiders, and elementals are dealt with. I thoroughly searched the entire mine and couldn't find any more."

The guard's expressions brightened, and the few miners still in the vicinity cheered at the news. It sounded like the miners didn't get paid unless they worked, which didn't sound fair to me - it wasn't their fault that a monster invaded because it wanted to imitate a dragon badly. I took out the raw ore in my storage, leaving only a single piece and the mana-enriched piece I had discovered for future sampling.

"The salamander was collecting the ore and nesting on it. This was all I managed to recover. Unfortunately, quite a lot of it melted with the rock."

Shocked, the miners looked at me and began shaking their heads, "We couldn't possibly take this from you. It's your loot from dealing with the monster."

"Don't worry about it. I earned more than enough from the quest payout and the salamander harvesting. If you want to earn it, you could help me find the last rock elemental I need to complete my quest."

After some thought, the miners nodded, and the guards also volunteered to help. My decision to give the ore to the miners was half guilt over taking longer than I should have to deal with the quest due to my experimentation and half laziness with needing to somehow deal with selling the ores after the fact.

According to one of the miners, they could form on the surface because of the overabundance of essence in the area, but they are usually quite docile unless you enter their domain. If one decided to reside in a critical tunnel path, this would obviously be a problem in the mines. It didn't take too long for one of the miners to find one for me; it had taken up residence in the rock dumping area and looked to have only been formed recently, as it was only level one and minuscule.

I cast all my debuffs on it, just for practice, before I began turning its body into mud with some creative [Water Whip] usage. I wrapped it up in the whip and could rapidly erode away at its body by applying some pressure. It wasn't long before I received the notification of its death, and my quest was complete.

<Quest complete. Payment has been deposited into your account.>

I thanked them for their assistance in finding it and said our farewells. They tried convincing me to stay the night at their camp, where they said there would be some minor celebrations. One of the miners even said he was breaking out his emergency alcohol rations to celebrate. Unfortunately, the mental fatigue caught up, and I was worried I'd slip up somewhere. I wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole somewhere and turn into a formless blob.

I started to wander back towards the city but then took a detour and veered off course until I found a relatively isolated area with a few sparse trees and foliage. I jumped and climbed up the largest tree and extended a tendril from the palm of my hand to burrow away with [Acid Slime]. Once the hole was deep enough, and I made sure my surroundings were clear of any witnesses, I deposited all my items, liquefied my form while I rapidly entered the hole, and continued to dig downwards till I was well beyond the tree's roots. When I felt sufficiently deep and safe, I ordered my [Sub-Cores] to keep a lookout before succumbing to the oblivion of sleep.

<Proficiency gained. [Mana Circulation LV 5] improved to [Mana Circulation LV 6].>

<Proficiency gained. [Mana Reinforcement LV 5] improved to [Mana Reinforcement LV 6].>

When I woke up, I felt great, and my mind was cleared of any mental fog. I hadn't realized how important sleep was for my mind until now, I was surprised I could keep going for so long, and I could only assume it was due to my mental stats being off the chart thanks to [Soul Mastery] and [Core Refinement].

While using [Vanish], I exited the tree, and after confirming I was safe with all my available senses, I transformed back into my disguise. Looking at the sun, I judged it was early to mid-morning, which meant I had slept far longer than ever before - not counting evolution time.

I rejoined the road and casually strolled towards the city, revisiting the spell tinkering that had befuddled my fatigued mind. I got some odd stares as I was tinkering with a spell while walking, but nobody stopped me or vocally mentioned it, so I figured I wasn't breaking any law or anything.

It still frustrated me greatly as I couldn't visually see the individual components of the corrosion mana. I even borrowed [Mana Sight LV 6] from the elf profile, but the extra level didn't make a difference, and it felt like I was fundamentally missing something. I'd have to pick Dewi's brain to see if he knew a solution to my predicament, as I was sure he'd be more than thrilled I was tinkering with a custom fire spell.

Thanks to my more casual pace, it was late afternoon by the time I reached the city. My slow, methodical replacement of the spell construct was maybe thirty percent complete at best, and that was with five perfect helpers. Another benefit of getting my [Sub-Cores] to help was that I could get one of them to save my latest modification before the spell unraveled, quickly backing up my process. I would've given up long ago if I had to start from scratch every single time. That made me wonder how a normal human was supposed to accomplish this; I could only assume they would try to obtain a trait or skill to enhance memory - something like eidetic memory, perhaps? Or I was approaching the method incorrectly, but it was the best I could come up with from Dewi's vaguery.

I entered the city without issue and used [Vanish] till I approached the adventurers guild. I deactivated the skill upon entering and politely requested the receptionist to let Luke know I had returned at his earliest convenience. I didn't have to wait long and was soon ushered to a booth.

"Good to see you again, Miss Syl."

"Hey Luke, all my quests were successful; it was a pretty fun experience."

"There was some concern that something went wrong. We expected you to return sooner; the time between completing your spider extermination and the salamander was significant."

"I may have gone overboard on the spider extermination; I cleared out the entire mine. I was also searching for rock elementals, which proved difficult because the salamander had killed quite a few."

"Huh... That's slightly odd behavior. What level was it?"

"Five. I think it recently evolved."

Luke slammed the table, causing me to flinch in surprise, "Wait, it had evolved?!"

"I believe so. It was an Inferno Salamander. Does that help?"

Rather than helping, Luke seemed to go slightly pale. He began frantically shuffling through papers and muttering to himself; when he found what he was looking for, he read it carefully and then shook his head before finally speaking.

"I double-checked the original request. They definitely said it was a normal salamander. The request wasn't that old; I don't know how it evolved so soon..." He bowed his head, "I'm so sorry, Miss Syl. I put you in danger by recommending this quest."

Confused by the display, I quickly tried to calm him down, "It wasn't that much of an issue. Your advice helped a lot as its insides were extremely weak, and I got a lot of experience and practice with my [Water Magic]."

"No. You don't understand, Miss Syl. This is an upper Silver-rank threat; if it had been at a higher level, it would have been a low Gold-rank. Sending a lone, freshly promoted Silver-rank adventurer against something like this is a suicide mission."

"Well, it's good I'm trying to get promoted to Gold as soon as possible," I said with a smirk, hoping to ease his concern.

He sighed at my utter refusal to accept the gravity of the situation, "We might have to if it truly was as easy as you are appearing to make it."

"Anyway, let's get down to business. I got plenty of materials to show you."

Chapter 79: Loot Dealing

"Ah! Miss Syl, please don't dump them on my desk; we have a room for this!" Luke frantically said when I piled a few parts on the desk.

I nodded and deposited them away, causing him to look relieved. He led me to another room with plenty of tables and minor shelving. Interestingly, almost no two tables were made from the same material. Some were wood, while others were stone, and even a few were made of metal.

Seeing my curiosity at the various tables, Luke spoke up, "Depending on the monster, their materials can be hazardous; we've had some monsters burn a room down or melt straight through the floor!"

"Oh... Right, if I took out the inferno sac, it'd probably burn your desk, maybe the whole room?" I replied, scratching my chin.

Luke had a complex expression of paled horror and genuine excitement, "Y-you actually managed to harvest its flame gland?" he stammered out.

"Yeah, it's in great condition. Want to see?"

"No! Miss Syl, please wait! I'm going to get Mister Thern. Please wait right here, and please do not take out the organ, no matter what!" Luke shouted frantically and darted off.

I shrugged and started pulling out the various other materials I had harvested. For the most part, I put them on one of the wooden tables, but I laid out the scaled hide on one of the stone tables in case it had any residual heat. By the time Luke arrived with Thern in tow, I had laid out all the spider fangs, spider sickles, earth crystals, and orc ears.

"Blimey! Someone's been busy. Good to see you again, Syl." Thern said with a cheerful expression.

"Good to see you again, Thern. Yeah, I had a quest to clear out the silver mine."

"Master Lisa wasn't joking when she said you were a harvesting fiend," Luke said before he slapped his mouth shut.

"Ha! That she is, and this is some mighty fine work except for the few melted earth crystals."

"That was the salamander's work, not me. I recovered them from its nest and wasn't sure if they were still valuable."

"Ha! It sounds like its tiny bit of dragon blood overwhelmed it." Thern chuckled, then ran his hands over the scales, "This is mighty good. You should get some armor from this and replace that cheap robe you're wearing."

"I was considering just selling it, but..."

"Nope! No buts, you're trying to make Gold rank, so you need to start looking like a Gold-rank adventurer! Your pointy ears can only do so much for your appearance; you must look the part, or people will doubt you."

"Mister Thern is right. Image can play an important part in your adventuring career and is how you can be requested for special quest assignments or receive favors from higher-ups if you're famous enough."

I couldn't argue with any of his points, and fame was one of my ideas of reassurance if I was ever discovered or wanted to reveal myself. Plus, having some extra defense beyond my slime and mana couldn't hurt.

"Also, if you get it commissioned here, I can do the enchanting. Then I can waive the fee in return for some more of that alcohol." Thern said, followed by a hearty chuckle.

"Enchanted gear... That sounds very useful. I had someone recommend self-repair and size-modification to me."

"Those are some universally good options. Size modification is great if you ever want to sell it later for an upgrade." Thern replied.

"I didn't know you were an enchanter. Your class sounds like a combat one?"

"Ha! Now that's a story. Aye, I used to be an enchanter. Then, one day, I got this class as a revelation and took it! My ma beat me black and blue, demanding I change back. She was so furious. Luckily, my pa pointed out that I could still use my enchanter skills even if my class changed." Thern said, chuckling as if it was a fond childhood memory.

"That's why I requested Mister Thern's presence. He will temporarily enchant a container to safely hold the organ and prevent it from hurting anyone or damaging anything."

Luke brought out a large metal box, to which Thern held out his finger and started tracing a pattern into the lid. As his finger glided across the surface, he left behind dense lines of golden mana, which began merging into a complex pattern and into the structure. He then repeated this process on each side of the box, double-checked his work, and nodded approvingly.

"Aye, that should hold it good. I also added some preservation enchantment to it; we don't want to lose something so valuable." Thern said with a nod, then turned to Luke. "You may want to leave the room temporarily, just in case you take damage from the heat before it's contained."

Luke nodded and promptly left, closing the door behind him. Thern opened the box and gestured for me to withdraw the item. My plan to withdraw the inferno sac was to surround it in transparent slime that I had infused with water mana, making it look like water magic and allowing me to avoid touching it directly. I proceeded with my plan, and Thern seemed very impressed when I withdrew the organ held in a tendril of slime water. I carefully placed it in the chest and returned my slime to my palm, which immediately revealed the heat still generated by the organ.

"Blimey, that's impressive," Thern said, stroking his beard, "I'd swear the organ was fake. It's so pristine, and your control over water is most impressive; I can imagine this beastie wasn't happy fighting you."

"Definitely not. I swear it looked outraged." I said with a chuckle, and Thern joined in with a hearty laugh.

Thern drew another magic circle around the box, which seemed to contain the heat, then let Luke come in and see it. Both were fascinated by the organ, and Thern gave Luke a short explanation of how it would absorb raw mana and turn it into fire.

"So what would they use this for?" I asked.

"Well, it could be transformed into a magic tool, a furnace heart, or a catalyst."

"You should get it turned into a catalyst for yourself, Miss Syl," Luke replied.

"No. I'd rather sell this and buy some slime catalysts."

Thern laughed so hard he snorted, "Well, I can't even say that's the weirdest adventurer hobby. One of my old buddies collects monster skulls to make into beer mugs."

"Speaking of which, did you find any for me, Luke?"

"I found a red slime catalyst. I also extended our search since you said you didn't mind if it wasn't a catalyst, and we found a source for a white slime core that's been crafted into a freeze tool."

I immediately cheered, "I'll gladly take both. Assuming I have enough money?"

Thern let out another belly laugh before gesturing around the room, "I think you have the cost covered."

"There's just one issue... The owner of the freeze tool is only willing to sell it under one condition."

"Unless the request is completely unreasonable, I'd still be interested. What is it?"

Luke sighed, "It belongs to one of the nobles here, and he wants you to have dinner with him publicly at Moonsong."

"Oh! Moonsong is the best restaurant in Kaerlin." Thern replied, "Although getting involved with nobles is nasty business, I bet he just wants to raise his own public profile by being seen with an exotic elf."

"Yes... Master Lisa agrees. He's harmless, according to her, but he just wants to use you for social standing."

"I don't really mind. I'm technically using him too, and if I can get my core, I'd consider it a win."

"Aye. Not to mention free food. Although, looking at your harvests, you're probably not lacking for coin."

"Very well, Miss Syl. I'll inform Master Lisa to confirm the details. As for your fire catalyst, I just need you to swipe your tag at the reception here, and then I can give it to you." Luke said, then gestured to all the materials, "So what are your plans with these harvests? Do you want to keep any or have a request for our crafters?"

"Sell them all, but I'll take up the offer for the enchanted armor."

"Ha! Excellent!" Thern said, giving me a hefty pat on the back. "You can drop off my alcohol in the library when you've got it. It's a pleasure doing business with you!"

Luke took me to a different section of the guild building, which appeared to be where their crafters resided; it was like a mini marketplace with all sorts of trinkets, potions, and items being displayed. The first thing was going to one of the armor crafters, who used a skill to immediately get my measurements and then suggested what type of armor to make once we told him the materials he'd be working with. Ultimately, he recommended a black leather armor design to match the scales and fit more with the rogue theme. He vehemently refused to use Draconic Scales, even lesser ones, to make a robe, and Luke agreed it fit the Shadowcaster theme more to wear something more Rogueish.

With a quick swipe of my guild tag, the deposit was made, and then we made our way to the vendor, which had my catalyst. Unlike the staff I had previously acquired, this one looked less impressive and was a small scepter with a much smaller core. I promptly paid for it and stared at the slime core happily, eager to consume it.

"Would you like to try it out at the training ground, Miss Syl?" Luke asked.

It sounded like a good idea; I had never used a catalyst before, and if I needed to fake one, it would be nice to know the effects. I would even consider getting myself a non-slime core if it turned out to be useful.

"Gladly. Thanks for the suggestion, Luke. I didn't know the guild had one."

"Most city guilds do. Ours even managed to get a golem from Keld to use for training practice."

"Keld?"

"Oh, I'm surprised you've never heard of it. It's an independent city formed by a former adventurer, Keldenar the Golemancer. He retired from adventuring and formed an entire city staffed entirely by golems. The residents who live there have all manual labor taken care of by the golems, so they are free to do research, crafting, or even just live comfortably."

"He just retired and formed his own city? I'm surprised the nobles allowed him to do that."

Luke chuckled, "A lot of them certainly tried to stop him. He took unoccupied land with no dungeon, infested with monsters, conquered it himself, and set up shop. He practically built the entire city in an instant with hundreds of golems. Plenty tried to force him into one of the kingdoms but soon realized their folly in confronting a Diamond-rank adventurer who can create infinite soldiers."

"What did the guild think?"

"Oh, they love it and gave Keld their full backing. Nothing better than having someone who can stand up to even Kings or Queens and help protect the guild's values."

'That's very useful to know... It certainly makes my plan to rank up in the guild to protect myself more viable.'

Chapter 80: Damage Test

Luke led me to an open courtyard at the back of the building, a large open area only cut off when it reached the inner city wall. There were circles lined with glyphs and people inside dueling, a small archery range, and a few wooden training dummies. Up against the wall was a singular humanoid construct. It was a little larger than an orc and had no face; instead, it looked uniformly made from an unknown material.

<Golem (Training) LV 40.>

"It's level forty and only used for training?" I said to Luke, looking somewhat shell-shocked.

"The larger branches have even higher-level ones, multiples, or ones for specific training regiments. This one is mostly generic except for being more durable and providing an excellent damage target."

That was another bombshell. What did he use for himself if these were the ones he would give away? Were other Diamond ranks this strong, or was he an exception? A startling power level made me realize I still had a long way to go.

"Damage test!" A voice shouted.

I looked over to see a swordsman had approached the golem. The golem pulsed, and I watched its body light up with mana as it rapidly reinforced itself. The swordsman, not to be outdone, also began to emit mana, which rapidly focused into his falchion. There was a momentary blur as the man leaped forward and swung his blade, which let out a piercing howl as it sliced through the air before crashing against the golem. The golem made no effort to move or block, taking the blow fully. The blade itself shattered, but not before leaving a clean slice about the size of a hand.

Cheers erupted from the few onlookers, but the swordsman was silent. The golem tilted its head as if staring at the swordsman before its mana flashed, and the small cut seemed to disappear. Then it went dormant again. The swordsman looked upset, and a few other members walked up to reassure him.

"Hey, it's better than last time!"

"Yeah! Don't give up, plus you used a disposable weapon."

I watched them walk off before turning a questioning look to Luke. Before I had the chance to ask, he answered.

"If you can impress the golem, then you get a reward. Usually, it's a small magic item like a ring or something that would provide a minor boost to an up-and-coming adventurer." Luke answered, "You should definitely consider trying it, Miss Syl.'

I paused to consider it. I didn't see the harm in trying it, although a problem came to mind. "Most of my damage comes from [Sneak Attack], though..."

"That's not a problem, Miss Syl, as you can ask the golem to turn around and face the wall. Otherwise, none of our Rogue classes would stand a chance."

"Alright then, although I want to test the catalyst first to see which element I should use."

"Magic Practice," Luke uttered to the golem, and it took a different stance before flashing with a different mana barrier. He then backed off and eagerly waited for me to demonstrate my magic.

I held the small scepter, channeled fire mana into it, and formed a simple [Fire Arrow] spell. The simplest way to describe the mana catalyst was that it was like my [Sub-Cores], except... Really stupid. It needed to be handheld through the formation like a lost child before it finally boosted the spell. I cast the empowered spell at the golem and felt rather dismissive of the effort required, once again giving me a vast new appreciation for my [Sub-Cores]. After several more attempts at using the catalyst, I decided against using it, and I also suspected the golem was resistant to fire.

"I think I'm going to go with Water magic. The catalyst was interesting, thanks Luke."

"Of course, anytime Miss Syl."

"Any rules in particular I should know about with this test?"

"You're only allowed one damaging attack, but any amount of buffs or debuffs before launching the attack."

"Thanks, and how do I get it to turn around?"

"Just mention [Sneak Attack] after declaring the damage test," Luke replied, retaking a safe distance.

"Damage test with [Sneak Attack]!" I declared to the golem.

The golem immediately responded and turned to face the wall before glowing brightly with mana. Now that I was closer, I saw tiny glyphs and sigils lighting up along its body. Soon, the training ground was filled with murmurs and whispers as onlookers were eager to witness another participant.

I activated [Vanish] and proceeded to cast both [Erode] and [Permeable] with maximum empowerment. I mentally cheered when both landed successfully, and it further confirmed my theory that [Flammable] likely failed on the salamander due to its extreme fire resistance, if not outright immunity. I cast [Flammable] for the free experience, which triggered a notification for me.

<Proficiency gained. [Affliction Mastery LV 2] improved to [Affliction Mastery LV 3].>

Since I was only allowed one attack, I'd go with [Torrent] since it was likely my most powerful individual spell. I formed the spell construct, and almost immediately, there were some comments and snickers from the onlookers disparaging the use of [Water Magic]. I shrugged and grabbed all of my [Sub-Cores] and began rapidly empowering and enhancing the spell while also making a minor modification to lower the area on the spell for a more concentrated burst. Unmodified, the spell construct where the water would emerge had a diameter of about four meters, but I had squashed it down to one, the water mana highly dense in the tight space. If I pushed more, I could reduce it further, but I was probably already going overboard, as the crowd seemed conflicted on my display; there were some cheers and impressed remarks, but equally, there was disparagement and accusations of wasting time or showboating.

I finalized the spell and cast it; a burst of water surged forward out of the floating magic circle at a dangerous velocity and crashed into the back of the golem. At first, it didn't do much other than spraying water everywhere, and another helpful mage actually erected some form of barrier around the area to prevent the audience from being caught in the splash zone. While I wondered if I had to respect a time limit for my attempt because I could keep fueling this spell, the golem seemed to lose its footing and was sent plummeting face forward into the wall. There were some shocked shouts and a few cheers, but I quickly halted the spell as I was concerned I may have damaged the wall by sending the golem into it.

I was relieved when the wall was primarily unharmed and saw the golem slowly standing to its feet. The silence was palpable as everyone waited with bated breath for the golem's evaluation. The back of the golem had some erosion damage that was slowly repairing itself. A line appeared on the golem's chest and parted, revealing a chest cavity; it reached inside to retrieve something and approached me. At this point, the onlookers were cheering, although there was still the occasional disgruntlement complaining about special treatment, damned elves, or damned mages.

The golem handed me a small ring and an engraved square token. [Identify] told me the ring was one of lesser mana regeneration, which I felt was wasted on me, but I placed it on one of my fingers, not wanting to seem ungrateful. A typical mage would have coveted such an item, so I could see why it was the standard reward. The token, however, was a mystery, and most strange of all was the notification.

<[Identify] and [Appraisal] failed.>

While I was staring at the token, the golem had returned to its original spot and went dormant again. Meanwhile, Luke had approached me.

"Congratulations, Miss Syl, I knew you could do it! I'm betting that was the spell you used to defeat the salamander." He said enthusiastically, then spotted the token I was staring at, "What's that?"

"I'm not sure. The golem handed it to me along with my ring. I have both [Identify] and [Appraisal], but it says they failed."

"Well, the engraving is Keld's coat of arms. But as for its purpose, I'm not sure. Perhaps Master Lisa would know."

"Nobody else has received such a token?"

"If they have, they kept it a secret. Or it's above my pay grade."

I nodded and placed the token in a pouch, as I was concerned about putting the strange object inside my [Core Storage]. Eventually, one of the staff members asked if I could clean up the water, which had partially flooded the area. I agreed and gathered it in one spot using [Water Orb] before depositing it in my storage. My success reinvigorated many other adventurers, and soon, there was a line to challenge the golem.

Since I had nothing more I wanted to do in the training area, Luke suggested we see if Lisa could inform her that I'd accept the noble's request and ask about the token. While on the way there, I withdrew the catalyst inside myself and promptly devoured it.

<Slime (Red) Core absorbed.

Trait [Blaze Slime] gained.

Trait [Slime Burst] gained.

Trait [Thermal Vision] gained.>

<Existing Trait [Blaze Slime LV 4] improved to [Blaze Slime LV 6].>

<Existing Trait [Slime Burst LV 5] improved to [Slime Burst LV 6].>

<Existing Trait [Thermal Vision LV 3] improved to [Thermal Vision LV 4].>

It wasn't a fused core this time, but I still gained quite a lot from it. Surprisingly, this slime must not have earned [Slime Shot], although I was glad to get a boost to thermal vision, which now only needed one more level to reach the maximum. I hoped my new levels in [Blaze Slime] would mean using [Inferno Sac] without burning slime away.

Lisa's secretary told us she could see us in half an hour, so Luke and I chatted briefly. He asked me basic questions about magic, which I answered as best as possible, mainly stealing from my conversations with Dewi. Most of my dealings with magic were based on feeling and experimentation rather than studying, so I had to fall back on his explanations. Luke was undecided about the class he wanted to pursue and was currently level three in Mage, Scout, and Warrior.

"Is there anything in particular you'd like me to look for as potential for your next quest?" Luke asked since it would be at least a day or two before I would head out again.

"I'm looking for something large and flying. I'm unsure if the area has any large bird monsters or the equivalent."

"I hope you're not planning on upgrading from salamander to wyvern or drake next," Luke chuckled, "There are flying monsters, although mostly only when the floating island is nearer, then they like to pluck horses from merchants traveling the road."

"If you can't find a flying monster, try something unique or new. Avoid any monsters from my previous quests, and preferably no orcs."

"Why no orcs?"

"I already dealt with a few on my way to the mine. I did leave their ears in the room with my materials."

"Oh, so that was you? One of the merchants said they were saved from orcs by a random adventurer, but they ran off after killing the orcs. I'll ensure you get the general bounty for dealing with them."

"Thanks, Luke. So I've already fought orcs, so I'd prefer a new monster I haven't encountered if there are no flying ones."

"No problem. I'll keep that in mind."

It wasn't long before the secretary finally let us into Lisa's office.

Chapter 81: Moonsong

Lisa's office was well-furnished but cluttered. Loose parchment and paper were scattered on every available surface. I looked around in shock and horror and wondered how she could find anything in this shamble. Seeing my reaction, she chuckled.

"Word of advice, Syl. Never become a Guild Master."

"I wonder if I should warn Roderick," I replied, earning a good laugh from Lisa.

"So what can I do for you two? I'd heard you cleared out the silver mine. Thanks for that."

"No problem. I gained a lot of experience and apparently earned a fortune, according to Thern."

"Oh?" Lisa asked inquisitively.

Luke cleared his throat before responding, looking somewhat embarrassed and unsure of how to breech the subject, "The salamander evolved into an inferno salamander, and Syl dealt with it and harvested its flame organ perfectly intact, as well as its lesser draconic scales."

"It evolved, and you still took it on? I didn't expect you to be so reckless."

"I thought the quest description was generic, like my other quest, which just said to kill spiders. I didn't know the original quest was for a regular salamander."

Lisa and Luke groaned in unison before Lisa said, "You're not exactly wrong. That generally applies to mass kill quests, but the quest description is supposed to be precise if it's for a solo monster."

"I'll keep that in mind in the future, but I dealt with it, I'm unharmed, and the miners get to continue their work. I don't see a problem."

"For you, maybe, but this is going to be a paperwork nightmare when we tell the city their quest was severely out of date or they lied about the submission," Lisa answered, rubbing her temples.

"Not to throw more on your plate, but Syl accepts the noble's dining request," Luke added.

Lisa shrugged, "That's actually not too bad. Johnathan is decent as far as nobles go. I'll let him know, as I expect he will want to take you to dinner tomorrow evening."

She looked me over and paused before asking, "Please tell me that's not your only outfit."

"I had another robe, but it was destroyed in the dungeon, and then I have leather armor."

"Nope! No way! I'm lending you an outfit. You will not be representing the guild dressed like that," Lisa said, gesturing at me.

Luke also seemed flabbergasted at my answer but lightly defended me, "Not that it would be appropriate for dinner, but she is getting a set of armor made from the draconic scales."

"Good! If you approached me looking like that, I'd refuse your promotion even if you slayed a dragon. You look like a fresh Iron-ranker when you're a Silver shooting for Gold." Lisa said, exasperated, before continuing, "Where's your femininity, Syl? I know you're friends with Whitney, who's quite the tomboy, but even she likes a good outfit."

I could only shrug at the accusations. Maybe I was doing Sylthaeryn's elven form a disservice, but I was a slime and felt very indifferent about it. At least the armor would potentially protect me, so it had a purpose.

"I'll send a dress to your room at the inn tomorrow morning; I have a few enchanted with size-altering, so it won't matter. I would have invited you to pick one, but I think it would be better left in my hands..." Lisa said, to which I hastily agreed.

"Also, I did the golems damage test."

"I was wondering what the commotion downstairs was; that explains it. I'm assuming you passed?"

"I did. But it also handed me this." I replied, pulling out the square token and placing it on her desk.

"Oh, looks like you've been invited to the Keld Kingdom. That's a rare opportunity. You must have really impressed his golem."

"I can't even [Identify] it. How is anyone supposed to know it's an invitation?"

"I don't think anyone but Keldenar himself can. It's a sound system against forgeries, as everyone wants to connect with the man capable of running an entire city single-handedly. You better keep that very safe."

"I will, although I'm not going to rush over. I had other plans."

"From what I heard, it's an open invitation, so there's no expiration date. You're certainly not the first to be invited, and many promising adventurers have received such a token. Although I'm surprised, our golem even had one, considering we bought the cheapest available."

I nodded and deposited the token in my storage this time since there was likely no safer place. We chatted briefly, during which I shared some details of my quest before Lisa had to excuse herself and get back to work. I thanked them for their time and returned to the inn since I had nothing else on my agenda.

With a swipe of my guild tag, I paid for my room and holed up until dinner, continuing to tinker with my spell. I was half expecting to run into someone from Roderick's party, but when I asked one of the inn staff, she said they were still in Kaerlin. They must have been out on a quest, so I hastily ate and returned to my room.

When I woke up, I spent the morning idly tinkering away at my spell until there was a knock at my door. One of the staff members handed me a package from Lisa. Inside was a dark blue dress made out of a high-quality fabric. I could see it was faintly glowing with magic, and [Identify] told me it had size-altering and self-repair. I threw the entire outfit into storage, assigned it an equipment profile, and swapped to it briefly to confirm everything was in place before swapping back to my regular attire.

"This skill is probably one of my favorites from a utility perspective. Messing with clothes is such a bother. Thanks again, Yuzz..." I murmured. I hoped she had survived.

I continued tinkering the rest of the day since I had nothing else to do until the evening. I had hoped to run into Whitney or Dewi, but they had yet to return from their quest. When dusk approached, I left my room and waited for my escort to arrive at the inn's common area. A guard eventually arrived, wearing armor significantly different from the gate guards in both embellishments and giving off a weak magic aura. He looked at me questioningly, and I could feel his disapproval of my casual outfit. Before he could complain, I triggered [Equipment Swap] and, in a flash of light, was instantly in the outfit prepared for me.

He nodded approvingly at my attire and escorted me to the inner city gate. I tried conversing, but he was strictly all business and stoically silent. Before entering the gate, he warned me that I would be held accountable if I caused a scene, elf, adventurer, or otherwise. We entered without issue other than a lot of attention from onlookers, and I could immediately see the difference in quality between the inner city and the outer city. The road wasn't just paved but tiled, and the buildings were all of much higher quality, each having more resources also put towards aesthetics rather than just their function. The outer city wasn't necessarily dirty, and compared to Stantondale, it was spotless, but you could effortlessly tell the difference compared to the inner city.

People gawked and stared at me as I was escorted along, openly gossiping and showing no shame or effort to hide it. I could only mentally grumble at Lisa for not picking a more subtle attire. I ensured I had [Elven Glamour] equipped, as I knew I'd be talking this evening and needed all the tools available.

Moonsong was a smaller building than I expected, considering its location in the inner city. I thanked my guard escort and walked to the entrance, and before I could even reach for the door, a friendly-looking staff member opened it.

"Greetings, Miss Syl, we've been expecting you. I shall escort you to your table."

The occupants were startled at my appearance and made no attempts to hide their whispering. Johnathan was certainly getting his money's worth if he wanted the attention of inviting me here, and the dress Lisa loaned me only added fuel to the fire. I just kept thinking of the slime core I'd be getting and the possibilities it would unlock for me.

The ambiance of Moonsong was a sight to behold, as the entire establishment was darkened and illuminated by artificial starlight and a sizeable ornamental moon in the center of the building. Unfortunately, [Mana Sight] broke the illusion set up by the establishment, revealing it all as objects with minor enchantments inscribed. I thanked the staff and was led to a table where a well-dressed man was seated. Seeing me, he stood up and gave a short half-bow to greet me.

<Johnathan Green; Human LV 5; Merchant LV 38.>

"Miss Syl, thank you ever so much for accepting my request. I must say, the rumors do not do your appearance justice at all."

"Thank you, Mister Green. I'm glad to have the opportunity to see the inner city and make your acquaintance." I replied, leaning heavily on [Acting] and [Elven Glamour].

"Please, please. Call me Johnathan; the only Mister Green is my father, and until I succeed him, I'm not worthy of it."

"Very well, Johnathan, but please just call me Syl."

"Gladly." He said with a charming smile.

He offered me a seat, and the waiter brought some water before Johnathan ordered proper drinks, which I left up to him since my knowledge of food and drink was limited to consumption only.

"If you don't mind me asking, what brings you out of the forest? We very rarely see elves."

"Adventure, mostly. I want to travel the world, and my current goal is to reach Gold rank."

"Ah yes, the wanderlust and fame of adventure. Sometimes, I regret choosing the merchant life."

"It seems to be doing well for you. You're the highest non-combat job I've ever seen."

"Thank you for the compliment. I can return it by saying you're both the first elf and Shadowcaster I've ever seen, and judging by your purchasing power, you must be extremely successful."

"Purchasing power?"

"Ah, do forgive me. One of my merchant skills gives me an impression of the wealth someone owns and another of how much their potential to earn is, and you are quite frankly off the charts. I'm truly grateful that my instincts told me to part with our magical tool and meet you."

"That's very interesting. I've heard very little about non-combat classes and only met a Chef and Crafter. How do you even level up?"

"Quite a common question, actually. I definitely can't attack monsters with my bank account, not directly anyway." Johnathan replied with a light chuckle, "Depending on the job, we earn experience by partaking in its natural activities. So, as a merchant, I gain experience by earning money, buying or selling goods, establishing trade deals, and even providing customer satisfaction."

"That actually sounds fascinating. If I didn't have to give up my current class, I'd want to try it."

"Well, you could always swap back and forth, but..." In a hushed voice, he leaned forward and said, "Now, you didn't hear this from me, but I've heard it is possible to get a second job, although the details of which seem to be a closely guarded secret."

"That's... Wow," I replied, baffled, as I couldn't sense that he was lying, at least not directly. This was going to be a fascinating evening.

Chapter 82: Cryo Slime

"I'm glad that caught your attention. I wish I had more information to tease you with. Still, the most I managed to suss out myself was that everyone with one of these additional classes is either a Diamond-rank adventurer or closely related to one."

"So adventurers on par with Keldenar?"

"Well... I'd say it's hard to be on par with him, but yes. The rumors say he has an enchanting class with the powerful magical artifacts he exports, not to mention the layers of enchantments on his golems."

'I guess I can ask him or Gramps, whichever comes first.' I decided.

We continued to chat for a bit while we drank and ate. Johnathan mostly asked me for some stories of my adventures and what monsters I had fought. He was highly pleased to hear that I was responsible for the silver mine being back in operation, as apparently, his family did business with the owners. In return, I was told about some of his most successful trade deals or the famous people he had done business with. Thankfully, Johnathan remained mostly humble, but most of his stories went utterly over my head. The food was a delight and at least on par with Trevor's work, although the portions left a bit to be desired.

"So originally, I was going to sell you our spare freeze tool, but my merchant instincts tell me I should sell you our best one instead." Johnathan said while we were settling down to a light after-dinner drink, "And after such a pleasant evening, I most certainly want to agree with them."

He placed two objects on the table: golden metallic cages with intricate engravings. Housed in the center were two pale turquoise cores. One was notably larger, reminding me of the difference between the two fire catalysts. Without a doubt, I wanted the larger one, as it was likely another fused core.

"I don't suppose you'd be willing to part with both?" I asked, trying to hide my desire.

"Sadly, I must keep one myself; otherwise, I won't be able to transport large amounts of perishable goods. However, I'd gladly try to source another one for you."

"Please do. And yes, I'd gladly take your best one off your hands if you're willing."

He gestured for me to take the larger one and pulled out a crystal necklace similar to my guild tag. We tapped crystals to complete the purchase. The guild would vet the purchase for me, but I doubted he was willing to scam me at this point. He suddenly went wide-eyed and looked at me in shock.

"Wow. You must have really wanted that. This singular transaction just gave me two merchant levels," Johnathan said, rubbing his chin. He was clearly debating whether to sell me the other one, and even when I prodded, he reluctantly held firm.

"I'm surprised you didn't gain any racial levels, even if you've changed your distribution."

"Ah no, that is a common misconception. The vocation experience is only for the class itself. If I want to earn any racial experience, I'm forced to hire adventurers or mercenaries to slay some monsters with me in a party." Johnathan explained, "It's quite common in the noble circles, although I just got a few levels to make my daily life easier. But others sometimes pay their way all the way to some absurd levels. Some adventurers earn a fortune being partied with a noble family."

"Can't say that interests me, I wouldn't want to share my experience with anyone not pulling their weight."

"I don't blame you, and my merchant skills tell me that you're earning way more than them anyway." Johnathan chuckled, "I think we should do business in the future, Syl. It will be immensely profitable for both of us. Tell me, what else are you looking for?"

"Originally, I was looking for magical slime catalysts, but I'd be willing to accept even raw slime cores. I'm currently looking for any cores other than blue slime, although my current preference would be a yellow or orange slime core."

Johnathan went silent for a moment, deep in thought, although I could overhear his slight mutterings thanks to [Perception]. "Magecraft? Alchemy? Enchanting? Or something else...?" He shook his head and smiled, "Sorry for my ramblings. It's a bad habit I've failed to break. Regardless of your intention, I will keep my feelers out for you."

At the end of the evening, Johnathan escorted me back to the gate. It was a surprisingly entertaining evening, and I'd potentially made valuable contact and finally got my tendrils on a new core, with the prospect for more in the future.

"Thank you for a most amazing evening, Syl. Please do send Guild Master Lisa my regards."

"Thank you as well, Johnathan. I'm glad I didn't turn down your request."

We said our farewells, and I headed back to the outer city. Excited about the new core, I made a beeline to the inn. When I got to my room, I withdrew the object and hastily ate the core out of its golden housing, leaving behind a still rather impressive, if empty, frame.

<Compatible core detected. Integrate new core at a penalty?>

'Yes'.

<Slime (White) Fused Core absorbed.

Trait [Cryo Slime] gained.

Trait [Slime Shot] gained.

Trait [Slime Density] gained.

Trait [Thermal Vision] gained.>

<Trait [Cryo Slime LV 6] reduced to [Cryo Slime LV 4] for integration penalty.>

<Existing Trait [Slime Shot LV 5] improved to [Slime Shot LV 6].>

<Trait [Slime Density] integrated into [Morph Slime LV 7] >

<Existing Trait [Thermal Vision LV 4] improved to [Thermal Vision LV MAX].>

<Profile [Slime] updated.>

'Now, that was a haul of traits. It's interesting that [Slime Density] got automatically integrated into [Morph Slime], although more was needed to level it up. Now, let's look at this new trait.'

<[Cryo Slime LV 4]

This slime has the ability to survive and thrive within extreme cold and can rapidly control the temperature of its slime to generate equivalent outputs that it uses offensively.

Minimum temperature levels and modification speed scale with trait level and by outside factors such as compression.

This trait adds ice resistance, which scales with the trait level until eventual immunity at the max level. It also prevents damage from extreme cold and thwarts slime mass from being frozen solid.

Compatible with other slime traits.>

I hadn't even considered someone freezing my slime, which sounded absolutely horrific, and I was suddenly quite thankful I hadn't decided to try to go to some frosty region to hunt a white slime myself. I held out a hand and activated [Cryo Slime] and, with [Thermal Vision], watched my arm progress from its red thermal coloring down to a deep dark blue.

I conjured up a [Water Orb] and placed my palm on it. Rapidly, the magical ball of water froze, and when it did, I lost control of the spell, and it fell to the floor, shattering. I had not expected that, and when I repeated the process, this time holding the orb from below and watching with [Mana Vision], I saw my water mana rapidly transforming into something else, which I could only assume was ice.

'It's like when I turned the rock elemental into mud, and it couldn't control it anymore. Perhaps that will change if I get [Ice Magic]?'

In theory, I had an Ice Affinity now, and to prove it, I borrowed [Elemental Amalgamation] again and seized control of the shards on the floor and the orb in my hand. Since I had created both with my own mana, I could skip the step of needing to use [Mana Infusion]. With free control over the ice, I formed it into a small ice tree, like my previous slime sculptures.

'Now, the question is, how do I get [Ice Magic]? I recall Dewi mentioning needing to be level thirty, which just isn't feasible in a short time span. The real solution would be to unlock a pure caster class. I'll ask Luke or Lisa tomorrow if Dewi is still not back yet.'

I looked over the white slime profile while I lay in bed. Sadly, there were no new or hidden traits for me to learn. Unlike red slimes, they came with [Thermal Vision] naturally, which made sense for them to find prey in sub-zero climates. [Slime Density] and [Slime Shot] were its common traits, while [Pseudopod] and [Slime Burst] were its rare traits. I would have loved to have gotten a free level in [Pseudopod], but sadly, this slime hadn't acquired it.

The following day, I withdrew the outfit borrowed from Lisa and cleaned it thoroughly by engulfing it entirely in slime and instantly dissolving anything that wasn't the dress. When I removed it, it looked cleaner than I initially got it, and I carefully returned it to its packaging.

Before heading to the guild, however, I asked around for somewhere to purchase barrels, which is how I eventually ended up at a carpenter's, requesting thirty barrels. The owner was baffled at my requested quantity but only had ten in stock. I paid upfront and said I'd collect the rest when he was done, throwing the ten into storage. It was a good thing he didn't have the stock on hand, as it looked like I'd need to level up my storage skill again if I wanted to fit the total amount I requested.

Using [Vanish] and finding a quiet alleyway, I withdrew a barrel and filled it with alcohol slime by placing a hand inside it before resealing it and depositing it again. Then, I finally headed to the guild; before dealing with Luke, I visited Thern and dropped off his barrel for the enchanting work he'd be doing. We exchanged greetings before I dropped the barrel in front of him.

"What's that you got there?"

"Your barrel of alcohol you requested."

"Wait, that's full of the booze you gave me last time?"

"Yes. I'm getting more barrels made as well."

Thern groaned, "I know I said barrel... But what I actually meant was a keg... I didn't expect you to actually get a literal barrel."

"Oh... I didn't know there was a difference." I replied with a shrug.

"Well, the damage is done. I'll just have to put even more effort into my enchanting to be worthy of such a prize!" Thern replied with a hearty chuckle, "What do you want? Elemental resist? Protection? I probably have enough for something like poison immunity... Maybe a little attribute boosting?"

"That's... Wow, I didn't expect enchanting to have so many options."

"Aye, although you're limited by the materials available and the piece of equipment. Being made of draconic scale, yours should be able to handle quite a load, and I have a good supply of materials available from my old job."

"What about magic resistance in general? Or mental protection?"

"Mental protection would work on an accessory or headpiece, not armor. I can do general magic resistance, but it's far less effective than just getting something like fire resistance."

"I'd rather have the broad resistance. I already have traits for individual resistances and immunities."

"Ah! Right, you do have a ton of racial levels; it makes sense you'd grab a lot of defensive traits. I keep thinking of my old human customers who didn't bother with traits... Well, besides the size-altering and self-repair I already planned on doing, a general magic resistance and protection enchantment sounds ideal for you."

"Thanks, Thern, I can't wait to get it."

"If the crafting isn't done already, it should be today. Then I'll need a day or so for enchanting, so you'll get it soon and finally look like a proper adventurer."

"That's some fast work..."

"You'd be surprised how fast someone with a dedicated crafting class can churn out equipment with all the skill bonuses they have available."

"Thanks, Thern. I'm going to look for my next quest. Try not to drink the entire barrel in one sitting!"

"Ha! I think even a dwarf would struggle to survive that much!"

Chapter 83: Charity Quest

"Good morning, Miss Syl. I hope you had a pleasant evening?"

"Morning, Luke. It was certainly worth my time. I got my prize, and it sounds like Johnathan will try to hunt down some more for me."

"I'm glad it worked out then. Master Lisa did mention that it's very beneficial to have a merchant connection." Luke replied, "So, what can I do for you today?"

"I'm ready for my next quest. However, I'd also like information on an intermediate caster class. I want to potentially get some skill revelations that I believe my hybrid class won't have access to for some time."

"I see. It can be beneficial to round out your build with a dip in another class, and plenty do so. You're lucky that you're dipping into a class you're already part of, so it shouldn't set back your progression at all - if you were asking to dip into something like Warrior, I would have strongly advised against it."

"It's good to know I'm not doing something stupid or taboo. My only issue is that I still need to receive a class revelation for an intermediate caster role. Tabitha mentioned that there were requirements, some of which are known while others are hidden."

"If you're willing to wait a bit, I'll check with one of my coworkers on what knowledge can be shared. Regrettably, I'm not too familiar with many intermediate classes yet."

"Thanks, Luke. Also, I have Lisa's dress to return. I've already cleaned it."

Luke's cheeks reddened slightly before he nodded, "Ah, yes. I'll see that it's given back to her."

I didn't have to wait too long for Luke to return, which I was grateful for, as I had a few others trying to recruit me to join them on their quest. While I was open to the idea eventually, I still had many things I wanted to try out as a slime.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting. The natural progression from Mage would be Sorcerer. Of course, this ignores obscure or specialized classes focusing on a particular element."

"That sounds like what I want; I'm not planning on specializing in an element. Not yet, anyway."

"Right. The most common way to unlock it is to get one of your elements to level five, but others have unlocked it by getting two elements to level four. There are other reported cases of someone unlocking it by getting a magical-related skill to level five rather than an element. More importantly, there's a minimum mana requirement, although I believe you far exceed that."

I glanced over my status profile. It had been a while since I bothered looking at it, and perhaps I had neglected it lately.

Name: Syl [Dungeoneer]
Race: Chimeric Mimic Slime (Blue) LV 4
Class: Shadowcaster LV 9
Status: Healthy
Mana: Overflowing

Emblems:
[Experiment]
[Apex Hunter]
[Elven Legacy]
[Dungeoneer]*

Traits:
Slime:
[Mana Slime LV MAX]
[Acid Slime LV 7]
[Poison Slime LV 5]
[Blaze Slime LV 6]
[Cryo Slime LV 4]
[Morph Slime LV 7]
[Pseudopod LV 6]
[Slime Shot LV 6]
[Slime Burst LV 6]
[Vaporize Slime]

Core:
[Core Refinement LV 6]
[Core Storage LV 5]
[Sub-Core Alpha LV 4]
[Sub-Core Beta LV 4]
[Sub-Core Gamma LV 4]
[Sub-Core Delta LV 4]
[Sub-Core Epsilon LV 4]
[Consuming Osmosis LV MAX]

Mimic:
[Chimeric Mimicry LV 6]
[Chroma Shift LV MAX]

Mana:
[Mana Circulation LV 6]
[Mana Reinforcement LV 6].
[Mana Infusion]
[Slime Conversion LV 3]

Attributes/Other:
[Soul Mastery LV 6]
[Enhanced Vitality LV 4]
[Magic Resistance (Lesser) LV 4]
[Defy Death LV 3]
[Prodigy]

Senses:
[Olfactory Sense]
[Dark Vision LV 4]
[Mana Sight LV 5]
[Thermal Vision LV MAX]

Trait Points remaining: 5

Skills:
General:
[Universal Language]
[Equipment Swap]
[Dissection LV 6]
[Mapping LV 4]
[Tracking LV 1]
[Identify LV 4]
[Multitasking LV 1]
[Perception LV 2]

Combat:
[Evasion LV 4]
[Attack Mastery (Lesser) LV 6]
[Affliction Mastery LV 3]

Magic:
[Water Magic LV 4]
[Fire Magic LV 3]
[Corrosion Magic LV 3]
[Mana Manipulation LV 4]
[Mana Suppression]
[Ritual Casting]

Sneaky:
[Vanish LV 5]
[Sneak Attack LV 5]
[Identity Block LV 5]
[Acting LV 4]
[Rogue Expertise LV 2]
[Subtle Afflictions]

Skill Points remaining: 6

The most straightforward solution would be to get [Fire Magic] to level four or [Mana Manipulation] to level five, as I had been rapidly gaining levels through all the spell tinkering I was doing. [Water Magic] leveled shortly before I fought the salamander, so it was unlikely to reach five before my next class level.

"Thanks, Luke. I must redouble my effort before I gain my next class level."

"Not a problem, Miss Syl. I'm happy to be of use." Luke replied with a beaming smile, "As for your next quest, I couldn't find any flying monsters, but they should start coming in within a week as the island approaches."

"That should be fine. Anything else interesting or unique in the meantime?"

"Well... Currently, the biggest request is to deal with the uptick in orc activity. It seems the three you dealt with were not an isolated case, and they've been raiding the roads to the north."

"I'd rather not fight more orcs unless there's nothing else?"

"Some adventurers who witnessed or heard about your display against the training golem have made a personal request about whether you're willing to sell any magical knowledge. The guild doesn't mind whether you accept or deny such requests, and it can certainly be profitable."

"I'm not struggling for coin at the moment. Maybe if it was a slime catalyst."

"Yes... I can quite comfortably say that you will not struggle for coins anytime soon. There's a bidding war going on over the inferno sac you acquired..."

"Really? I knew it was valuable but didn't expect that much."

"You can thank Mister Thern for that. He mentioned it to his father, and now the dwarves are fighting the local noble over purchasing it. The dwarves want to turn it into a furnace heart, while the noble wants to turn it into a magical catalyst."

"If I get any choice in the matter, I'd rather it go to the dwarves. I plan on visiting them, and it sounds like a good way to earn some favor."

'I wonder if I couldn't just trade it for a silver core...'

"Sorry, Miss Syl. Once you handed it over to the guild, it became our responsibility. Especially now that it's gone further than the expected sale value due to its rarity. As you may or may not know, the guild takes a small portion of the sale as a handling fee, although since your items came in already harvested, it's much smaller in your case."

"Oh..." I said, disappointed.

"It's not just the guild wanting the income. It's also for the protection of the adventurers. Sometimes, especially if things go to auction, unscrupulous individuals try to bribe or even threaten the adventurer into relinquishing their find to them." Luke explained reassuringly, "On the positive side, I think it will end up with the dwarves in the end. Mister Thern always tells me never to underestimate the stubbornness of a dwarf."

"Alright, I guess that makes sense," I reluctantly replied. I already had a plan in place to get my silver core, so it may be better this way, or I'd be throwing any plans Thern made upside down. The boisterous dwarf had seemed quite eager for me to visit them.

"So... As for unique monsters, there is one that came to mind that I think you'd be great for, but..."

"But?"

"The pay is terrible; the farmer can't afford much, and it's been overlooked. A plant monster has taken root in his field and killed all his crops, and if it's left for much longer, the soil will be barren soon. It's a charity case, which makes many adventurers reluctant, but it would be good for your progress to Gold rank."

"Sounds good to me. I'm sure it's harvestable regardless if the pay is bad."

"It could be. The monster is known as a Plant Horror. They start out small and graft any plant, including trees, into their form to grow in size and strength." Luke explained, "Anything they've grafted is basically a super version of what it was normally. Medicinal herbs are now double as potent, fruit is twice as sweet, but you're just as likely to find one that has only grafted weeds or poisonous plants."

"So potentially, it could be extremely valuable or hazardous and worthless."

"Exactly. Not many are willing to risk the luck of the draw, especially for such a low payout."

"Sounds fun, and if it's worthless, I can easily deal with it using [Fire Magic]."

<Quest accepted: Exterminate Plant Horror. Silver rank.>

"Great. The farm is also to the north, so I will give you the orc extermination quest just in case you run into any. There's no set limit or penalty if you come back without killing any, but at least this way, you'll get properly compensated."

"Can't I just bring back the ear?"

"You could, but because orcs have class levels, they could be anywhere between a Bronze and Silver rank threat. We can't tell that from an ear alone, so you'd be compensated the same if you killed a level two warrior or a level twenty barbarian."

"Then I can't see any reason not to. I certainly won't complain about the experience."

<Quest accepted: Exterminate Orcs (∞). Bronze-Silver rank.>

I thanked Luke for his assistance and headed out. Once I broke into the streets, I utilized [Vanish] to head towards the gate. When I arrived at the gate, the guards seemed to recognize me. This time, they saluted me and wished me good luck on my quest. I wondered where the new politeness came from as I walked again down the familiar road.

I immediately broke out my spell construct and started to work on the tinkering. I kept Alpha to assist me while I had the remaining four work on rapidly cycling through casts of [Kindle]. My hope was that either I'd get [Mana Manipulation] to five or my [Sub Cores] would get [Fire Magic] to four before we encountered a monster.

Walking down the road with four flames flickering around me was quite a sight, causing some fellow pedestrians to mutter complaints about adventurers while others just looked on with curiosity. At least this proved I wasn't the first to focus so heavily on training skills if this was a regular enough occurrence to complain about.

While traveling, I headed towards the quest marker, eventually leading me off the road and into the wilderness. I didn't mind too much since this was leading directly to my destination, and once I was further away from the road, I could settle my curiosity with [Cryo Slime].

I saved my progress with my still incomplete spell tinkering and let Alpha join the others with casting [Kindle]. I cast an unmodified [Torrent] spell toward the wilderness, the water bursting from the magical circle. With [Cryo Slime] at the absolute minimum temperature I could utilize, I thrust my icy hand into the magical circle. Soon, what was just a column of endless water was quickly filled with long shards of ice and the occasional more hefty chunk. Ice fragments were scattered everywhere, and being propelled by the water, the level of destruction was far beyond what I initially imagined.

While combining water with ice seemed obvious, I had yet to consider the potential of using [Torrent] as a delivery mechanism. What if I added [Poison Slime] or [Acid Slime]? Or what if I tried to combine [Torrent] and [Acid Dart]? I felt absolutely giddy with excitement at the possibilities.

I also tried the opposite, utilizing [Blaze Slime] and thrusting my hand again into the circle. Immediately, there was a loud hissing sound, and the water became violently bubbly, with some steam bursting forward.

Overall, I preferred the results from adding ice to the water, but I couldn't imagine anyone or anything being happy being on the receiving end of either. While thinking over my results, a sudden notification halted me in my tracks.

<Proficiency gained. [Fire Magic LV 3] improved to [Fire Magic LV 4].>

<[Fire Magic LV 4] spell [Heat] learned.>

Chapter 84: Plant Horror

I cheered at the rush of new knowledge filling my mind once again. This time, it looked like [Fire Magic] was teaching me something unexpected - it could not only create destructive fire but also generate heat and warmth. I was immediately reminded of the custom spell Dewi had demonstrated and was shocked that he used a fourth-level spell to do something as simple as drying clothes.

I picked up a rock, cast the spell, and watched it slowly heat up. The heating process would speed up if I increased the mana flow. However, I couldn't think of any immediate practical applications, and it was vastly inferior to [Blaze Slime]. To confirm this, I picked up another rock. I activated the trait to the maximum, causing the small rock to heat up rapidly, far beyond the spell's capacity, even though this was transmitted through contact while the spell directly affected it.

"I guess they can't all be winners. The next level is [Fireball], so at least I have that to look forward to."

<7 Skill Points are now available.>

"What?" I questioned and looked around.

Nothing.

I checked my profile; everything had stayed the same. I continued looking around frantically and couldn't spot anything. As far as I knew, I had just randomly gained a skill point from... nothing? It couldn't have been from [Apex Hunter] as that gave a prior notification.

'Are you screwing with me, Gramps?' I questioned, but it remained unanswered.

I even checked my quests; both still needed to be completed, and as great as the guild was, I doubted they had enough privilege to award skill points. By the time I reached the farmland, I still had no clear answer and could only assume Gramps had something to do with it. The farmer and his family were extremely grateful for my presence.

"Thank the Gods you're here... We thought no one would take up our quest until our land was sucked dry." The farmer said, leading me to the field in question.

In the center of the field, I could see a large mass of vines, flowers, and corn plants. The field looked almost barren, and the remaining plants were withered and dying. As if whispers on the breeze, I heard quiet sobbing and pleading for the pain to stop. I looked around questioningly and realized it was coming from the field. I had forgotten entirely about the trait [Nature Commune], but the plants must have been truly desperate to reach out like this - not even the tree I had dug into had said a word of protest.

<Plant Horror LV 28.>

Despite its size and level, it left less of an impression on me than the salamander I had just fought. My gut told me this creature was relatively weak.

'Does this creature not evolve?' I wondered.

Luke had said they grafted plants to themselves and grew in size and ability, which sounded far different from any monster I had fought previously.

"Don't worry, I'll deal with it," I told the farmer and plants.

"Be careful, ma'am. It killed one of my farmhands with a strange spore." The farmer warned, and I nodded, watching him retreat back to his home.

One by one, I cast my debuffs on the creature, who hadn't noticed my presence yet. The obvious solution would be to kill it with fire, but I was vaguely concerned about the collateral damage to the nearby plants, now whispering with hope.

'This trait is a little off-putting... I should stop using it unless I need to.'

Since [Fire Magic] was out, and [Water Magic] seemed stupid against a plant that left only slime or acid. I directed each core to form the [Acid Dart] spell and launched an opening salvo, hopefully boosted by [Sneak Attack]. The spells struck successfully, causing the plant mass to tremble and rapidly break off any plant segments before rapidly regrowing them.

Vines started thrashing around, revealing a singular trunk in the center as it opened up to attack its surroundings. Not wanting to lead the monster towards the farmer's house or the few surviving plants, I rushed towards it while still keeping up a consistent barrage of spells.

Fighting a monster that couldn't scream or yell at me was odd. I could only feel its outrage through its violent thrashing of vines. The flowers and fungus growing along its trunk started to twitch, and with the aid of its vines, a strange substance was distributed in a relatively large area.

<[Hallucinogen] has been sampled. [Poison Slime] updated.>

I laughed at its attempt to poison me and kept casting spells. Multiple vines approached me, and my [Sub Cores] started to fire at them to intercept them. The ones that made it through, I managed to nimbly dodge thanks to the combination of [Elven Reflexes] and [Evasion]. Things were going well until suddenly, a root burst out of the ground and wrapped itself around me in a tight squeeze.

'Again, I've failed to sense something underground. Whitney is going to be furious.' I reprimanded myself before activating [Cryo Slime], 'Fire is a no-go, but let's see if you can handle the cold.'

Almost immediately, I felt the roots reluctantly trying to let go of me, and they were starting to take on a darkened coloration. But it was too late for the plant, and with a flex of my mana-reinforced body followed by a horrific cracking sound, I freed myself from the constriction.

"Seems you really don't like the cold. Here, have some more." I taunted the silent creature before firing [Slime Burst] from my palm.

The sticky solution clung to the plant, and with [Thermal Vision], I could see it rapidly stealing away its life-giving warmth. The plant monster knew the source of its pain and quickly was discarding its graftings - only for me to unleash another burst of slime on it.

It still made a few attempts to assault me with vines, but they seemed sluggish, and its main focus was trying to preserve itself. I glanced it over with [Dissection] to see if there was anything worth saving, but the results were on par with basic tusks and fangs from my approximation. The plant that would have had value was the funguses grown on its bark, but they were the first to die from the cold slime.

As I approached it against expectations, I watched it uproot itself and poorly attempt to writhe away while it abandoned most of its body. What remained of the monster was a cluster of living roots and vines wriggling over itself like a colony of worms. I raised a palm and fired a [Slime Shot] that engulfed the plant parasite, and it died shortly after, curling in on itself and darkening.

<Plant Horror LV 28 defeated. Experience gained.>

<Quest complete. Payment has been deposited into your account.>

<Class Experience threshold reached. Shadowcaster is now LV 10.>

<8 Skill Points are now available.>

<[Sorcerer] has been unlocked.

Would you like to swap classes?>.

I celebrated my goal of finally meeting the minimum requirements to unlock the class but held off on immediately swapping until I had disposed of the creature's corpse. I enveloped it in slime from my palm and dissolved everything, not wanting to leave anything behind in case it could somehow recover or form a new one. Then, I quickly devoured the frozen ball of root tendrils.

<Profile [Plant Horror] complete.>

I cleaned up whatever acid or cold slime remained where I could, even casting [Heat] on the patches of soil where cold slime had dripped. I could hear the plant whispers celebrating the end of their calamity. On a whim, I decided to help the plants in the area. I withdrew all the water from my consecutive morning deteriorations, which held a form of purity over even water generated from magic, and used [Mana Infusion] to enrich it further. Then, casting [Torrent], I fired the water straight up into the air into a large burst to rain down upon the land.

"Life..."

"So good..."

"Healing..."

"Thank you..."

I heard the whispers of the plant life and then immediately removed the trait from my mimicked profile. While I felt good to do a small good deed, if I was going to constantly hear their voices, I would go insane. I turned to my previous notification

<[Sorcerer] has been unlocked.

Would you like to swap classes?>.

'Yes'

<Class Shadowcaster LV 10 swapped to Sorcerer LV 1.>

<Your class has revealed the following skill: [Ice Magic]>.

<Your class has revealed the following trait: [Mana Conception]>.

<Spend 1 Trait Point to upgrade [Mana Sight] into [Mana Conception]?>

'Wait, you can get trait revelations from your class? I mean, yes!'

<Trait [Mana Sight LV 5] upgraded into [Mana Conception LV 5]. Trait Points remaining 4.>

<[Mana Conception LV 5]

See the flow of mana and its underlying complexity throughout the world.

Mana conception can see through obstructions based on trait level.

Trait level also determines the minimum level of mana to be detected and the detection range and complexity of mana formation.>

'Does this mean what I think it means?' I questioned and immediately formed and held [Poison Mist]. Looking closely, I could identify the individual components of the corrosion mana and see the concepts it held, such as poison, duration, and damage. Looking at [Erode], it held the concepts of weaken, duration, and debuff. When I compared it to [Flammable] and saw all the parts I had dug out and replaced with Fire mana, I could only be shocked at how I had blindly brute-forced myself through what should have been a delicate and careful operation.

'Well. I can thank my cores for that. Now let's get that new magic.'

<Skill [Ice Magic LV 1] obtained. Skill Points remaining 7.>

<[Ice Magic LV 1] spell [Icicle] learned.>

Like all first-level spells, it was basic in its function. Casting it, it created a long, pointed shard of ice that I could fire. Staring at the spell and its mana, I recognized it as similar to what contaminated my [Water Orb] when I touched it with [Cryo Slime], which held the concepts of freeze and cold.

The door erupted when I approached the farmhouse, and the farmer and his family looked ecstatic. The harder I tried to brush off their thanks as no big deal, the harder they pressed to thank me. When one of his daughters questioned why it had rained, I explained that I had cast a spell to help the fields recover. The farmer and his wife almost choked up in gratitude, and I had to practically flee the scene before a newfound barrage of praise overwhelmed me.

Looking over the profile of the plant monster proved my earlier theory correct; it did not seem to evolve and instead just existed. Like my slime, it had a bunch of interconnected traits that started with it grafting plants to itself, which led to another trait allowing it to empower grafted plants, mutate grafts, fuse grafts, and eventually procreate grafts. The one I fought must not have gotten further than empowering or mutating its grafts, judging by its lack of available arsenal.

While I could mimic the chain of five traits, I didn't feel the need or want to, as I'd need to keep natural plants and nurture and care for them to see any benefit. I found one trait worth the occasional mimicking, [Solar Rejuvenation], which would increase vitality and mana regeneration in direct sunlight. Since elves had their connection to nature, I hoped it would be compatible with my elf form, but sadly it was not. The minimal amount I could get away with was adding vines around my arms and shoulders, like some strange scarf.

'Well. It's not like I'm desperate for another form of mana regeneration.'