Magical Ascension Chapter 25 (Patreon)

We worked hard to make sure that Furina was actually the one to kill the Metal Eating Beetles with her water magic so that she could summon their ghostly apparitions of them. And then after Furina's soul-eating water captured their souls, Nahida's ravenous plants burrowed into the beetle's joints and holes to eat their soft innards and absorb all the nutrients and remaining lifeforce.

And then after Nahida was done eating the monster's edible fleshy bits, the remaining shells, claws, and fangs were nice and cleaned up of any unwanted flesh due to Nahida using her plants to conjure up stomach acid and teeth to scrape literally every spec of edible flesh from the bones of the monster!

So nothing at all was wasted. Not even a vegan could give us any complaints as everything was consumed! Well, not that vegans actually existed in this world, it was really hard to be an animal-loving vegan when more than ninety-nine percent of animals were monsters that would happily eat you or do something mind-shatteringly terrible to you.

"Hmm, when you get to the Advanced or even Super level of a Mage, you will be definitely a one-woman terror in collecting resources," I said quietly to as we watched as Furina's summons in the metal-eating beetles secreted their special acid that broke down normal rock quickly into a slurry and left metals behind.

Hearing my words Furina threw back her hair proudly as her voice came out just as arrogantly. "Hmph! If course I will be the best on my level, coming from great and curated noble stock in my bloodline, I was born to succeed in my endeavors!"

Nahida who had taken on her cuter young teenage human form looked at Furina with an odd look before she said with confusion. "But you don't have any form of special bloodline? All you have is a mutated element that won't be passed down to the next generation unless you get a matching spiritual water essence?"

Furina's face twitched and as she looked at Nahida with a scowl I decided to bully her a bit as her previous words made me want to make her pout some more. So I just laid a hand on her head and began somewhat roughing rubbing her head as I said.

"Yes yes, our Furina is the best in the whole wide world. Whatever would we do without our adorable, the most beautiful, and most talented water mage in the whole wide world." I gushed and her pale smooth skin went ruddy red as she stuttered adorably before she threw off my hand off her head.

"Stahp! I... I don't you need to tell me how great I am hmph!" She snorted turning away with one of her cheeks ballooned outwards... But Keqing and Darkness both looked at Furina with odd expressions as the blue haired girl did a little weird hop step closer to me even as we faced the same direction and she refused to look at me.

And then she pinched the sleeve of my jacket and whispered under her breath. "Can you praise... Never mind, just keep Keqing away from me."

My lips quirked up into a smile as I knew Furina wanted to be praised and I think she might have a bit of a complex about it... Either way I slightly relaxed as we kept our backs to the caves that the Metal Eating Beetles had hollowed out and been eating the  Misty Iron.

And things were relatively calm as the beetles here were known as a communal group so no monsters strolled over to check on us knowing that the beetles were naturally viciously territorially for the areas that had exposed metal veins.

After a while though I helped Furina's beetle ghosts as I formed my Heavy Water shield spell and then with extremely heavy thudding noises, I began breaking down the surrounding rocks and opening the cave so that her spirits could work faster. Though I didn't open up and go into the maze of caves... As I was rightfully scared of getting a bunch of debris dropped on my head in a cave-in.

But in just an hour her metal beetles using their special digestive juices got us several fist sized congealed ore deposits that were blisteringly cold to the touch due to Misty Iron being a Yin-Ice attributed metal. And knowing the metal's attribute I couldn't help but wonder if there was something else deeper underground.

As ice/yin type materials didn't just spawn out in the middle of a forest for no reason, there needed to be a source for the cold spiritual energy. So I spoke up. "Keqing, are we going to try to collect the core or whatever has made the veins of the Misty Iron? Or is that too much for us to try to find?"

Keqings stern expression flickered as a frown crossed her face before she shook her head and said bluntly. "We will need to move on, who knows if the source is literal miles into the ground or in some underwater river that is running below our feet. We will need to also keep moving as we aren't supposed to only bring so few types of resources."

I shrugged hearing that and then I looked to the side as I looked at Lalatina who had taken a folding chair out of her spatial bag to relax in.

"Furina, come with me. We are going to have your summons clear out the caves to see if there are also any special metals the beetles couldn't digest." Keqing spoke up and then looked at me and Lalatina. "You two guard the outside of the caves, we will be in there for an hour or so unless we run into any monsters in the deeper cave systems that the beetles opened up."

Giving Keqing a look I nodded in understanding and then tossed her a small marker tube that made her blink. "Its a glow-in-the-dark marker that will keep its light for a few days. Make sure to arrows on the walls of the cave for cleared tunnels and the direction to the exit."

Keqing's face actually twitched as she muttered. "Huh... I forgot about that, I was going to use my lightning but this is probably better."

A pouting Furina was taken from my side as Keqing walked into the main cave that lead into the dark tunnels that the beetles had dug out over the years and then Nahida piped up. "Ok then, while they are checking things out. I am going to take a little nap to digest all the yummies you gave me in the last few days! Just summon me if you need anything master!"

And with that Nahida also disappeared as she returned back to her upper realm probably to be pampered by her adoring mother, father, and hoard of maids apparently. Leaving just and Lalatina all alone.

Turning to Lalatina I didn't even get a chance to say anything as she covered her voluptuous chest and hissed. "No Jake! I promised I wouldn't give you my heart no matter how you abuse my body! It will never happen Jake Barris!"

Closing my eyes I pinched the bridge of my nose before mentally saying fuck it. "Fine." And I did the best thing, and before she could react my hand shot out and I gave her long blond ponytail a harsh tug making her neck snap back and as her head turned back my lips twitched seeing an utterly lewd grin covering her face with a flush entering her cheeks.