“You’ll be fine.”

“I know I will, but it’s still going to be a pain in the ass,” Ben sighed as they walked out for the day, him off to go on with his lessons while Thera had her own plans. “You’re seeing museums and art galleries, I’m seeing glares and dirty looks.”

“Ha, we can go to an art gallery together if you end up with any free time during all of this, I’ll make sure to fill at least some of my days with stuff you wouldn’t care about.”

“I’m pretty sure anything else would be more fun.”

“Really?” She teased. “In that case, I had booked a tour up the volcano today but if you’d want to go with me…?”

“Nope, no, absolutely not. I’ll take my grumpy students, you have fun when the volcano erupts with you on it.”

“I’m pretty sure that would only have happened if you took me up on my offer,” She laughed. “But try not to let them get to you Ben and I’ll see you later, okay?”

“Okay, sounds good, just be safe.”

He leaned down and kissed her cheek before they parted, with Thera taking in the city as she went on her way.

Exploring a new place was always fun, taking in the sights and enjoying what the place had to offer, along with its history and culture, and being a city that worshiped a crafting god, there was plenty of that to be seen.

While the architecture was made largely to focus on keeping a good airflow within the buildings, there were plenty of unique artistic flourishes to make what she was seeing interesting and distinct, along with a steady stream of statues to be looked at wherever she went with something constantly catching her eye. The place felt different and beautiful, but despite her outing the prior day, she really did want to enjoy some of it with Ben, which had led her to picking something she knew he’d have no interest in for that one.

But that’s fine because this is going to be so fun! I bet the view is great up there.

It didn’t take her long to find the group she was going to be a part of either, with a couple dozen people slowly gathering as the tour guide finally began, leading them up a safe path and explaining some of the more unusual sights along the way, the first of which wasn’t far from the base.

“The more squeamish of you might want to keep your eyes on the trail, but for the rest, this is something our city is quite proud of! Along the mountains grows our telthaki fields, a crop brought from the ignisia home world! A difficult yet important one to grow, it requires rather specific conditions that can only be found here, at least for growing at the sort of scale we need to keep up with potion demands, but given the location it obviously has its dangers, hence the workers you can see in the fields. All of them, proud members of the city who chose to donate their remains after they passed to be put to work! Depending on where you’re from, you’re bound to have your own opinions on the practice, but for the people here it’s considered to be a noble act so we ask you treat them with proper respect!”

While a few in the crowd averted their eyes, be it for religious or cultural reasons, Thera and many others viewed the scene with interest. She had heard of places using their dead as a form of labour, empowering them with death magic the way a life mage might use a homunculi or someone like herself with both earth and life might make a golem, but it was her first time seeing it in person. A death mage properly trained in the spell and related ones to support it wouldn’t need to worry about rot and disease, but the concern in the general population was enough to make sure that even if some places would do it, it wasn’t common.

Though I can see why it’s necessary here.

The regions where the fields were growing were obviously a lot more dangerous than the path they were along, with the glow of lava peeking through and whatever gasses it contained floating off, while the occasional red and yellow fire fairies flew among them, drawing plenty of eyes as well due to being the only one of the mana based races to have physical bodies, being made of the element they represented as much as they were the mana that gave them life. All in all, it was a unique scene, one she doubted she’d get to see anywhere else, and listened as the tour guide went on as they continued their walk up.

“The fairies are a well-known feature of our little city as well, and an important one! Otherwise, I’d sure be a lot less comfortable standing up here, but thankfully they enjoy the environment as much as we do and keep us safe from any unplanned eruptions. If we’re lucky, some might even fly by, but mind your hands if any get close. They can control their temperature but it’s important to remember that despite the differences, they’re people just like any of you. If they want to touch you then they’ll cool down a bit, but if they don’t want to be touched you can expect quite the burn.”

Given how things had gone the last time she’d been to the life valley, Thera was a bit surprised she wasn’t immediately swarmed, even if it made sense after a little thought. The life fairies were so drawn to her at that time because of her ridiculous volume of life mana. If there were any earth or dark fairies around then she could probably expect the same result, but her fire affinity was terrible. Without having that magic, there was nothing to draw them in.

Well, probably for the best so we don’t get swarmed. She thought with a smile. I think the reaction that would cause is a little more excitement than I’m looking for.

The tour went on as they spent the next couple hours making their way to the top, the guide talking about different geological structures along with the history of the area as they went until they reached the peak, letting them both take in the view, as well as stare into the molten pit that opened into the sky.

All of it was breathtaking, too much so for how few were up there with them. Even though Thera had decided to do a tour, it wasn’t like the volcano was closed to the public. The trail they went up was one of a few that were known to be safe so long as people properly followed the markings, but aside from their group, many of whom were tired after the climb, there were only a couple of others taking it all in as well.

Oh well, everyone else’s loss. Except Ben’s. I think I’m going to have to try and drag him up here if I can. Once he sees this he’s going to want to draw or paint it.

She chalked that down as a potential date so long as she could help him past his fear of the place but from there went back to admiring it. There was no place else like it in any of the lands she traveled to, she wanted to sear it in her memory, even as the tour guide called out to them all in a time that felt far too soon.

“Alright, we’ll be heading back down now so everyone coming please gather up! While some people choose to stay a while, just keep in mind that the moment you decide that, I’m no longer liable!”

He said it with a laugh, though Thera didn’t actually think he was joking, but that made her choice easier. She hadn’t actually found the guide too engaging for what they’d seen on the way up, she doubted there’d be enough new material on the way down that could make things better than taking her time to experience it as she wanted so she stayed behind, as did a few others, letting her enjoy it all at her own pace as she walked around the volcano’s open mouth, feeling the heat and enjoying the view as another hour passed before she finally decided to head back down, choosing to take a different route from the first.

The safe paths were clearly marked, there was no danger in the one she chose, even if it looked a little less traveled than the first.

And I don’t know where the bottom is going to end up. Oh well, it’s not like I don’t have time. I’ll… what’s that?

She heard something on the way down. Specifically, two somethings. A faint sound that was almost like crying, along with something else. Something not picking at her ears like regular noise, but instead interacting with her mind and mana, the same way as when a spirit would speak.

Both were picking at her, almost calling out in a way she couldn’t ignore. The spirits thought of her as their princess and whether she liked it or not, that left her feeling a sense of responsibility to them, not to mention the fact that she was a healer. If someone really was crying at the top of a volcano, that meant they might be injured. She couldn’t just not check.

Except it’s not coming from anywhere on the path. Gods above, if I end up getting a limb burned off while taking a wrong step I have no clue how Ben’s going to react.

The thought didn’t stop her though, she was already moving, leaving the trail to head towards the sounds coming from just a little ways away, trying to narrow it down as she trusted her ears and watched her feet, doing her best to avoid anything that looked like it might start bubbling to the surface until she found where she thought she needed to be, a crack in the volcano’s side, maybe barely big enough for her to crawl through if she squeezed.

On second thought, I’m probably hearing things. I’m sure this is fine so I should head back.

Even if she didn’t mind the presence of the volcano the way Ben did, forcing herself into a dark crack in its side to see whatever it was that she’d heard wasn’t exactly an appealing prospect, especially when she didn’t think she could make it easier for herself to get there. One wrong use of earth magic could have lava pouring out in a flood, she didn’t want to be responsible for that.

“You can’t die, Rocky!”

…Damn it.

She couldn’t deny what she’d just heard, and worse, the voice sounded young. If some kids had gotten stuck while playing somewhere they shouldn’t have and she just left then she’d never forgive herself, so instead she sucked in her stomach and released as much air from her lungs as she could before squeezing her way into the space, into the dark within.

The stones scraping her skin were hot, unpleasantly so, but not enough to leave burns as she forced herself deeper, trying to call to whoever was there as she went.

“Hello, can you hear me? I’m a healer, I’m coming to help so try not to move if you’re hurt.”

Unless this gets any tighter, then I might need you coming to me.

The voice went quiet after she called out but she kept pushing in deeper, eventually being forced to take a turn that she contorted herself to make and finally laid eyes on just who she’d heard, facing a sudden, different problem.

The one who’d spoken was by all appearances a young fire fairy, blue in colour unlike the others she’d seen that day who was looking at her with a mixture of fear and hope, along with the very different being by her side of a race she’d heard of but never actually seen in person. She was seeing an elemental.

Unlike spirits that were like small balls of mana, elementals were larger but less dense, their mana spread out a little farther than what she’d see in her paternal race, with the one before her looking more so than she’d heard, its state obviously neither healthy nor natural.

It’s earth affinitied it looks like but how was it injured? No, more important, is there even anything I can do to help? How do you heal an elemental?

By all accounts, it looked like she’d forced her way there for something she wasn’t even equipped to help treat and had no clue what she was supposed to do from there, but in her hesitation the fairy made up her mind and found her own confidence, calling out to Thera.

“Please save Rocky! Please!”

“...I’ll do what I can. What happened?”

It was obvious the fairy wasn’t sure which didn’t help things at all, but the elemental had just enough awareness to get two small words out.

“Demon bite…”

Okay, I don’t think an elemental would go down to a physical attack which means this is probably a result of its soul being damaged then? I just need to figure out what I could possibly do to fix that. How do you heal a soul? And does healing magic even work on mana-based life? I guess I can at least try some of the simpler general spells and hope for the best.

She crept closer, intending to do just that when she noticed something else. The elemental, Rocky, was slowly sinking into the ground, with the young fairy crying out to it.

“Rocky! You have to be strong! You have to stay up here so she can help!”

Despite the fairy’s cries though, it didn’t seem to have much strength left at all. Thera wasn’t even sure if it was still conscious. Except for whatever noise it had made when Thera had first heard it and that two-word explanation for what brought it to that state, she’d only really been hearing the fairy.

“Okay, without my staff this is going to be a little hard but it doesn’t look like I’m going to have much choice.”

Shaping her mana, she reached out with the only option she could to keep the elemental above ground despite it being the worst she had. Her barrier magic formed, scraping the sides of the thin cave as it dug out the stone the elemental was sinking into along with the elemental itself, letting it rest against pure mana and giving her just a bit of relief with that one part successful.

While she’d never been straight out told as much, she was aware for spirits at least that any affinity didn’t have a large effect on them other than potentially soul, but she’d gotten the impression that non-affinitied options could show their value for them depending on how they were used and it looked like she’d been right, with Rocky unable to phase through what she’d created as the elemental was carried towards her, the young fairy close behind.

Thera ignored her though, giving her focus to the patient at hand as she began all of the more basic life spells she could think of, hoping that one might do something, only for each of them to fail. Her magic barely integrated with it, pretty much just as she’d suspected.

Okay, let’s think. That was always a slim chance but is there anything…

Yeah, that might work.

Spirit empowering. It didn’t matter what the name of the skill was, the two races were close enough that Thera thought it could have a chance and immediately tried it, feeling it fail again, but not in the same way the last attempt had. It felt close, like it was on the edge of what was possible so she kept trying, spending thousands of mana but never getting it to click.

Okay, think. What’s not working here? Or how can I make this work, there’s got to be a way.

As much of her time went to healing people and helping spirits, neither activity had prepared her for that. If she’d at least seen an injured spirit in the past then she might have had some clue, but as things stood her two greatest options had failed. What else could she do? She didn’t want to give up, but it didn’t seem like there was going to be much choice. The only thing that kept her going was that the moment she gave in she’d have to figure out how to even begin comforting the fairy who seemed to hold the earth elemental so dear.

Earth, maybe that’s it? It’s at least something to try.

She didn’t think she’d be able to heal it with her earth magic, but combined with her previous failed attempts she wanted to believe there was a chance and pushed the rest of the world away as she carefully grabbed hold of the mana within herself and directed it without a staff, trying to tie the healing properties of life into the earth she wanted to guide through the patient's body, directing it with her spirit empowering and finally feeling it click in a way that it hadn’t before as everything lined up and the elemental was flooded with her power, its vitality coming back and the mana that made up its body ended up looking brighter in her eyes, at least until the crawlspace she was in exploded with light as notifications filled her head.

<SPIRITUAL EARTH MAGIC LEVEL INCREASED>

<SPIRITUAL LIFE MAGIC LEVEL INCREASED>

<BARRIER MAGIC LEVEL INCREASED>

<SPIRIT EMPOWERING HAS AWAKENED TO MANA EMPOWERING>

<ACQUIRED SKILL SPIRIT COMPREHENSION LEVEL 0>

<ACQUIRED TITLE- DESTINED HOLDER OF SPIRIT EMPOWERING>

<MAX LEVEL OF THE QUEEN OF MANA JOB ACHIEVED>

She felt her eyes grow wide with the notifications ringing out in her mind but didn’t get the chance to take them in before the young fairy was in her barrier, throwing herself at the elemental that was now more than capable of handling itself as it gently floated out of Thera’s magical grasp.

“Rocky, I’m so glad you’re okay! You can’t scare me like that, I don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to you!”

“Apologies Insia, I will not worry you again,” It said before directing its focus to Thera. “And thank you, earth fairy, I will not forget this.”

“Uh, don’t worry about it, but I’m not a fairy.”

“You’re not?”

“Of course she’s not, Rocky! Look at her, she’s way too big!”

“...Thank you, great earth fairy?”

“You know there’s no such thing, Rocky.”

“Ahem, I’m just a passing mage who wanted to help, don’t worry about it,” She told them. “A very claustrophobic mage at this point so I’m going to try squeezing my way out of here, try not to get hurt anywhere so far from others next time, alright?”

“Understood, and allow me to help you out.”

With its body restored it wasted no time expanding the passage she’d had to squeeze through before, not exactly leaving it wide, but big enough that getting out wasn’t the ordeal she’d expected as she bid the two goodbye and enjoyed the feeling of fresh air as, before she bothered to deal with any of her scapes and cuts, she sat down and touched her job crystal, taking in the options.

AVAILABLE JOBS

Musician

Professional dancer

Bard

Darkness mage -charm specialized

Healer

Dark mage

Staff user

Homunculus creator

Chimera maker

War mage

Empathy mage

Barrier mage

High crystallization mage

Master spirit mage

Mana embodiment

She couldn’t keep the smile from her lips as she saw the new options, letting her know that what she’d just heard was true. Master spirit mage was there, telling her the same thing the notification just had. She’d awakened a skill.

With three awakened ones to her name already, maybe it shouldn’t have felt as good as it did, but given the circumstances under which she’d managed the first two, along with the fact that the gods had awakened her last one for her, that left this new one as something wholly hers and wholly positive. She’d saved an elemental in need and had just reaped massive rewards for the act.

And it looks like that won’t be the only one I awaken today. She thought with a laugh. I got my last level of barrier magic so it looks like I’ll be getting Ben to help with that later too, which means I really should be planning my next job accordingly to take the most advantage of that I can.

If she was going to be able to awaken her non-affinitied options as well then that would give a massive boost of experience to anything she took, the only question was what to go for to yield the best results. Taking a non-affinitied job would be something she’d likely finish immediately but given that all of those options were below the master path it would be a bit of a waste considering the bonuses she would get, while her new master spirit mage option would likely leave her with no experience. Assuming it gave similar bonuses to both her previous spirit mage jobs, that meant it would offer nothing for what she’d awaken next.

Which would leave war mage. I’m admittedly a bit curious about that one too, but it looks like I have another option I’ve never even heard of before.

Mana embodiment. From the name, it was presumably an advanced variant of her last job and given how much mana she’d gain from awakening a skill, even if it was going to be her fifth, there was a decent chance she’d finish it immediately.

And I don’t really need more mana, but at the same time, this is probably too good to pass up, right? Yeah, okay, I’m doing it. I’ll take mana embodiment

<ACQUIRED JOB- MANA EMBODIMENT LV0>

<MASSIVE BONUSES GRANTED TO IMPROVING MANA AND MANA RECOVERY RATE>

<MANA ENHANCEMENT LEVEL INCREASED>

Name: Thera Oress

Race: Succubus/Spirit Hybrid

Titles: Spirit Child, Madman’s lover, Spirit princess, Saintess, Destined holder of Spirit Empowering

Jobs: Mana embodiment (lv0)

Previous Jobs: Beginner Dancer, Dancer, Apprentice mage, Earth mage, True mage, High earth mage, Spirit mage, Life mage, High life mage, Telekinetic mage, Adventurer, High telekinetic mage, High spirit mage, Master earth mage, Earth princess, Master life mage, Life princess, Saintess, Crystallization mage, Master adventurer, Queen of mana

Attribute:

Vitality: 2581

Vitality recovery rate: 45/hr

Mana: 612,288

Mana recovery rate: 300/min

Strength: 440

Agility: 1007

Stamina: 863

Intelligence: 996

Affinities:

Light: 4

Life: 22

Fire: 11

Water: 14

Air: 12

Earth: 103

Death: 3

Dark: 43

Space: 2

Time: 1

Resistances:

Light: 5

Life: 9

Fire: 11

Water: 16

Air: 12

Earth: 35

Death: 13

Dark: 42

Space: 7

Time: 8

Blessed skills:

Spiritual earth magic lv6*

Spiritual dark magic lv2*

Passive skills:

World speak+

Coordination lv6

Bind

Mana recovery rate enhancement lv9

Earth sense lv6

Dark sight lv 0

Mana enhancement lv1

Active skills:

Calculate lv3

Dance lv5

String instrument lv4

Woodwind instrument lv3

Cleaning lv2

Staff wielder lv1

Meditation lv2

Speed reading lv5

Spiritual life magic lv6*

Telekinesis lv8

Mana empowering lv0*

Cooking lv1

Mana examination lv8

Mana crystallization lv5

Empathy lv5

Barrier magic lv5

Spirit comprehension lv0

Blessings:

Anailia’s Blessing

Elvat’s life magic Blessing

Quox’s Blessing

Eneth’s Blessing

Earth Pantheon’s Blessing

Life Pantheon’s Blessing

Dark Pantheon’s Blessing

Trials:

Trial of Anailia and Tolona

Earth Tower

Life Tower

Dark Tower

She quickly scrolled through her card, seeing all of the changes and only growing in her elation as she got to see how much stronger she was becoming, she wanted to run off to share her good news with Ben that instant. It was getting late anyway, what with her hanging out at the top of the volcano longer than she’d expected along with her detour, so she wanted to get back soon anyway, so she began the small bit of healing she needed to on herself before she went to rush off, only stopping when she noticed the two at her side, the fairy and the elemental, both waiting patiently for her to finish up before the more fiery of the two spoke up.

“Hi.”