"Mina, I think we can move on to the next phase."
"You think so?"
"Yes. Your rune circle is well stabilized, and you have a good grasp of the Doll mask."
"Okay. What do you think I should do?"
"Let's go kill some monsters and gather resources along the way. Not only will it train you, but it will also allow us to improve the mask or earn money for compatible resources."
"Okay."
Maya didn't take me directly into the forest to find my first monsters but rather to two places. The first was the Adventurer's Guild. As its name suggests, it registers adventurers exploring uncharted lands while battling monsters and collecting materials of all kinds.
I registered, obtaining rank G. Anyone can achieve this rank as long as they can defend themselves. Maya, on the other hand, is rank B. Then we went to the Tower of Mages.
This organization is solely dedicated to mages, helping them improve, whether for obtaining materials, learning, or simply training. The Tower of Mages is truly there to help one progress and share knowledge. Regarding ranks, they depend on the circles. As long as you have a rune circle, you can be registered. As for the rank, it is related to your circle. This means I am rank 1 in the Tower of Mages. Maya is rank 5.
In both organizations, we took quests and requests. For the Adventurer's Guild, I need to kill five goblins. Maya had me take this mission because she planned to train me with them. As for the Tower of Mages, the request concerns a fairly rare plant: the plant of a thousand facets. It's a low-level plant but can be mixed with many things. For a mage, it's a very useful plant for experiments. If we bring back this plant, we can exchange it for a material from her collection. The more we bring back, the more valuable objects or multiple items we can acquire.
We set off into the forest.
"Mina, you should never underestimate a place where there are monsters, even the weakest ones. You never know what might be lurking."
Maya summoned puppets resembling maids wearing classic outfits. However, their colors are different: one is in classic black and white, another has inverted colors, and the last one is in candy pink.
Seeing the last one, I couldn't help but stare at her.
"Ahem. Let's just say I like your hair color."
I laughed, finding her cute with her excuse. It doesn't bother me at all; on the contrary, our relationship is strengthening. Mina is already in love with Maya. She loves how they are so connected through the masks, but also how Maya takes care of her with attention and tenderness.
"These puppets are different from those at home. Are these three connected to your mana heart?"
"Yes. My element contains all primary elements and their branches."
"..."
Okay. I understand why she's a genius. But what makes me sad is that I feel inferior since I have no element. However, I haven't shown it; it's not good to be jealous of the person you love.
"The pink maid is the tank with the gold element, capable of wielding a sword and shield. The normal maid is an assassin with the poison element, and the inverted maid is an earth magician."
"Actually, coming here, besides training you, I'm looking for wood that could be useful for both of us. In addition to qualitatively improving your mask, I could create a puppet that can heal us."
"Don't you have any other puppets?"
"No. I don't bond puppets to my mana heart lightly. Just like you with your masks, I only want the best in potential."
I nodded, understanding why. Maya is clearly a genius, whether it's for crafting objects as a craftomancer, creating techniques, or mastering all elements. It makes sense that she only wants the best.
As we walked in search of goblins, we gathered all sorts of materials, with Maya teaching me their uses along the way. It's fascinating: even classic mages use potions and other objects to improve themselves. For example, they might take a potion to permanently boost their fire element or purify their mana heart. There's an incredible variety of materials that can enhance anyone, whether they're mages, knights, or in other professions. This world has so much to offer and teach.
While we were walking, Maya's eyes lit up. She pointed to a tree with green veins and ordered the inverted maid, who pointed her staff at the tree, covering it with earth.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm protecting the tree while marking it. Once we're done, I'll come back to retrieve it. This tree isn't very big, but it can help us improve your mask or create a small base for a puppet."
"I see."
I never thought we would have such luck. But it's a good thing. After doing that, we set off again and found a group of two goblins. Without hesitation, I summoned my Doll mask and transformed. My umbrella lengthened, becoming more robust, almost like a sword.
I rushed toward them, hoping to catch them by surprise, but they spotted me first. One goblin, armed with a sling, shot a stone at me. I didn't dodge, wanting to test my defense. The stone hit me, stopping my momentum. The impact was light, leaving a dent in my skin, but my regeneration quickly healed the wound.
At the same moment, the other goblin, wielding a rusty machete, jumped at me. I dodged by twisting my torso 180° to the side, then my joints twisted to 90° to slam my umbrella into the goblin's skull, killing him instantly.
I could have easily killed him without doing that, but I wanted to test how my joints worked in the heat of battle. Both tests were quite conclusive. Another stone came flying at me, but I simply opened my umbrella to use it as a shield. Then I charged forward, dodging or blocking the stones with my umbrella. Once close enough, I extended my arm to strike one of the goblin's eyes, but he dodged. Before he could do anything else, my umbrella opened up in his face, and spikes shot out to kill him instantly.
"Bravo, Mina. Not bad for your first fight."
I blushed slightly, feeling shy but very happy.
"Thank you."
While Maya was teaching Mina how to skin the goblins, I looked at the two notifications that appeared before my eyes.
[Congratulations! You have killed your very first goblin! You earn 200 star points for this personal achievement!]
[Congratulations! You have killed your very first lower monster! You earn 500 star points for this personal achievement!]
Oh? If I kill a type of monster for the first time, I also earn points? Interesting. As for the second notification, I imagine I will earn even more points by facing higher-ranked monsters. That's a good thing.
Whether it's for the star points or how well my first fight went, I am truly excited to continue improving and fighting! Who would have thought that watching this kind of spectacle with my character would amuse me so much?
"Jina, why are you so happy to correct such poorly done work?"
"..."