"If you've suffered enough, use a pair of hands to slice it open…"
Igula yawned as he got out of bed. Sticking to his usual morning routine, he headed straight for a bath. However, just as he slipped into the tub, the doorbell rang furiously.
Reluctantly, he wrapped himself in a towel and went to open the door. Standing there was Ash, looking uncharacteristically serious.
"Rock-paper-scissors. Now," Ash demanded.
"What?"
"No questions. Rock-paper-scissors. And you have to beat me three times!"
"Is this some kind of essential ritual?"
"Yes!"
"Is this going to hurt me?"
"Not at all!"
Igula squinted at him, trying to gauge the truth. Deciding Ash wasn't lying, he replied, "Then I'm not doing it."
"Why not?"
"Helping you is a kindness, not an obligation. Why should I waste my time on this nonsense?"
"Helping people shouldn't need a reason!"
"Given your reputation, you're not really in a position to say that. Do I look like someone who does charity work?"
Ash paused, then countered, "Do you know why mages can't drink freshly boiled water and have to wait a while?"
Igula blinked. "Why?"
"Play rock-paper-scissors with me, and I'll tell you."
This caught Igula's attention. Was freshly boiled water harmful to one's magic? Could it have a mystical property that interfered with mana flow? In a world where everything contained hidden truths, even minor rituals could hold critical significance—like chanting prayers for the dead to dispel lingering death energy.
Curiosity piqued, Igula agreed and played along. Predictably, with his knack for reading others, he beat Ash three times in a row with ease.
"Thanks, Igula!" Ash beamed.
"What kind of ritual needs someone else to beat you three times in rock-paper-scissors?"
"It's called the Bad Luck Transfer Ritual. Now that I've lost to you, my bad luck is gone, and my fortune will improve. Anyway, bye—"
"Wait! You haven't told me why mages can't drink freshly boiled water!"
"Because it burns your tongue."
Igula stared blankly as Ash walked away, closing the door behind him. Returning to his bath, he lay back, staring at the ceiling with a hand on his forehead.
"Have I been hanging around him too much? Is he making me stupider by association?"
Later, while brushing his teeth, Igula's foresight magic activated, scrawling a message in the foam on the mirror:
"Don't drink freshly boiled water."
"Who even would!?"
After completing his bizarre ritual, Ash returned to his room.
"Would you like to spend 30 Source Crystals for 10 summons? Pro-tip: Increasing the number of summons improves your odds of rare cards!"
"Confirm 14 summons for 42 Source Crystals?"
"Confirm!"
A flash of light filled the screen. The results? Eight white flashes, four purple, and… two gold!
The eight white items included one basic combat card, four stamina potions, and three experience potions. The stamina potions felt like filler junk clogging the loot pool, but the experience potions, at least, stacked and could boost experience gains by 50%.
Moving to the purple cards, Ash's eyes lit up. Three were Spirit Bond Elixirs, and the last was a Honey-Tongue Dagger.
Spirit Bond Elixir (x3): Improves a mage's connection to their spirit companions, accelerating mastery of their abilities. Lasts one week.
Honey-Tongue Dagger: A concealed blade hidden under the tongue. Simply press with your tongue to deploy it. Passes all security screenings. Upgradeable.
The Spirit Bond Elixirs were exactly what Ash needed to master the newly acquired "Heart Sword" and "Flow Transfer" abilities.
The Honey-Tongue Dagger? A perfect tool for breaking out of prison. Considering the layers of security and constant surveillance he'd face, such a stealthy weapon could be a game-changer.
Finally, the gold cards!
Alchemist's Refining Flask: Combine two identical potions to attempt an upgrade. 30% chance for a superior potion, 30% chance for a random rare potion, and 40% chance of failure.
Ash grinned. This flask could transform those seemingly useless stamina potions into something worthwhile.
Random Spirit Summon Card: Allows the user to summon a rare-tier spirit appropriate to their current level. Additionally, it raises the corresponding magic discipline to the appropriate tier. The process may take up to seven days.
At first glance, it seemed underwhelming. But upon closer inspection, Ash realized its true value wasn't just the summoned spirit but the instant promotion of a magical discipline to match the user's tier.
For a first-tier mage, it was equivalent to gaining a new skill and spirit companion. But for a second-tier mage or beyond? This card was a jackpot, allowing instant mastery of advanced disciplines that would otherwise take years.
Ash used the Refining Flask to combine his potions, resulting in two Advanced Stamina Potions and one Advanced Experience Potion.
Advanced Stamina Potion: Grants an extra high-efficiency action slot during training, lasting seven days. Improves mood and boosts bond levels with low probability.
Advanced Experience Potion: Increases skill experience gain by 50%, stacking up to 100%. Lasts seven days.
Satisfied with his haul, Ash returned to his management interface, greeted by a new notification:
"The cultivation of Battle-Crazed Sword Maiden is complete! Please review her growth report and set the next week's strategy."
Battle-Crazed Sword Maiden Growth Report (4/12–4/18)
Sword Arts: 0 → Silver
Light Magic: 0 → Silver
Water Magic: Untrained → Silver
Mana Capacity: 0 → Half-Wing Silver
Performance Grade: A
As a reward for achieving an A rank, Sword Maiden had gained a Class Upgrade:
"One-Winged Sword Mage → Silver Executioner."
Silver Executioner - Class Perk: Every successful hit restores 0.5% of maximum mana.
Ash was thrilled. Not only had Sword Maiden achieved significant growth, but her new class perk promised even greater sustainability in battle.
Her water magic advancement was thanks to two experience orbs they'd earned during a productive night in the Void Realm.
Opening the strategy menu, Ash was faced with options for Sword Maiden's activities:
Current Mood: 6 (No bonus experience)
Available Actions: Rest, Entertain, Train, Battle
The system recommended entertainment, noting she hadn't had any downtime in a week.
For a moment, Ash hesitated. Sword Maiden had carried him through the Void Realm. Perhaps she deserved a break?
Bang! Bang!
"Ash, get out here! We still need one more team member for the escape!" Igula's voice rang from outside.
Ash snapped back to reality. How could he indulge Sword Maiden's complaints when even he wasn't allowed to rest?
"I reject your suggestion!"