Preparations

Dawn broke.

Severe pain flared through Cecia's arms as black lines surfaced on her skin, flickering in rhythm with her breathing.

Her muscles spasticated, contracting repeatedly as cold sweat poured from her forehead.

She writhed on the bed, clutching her arms and gripping her hands tightly.

Wave after wave of agony surged through her, as if slimy tentacles were incessantly trying to tear away her arms.

Tearing, healing, tearing again, healing again.

After a long while, Cecia's breathing finally stabilized, and the translucent system panel materialized before her eyes.

【Status: Abyss Erosion (Continuously drains host's maximum health. Beginning to affect physical body. Effect will intensify over time. 89 days remaining until health reaches zero.)】

Abyss Erosion was now actively attacking her body.

Staring at the black marks that surfaced and faded on her arms, a look of worry finally crossed Cecia's face.

She had almost forgotten about this thing that could cost her life.

Eighty-nine days left. She had to find a way to advance! Only a stronger soul could suppress the Abyss Erosion that was constantly eroding her.

A knock at the door interrupted Cecia's thoughts.

Scarlett's voice called out from outside.

“Senior! Wake up, let's go to the academy together!”

“Sorry, Scarlett! I'm taking the day off today. I have some matters to attend to.”

“Oh, alright. I was hoping to see your new skill in action...”

Cecia did not open the door. Terrible marks were still crawling across her hands, and letting Scarlett see them would not end well.

Fortunately, the knocking and brief exchange gradually quieted down.

Scarlett finally left.

The Roland family carriage paused briefly outside Cecia's house before driving away.

Scarlett looked somber as Cecia watched the carriage depart into the distance.

Cecia didn't have time to cater to Scarlett's sulking.

She was planning to hunt a spiritual creature to research her skill called 【Burnt Offering】.

Which was why she had taken the day off.

...

Cecia was going hunting, and hunting required preparation.

Step one of hunting: prepare a weapon.

Cecia first went to the Forgers Guild to buy a piece of high-quality steel. She intended to forge it into a handy weapon.

It cost five gold coins, but the steel was far more stable than scraps picked up from a junk heap.

Facing the steel, meditating, forging.

The Abyss marks on her arms had begun to fade. Cecia took a deep breath and continued her forging.

She struck continuously with a dark-black hammer. Sparks flew in all directions, splattering onto the back of her hands, yet she felt nothing—the increased fire resistance effect was at work.

Time passed quickly.

The hiss of steam during quenching.

The raspy sound of grinding and polishing.

Cecia held up her newly finished weapon and inspected it.

The blade had a sleek curvature. Though dark and visually unremarkable, its quality was no worse than her meteoric iron blade.

If she had to compare which was better, the former still held the advantage. Although this blade was forged with more mature craftsmanship and possessed superior quality and feel, it lacked light magic built into it.

Cecia finished forging just as the noon sun reached its zenith.

Next came the Enchantment.

Cecia chose not the 【Bloodless Blade】 Enchantment effect, but another: 【Sharpness】.

Her engraving chisel guided across the blade, slowly carving intricate, profound magical traces into the metal. As its blacksmith, Cecia understood this blade intimately, like a parent knowing their child.

The pre-planned carving sites, the flowing mana elements, the complex incantations—each was etched into place one by one.

An hour later, the scimitar let out a low hum, producing a brilliant echo that signaled smooth mana flow and superb enchantment quality.

Golden light rippled across the blade—a result of the forging techniques Cecia had newly learned: fire magic echo and light magic echo.

The echoes responded to the wielder's magic, allowing elements to flow through the weapon's body.

The light flowing along it was none other than Cecia's own magic!

Cecia tested its grip and balance; when swung, it cut through the air silently.

If she coaxed fire onto the blade, it could almost match an added 【Fire Enhancement】 enchantment.

She then sheathed it under her skirt into a leather scabbard she had prepared beforehand, leaving only the top of the hilt exposed.

“I'll call you Starhunter.”

Step two of hunting: hone her skills.

Feeling the solid scabbard resting against her thigh, Cecia hurried home without delay, intending to practice 【Aegis of Light】 under the midday sun.

Cecia had learned from reading Merlin's magic books that if a particular element was abundant in the environment, it could boost the EXP gained during practice.

Bathed in sunlight, her EXP gain gradually increased.

Under the influence of the abundant light elements from the midday sun, her EXP bar began climbing steadily.

Humans were able to use magic because their souls and will could mobilize energy from the Spirit Realm—energy known as mana elements. Mages with powerful souls used this mana to alter reality.

The soul's strength was trained through Meditation.

Using skills, however, was far more complex. Meditation provided the hardware, while skills were the software.

Yet Cecia didn't need to overthink it; she simply had to keep spamming her skills. A Lv. 3 Meditation level could easily support three or four Lv. 3 skills.

Besides, Cecia had something else going for her.

【Aegis of Light +1】

【Aegis of Light +1】

Her system and talent went to work. With every cast, deep understanding flooded into her mind all at once, filling her head like water rushing over a drowning person.

Cecia lay on the floor, gasping for air. The sun was dipping below the horizon, bathing the room in dusk.

Fortunately, the results were stellar. Her entire body was glowing, enveloped in a thin film of flowing golden light. A small projection nudged forward and—clatter!—smashed right through her wooden floorboards.

Splinters flew everywhere.

Curious, Cecia began poking around at various spots, evoking wails of anguish from her furniture.

She quickly stopped, as her few remaining pieces of furniture were on the verge of being completely destroyed.

【Aegis of Light Lv. 1 → Lv. 2】

A sense of practiced mastery filled Cecia with joy.