Magic_Smithing
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Ch: 118.4
🕑 Added 2023-04-27 05:44:34 +0000 UTC“Will you watch over me?” I ask over my shoulder.
“I may not have full use of my left arm yet, but my right is just fine.” Thanks to the light spell hovering over Tabitha’s head, I can clearly see her flexing her one good arm as a show of strength.
"Okay then," I nod and focus on my goal.
Across the room, covered in poison, sat my hammer. Directly above it was the shaft leading to the surface. According to Sense Mana, the pile of bones above the hole had collapsed over it, sealing it, but it would only take the winged serpent a swish of its massive tail to send the blockage flying.
To our understanding, the serpent couldn't reach us down here, but that didn't mean we could afford to be careless. To clean my hammer, I would need to get close to it so as not to waste the precious mana I've spent the last three days recovering. I originally hoped the poison would start dissipating after sitting there for so long, but even now, I could still sense the poison on my hammer just as active as when we were initially hit with it.
The poison contained a particular type of mana attracted to living beings. The same mana tendrils that penetrated my defenses were all over my hammer, ready to spring into action should I accidentally touch it. I leveled multiple skills fighting it off the first time, so in theory, it should be easier to cleanse the poison a second time, but making predictions after only dealing with it once was a great way to get myself killed.
While I focused on cleaning my weapon, Tabitha was to keep an eye on the shaft above me. If the ground so much as rumbled, she would pull me back and rush us outside the room. The winged serpent would only need a few short seconds to remove the blockage and direct its corrosive breath down the shaft, and if we weren’t prepared for it, we could get caught up in it and would surely die.
Chances were that wouldn't happen as the snake could've done so any time over the last few days, but again, it never hurt to be safe.
“I should only need a minute,” I mumble more as a reassurance to myself rather than speaking to Tabitha.
“I have your back,” my knight in shining…. dented armor reassures me.
That was another reason why I needed my hammer. Though it would be cumbersome to attempt with its size, I needed my hammer to try and fix Tabitha’s armor. Her chest plate was caved in, which couldn’t be comfortable to wear, and the armguards on her right arm were worse. Unfortunately, I could do nothing with the scraps of metal that used to be the armor on her left arm, but I could at least try to fix everything else.
“Okay, here goes,” I walk silently over to my hammer, making sure not to make a sound.
Avoiding the rotten scraps of wood that used to make up the lift, I inch closer to my weapon. Looking up, I see a dark shaft stretching upwards, which is a good sign. Ominous to have overhead, but still a good sign.
Everything seems fine as I inch closer to my goal, but I can't help but curse that I didn’t have Silent Casting when I chant my spell. Thankfully, I don’t need to shout like an anime protagonist to cast my magic, only needing to whisper the words in a soft yet even voice.
“Ahyt ls weem appiss!”
Magic envelops me, and I feel the dust accumulated over the last three days fall away. Of course, it wasn't much, thanks to Mana Skin, but my skill couldn't protect me from everything, and it was pretty dirty down here, so it’s still refreshing to feel spotless again.
I only indulge in the feeling for a second before I activate Empower Spell and boost my magic until the zone of cleanliness around me stretches to reach my hammer’s handle. If I wanted to, I could have my spell cover my weapon all at once as I did with Tabitha and myself when we were initially poisoned, but it's easier and less mana intensive to slowly work my way from one end of my hammer to the other.
As soon as my spell makes contact with my poisoned weapon, the toxin tries to infiltrate my mana, but unlike Mana Skin which only defends, my cleaning spell actively fights back against the intrusive substance. Of course, I need to channel more mana to keep it from digging into the mana I’m projecting, but without the urgency of dying forcing me to fight all of it at once, my spell steadily and easily overcomes the poison.
I sense Tabitha stepping behind me and entering my spells range, but as she’s not dragging me out of the room, I focus on the task at hand. It takes a few minutes and some steady mana control, but eventually, my weapon is clean, at least, I think it is.
Before I let my spell fade away, I scan every inch of my hammer, searching for even a hint of remaining poison. The surface was spotless to the naked eye, but that didn’t mean I was ready to reach down and grab my weapon just yet. There was still one more place I had to check.
My foresight pays off immediately because as soon as I direct my senses into my hammer and scan the mana structure within, I find small traces of the winged serpent’s poison. There isn’t much of the tainted mana, and if I wasn’t looking for it, it was entirely possible I could’ve missed it, but I was, and I did. None of our other gear was tainted this way, but then again, none was covered in the stuff for three days.
Using Mana Manipulation and Inject Mana, I push my cleaning spell directly into my hammer until every bit of the toxic mana is purged. Of course, the spell wasn't designed for this kind of thing, so I need to control it carefully, but with my two new levels in Mana Manipulation, it's relatively easy to do.
Once I’m 110% positive everything is clear, I reach down and collect my weapon. I’m surprised how much lighter it feels after raising my Strength stat by 25, but then again, it was never the weight of my hammer that caused me trouble; it was a centrifugal force when I swung it that threatened to pull me off my feet.
I would still need to anchor myself to the ground to swing my weapon correctly, but maybe now, with higher stats, I’ll be able to use it against the winged serpent, though I still had doubts. Swinging my hammer over my shoulder, a sense of security washes over me as I anchor it to my back with Magic Threads. It might have its flaws, but in the end, I felt safer having it with me.
I cast one last glance upward at the dark shaft above us before walking back to the wall where we had our packs laid out. In my wake, you could see where I cast my magic, as there was now a perfect circle of cleanliness at the bottom of the shaft. Cleaning my hammer took a quarter of my mana pool, but now that my mana recovery had returned to normal, it would only take me a few hours to get that mana back.
“Thanks for the cleaning. Dried blood really starts to ich after the third day," Tabitha smirks at me.
“I was wondering why you got so close to me,” I look Tabitha up and down. The glowing orb of light above her cast weird shadows due to its positioning, but I could see everything necessary. With all the dried blood removed, I could finally see her skin underneath, and it was enough to make me wince.
“It isn’t that bad," Tabitha looked down at her left arm, which was sitting in a makeshift sling I fashioned for her.
Not that bad? Tabitha’s entire left arm was one big scab. “Was your potion not enough?” I wasn’t sure how to quantify Tabitha's healing. Her right arm was completely healed, but it wasn't near as bad as her other arm. Was mending bones in three days normal, or was that only due to the expensive potion?
Tabitha chuckles. “The potion worked just fine, but its effects have long since faded. My Vitality is finishing things.”
“And the scars?” I ask, motioning to the few patches of Tabitha’s left arm that had finished healing and were now clean, thanks to my spell. There wasn’t a single section of unblemished skin, just a never-ending patchwork of scars.
“Even we aren’t immune to scars,” Tabitha doesn’t look bothered by her arm in the slightest. “If anything, I can show it off to people,” she says proudly.
“Why?’ I give her an incredulous look. "I mean, weren't scars a sign you were injured?"
“Maybe, but true warriors will recognize what I went through,” Tabitha grins like a maniac.
“Seriously, is everyone in your country crazy, and if so, how has it lasted this long?” I jokingly shake my head disappointingly, but I can’t help but smile.
“Haven’t you learned by now?” Tabitha eyes me critically. “You have to be crazy to reach the top.” I roll my eyes, but Tabitha wasn’t done. “You like to pretend you’re not, but if you ask anyone in your village to describe you, I'm 100% certain they'll refer to you as the ‘crazy running girl.'"
“They would not,” I start relaxingly refuting her, but the second half of my argument dies out before I can even say it. Oh gods, I think she’s right!
My eyes widen at the realization, and Tabitha laughs in delight. “Take pride in it,” she boastfully tells me. "Besides, wasting your time worrying about how others see you is pointless. Take my arm, for example," Tabitha gestures with her good arm. "Anyone who looks down on me for having battle scars isn't someone I want to give my time to, much less acknowledge.”
“That’s…. quite profound,” I stare at Tabitha in amazement.
Tabitha tries to puff out her chest but whines in pain, bringing her right hand to where her chest plate is dented.
Right, I shouldn’t put that off any longer. “Alright, take it off,” I order Tabitha sternly.
Tabitha’s eyes widen, and she takes a step back. “What, no. This is no place to remove my armor.” Tabitha looked worryingly toward the shaft, but we both knew that was just an excuse. She just didn’t like taking off her armor.
“It’s now or never,” I point out to her. “Everything's been quiet the last few days; if there were anything else dangerous down here, we would've seen it by now. And you're still recovering; that can't be comfortable,” I point at her chest where her armor had the biggest dent.
“Wearing this armor is the only thing that saved me,” Tabitha says defensively.
“So let me try to fix it,” I take a step in her direction. “Don’t make me take it off you.”
"You think you can," Tabitha's eyes narrow menacingly.
“In your current condition, yes,” I deadpan.
“Fair point,” Tabitha finally admits in a downcast voice.
Tabitha tries to reach for the strap to unfasten her armor, but she struggles with only one hand. “Wait a minute,” I stop her. “Let’s move a few floors down; put some space between us and the shaft while I work."
Tabitha nods and moves to grab her bag, but I beat her to the punch. Reaching down, I grab both our bags. Tabitha looks at me like she’s about to demand I hand it over, but I stand firmly, and she sighs and relents to letting me carry everything.
“Lead the way then,” Tabitha moves next to me, providing the light while I provide the directions. And for the first time in three days, we left the room we fell into.
Leaving the lift room, we entered the adjoining hallway, and I directed us right as that was the fastest way to the closest intact stairway.
“You know where you’re going?” Tabitha asks me as I lead her down multiple hallways and connecting rooms.
“Yeah, we’re almost to the first flight of stairs,” I point ahead.
“Then you have a specific room in mind?” Tabitha turns her head and gives me a questioning glance.
“Sure do,” I point down at the stone floor. “There is a good-sized room we can make use of four stories down. It has some intact stone benches I can use as a makeshift workstation. Plus, the deeper we go, the more of the structure I can scan.”
“Are there any signs of life?” Tabitha asks, nimbly stepping around a pile of bone dust. "Any more soul horrors we need to be on the lookout for?"
“You wish,” I smirk. “Sorry to burst your bubble, but no more free exp.”
“Pity," Tabitha tries to shrug, but as she is still injured, she can only move her right shoulder, making for quite the comical sight.
Just then, a low growling noise echoes through the silent hallway. Tabitha and I reach for our weapons in alarm, but I quickly turn crimson as I realize what is making the sound. Bringing my left hand up, I massage my armored stomach. “Sorry,” I apologize.
“There’s nothing to apologize for," Tabitha's hand remained on her sword's hilt. "I am hungry too. We should probably eat once we make it to our destination.”
“Is that okay?” Other than a bite of jerky yesterday, we haven’t touched any of our remaining rations. My stomach was growling, but I could hold out for another day or two if need be.
Tabitha nods seriously. “Even if we eat what little we have, it’s best to do so now. My recovery has slowed; what about you?”
“I’m almost there,” I pull up a cheat sheet of my status page.
Health: 2,241.63/2,530
Stamina 1,588.47/1,697
Mana: 782.34/1,030
“I’m still down 300 Health, my Stamina is fine, and I used a quarter of my mana pool to clean you and my hammer,” I rattle off in quick order. “What about you?” I look directly at Tabitha’s sling.
“My bones are healing just fine, thanks to you,” Tabitha smiles happily. “After we eat, I should only need another day before I can move it again and another to regain full movement. As for my Stamina and Mana, both are relatively full, so you don't need to worry about the light; I can keep it going for some time."
“That’s amazing news,” I exclaim. “In here,” I direct us into a room coming up that contains the stairs leading downward. “Do you think I could heal broken bones in a few days with my Vitality?”
"Depends on the break," Tabitha casually continues the conversation as we turn into the room and head directly for the stairs within.
While we walk from one dark corridor to another, we discuss all manner of topics.
We spent a few minutes talking about how the bricks making up the floor differed from the ones used in the walls. They were almost indistinguishable from one another, with the only difference being the bricks making up the floor were a slightly paler grey. Color aside, though, the bricks making up the floor had the same force-absorbing properties as their wall counterparts, only much milder. It was like walking on a beach; you had to put in more effort to move, but nothing as ridiculous as trying to walk on the wall bricks.
While I could talk about magic materials all day, Tabitha wanted to discuss more pressing matters. She asked me if I could sense the lesser dragon above us, and I had to shamefully tell her I couldn’t. Of course, Tabitha wasn't surprised by this and explained to me why I was having such trouble sensing it.
According to her, the winged serpent had deployed a mana zone. I had heard Tabitha use the terminology earlier when we first ran into the lesser dragon, but it was only now that she explained what it frankly was.
Apparently, strong magic beasts can diffuse part of their essence around themselves and affect the mana of a given area, creating zones that can hinder the skills of others and slowly morph their surroundings to suit them better. That was why the forest above the Colosseum was dead; the winged serpent’s mana zone corrupted the surrounding mana, killing all the plant life. It was also why I couldn’t sense it, no matter how hard I tried. The winged serpent perfectly blended into the background it created, so unless I’m incredibly close to it, I won't be able to pinpoint its exact location.
The mana zone was also responsible for tricking Tabitha’s danger sense which meant we didn't sense it until it was already upon us. Plus, according to Tabitha, there was a genuine possibility that the winged serpent could track our movement inside its mana zone, meaning as soon as we surfaced, it would know.
I know I shouldn’t be casting stones, but I couldn’t help but curse at such an overpowered ability. How on earth where we supposed to fight something like that?
Tabitha reassured me it was possible, though it would be tricky. I asked her if she’d ever fought against a magic beast with a mana zone, but she denied ever doing so. Apparently, only powerful magic beasts ever form a mana zone, and encountering one was extremely rare. And it was just our luck we ran into one.
Tabitha did add one piece of what she considered good news to her explanation. When she first realized we were in a mana zone, Tabitha feared the magic beast we ran into was above 150, as that was around the level magic beasts started forming mana zones.
I had snapped at her, questioning how that could be considered good news, but she assured me it was coming.
Tabitha told me that she couldn't sense the winged serpents’ level, but after fighting it, she was positive it wasn’t near level 150. So why the mana zone? Well, as Tabitha put it, it had to do with the winged serpent being a lesser dragon.
Tabitha explained that lesser dragon was a title given to beasts with some ancestry connected to dragons, no matter how removed it was. Dragons were apex creatures known for their strong bodies and even more robust magic capabilities. Because the winged serpent was a descendant of them, it was able to manifest a mana zone prematurely.
Tabitha was confident the winged serpent was around level 130, it could be lower or higher, but it definitely wasn't 150.
It was exciting learning about mana zones. Of course, Tabitha reminded me multiple times everything she knew came from her master, but that got me thinking; Pacore was over 150; could he produce a mana zone? Tabitha said no, but was a mana zone something you advertised? Pacore said he had zero magical talent, but did you need talent to affect the world around you?
No, you didn’t.
I pondered the potential of such a skill down three more separate flights of stairs and all the way to the room I was guiding us to.
The two of us were now sufficiently far enough away from the snake that it wouldn’t be able to hear me working on Tabitha’s armor. And now that we were here, it was time to get to work….
Right after a quick meal of hard biscuits and overly salted jerky as my stomach refused to stop growling at me.
First, food, then we'll start our preparations. I need to fix Tabitha’s armor, improve Mana Skin now that I’ve gained so many magic skill levels, and lastly…. I looked down, focusing on a large underground chamber I could now sense deep beneath us. Before we leave, we'll need to check out that room, seeing how most of the remaining death energy is gathering there.
I couldn’t sense any soul horrors, but if there were any more left, that’s where they would be hanging out. But, sadly, exploring would have to wait until later.
But we’ll get there, eventually.
*********
3,400 words.
Okay, be honest; what do you think of this chapter? Unlike the last few, this one felt iffy writing. Part of me wants to skip to the end and finally end this ark, but I know that will ruin the story. But what do you guys think?
I’ll try to get another chapter out tomorrow to catch up, but depending on what you all have to say, I might need to rewrite this one.
Thanks for reading, and as always, stay safe.
Comments
Samantha Lane
I sense Tabitha stepping behind me and entering my spells range, => spell's
Adam
Health and mana should be higher
Valderan
I think it would benefit from a second look. The synopsis discussion felt bullet pointed while simultaneously trying to sound like a conversation. If you're not in a hurry one day and feel like doing some dialogue you could do a lot of good with that revamp. It makes the chapter longer than you like but maybe the walk down could be its own thing with some interjections about the flooring or stories of Scholl where Tabitha and others were put through "dragon school" to get good and damn familiar with the subject after getting absolutely wrecked by the water dragon? Some vulnerability, some character development, some jokes about how there is only a "lesser" dragon upstairs and its "only" 130. That's my take for what its worth. You do good stuff I think your 'punch per word' ratio got into your head or something and you were trying to get to the next plot beat.
Derek Walker
Thought about this explanation for why she didn’t get a mana healing skill, and it just seems an unlikely explanation. If you go the doctor with a broken bone, and he realigns it, and then sets a cast, it’s perfectly normal to say the doctor healed you, or at the very least we would say when aligning the bones and putting the cast on he was healing you. Higher tier breakthroughs of this skill can actually be literally using mana to expedite the bodies natural healing power, but that doesn’t mean all applications of the skill have to.
Nathan Sto
Plus the “escape something unbeatable and mysterious” was already done when they ran from whatever was at the centre of the lake.
Derek Walker
I feel the story wouldn’t have talked down the level of the dragon, Tabitha continuously referencing how strategy and even just a few extra levels can really help, etc. just for them to like run away and not kill it.
Matthew Dennis
Civilization that either summoned something or blew itself up
Branek
I'm actually expecting Pacore and General Pitz to show up mid battle and rescue them since it has been hinted that Pacore wanted to find out what Tabitha was up to and asked to hire General Pitz. Though that was for the dragon in scholl, id expect him to drag her along an given her interest in Aaliyha I can't see her not going.
M. Lampi
Her mana max level should now be 1060, not 1030.
Penguin Glutton
Yall think there will be a underwater Civilization?
Display Name
Our pair of adventurers do not have to kill this baby dragon thing, all they have to do is figure out a way to escape the area, and come home with their new loot/levels to start our new arc of trip to new home and meet her potential suitors
MikeL
BTW it says “Pacore said he had zero magical talent”. Pacore never told her this, Tabitha did in their first spar.
Jon Oliphant
Well the clesning the weapon sets up a skill gain
Jon Oliphant
It definitely seems possible now, and the mana zone makes running seem like a bad idea.
Jon Oliphant
Chest armor just seems right. It reminds me of service ribbons.
Arcane
The stat thing would make a lot of sense. Probably hard to get a high-tier mana skill without enough Clarity and Magic, at least.
Derek Walker
Right, experience transfer does help half of the problem, but it also seems she went berserk before she even absorbed a soul-crushing amount of exp. Soul Devourer normally does that she just hasn't had to use it so extensively it became a problem.
Tom Henman
BUT experience transfer did help with it.... ;)
Derek Walker
technically, mental resistance went up 1 level, which helps with that. Still think that was to low for what happened, but it doesn't look like that's getting changed.
Nathan Sto
As far as I can tell, MC didn’t get any skills that relate to resisting what happened when she went berserk. Wouldn’t hunting more soul horrors cause the exact same issue?
Scott Fellman
I have to say that I prefer this style of writing. I feel more attached to the Mc because of the narration on thought process as well as all the searching. Some stories over simplify the slow parts of adventuring when most exploration. Is long drawn out slow paced .
Imagine Baggins
I liked this chapter. It's sluggish but I feel like the story naturally slows down here; like, if there's any point the story *should* feel sluggish, it's the part where they're stuck in a cave system. And I always love exposition.
Matthew Dennis
This is your story, tell it the way you want. I like the slow parts and I like the high tension parts. The main issue, in my opinion, with some of the dialogue is that there could be more character growth shown. There is too much that happens in a day for a play by play, so the parts that are note worthy are the parts you want to give to the reader
Rosy Bramble
Either that chamber gives them a way out, or they fight the dragon. Either way, the buildup to the arc finale is feeling a tiny bit sluggish
Scott, just Scott
I enjoyed the chapter. I like the dialogue between Tabitha and our MC. Their relationship has changed and deepened. We also learn more about mana zones and perhaps find some more death energy. Why don't they try to sneak away through the ruins rather than fight the snake? Their last fight was spectacularly bad, and they have no more poison resist potions. Unless they have a plausible plan, sneaking out through the underground ruins seems like a better bet for survival.
Toni Pampliega
I agree with Papermache7: "Feels like more words than needed are used to communicate the info we need.", if only in the cleaning the weapon and some parts of the chapter, not the lore ones. Basically, even in this kind of novels is typical, repeating concepts already explained and solved gets old really fast, like when you start skipping parts of blacksmithing cas they were already explained/showed previously. I dont think we should stay in the 'repairing' or traveling down if there are not news/eventful. Too many cliffhangers until date (well done XD), for not getting into this 'chamber' next chapter. If you want to accelerate the action, just you can skip a bit of internal monologues, reflections, dialogs or lore for the moment to focus on the 'exploration' part. Not get me wrong, those parts are great, just mentioning to save words and speed the ark a little. We still have to go throw the return (skipeable if nothing happens), the reunion, the new blacksmithing, new materials, kevin, 15 year summer celebration... So many things. But at your on pace XD. About the serpent (Lesser dragon), I dont think they should kill it. At the end, it's an intelligent beast, more than 30 lvls higher, poisonous, etc. Sometimes running/escape it's the smart choice. Depends at the on what it's inside the chamber, surely. XD
Penguin Glutton
Love this chap! Also the mana zones are interesting
Kyfe
Personally, I would like to see a summary of repairing the armor and traveling deeper. Next chapter should get straight into what's causing the death energy and not end on a cliffhanger involving that. I'm hoping it's a treasure that can be used in Smithing that can add ridiculous lethality to a weapon, though I won't be upset if it's not.
Kyfe
I think she's going to emulate Tabitha. I hope she does.
Penguin Glutton
Think Aaliyah gonna wear her feathers in her hair or chest armor?
Penguin Glutton
Pacore and Pitz are most likely waiting for them I think a time skip would happen to speed up the arc
Alex Galaitsis
I’m always happy to read more exposition about the world you’re creating. I’m also happy to read chapters where a lot happens. You’re the author, so write what you love and people will read it.
Derek Walker
When read all at once, the pacing is actually fine. Having the break in the middle, and having to wait 2-3 days a chapter (that’s just a normal posting schedule, not a bad thing/criticism) makes the pacing seem worse than it is.
Derek Walker
It was more about 16% increase in the relative stats, which is a good chunk. As Tabitha pointed out, now that they know it’s here, it has a mana zone, and it has poison you can strategize. Before they were ambushed with no time to prepare. If this thing is only like 130 it seems a reach, but not unthinkable.
Derek Walker
Let’s say they go to the arena, and she fights more soul horrors, and gains say 5-6 levels and Tabitha gets 1-2. The question is why? The numbers here are somewhat arbitrary, so you can easily tweak what happened last chapter so they get everything from that one fight. Given how big everything was, it would be amazing to just see them get +15/10 respectively, and whatever skills gains they get from combination of the fights, all from the last fight, given how big the moment was. Having round 2 just to get enough levels seems unfulfilling
Derek Walker
I mean yes, I would like that, but that was incredibly easy to do last chapter, and we didn’t go that route so I am skeptical.
Jon Oliphant
I wouldn't mind seeing them add a few levels before the dragon. It would make the fight more plausible.
Ironwolf
I agree with this ark being awkward, but not on the reason. For me, it feels like the pacing on the story was a little weird since entering the forest. There were several long chapters with very little progression and several short chapters where a lot happened. If I were to say what could change, it would be the pacing and timing of events during this ark, although I think it isn’t terrible as is. The previous few chapters were fine, I think, with the defeat by the serpent and the encounter with the gods to this one.
Comiak
Need to play out the dialogue. A lot of it is just glossed over which makes it boring.
Pagemaster
The chapter was okay though as other mentioned it was a bit wordy. I feel you on with being done on this ark. The last chapter 118.3 did it for me. It could have been so much more. It could have been the crowing jewel of this ark with massive skill and level gains. Instead for me personally, it was just a massive disappointment because Aaliyah could have received so much more than the lackluster gains she did receive.
DANTE
I agree, unless Aaliyha can craft something specific, one or both of them get some new skill to use or there is some sort of weapon to use against the lesser dragon I dont see how a 10% or so increase in stat points make any difference in the fight, it wasn't even remotely close
Captdeth
5hr
phantom
Not every story is going to be The Wandering Inn with absurd word counts. there is only so much writing the author can reasonably do.
Derek Walker
If Aaliyah wasted her stat points in STR and DEX to fight the lesser dragon, only for them to sneak away, that would have to be about the worst possible ending to this arc.
Timo Immig
Thats why I would have liked her to gain a skill like FirstAid or something like that. This skill would be a rare and difficult one like Gourmet. The effect would be you can feel if it would heal properly. It can only be earned and leveled after the healing is complete. Therefore this skill could still be aquired after the forest arc. Therre would be no real change to the story.
Stephen Pearson
Huh. Everyone is talking about when they'll fight the lesser dragon; I wonder if I'm the only one who thinks they'll find a path outside of the mana zone through the ruins and sneak away. It's really beyond them from what we've seen so far.
Tjark
Yep was thinking it's the follow up skill of either mana sense or manipulation too.
Derek Walker
I think if there are actual new things in the ruins, or more soul horrors (or something similar to fight) then that’s worth not skipping, but if nothing fundamentally new is down there, a small skip to exiting the shaft or right before they face the lesser dragon is probably best.
Derek Walker
I think she gets a mana zone after she passes her level 99 mana manipulation test
Tjark
I think most people want the forest arc to be over not necessarily because exploring the new stuff is boring but rather because we've been teased and waiting for the Scholl arc for so long. So it's not that this one is bad but that it's keeping us from something we were promised a long time ago and that at the very least to me sounds even better than exploring.
Tjark
It was fine. Considering the info about Mana Zone is almost guaranteed to be foreshadowing to something she'll achieve at some point it was necessary imo. While I think most of us are more than ready to get back to the village/out of the forest, rushing the ending wouldn't be good either. That said, after we're done with the last climax of the arc (snake fight/escape) a fast forward for the return trip would be nice, so we'll see it summarised in like 1k words or soemthing. Or have the return trip happening during a different pov, like for example end one chapter with them beginning the return trip and then the next is from another pov that experiences their return after some words about what happened in the village idk.
Alteron
Nice chapter, but maybe a bit more descriptive, are the walls made of old bricks, or marble walls, we are exploring the ruin :-)
Luboš Hemala
Also, I like world explorig and absolutely don't get people wanting time skips. Sure, if it is something very repetitive, like making the same weapon over and over, but otherwise it just shows a lack of creativity or planning. There is always something interesting to figure out, talk about or explore. Or just put in an intrerlude from others perspective while they come home. Lastly, the overly panicked merchant episode seemed off to me, so maybe Sandra's and everyone else's in the village advancements?
Luboš Hemala
Dungeon crawl ;-)
Regnar Jordan
Don't know why you decided to describe such a large chunk of conversation rather than actually having dialogue. Otherwise good chapter.
Endymion2314
Don't need dragon scales, it's got wings and vanta black feathers. Those are going to be amazing hair trophies.
Quinn
The chapter was good. The moments inbetween the action are just as important as the action itself.
Jon Oliphant
Thanks for the chapter, it's really enjoyable seeing where their relationship is going. Not going to lie, I would really love to see them going back to the village, meeting Pacore, wearing not feathers but DRAGON SCALES. I also won't mind seeing Kervin's body guards freakout over their leveling.
Derek Walker
Her sense mana is likely leveling slowly because she doesn't have the stats for it. In the magic forest, her mind literally couldn't keep up and process the information coming in, so its hard to push a skill to level if you can't process everything the skill is trying to tell you
Undead Writer
Thanks for the chapter! I’m enjoying this arc! Don’t rush!
Endymion2314
It was a bit telling and not showing, but that's fine for a setup chapter. A fight, an accounting of the gains, and a chapter movement home. I miss Del, Sandra, Richard, and his building spree, Kervins waiting for the spoils, etc. It's been fun seeing gains, but the character interaction is some of the best parts and right now all the others are miles away.
Stephen Pearson
Thanks for the chapter! It seemed solid to me, fwiw; I certainly enjoyed it. For everyone saddened that she didn't get a T4/5 healing skill for what she did with Tabitha, I think I finally realized why. She pushed her mana past Tabitha's resistance, retained control while it was in Tabitha, put everything back into the right position, and held together flesh and tendons, but _didn't actually heal her_; the potion did that. Once she (hopefully) learns how to make the attachment points actually heal? That's when she should unlock an awesome skill that wraps it all up in a nice neat bow:-) Though she will probably have to get some foundational healing skills first. I bet Tabitha makes sure that happens when they get back, too. That said, I do think the ridiculous (in a good way) experiences she's been through should have pushed up sense mana at least a bit further. Normal training slowing down a lot makes sense (though it certainly felt abrupt), but her recent experiences required significant growth and effort, providing next-level training for it, especially the heart of the forest. Though maybe that's limited by its paired Meditation?
Derek Walker
I mean they have looked at Tabitha's armor before, and she probably can't repair enchantments without ink, so I don't see this as a big thing worth really going into detail over.
Quendolayne
Thx for the chapter it was fine, don‘t worry … after you made it clear there will be (sadly) no romance between the two of them a lot of tension left and now it is a road buddy story - for this it was fine, but a slight time jump to the real escape or boss fight would now be okay. I don‘t have the feeling there is much left to explain or discuss between the two of them so they can go back to the silent „I understand my buddy without words“ (Guy) mode.
Stephen Pearson
It's her first time attempting to repair heavily enchanted armor, so it likely is relevant to her skills, even if it's just setting a base for later capabilities.
Möwe Tom
Thanks for the chapter! I only recently got Back into this and was delighted top bei able top ready Like 30+ chapters at once. Well... Now im Back at waiting ...
heh
Oh no I meant a time skip to get out of the forest. Like after they deal with the dragon, the next chapter is just like “and now we’re back in the village hooray”
Tenske
Em minha opinião não precisa reescrever, esse capítulo foi necessário, pois a crise finalmente diminuiu, ao menos por enquanto. hehe A propósito, eu comento em português pois sou do Brasil mesmo, sua escrita é muito boa, tanto que ao usar apenas o Google tradutor é o suficiente para entender totalmente a obra.
Derek Walker
All but like the first 20 chapters have taken place when this year, story wise lol. I feel we won’t get a time skip until she settles into scholl
Derek Walker
I found this chapter fine, if a bit wordy. Unless she’s gaining new skills repairing the armor, I really don’t think we need to cover that in detail. If I’m being honest, last chapter ruined the mood of this arc, so I guess I’m just ready to get back so they can go to Scholl. If the beast is only level about 130, and they don’t kill it I guess that would also be pretty disappointing too.
heh
Like the chapter a lot, learning more about the world is always cool. However, after they deal with the dragon, we DESPERATELY need a time skip. We’ve been in the magic forest for like a year irl.
MikeL
I’m Hoping she creates at least a pseudo mana zone, or a major mana skin improvement soon.
PaperMache7
It's ok, a bit meandering I guess? Feels like more words than needed are used to communicate the info we need.
MikeL
Yes, much longer and her demon mom will kill her.
Nanooki12
It was a good chapter. But I wouldn't mind a small fast forward.
White Neko Knight
This chapter was fine. I'd call it necessary as well. Thank you for writing it.
