Christopher could hardly believe it. He had been hoping to get high intermediary or low advanced. He had somehow managed to score two whole ranks above that with Master five! Certainly, some options should become available to him with such a license.

And it was the highest he was apparently able to get from this examination, did that mean that the examinator would potentially consider his ability to be suited for Soul Mage or Soul Champion? He somewhat felt like an impostor, knowing that his skill was probably mostly based on the scientific mental image.

“Would you be willing to share a bit about the process by which you create the Soul Heat? I am interested in taking a close look at your Soul Force training regimen.”

Oh boy, this again. He decided to agree, he did not have the Certificate quite yet after all. He would just be honest about his training, replacing his specific mental image of Heat for the image of a smithy’s glowing tools. He had no desire to ever experience that kind of searing pain again.

Just like that the roles had turned, the examinator that had been so taciturn had no quarrel asking him questions, he could not help but feel amused by the switch. The spectacled man now wanted to know all about his training regimen and his method of producing the Soul Heat effect. Christopher was very polite and did answer all of the questions but it was clearly not what the instructor was hoping to hear, it probably sounded very ordinary. The examinator looked like he wanted to dissect him regardless.

Eventually, the questioning concluded and Christopher was led through a new set of corridors, which at some point narrowly sloped downwards. It seemed that he would not be able to see much of the complex today. He knew the Soul Force Academy was large and he had no doubts that there would be more spectacular views than these mostly unadorned corridors, but it was clearly not meant for him to see.

They finally reached another large room that housed a lot of activity, multiple people looked hard at work. Some of the shifting paintings covered the walls, which displayed magical scenes. Surprisingly there was also a large exit that led back into the city, he knew because he recognized one of the buildings. This area of Lumen was some distance from the Academy complex, which could only mean that some corridors had been partially underground, depositing him all the way here.

His examinator conversed with one of the workers here. He was discussing the creation of his Soul Heat license, the administrator quickly got to work on preparing the documentation. The process was interesting, the license template was pretty much already created. The license was a small metal card that had multiple segments.

His name was engraved into the metal right then and there by using a strange tool that looked to be functioning on the Soul Heat effect. Christopher and his instructor both needed to add their signatures to a separate section of the small metal card. This was done by running his Soul Force through a different more darkly colored metal segment, which apparently produced small fractures in a unique way for each person.

He thanked the instructor for his time and soon was walking into Lumen with his own unique Soul Force License, Master five clearly indicated on the metal card. His muscles finally allowed themselves to relax and he could not help but feel exhausted, clearly, the process had taken more out of him than he thought.

He considered how to proceed from here, a lot of his mental energy had been focused on passing the exam. He had already put in some feelers for potential places of employment, and he preferred a place where he could continue to learn and grow his abilities. Now that he had surprisingly acquired a license for Soul Heat Master five, there should be something that coincided with his wishes.

He had been interrogating people about the potential workplaces that could make use of his Soul Heat. He had received a great suggestion from Hozil about such a potential place. the old man really was a treasure trove of information.

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His first choice was to work with the Lumen Constructors. They were tasked with building the fortifications and constructions needed to defend Lumen. He knew that their Soul Force contraptions and traps always had a prominent and important role in the defense. Their contraptions and defensive constructs always needed a steady stream of Soul Mages to imbue the Soul Effects. It would be a way to learn more about the defenses of the city, increase his own contribution to the protection of Lumen, and increase his knowledge and skill in the use of Soul Force. It would be a great supplement to the training sessions in the early morning.

Working for the Lumen Constructors had his preference, but it had seemed unlikely that his certificate rank would be high enough for such a position. Now though, it would make sense to make this place his first official inquiry.

He debated on whether to head there straight away or take a bit more time to recover. He finally decided to wait for tomorrow. He was mentally exhausted and he had very little Soul Force reserve. He thought it likely that any potential employers would require a demonstration of his abilities and it would make sense to show up in his best condition.

He made his way back to the Butterbash Inn, taking some time to relax with a steaming beverage called Tan, which was basically this world’s version of tea. He poured some hot water over the brightly colored herbs and the smell and taste were quite soothing. While enjoying the Tan, he calmly sorted his thoughts. Before he knew it, quite some time had passed and he felt pretty much full with Soul Force, which his interface confirmed when he willed it up only moments later.

Thinking it over he decided that now might be the time to start working on his second Soul effect. He looked over all the options in the Manual and decided that the Soul Frost effect might be the most sensible next target. It would provide a great counterbalance to the effect of the Soul Heat. He imagined himself alternating the freezing and heating effect on a surface until even the hardest material would warp and shatter. He thought it could provide some good versatility.

He also figured that he had another advantage when it came to the mental image for what the Manual called Soul Frost. He just needed to imagine the opposite of the Soul Heat effect, all the motion of the atoms in the object or material would need to be stopped and put to a complete still. If it worked for his Soul Heat, then it should also work for the Soul Frost.

This time he took a more careful approach with his first attempt, he did not want to break anything expensive. He would start by expending only a trickle of Soul Force. He decided to put some water into a simple wooden bowl to try and freeze it solid. He placed his right index finger into the water of the bowl to infuse it with the Soul Frost.

He closed his eyes and went through the steps, focusing his mind entirely on completely stilling the atoms in the water, before pouring out a modest two percent of his Soul Force. He sported a massive grin as he saw the first ice crystals forming into the water. The effect cascaded outwards from his finger until around fifty milliliters of the water turned into sloshy half ice. He increased the flow to four percent, and now the ice spread further and deeper, forming almost a complete top layer of ice. He kept increasing the percentage until the water in the bowl finally froze solid. It had cost him twenty-five percent of his Soul Force.

He looked at the ice in the bowl and he was satisfied with his first attempt, he had expended quite a lot of Soul Force but it was still a success. He was not quite sure what to make of it since his first attempt at using the Soul Heat had been a lot stronger, the Soul Frost was not as successful. It might only be a bowl of water, but he figured that he could freeze larger quantities eventually. There was a lot more to be gained, he would have to practice to increase his efficiency. He could not help but think that he was missing something in regards to the effect.

He was happy that his fine control over his Soul Force now allowed him to infuse the exact percentage that he desired. It made sense that this control could now be carried over to all the other basic effects. Sure, these were the most basic of Soul Techniques, but he knew that most people were not able to master these techniques anywhere to this extent.

Tamas and her family arrived not long after his successful experiment with the twins in tow. they all looked to be in good spirits. Menos happily told him that they had just successfully sold their first batch of creations, putting some of the pressure off.

Tamas immediately asked him “How did it go, what was the result of the Soul Heat examination?”

Christopher, with a great flair of showmanship, produced the small metal card from his pouch. Tamas looks stunned as soon as she was able to read the Master 5 written on the card.

“Are you serious!” she asked exasperated.

Christopher thought that maybe this was not the time to show his Soul Frost effect.