Lone sat on his and Sofia's bed - the only remaining piece of furniture in their home of the past two months - with Soph on his lap and Kyuubi wrapped around the both of them. "Fingers crossed it doesn't overwhelm you like it being taken away did, huh?"

They were currently waiting for her magic to be returned to her which was scheduled to occur in about a minute or two. It had been a busy two months. It was a very peaceful period, no doubt large in part due to Sofia's incredible Luck stat.

Still, neither of them had wasted that time. It was the most focused period of training either of them had committed to and the gains for both of them were substantial. The closest thing that Lone had experienced was his first time in Krieg Moor's prison where he had kept a journal of his training efforts and thoughts.

"When are you gonna make your wish, by the way?" Lone asked as he pressed his chin into Soph's soft head of bright-blonde hair.

"You let me win. It isn't fair," she replied, pressing her back into his chest.

"That's not true. It's just more restrictive in this little underground house than it would be anywhere else. It not my fault I got my 20th beginner skill to intermediate rank the day after you earned your new subskill Limb Adjustment," Lone said. "Resistances are easy for me to power level, but more involved skills that require, well, skill, you know it takes me time. I'm due you a wish, whether you like it or not. Unless you want to tell me what your magical affinites are...?"

"Nope! I need to work on making my barriers smaller now and learning Internal Strengthening Arts, you know that," Soph said with a short giggle, much of her prior tension having disappeared entirely. "No time for distractions right now."

"You're right," Lone laughed. "Oh, that's really something. I can feel it despite not being able to sense mana."

A flood of power was coursing through Soph at this very moment as her Minor Time Control released its hold on her mana organs.

She gasped faintly as her body went limp in Lone's arms and began spasming as waves of energy poured out of her mana brain and heart, filling every crevice of her body.

Lone felt sick. He'd never been exposed to so much raw mana before. It was like Soph was using her ability to inject mana into active spells but into the entire room instead, him included. Still, he didn't move and just held her as was his role. He did glance at Kyuubi to see if he needed to unsummon her, but oddly enough, she seemed entirely unperturbed.

A lot of Soph's power was radiating outwards, shaking the very walls of this underground and fully-enclosed home, so vast was her unrestricted pool of MP. Regardless of his brewing nausea, Lone remained still and simply continued hugging her gently.

Lone glanced down at Kyuubi again. It was so odd and quite frankly suspicious that she was entirely unaffected as she peacefully slept, still being curled around both him and Soph. 'Sneaky fox with your secrets. I'll figure them one day, you can be certain of it.'

Three full minutes passed as the ocean that was Soph's MP kept growing and growing. Just as a few new notifications appeared in Lone's vision did the suffocating mana in the air halt in place and then, as if in reverse, it all surged back into Soph's small frame.

The host has developed the passive skill: Mana Scorched.

Passive Skill: Mana Scorched

An incredibly rare skill that less than 10 individuals possess. It is often found in those who have bathed in a raw source of magic for an extended period of time and lived to tell the tale.

The host has been burned by a source of magic, marked by it. The host can use this mark to detect other sources of magic. Limits: 1-metre for regular sources of magic. 10 metres for irregular sources of magic. 100 metres for other things or beings that have been marked by magic.

The source of magic which marked the host will always be detectable by the host, regardless of what may stand between the host and the source, be it distance, time, space, or even planes of existence.

The source of the mark is Sofia Vladimirovich.

Cost: N/A Mastery: Beginner Level 1

"You marked me?" Lone asked aloud. "Kinda hot, but also, I need to return the favour somehow..."

"W-Wha..." Soph was covered in sweat and looked delirious.

Lone kissed the top of her head and said, "Nothing. We can talk when you're feeling better. Just be a cute little bean and remember what it feels like to not be incomplete, yeah? Kyuubi and I are here for you."

"Kyuu..." the sleepy fox chimed in.

Soph relaxed in his arms and nodded faintly before closing her eyes to focus.

The host has developed the passive skill: Mana Poisoning Resistance.

Passive Skill: Mana Poisoning Resistance

A skill that allows the host to resist all forms of mana poisoning.

The host's threshold before getting poisoned by mana is increased by 5%.

All mana poisoning the host suffers will be weakened by 5%.

Cost: N/A Mastery: Beginner Level 1

'Damn, Soph poisoned me? That sounds really nasty. Injuries to the ol' mana organs are typically permanent, so this resistance would be a too little too late kind of situation for most, right? Need to look up what mana poisoning is, what it does, and what is a common cause of it. Could always ask at the next Conclave of Seekers. That's not too far off,' Lone thought.

He stretched out his arm and placed it on Kyuubi's head. "Full Body Diagnostics."

A moment later, he frowned. "Right as rain. How come you didn't get poisoned, huh?"

A soft 'kyuu' was all he got in response.

With a sigh, he refocused his attention on Soph, resting his chin atop her head, Lone puckered his lips. "What to do while I wait for you to stop being so adorable... We definitely need to find a safe environment for you to train that skill since you're like a cat high off catnip right now, what with you squirming with no real effort in my arms. Very cute, indeed."

Soph seemed to smile at the compliment but she didn't comment.

"Well, nothing to do but check my entire skill sheet. It's really the only option. Makes sense to categorise all of the gains from the last two-months, if nothing else," Lone reasoned to himself.

He pulled up his entire skill sheet and made it show him the level and rank gains from the last two months on the right column, and on the left column he made it show him what he hadn't yet registered to the guild's credit slate.

He needed to go look up some information of skills to combat demonkin, so having an idea of how many credits he needed to bank on top of his already existing 42,797 credits seemed wise.

Weapon Mastery Skills [26 skills] [Unregistered: 3 levels] Fortress Shield Mastery Master Level 5 [Unregistered: 5 levels and 1 rank up] Buckler Mastery Master Level 1 [Unregistered: 2 levels] Swordspear Mastery Expert Level 8 Colossal Shield Mastery Expert Level 7 Unarmed Combat Mastery Advanced Level 10 Shield Mastery Advanced Level 4 Polearm Mastery Advanced Level 3 Hand Axe Mastery Intermediate Level 8 Hatchet Mastery Intermediate Level 8 [Unregistered: 4 levels] Dual-wielding Mastery Intermediate Level 7 [+4 Levels] [Unregistered: 10 levels and 1 rank up] Bearded Axe Mastery Intermediate Level 1 [+10 Levels] [Rank up!] [Unregistered: 10 levels and 1 rank up] Estoc Mastery Intermediate Level 1 [+10 Levels] [Rank up!] [Unregistered: 3 levels and 1 rank up] Greataxe Mastery Intermediate Level 1 [Unregistered: 3 levels and 1 rank up] Greatsword Mastery Intermediate Level 1 [+3 Levels] [Rank up!] [Unregistered: 10 levels and 1 rank up] Heavy Bow Mastery Intermediate Level 1 [+10 Levels] [Rank up!] [Never registered] Longbow Mastery Intermediate Level 1 [+10 Levels] [Rank up!] [Unregistered: 10 levels and 1 rank up] Quarterstaff Mastery Intermediate Level 1 [+10 Levels] [Rank up!] [Unregistered: 10 levels and 1 rank up] Shortbow Mastery Intermediate Level 1 [+10 Levels] [Rank up!] [Unregistered: 10 levels and 1 rank up] Shortspear Mastery Intermediate Level 1 [+10 Levels] [Rank up!] [Unregistered: 10 levels and 1 rank up] Shortsword Mastery Intermediate Level 1 [+10 Levels] [Rank up!] Tower Shield Mastery Intermediate Level 1 [Unregistered: 10 levels and 1 rank up] Warhammer Mastery Intermediate Level 1 [Unregistered: 2 levels] Spear Mastery Beginner Level 8 [+1 Level] Axe Mastery Beginner Level 6 [Unregistered: 4 levels] Sword Mastery Beginner Level 6 [+3 Levels] Hammer Mastery Beginner Level 1 Movement Skills [2 skills] [Unregistered: 1 level] Evasion Mastery Expert Level 7 [+1 Level] [Unregistered: 2 levels] Light-footed Advanced Level 5 [+2 Levels] Social Skills [2 skills] Acting Advanced Level 5 [Unregistered: 1 level] Persuasion Advanced Level 5 Crafting/Building Skills [13 skills] Blacksmithing Advanced Level 10 Tool Mastery Advanced Level 10 Woodworking Advanced Level 6 Masonry Advanced Level 1 [Unregistered: 1 level] Drawing Mastery Intermediate Level 10 Steamforging Intermediate Level 8 Weaponsmithing Intermediate Level 8 Logging Intermediate Level 5 [Unregistered: 7 levels] Architecture Mastery Intermediate Level 2 [+4 Levels] [Rank up!] [Unregistered: 1 level] Art Mastery Beginner Level 7 Armoursmithing Beginner Level 1 [Never registered] Painting Mastery Beginner Level 1 Shipbuilding Beginner Level 1 Misc Skills [23 skills] [Unregistered: 1 level] Enhanced Vision Expert Level 3 Reading Mastery Expert Level 3 [Unregistered: 3 levels and 1 rank up] Teaching Mastery Expert Level 2 [+1 Level] [Unregistered: 3 levels] Cooking Mastery Advanced Level 6 [+3 Levels] [Unregistered: 1 level] Cartography Advanced Level 5 [Unregistered: 5 levels and 1 rank up] Sex Mastery Advanced Level 4 [+4 Levels] [Rank up!] [Unregistered: 3 levels] Blood Thickening Advanced Level 3 [+2 Levels] [Unregistered: 6 levels and 1 rank up] Pet Mastery Advanced Level 3 [+4 Levels] [Rank up!] Puzzle Locked Mind Advanced Level 3 [Unregistered: 3 levels and 1 rank up] Massage Mastery Advanced Level 2 [+3 Levels] [Rank up!] [Unregistered: 1 level and 1 rank up] Mining Mastery Advanced Level 1 [Unregistered: 2 levels] Throwing Mastery Intermediate Level 10 [Unregistered: 2 levels] Basic Massage Technique Intermediate Level 6 [+2 Levels] [Unregistered: 5 levels] Chess Mastery Intermediate Level 6 [+5 Levels] Swimming Mastery Intermediate Level 3 [Unregistered: 7 levels and 1 rank up] Lockpicking Mastery Intermediate Level 1 Laundry Mastery Beginner Level 8 Historical and Cultural Appreciation Beginner Level 6 Fishing Mastery Beginner Level 4 Illusion Detection Beginner Level 2 Sailing Mastery Beginner Level 2 [Never registered] Haggling Mastery Beginner Level 1 [Never registered] Mana Scorched Beginner Level 1 Resistance Skills [44 skills] Darkness Corruption Resistance Master Level 4 Mental Pain Resistance Master Level 1 [Never Registered] Unique Magic: Barrier Magic Resistance Expert Level 10 [+2 Levels] Physical Pain Resistance Expert Level 9 [Unregistered: 1 level] Aura Pressure Resistance Expert Level 6 Enchantment Magic Resistance Expert Level 1 [Unregistered: 3 levels and 1 rank up] Fear Resistance Expert Level 1 [1 Level] [Rank up!] [Never registered] Fire Resistance Expert Level 1 [+30 Levels] [3 Rank ups!] [Never registered] Heat Resistance Expert Level 1 [+30 Levels] [3 Rank ups!] [Never registered] Killing Intent Resistance Expert Level 1 [Never registered] Lava Resistance Expert Level 1 [+30 Levels] [3 Rank ups!] [Never registered] Soul Pain Resistance Advanced Level 10 Infernal Flame Resistance Advanced Level 9 Force Magic Resistance Advanced Level 4 Panic Resistance Intermediate Level 10 Eldritch Resistance Advanced Level 8 Scripture Magic Resistance Advanced Level 8 [Never registered] Demonic Influence Resistance Advanced Level 1 [+20 Levels] [2 Rank ups!] [Unregistered: 1 level] Nausea Resistance Intermediate Level 10 [Unregistered: 7 levels] Water Magic Resistance Intermediate Level 9 [+3 Levels] [Unregistered: 16 levels] Intoxication Resistance Intermediate Level 8 [Unregistered: 4 levels] Blood Magic Resistance Intermediate Level 5 [+1 Level] Sound Magic Resistance Intermediate Level 5 Fire Magic Resistance Intermediate Level 5 Lightning Magic Resistance Intermediate Level 3 Curse Resistance Intermediate Level 2 Air Magic Resistance Intermediate Level 2 [Unregistered: 11 levels and 1 rank up] Drowning Resistance Intermediate Level 2 [+4 Levels] [Rank up!] Earth Magic Resistance Intermediate Level 2 [Unregistered: 3 levels and 1 rank up] Acid Resistance Intermediate Level 1 [Unregistered: 3 levels and 1 rank up] Corrosion Resistance Intermediate Level 1 [Unregistered: 10 levels and 1 rank up] Poison Magic Resistance Intermediate Level 1 [+10 Levels] [Rank up!] [Unregistered: 10 levels and 1 rank up] Nature Magic Resistance Intermediate Level 1 [+10 Levels] [Rank up!] [Unregistered: 7 levels] Explosion Magic Resistance Intermediate Level 1 [5 Levels] [Rank up!] Illusion Magic Resistance Beginner Level 7 [Unregistered: 5 levels] Identity Disassociation Resistance Beginner Level 6 [+5 Levels] Cold Resistance Beginner Level 2 Sleep Deprivation Resistance Beginner Level 2 [Never registered] Compulsion Magic Resistance Beginner Level 1 Contract Magic Resistance Beginner Level 1 [Never registered] Mana Poisoning Resistance Beginner Level 1 Piercing Resistance Beginner Level 1 Sight Magic Resistance Beginner Level 1 Active Skills [13 skills]

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[Unregistered: 4 levels] Blood Clone Master Level 7 [+1 Level] [Unregistered: 5 levels and 1 rank up] Oaken Flesh Master Level 4 [+1 Level] Weapon Block Advanced Level 9 [Unregistered: 2 levels] Meditation Advanced Level 8 [+2 Levels] [Unregistered: 26 levels and 2 rank up] Item Examination Advanced Level 7 [+6 Levels] [Unregistered: 2 levels] Survivor's Speed Intermediate Level 9 Wide Taunt Intermediate Level 9 Sundering Might Intermediate Level 6 [Never registered] Internal Strengthening Arts Intermediate Level 4 [+13 Levels] [Rank up!] [Unregistered: 7 levels] Ramming Strike Beginner Level 8 Stone Slap Beginner Level 6 Stumbling Sweep Beginner Level 4 Drunken Fist Beginner Level 1 Magic Skills [23 skills]

[Unregistered: 15 levels and 1 rank up] Fireball Advanced Level 6 [Unregistered: 24 levels and 2 rank ups] Water Gaol Advanced Level 5 [+4 Levels] [Unregistered: 19 levels and 1 rank up] Blood Explosion Intermediate Level 10 [+7 Levels] Root of Life Intermediate Level 8 Lightning Bolt Intermediate Level 6 Illusionary Dome Intermediate Level 3 [Unregistered: 7 levels and 1 rank up] Amplified Current Intermediate Level 1 [+7 Levels] [Rank up!] [Never Registered] Drowning Chamber Intermediate Level 1 [+10 Levels] [Rank up!] [Unregistered: 10 levels and 1 rank up] Thorny Itch Intermediate Level 1 [+6 Levels] [Rank up!] [Unregistered: 10 levels and 1 rank up] Venomous Stream Intermediate Level 1 [+10 Levels] [Rank up!] Waterball Beginner Level 8 [Unregistered: 1 level] Oppressive Gaze Beginner Level 5 [Never registered] Weakened Stream of Ezekial Beginner Level 3 Wind Blade Beginner Level 2 Boulder Beginner Level 1 Crimson Eruption Beginner Level 1 Earth Spear Beginner Level 1 Enforcement Scripture Beginner Level 1 Force Flight Beginner Level 1 Gentle Glow Beginner Level 1 [Never registered] Inferno Armaments Beginner Level 1 Oxygen Ignition Beginner Level 1 [Never Registered] Trade Agreement Beginner Level 1 Racial Skills [1 skill] [Unregistered: 3 levels] Tail Spears

Expert Level 9 World Skills [1 skill]

[Unregistered: 2 levels] Full Body Diagnostics Intermediate Level 5 Primal Skills [4 skills] [Never Registered] Ungrounded Advanced Level 10 [Never Registered] You Beginner Level 5 [Never Registered] Lifespan Revelation Beginner Level 2 [+1 Level] [Never Registered] Nothing Vortex Beginner Level 1 Unique Skills [8 skills]

[Never Registered] Basic Regeneration Master Level 7 [Never Registered] Bone Armour Master Level 6 [Never Registered] Dimensional Storage N/A [Never Registered] Creation Magic N/A [Never Registered] Growth Accelerator N/A [Never Registered] Mental Destruction N/A [Never Registered] The Summoning Room N/A [Never Registered] True Contract Magic N/A Fuck That Cuntbag Sir Ardus Skills [5 skills] Poison Resistance Expert Level 9 [Unregistered: 1 level] Torture Resistance Advanced Level 5 [+1 Level] Thirst Resistance Intermediate Level 7 Hunger Resistance Intermediate Level 1 [Unregistered: 2 levels and 1 rank up] Insanity Resistance Intermediate Level 1 [+2 Levels] [Rank up!]

Lone ran the numbers in his head. 'So 314 skill levels ups, 35 skill ranks ups, and 381 skill level ups I need to report to the credit slate along with 33 rank ups and 17 unregistered skills that aren't unique or Primal.'

He wanted to go over every skill that had ranked up during their training hideaway holiday just to refamiliarise himself with their effects, both new and enhanced. His perfect memory courtesy of Puzzle Locked Mind helped his recall any piece of information with ease, but it wasn't the same as having that information readily available in a millisecond.

He'd been training so hard that while he had read every notification as they had appeared, the information hadn't sunk in yet. Thus, a dedicated hour or two to refresh himself on his new capabilities were certainly needed, but not right now.

He'd distracted himself for long enough as it seemed Soph was coherent and stable again.

"Feelin' up for a teleport or twenty, or do you need to recharge?" Lone asked.

Soph lazily rested her head on one of the arms he had wrapped around her as she replied, "I can teleport, sure. To Breena and the kids?"

"Yup. I'm pretty sure they're still alive. Well, maybe not Breena," Lone replied.

"Huh? Not Breena?" There was an unexpected pain in Soph's voice as if she hadn't expected Lone to say something like that so randomly. She jolted up and turned to face him, worry in her expression.

"Well, I don't have her in a contract. I'm pretty sure the details of a contract I have would disappear from True Contract Magic's description if a or all signing members died. The kids' one is fine, no changes, and I still have the boost from Scott's skill. I don't have Breena in a contract, thus, I'm unsure. Master Mezro'nan is fine, though his contract expires tomorrow," Lone explained.

Soph sighed in relief before putting on a scowl. "Don't scare me like that. Unsummon Kyuubi and then let's go. You have me worried about Breena now."

"Ah, I guess that's fair. My bad. Seeya soon, you big ball of fluff, 'kay?" Lone said as he reached over and stroked Kyuubi's head lovingly.

The fox woke up, uncurled herself from him and Soph revealing her almost 2-metre long body before she nodded faintly and nuzzled her head into his face before briefly licking Soph's.

"Hey! That tickles!" Soph squirmed with a big old goofy smile on her lips.

There was a certain life to her that had been absent these past two months which warmed Lone's heart more than words could describe. 'She really wasn't herself without her mana, and I get what everyone meant now when they called her a Mana Sun. She's always been bright, but this is blinding. I don't want to put energy into turning off Mana Scorched since it seems so useful. Whelp, time to learn how to partially suppress a passive skill, I suppose.'

He got up off the bed with Soph and Kyuubi quickly following him. The next moment, he stored the bed and then said, "Unsummon Kyuubi Immortus."

The massive fox disappeared and likely immediately went to have a snack and a snooze in his unique skill The Summoning Room. "Now, whenever you're ready, Love, to Golden Pass City."

"Oh, it's rare you call me by a pet name! That was cute! Do it again!" Soph demanded excitedly.

Lone smiled. "It really is nice to have you back in whole."