Cries of surprise and joy come from people as they retrieve their Kyhosa and discover that they've become magic items. I hide my disappointment and wear a smile as everyone celebrates the success of the ritual. Spirits are high as everyone goes back to their boats and returns to their homes, but it doesn’t take long for Dad to notice that something’s wrong.

"What's wrong, Aly?" she asks quietly, giving me a concerned look.

"Nothing," I answer flatly.

"It's not nothing, clearly; did the ritual not work for you?"

"It… did," I say after a few seconds. "It did exactly what I told everyone else it would do, it's just that I didn't get what I needed. I worked really hard the whole month specifically so my Kyhosa could gain an ability to help me purify my cursed Skills, but that didn't happen." I let out a sigh and continue. "I am happy with what I got, but I've put too much effort and risk into this for something to go wrong at the very end of it."

Dad shifts closer and embraces me in a tight, warm hug.

"You'll get it, Aly. It's natural to feel sad and frustrated at setbacks; just let it out and move on to what you can do. You still have your whole life to work this problem out and purify your cursed Skills."

As if getting permission, tears sting my eyes even as I try to hold them back, until the dam breaks and I let everything out.

"If anyone can learn to purify cursed skills, it's you," Dad comforts me.

"Thank you, Momara," I say once I've calmed down. I relax for the rest of the day, taking a rare break from training and working.

The next day I fly to Kayafe; perhaps she will know another way to achieve what I need, since she is the one to have enhanced [Manipulate Mana].

"The ritual was a success, but I didn't get what I needed," I tell her, a hint of disappointment in my tone.

"I know," Kayafe says. "You… were never going to get what you needed."

"Then why not did you not tell me?" I ask, slightly taken aback. "We worked so much on this. If it was going to be futile, I could have put my effort into making the ritual better instead of trying to master [Manipulate Mana]!"

"Because you needed this lesson, Alysara," Kayafe replies guiltily

"What?!" Anger starts to boil inside of me. Just for something dumb like ‘needed a lesson', I had to put all of my efforts into something that wasn't going to work anyway?! I could have done so many other things!

"Aly, you have to understand that you can't ‘control’ magic. You know, even more than I, that magic is the will of chaos: it rebels, and can only be truly shackled by its counterpart. You needed this lesson because you are beginning to tread into truly dangerous territory. Safyr knew that too, and that's why she suggested this, knowing you would fail. Magic is dangerous, Alysara; you can't control it, only give it guidance and hope for its cooperation."

I can't help but feel betrayed, the pain made worse by the fact that I regard Kayafe as a friend.

"There are certain things that cause magic in relatively predictable ways, and that can be controlled," Kayafe continues, "but the actual magic doesn't play by any rules. The ritual forces magic to happen, and gives it a shape, but the details of anything resulting from it is always uncertain."

"What about inscriptions then?" I counter.

"I don't know," Kayafe replies. "And neither do you. You have barely touched the surface of them as a field of study: there could be an explanation, or maybe further study will reveal a dangerous nature to it. This is why you needed to experience the uncontrolled nature of magic, Aly; you need to know the danger of working with magic before you find yourself in a situation where your life depends on a certain result."

Deep down, I know Kayafe is right, and that she was just looking out for me… and it's not like any more damage could have been done to my evolutions, anyway.

"You're right," I say with a sigh. "But I still don't like that you lied to me."

"I'm sorry." Kayafe apologizes. "I just… didn't want you to end up like me."

There’s not really much that I can say to that, and I'd be a hypocrite to hold a grudge since I did something similar to Tana.

"I understand, what's done is done, and I forgive you." I can't argue against the new knowledge and power I gained, that I would have probably waited on had I known my efforts wouldn't work. The new possibilities of vitality and super-solid mana, especially in crafting, that are now open to me are a welcome boon.

Not to mention my Kyhosa did get vastly stronger, and that will help me level up my Bond. I've gained so much, even if my goal was never going to be achieved in the first place, that I can't deny the benefits of this.

"So, what can I do to achieve my goal?" I ask. "I need a legendary point to purify my cursed Skills, so if I can't do the trial of making the likeness of the gods, then what other options do I have?"

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"You can enhance your Skill," Kayafe replies. "I know it's risky, but you will get the power you need. From what you say, it shouldn't turn you into a cursed being; if anything, it may help cleanse your skill by using the miasma constructively."

"But what if it does turn me into a cursed being? The risk is too high to make that gamble." I adamantly refuse that idea.

"All legendary trials are that risky, Alysara, that’s why they are trials, but if you really want a different and more obtainable legendary point, you can always ask Safyr for a trial and take the chance on whatever she offers being even more dangerous. If you still don't like her offer, try making a trial for yourself, or try to find as weak a legendary being as you can to slay… or make a Legendary-tier item. There are many options for you, but, if I had to say which has the least risk and the highest possibility of success for you personally, I would recommend focusing your efforts on making a legendary item."

That is tricky because, as the ritual gave me firsthand proof of, magic won't make a legendary item legendary if I try to make it legendary. I suppose that's why it's so hard to do, but Kayafe is right; it is the most risk-free option I have.

However, there is one thing that I think will grant me a legendary point even if I don't make a legendary item, and that is to make a perfected Mana Arc, something that requires complete mastery and knowledge of mana – and maybe even magic – to create. This means that I need to study a lot more.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Archmage Holuna Ruluna sits at a desk, wishing she could be out in the field instead of doing this boring paperwork. But nooo, she needs to be ready for when Alysara gives them the information on the [Sense Mana] breakthrough… except Alysara has disappeared!

They would have thought that she simply ran out on a deal, but she also didn't get her payment since she insisted on waiting for it. Alysara has never seemed the sort to just vanish for no reason; rather, something must have happened that required her undivided attention. However, that doesn't mean they can't use this situation to seek recompense for the late delivery of their goods.

Headmaster Vulpun has mentioned once or twice about asking for another breakthrough, but that's not likely to work since the governors will also want a part of the compensation.

After finishing up her desk work, Ruluna quickly gets up and leaves, so Vulpun can't put more work on her. She goes out into the street, enjoying a break of fresh air. The streets are crowded at this time, with many carriages and wagons being pulled by Forrons and Azelins.

Seeking out a restaurant, Ruluna enters a homely eatery. Being one of the elites in the Order of Flames means she is well paid, but she grew up rather poor, and the few times she did go to a restaurant as a child, it wasn't a luxurious one.

This restaurant fills her with those fond memories of when her family had scraped together enough money to celebrate her or her brothers’ birthdays. Ruluna makes an order and waits; eventually, the food is brought out, but, before she can enjoy it, a world notification rings in her head.

Ting! Alysara, the Runalymo, has reached unparalleled knowledge and mastery in the Manipulate Mana Skill!

She got another one?!

Ruluna groans, looking longingly at her food, before paying and leaving; Vulpun will want an immediate meeting. Still, at least Alysara's not dead.

"There you are!" Headmaster Vulpun calls, spotting Ruluna as she enters the entrance hall. "We need to have a meeting about the world notification."

"I came as quick as I can," Ruluna says, a little grumpy that her meal got interrupted. "Still, everyone is at the frontlines; what is there even for me to discuss?"

"We have communication stones, Ruluna; the others should be connecting soon," Vulpun answers, leading her to a room where there are several stones on the table that softly glow, showing that they are active.

As a mage, Ruluna knows the importance of having a Skill like [Manipulate Mana]; it is one of the highest-grade caster Skills one can get. She isn't a caster herself, since they require a lot of dedicated support Skills, and it generally takes a lot of time and practice to match a non-caster like herself, but she can't deny the versatility of skilled high-level casters.

In her opinion, if one were to pick a caster Class, they should pick a general caster and make use of their full versatility, making them a good support in any squad. However most of the time someone gets a specialized caster Class, like a fire caster or poison caster Class.

"We should try and trade for information on how to obtain that Skill," Kolona, the headmaster of mages, suggests.

"Do we even have anything valuable enough for that trade? Assuming Alysara is even willing to trade for something so powerful?" Flame Paladin Julaly asks.

"We know too little about her situation," Headmaster Shalar says quietly. "If we knew what she wanted or needed, we may be able to target that, give her an offer she can't refuse. Unfortunately, we do not have that information, and what's even more concerning is that she offered an exchange of favor last time, meaning she likely does not currently desire anything that we can offer on short notice."

"I agree with Shalar," Kolona says. "We need to focus more on learning about the Runalymo, and Alysara herself."

The meeting shifts focus to how they could best learn about Alysara's wants and needs. Several hours later, the meeting ends, and Ruluna makes her way out of the room, exhausted and famished.

A week later, Ruluna is called for an emergency meeting. Glad to leave her deskwork, she goes up to the meeting room where Governor Orlan and Vulpun are waiting. However, they are not alone: a beautiful girl wearing an elaborate and exotic icy-blue dress with blood-red designs is sitting across from them, her three tails and royal-blue hair immediately identifying her as Alysara.

"I am pleased to see you well," Vulpun says to Alysara once Ruluna joins them. "We were worried something might have happened to you."

"I am deeply sorry for the delay," Alysara says with an apologetic bow. "But something extremely time-sensitive came up. Please accept this as an apology." Alysara summons an amulet with a blood-red crystal wrapped with protective metallic-looking mana, decorated with small designs, and hands it to Vulpun.

Lifedrop Necklace:

(Enchanted)

Made by one of the best, this necklace will vanish when its wearer takes lethal damage, fully heal their body and restore their vitality, preventing death and giving the wearer a second chance.

Ruluna's jaw drops upon seeing such a powerful item be Enchanted-tier.

Noticing their speechless surprise, Alysara chuckles softly.

"Due to my recent… improvements, I can now make things like that. The quality of my work will be vastly increased, and the scope of what I can do has been broadened. I am still experimenting with new possibilities, but that will take time. For now, I have the armor you requested."

Alysara takes out a suit of armor and some weapons. These ones seem slightly different, however. There are a few obvious improvements, but the biggest difference seems to be in the metallic mana that makes up half of it.

Ruluna examines it with her [Sense Mana], only to receive confusing feedback. It's solid, yet not solid, and whatever it is, it's so advanced she isn't getting a breakthrough for it. [Analyze] shows that the normal three hundred percent enchantment bonuses have increased to over four hundred! It's equivalent to a Grand-tier magic item!