Time seemed to freeze.
Kyle's jaw practically hit the floor. He stared intently at the wisp of mana flickering in Elara's palm, the faint blue light reflecting in his horrified pupils with a blinding glare.
"N-No! Impossible!" he stammered, his voice sharp with disbelief. "You're a Mana Mute! This is some kind of trick! It's a magic item you found in the sludge, isn't it?"
Denial was the first stage of fear. Kyle couldn't accept that the "trash" he had always trampled underfoot had suddenly manifested the very mana control he dreamed of.
His gaze snapped to the disposal barrel at Elara's feet, greed overwhelming his terror. "It's what's in the barrel! Hand it over!"
With that, Kyle lunged forward, his hand reaching to snatch the barrel of newly created "Purification Dust."
Just as his fingers were about to touch it, Elara moved.
She didn't retreat. Instead, she took a step forward, her cold eyes locking onto Kyle's. It was a gaze devoid of her past cowardice and submission. In its place was... indifference. The kind of indifference one might have when looking at an ant.
"Stand down."
Her voice was not loud, yet it carried an unprecedented authority. This presence didn't come from her frail body, but from the unfathomable existence within her known as the "system."
Kyle was stunned by this sudden change in demeanor, and his advance halted.
Elara slowly raised her other hand, pinching a small amount of the white powder from the barrel. She didn't look at Kyle, but instead at a stone by the sump's edge, which was corroded by waste liquid and covered in black, mold-like spots.
She gently sprinkled the powder onto it.
Szzzzzle—
Like hot oil on snow, the black spots on the stone dissolved at a visible rate, peeling away to reveal the clean, gray texture of the rock beneath. Wisps of black vapor evaporated from the stone and vanished into the air.
This single act shattered Kyle's psyche. He wasn't a fool; he knew exactly what this meant. This unassuming barrel of powder was a purification agent of astonishing potency! An alchemical product of this grade would require even an official alchemist from the academy to expend significant effort and resources to create.
And Elara, a Mana Mute, had done it with a pile of trash.
Fear, cold and venomous like a snake, coiled around Kyle's heart. The unknown was the most terrifying thing of all. What was happening to Elara was far beyond his comprehension.
"Wh-who are you?" he asked, his voice trembling.
Elara finally turned her gaze back to him, the corner of her mouth curling into an icy smirk. "Someone you can't afford to provoke."
She offered no further explanation. Mystery itself was the best weapon.
Kyle looked into her bottomless eyes and seemed to see some terrifying entity within. He let out a yelp of fright and scrambled away from the waste sump, fleeing as if a demon was hot on his heels.
Only when Kyle's figure had completely vanished did Elara let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. A wave of weakness washed over her tense body. She leaned against the guardrail, panting heavily. The confrontation had drained nearly all of her mental energy.
[Intimidation successful. Spirit has been slightly trained. Max Spirit +1]
The system's notification in her mind was a refreshing tonic. She immediately called up her status panel, visible only to her.
Name: Elara
Level: 1 (10/100 EXP)
Spirit: 4/4 (Weak)
Mana Affinity: 1 (Extremely Low)
Skills Mastered: Beginner's Mana Guidance (LV.1) - Passive: Allows you to sense mana flow within a 10-meter radius. Active: Allows you to manipulate a minuscule amount of mana.
Her Mana Affinity had gone from 0 to 1! Though it was a minuscule change, it signified that her life was now on a completely different path.
Suppressing the wild joy in her heart, she looked at the barrel full of Purification Dust. This was her first creation, the turning point of her destiny.
Just then, a new quest notification chimed.
[Side Quest Issued!]
[Quest Name: The Withering Moonlight]
[Description: In Cultivation Garden #3 of the academy's greenhouse, a precious "Moonlight Herb" is on the verge of withering due to an unknown mana contamination. The gardener is helpless. Your "Purification Dust" may be able to save it.]
[Reward: 50 EXP, Recipe: 'Beginner's Healing Potion'.]
The greenhouse! Moonlight Herb!
Elara's eyes lit up. The greenhouse was a restricted area in the academy, managed by the eccentric herbology master, Elmer. Even senior apprentices had a hard time gaining access. And the Moonlight Herb was a core, incredibly valuable ingredient for many advanced potions.
This wasn't just a mission; it was an opportunity! A chance to escape this foul-smelling waste sump and truly step into the hallowed halls of alchemy!
The recipe for the 'Beginner's Healing Potion' made her heart race even faster. It was something every apprentice dreamed of obtaining.
She hesitated no longer. Finding a sealed leather pouch, she carefully transferred all of the Purification Dust into it and tied it securely to her waist. This was more precious than gold.
Finally, she took one last look at the waste sump where she had spent years in humiliation and despair. There was not a shred of sentimentality in her eyes.
She straightened her back, and for the first time, not as a cleaner, but as an "alchemist," she began to walk, heading in the direction of the greenhouse from her memory.
Sunlight streamed through the tall colonnades of the academy, casting mottled patterns of light and shadow upon her. Her future would no longer be a pit of sludge.