The group was walking through the forest, looking for frogs to hunt. Leo's skill lets him track them with more ease, because of that, he and Alex were the scouts while the other 3 stayed back.

  They had found five giant blue frogs sitting close to each other. Trying to make as little noise as possible, the group approached their targets while Leo gave everyone the instructions.

  "Bonnie, wait for my signal and sent out your spell. Blue and I will be in front of you. Alex and Hera will circle around to stop them from behind. If someone gets in the way of your spell and you can't stop, just toss it in the air, and we'll deal with that later."

  With a silent nod, the group got in position. Hera got used to the hunt in the last few days. Although she didn't enjoy it as much as Alex and Blue, she could understand the rush the two of them felt.

  The Explorer moved, flanking the frogs with Alex on the other side. This way, they would be sure that none of them would try to run and call for backup. They made that mistake on the second day, and it was horrible as they came back with way too much backup.

  What Hera was most excited to see was how Bonnie's spell would affect the frogs. Being cold-blooded creatures, could it simply lower their body temperature enough to kill them?

  The Researcher started to cast the Cold Bomb from far away. Seeing it from a different angle, Hera got worried. The spell attracted too much attention. The surrounding leaves were rustling, and there was a soft light coming out of Bonnie's hands.

  One of the frogs raised its head, turning towards the researcher. As that happened, Hera's heart started to beat faster. It was the first time Bonnie had seen one of those creatures. What if she freaked out like Alex?

  The frog stared at the light for a moment. Just before it started to croak. Bonnie's spell triggered. A small ball of pale blue light moved towards the frog. As it got closer, the frog stepped back, and before the Cold Bomb reached it, the frog lashed out with its tongue.

  The spell was hit and activated, covering the frog's tongue and part of its mouth with a thin layer of ice. While that spell wasn't able to hit all frogs since it exploded before it was supposed to, it covered half the bodies of two frogs, and made the tongue that struck it fall to the ground.

  Not leaving a chance for the attacking frog to move, Bonnie followed it up with an Air Fist. The wind attack hit the creature in the ice covering its chin. The monster fell to the ground, shivering. It was still moving, but it seemed stunned by the attack.

  Hera and the rest jumped into the fight, following the same pattern they perfected during the past few days. Hera and Alex focused on the ones in the back, taking them out quickly before they could fight back.

  Leo and Blue rushed in, attacking the two frogs in front. Bonnie stayed back, sending spells towards the monster on the ground. One of the half frozen frogs lashed out towards Blue and hit her in the chest with its tongue. Taking a step back, the controller lessened the impact, but it wasn't enough to allow her to counter the blow.

  Sidestepping, she flanked the frog and got ready to strike. However, after losing its target, the frog saw Bonnie in front of him and jumped towards the researcher.

  "Shit," Blue exclaimed while running after the frog. Bonnie sent an Air Fist toward the incoming creature, but it did little to slow it down. Her strikes were not as powerful as before as the Researcher was running low on mana.

  Hera rushed to the frog, managing to slash the monster's back. It recoiled, but the creature didn't stop its charge. Bonnie jumped to the side, trying to avoid the beast.

  The frog was faster than the researcher and managed to hit her legs, making the woman fall to the ground. Right away, the frog opened its mouth, but before it was able to do anything, Blue jumped on top of it trying to hold its throat.

  Hera arrived right after the Controller, slashing at the creature with both her weapons. Their combined efforts became too much for the creature, which finally perished.

  Blue went to help Bonnie get up while Hera turned around to face the other frogs, only to find that Leo and Alex had finished them off.

  "How many did you get?" Hera asked.

  "Two, the one on the ground couldn't move very well, so Alex didn't have to step in," Leo explained.

  "Yeah, having a mage really changes the dynamic of it all. We basically got a freebie," Alex said.

  Hera nodded and turned around. Blue was looking at Bonnie's legs. There was a slight bruise on them. Luckily, it was mostly on her calf. The ankles seemed fine.

  "Can you move?" Blue asked.

  "Yeah, it hurts, but I can walk," Bonnie said while holding out her hand, "Help me up."

  Blue took the researcher's hand and raised her, "Sorry about that," she said without letting go.

  "About what? I was the one who didn't step aside. But I wanted to see if the spell was enough to stop it."

  "No, it was my fault. Leo and I were supposed to cover you, and I left my position," Blue said.

  "Blue..." Hera started but was cut off by Bonnie.

  "Yeah, you're right. I could have died. I think you owe me big time now, right? Let's see... how about you pay my debt? Nah, you can never make that much money. What about paying for a new set of equipment?"

  "Bonnie, that's too much," Alex said.

  "No, no, she's the one who said it was her fault. Oh, I know! Carry me around. I don't want to tire my feet. And try not to drop me with those noodle arms."

  "What the hell?! I'm trying to apologize here, Why do you have to be so irritating?" Blue yelled.

  "Why do you have to be so ridiculous, you muscle head? We all know what we signed up for We need to fight, and we might get hit. I'm the one who needs to take care of me, not you!" Bonnie shouted back.

  "Hey, hey, take it easy, you two," Hera said, stepping between them.

  "I'm calm, and I know she's right. It is just not a very hero like thing to put your friends in danger," Blue said.

  The group stared at the controller for a moment before Bonnie busted into laughter.

  "How can you be so dumb? Do you think the Heroes started out already amazing?"

  "No... I mean, I don't know. None of the books I read said anything about that," Blue mumbled.

  "Try reading a history book instead of one with mostly pictures. They will tell you about how they failed at first. Kahn was a low-level porter for quite a while. Undine took years to learn magic, and Cyrus ran away with his group from the first raid they ever participated in. No one is born a hero," Bonnie said.

  "I know.. I just felt bad, ok?"

  "If you really felt bad, I wouldn't be standing right now," Bonnie teased.

  Blue stepped towards the girl, pushing Hera aside, and picked the researcher up in a princess carry.

  "What the hell are you doing?" Bonnie yelled.

  "Carrying you,"

  "Get off!"

  Bonnie started to flail around, hitting her elbow on Blue's head. The two almost fell and started fighting once again.

  "You know, we could just stay here and wait for another group to find us because of the noise," Alex looked around, half expecting more frogs to show up.

  "That is an interesting plan, but today is the last day I have to finish the hunt quests. Then one day to do a dungeon. If we still want to hunt frogs, we can try using them as bait after the recruitment," Leo was looking at something on his tablet.

  "Am I the only one worried about them?" Hera asked.

  "Yes," Leo and Alex replied bluntly.

  Letting out a sigh, Hera started harvesting the frogs. It didn't take long for Bonnie to notice that and start helping. In just a bit over twenty minutes, the group sent back the first batch of materials through the drone. Having a fourth butcher helped a lot with their speed.

  After finishing the delivery, the group went looking for more frogs. Leo and Alex were in the front, scouting the area. This time, however, Blue and Bonnie weren't talking. For some reason, the mood was still sour. Hera wanted to talk and make sure the two could still work together without problems, but it was risky to do so right now. If they started fighting again, it could be a problem for the hunt.

  Hera took that opportunity to circle the mana inside of her. It was an extension of the training she had learned. She would pull the energy from her heart and make it flow as if it were following her bloodstream. Quickly checking her stats, Hera saw that her mana was already at 148.

  Doing the training while walking or moving was much more effective. This time, however, it was different. She could somewhat sense Bonnie at her side. Even without looking, she could more or less feel where the researcher was. Taking a few steps away from her friend, Hera tried to gauge the maximum distance. At most, she could feel the researcher if she was three meters away or so.

  It was an interesting effect, but if she could only sense something that close, it was better to trust Yarnball since its range was five meters. Hera tried to move farther away and attempt to feel Bonnie's mana to no avail.

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Changing her approach, she tried to expand her own mana to reach her friend. Thinking back to the spells the researcher was using, Hera attempted to create a similar effect with her own mana. She gathered the energy in front of her while trying to figure out the result she wanted.

  Hera wasn't good with formulas. Her best bet was to use the subjective way to make spells. She needed something that allowed her to see what was around her. Like a minimap or an area she could feel. Hera's mind went back to the first time she ever saw an explorer's relic. Omar's relic was a compass that functioned essentially like a radar. That would be a great way to cover her ground.

  She let go of the mana, thinking about the effect, the mana spread out from her. However, it wasn't a continuous stream as Hera expected. It was a single streak, like one ripple in a pond. Yet, everything that the ripple touched, Hera could feel. She could understand how many trees were around them, Blue and Bonnie's location, and the mana kept going. It only stopped after reaching Leo, who was several meters front of them.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Spell acquired

  Pulse

  Rank: Beginner

  Send a mana pulse that gives the user information about everything in its area of effect. The more mana used on the spell, the wider the radius is. The increase in mana cost is not linear.

  This spell can not detect everything.

  Base radius: 10 meters

  Base mana cost: 10 mana

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  "I... I just got a spell!" Hera exclaimed.

  After Hera got her spell, the group found a trio of frogs who were quickly dispatched. They disassembled the new haul, while Bonnie kept badgering the explorer with questions.

  "How did you control the ring?"

  "Bonnie, I've told you. I don't know. Using formulas makes my head hurt, so I just think about what I want to happen. I never considered it to be a ring. I only pictured a radar," Hera explained.

  "Ok, and the ring, did you do something different with the mana?" Bonnie asked.

  "Not really, at least I don't think I did. The weird thing is that it didn't register myself in the area. It was like the mana came out of my entire body, not just from my hands. It was a weird feeling."

  "Still, that doesn't make any sense. How can you just make a spell without knowing what you are doing?" Bonnie huffed and crossed her arms.

  "I think I understand. It's like you are making up a dance move. You don't know it's going to work until you try," Blue nodded with a smile.

  "Yeah, that's a way to look at it," Hera said.

  "For you, I have no idea. Do you mind letting me know when you are going to use the spell again? I would love to try to figure out its formula," Bonnie turned back to Hera.

  "Sure, but can you do it?" Hera asked.

  "Yeah, that seems something too advanced even for you," Blue commented.

  Hera and Bonnie stared at the controller.

  "Look, I don't mean anything bad by it. You just learned how to use spells, Bonnie. Reverse engineering something you see will be really hard. It's like you just figured out how to make instant noodles, and now you are trying to figure out how a five-star restaurant makes its dishes," Blue explained.

  "Don't worry. You have a point, but that is a skill that would help me a lot. If I can figure out the equation used in a spell like that, I can learn other ways to fight and live honestly just by watching people training," Bonnie said.

  "It's a good idea, but be careful. Helena told me that mages are very private with their spells and research. Try not to make anyone angry with that," Hera said.

  "I'll be careful. I promise."

  A little part of Hera had some doubts about the researcher's statement. Bonnie had proven to be anything but careful.

  Choosing to focus on the task at hand, she went back to the harvesting. It took just a bit over ten minutes to get all the frog parts, but they were outside the drones' range. Carrying guts and pieces around wasn't a very appealing idea. Yet, leaving the bodies here felt like wasting money. As a result, they walked back until they could call the drone before continuing their hunt.

  The group had reached a comfortable state with the setup they had. Hera and Alex would take an assassin roles, while Leo and Blue were the vanguard and Bonnie played the part of a ranged attacker.

  It was a good thing that the frogs were predictable too. Their attack pattern was mostly the same. Starting with a tongue strike, then either a tackle or a bite, depending on how close its target was. By the end of the day, they had made close to 1,000 gold each.

  Going back to the guild so that Leo could finish the last hunt quest he needed. He still had the dungeon to finish, and they all agreed to do it together in the next afternoon.

  Bonnie protested, but unlike the rest, she only hunted for a day. The others spent most of the week fighting the frogs. Even if they managed not to get hurt, it quickly felt repetitive.

  "If you want, I can practice my pulse spell with you tomorrow morning," Hera said.

  Begrudgingly, Bonnie accepted. She knew it was for the best. Having some time to practice her own spells could be even better, and she owed Hera a couple of hours in an ATR.

  Leo completed the quest and told the group he was going home for the night. The first step of the recruitment was in Brilansis, but not at the guild they received their training. It would be in a small gym near it. For now, it was just an interview with some endurance tests. Mostly to make sure he was willing to put in the effort to join the coallition. They would then have the final application process two days later.

  As the hunter left, Hera completed the quest Helena had given her. Along with the contribution points, there was also a large parcel as a reward. Hera was about to open it when Gemma said that it was best to open rewards like that in a private place. Since she wasn't aware of the contents, it could bring the wrong kind of attention to her, depending on what it was.

  That being said, the clerk was just being nice to Hera. She never had to deal with anyone opening something amazing in this layer of the MAZE.

  The group left the guild and walked back to the inn, discussing their plans for the next day. Blue and Alex wanted to try to unlock their mana stat and asked Bonnie for help. Excited, the researcher suggested that they rented an ATR to train together. Having first-hand experience with it, the Researcher knew how much help the trainers were.

  Hera agreed with the idea but said she might join them later. She was very curious about the other side of the cave. She planned to see if she could find a boat that was going to the edge of the room and back. And depending on how long that could take, she could go there now.

  Arriving at the inn, Hera and Blue went to their room. The controller walked straight to the shower while Hera sat on a chair and opened her reward. Inside the parcel, there was a book and a small letter. The letter had a website, a username, and password.

  It was a website for the Order of the Lost Court, and that was her access to login. There she could find information, check quests, and buy things with contribution points. Any items she purchased would have a delivery fee to be paid in gold. But aside from that, all the prices were in the order points.

  There were a multitude of items, from weapons and armor to potions and odd devices. A spyglass that revealed invisible creatures, a hairpin that paralyzed your hair, making it unable to move. Most of the items seemed solutions for very specific problems.

  She could also buy books, food, even mercenary contracts for a while, and, of course, skills. Opening that option, Hera saw hundreds of different skills for sale. According to the description, each skill was actually a compendium that could teach you how to acquire and use the skill. The prices varied wildly, from a couple of hundred gold to millions.

  Out of curiosity, Hera filtered the prices looking for the most expensive one. It was a spell called Elemental Typhoon. According to its description, it created a swirling mass of energy that made the elements clash and collide with each other. It had an area of effect of one kilometer, and it had a warning that it would destroy anything in the area. It was valued at 1 950 platinum or 195 million gold, but you could buy it using 100 million contribution points.

  That seemed absurd, not only for the price but for the amount of points needed. Even if Hera worked her entire life, she could never get that much money. Or at least, that is how things were before. Now, maybe she could reach millions and millions someday.

  Before losing herself in the skills she could buy, Hera checked the rest of the reward. The book looked like a travel journal. It had a leather cover and a string that you could use to wrap around a small clasp in front of the book.

  Hera opened it and saw that the first few pages were inside a plastic envelope a bit larger than the pages behind. Inside them, there were a few handwritten notes. The first one had the words 'Baby's First Spellbook' in large stylized letters. Under them, in the same place where an author would put his or her name, there was a familiar signature.

  Helena Ditrro

  The notes explained how mages tended to maintain their spellbooks as well as some examples. Everything was beautifully written with drawings and patterns decoration the sides.The pages were clearly made by someone who enjoyed arts and crafts.

  According to Helena, even with skills, it was good to have a place where you saved the information about how to use your spells. As time went by, your repertoire would increase, and memorizing how to use all your spells would become quite complicated.

  Especially since the System didn't help someone remember all the spells they had. Sure, it would let you know when you had properly learned a spell, but there was no skill to check all the ones you knew. Not only would it help to have a list of everything you can do, but the spellbook could help someone develop theories about new spells and improve existing ones.

  On the next pages, Helena described a few ways to write down the spells. Using equations, you should specify what each part of the calculation did and make notes on the places where it would appear in other spells. As code, it was very similar, with each function having a commentary explaining what it did. With the subjective approach, it could vary wildly. Some people wrote down feelings, other lyrics, poems, and drawings. It was all about figuring out what worked best for each individual.

  It also mentioned that, spells should have their own dedicated page. Simple ones could work with just one, but more complicated ones should have several.

  The last page in the plastic folder talked about how Hera should consider developing a code for the book. If someone else steals or finds your spellbook, they might use it to learn the spells she worked hard to get. There were a few suggestions in front, from making a new alphabet and a simple cipher to creating something more complex like the Japanese kanji. But ultimately, it was Hera's choice to make.

  One thing that Hera noticed, was that the examples all seemed to be for the same spell. The poem talked about revealing the secrets hidden in plain sight, the lyric about casting out the darkness, and the drawing was that of a lit candle. It seemed to be a light spell, much like the one Helena showed her almost a month ago.

  Hera gave it a try, following the ideas that were shown in the book. She focused her mana on coming into her hand and moving toward her finger. Making the mental image of a flame coming from her finger, she started to push her mana to the construct.

  Every time she did that, the mana would gush out instead of keeping its shape. Even before Blue left the shower, Hera had spent all her mana trying to make the light.

  Since she had to wait, Hera looked through the rest of the book. After five more pages with the plastic folder, the rest of the thick tome was blank. Hera wanted to write about her pulse spell, but she didn't have a pen on her.

  Sending a text to Blue, letting her know she would be out for a few minutes, Hera left the room. As she was heading towards the stairs, Bonnie approached her.

  "Hey, I was just going to ask if you guys wanted takeout."

  "Oh, thanks. I'm heading out. I need to find an office supplies store. Send me a text with the place you are going, and I'll tell you my order," Hera said.

  "Why do you need office supplies?" Bonnie asked.

  Hera explained to the researcher about her reward, and that she needed some pens and pencils. Bonnie's eyes started to shine when she heard about spellbooks, and the woman asked to take a look at the book.

  Unsure if she should share something Helena made, Hera asked for some time before showing, explaining that she wasn't sure if she could share information that came from her Order. She quickly sent a text to Helena, asking if she could tell Bonnie about the book.

  Bonnie agreed but asked to join her on the supply run. That way, not only the researcher could buy something to make her own spellbook but also have some help while bringing the food back. The two left the inn after sending a group text asking about what everyone wanted to eat.

  It didn't take long to find a few stores that could sell spellbooks. On the map, even a couple of shops specialized in those items showed up, but they were all closed. They ended up in a general store where Bonnie found a simple, small notebook that she could carry around even while hunting.

  Hera picked a few different colored pens and some tabs to use on her spellbook as well as a pencil case and a book cover that she could place it all in and strap it on herself. It was an impulse buy, but one day she might not have a safe place to leave the book.

  As they went back to the inn, Hera received Helena's reply.

  Hello, sweetie.

  If you want, you can share that information with anyone. It is part of the basics of being a mage, although it would be hard to find it in such a compact and easy-to-read format.

  Buuuuuuuttttt.

  This seems like a great chance to recruit someone with potential. Bonnie is very talented, and you mentioned that she made a spell? That is proof that she will be a great asset.

  Still, that's up to you. If you want to invite her, tell her about the order and see if she is interested. If the answer is positive, let me know, and I'll talk to her soon.

  Hera smiled, seeing the text. Having one of her friends joining the order would make the entire thing feel less daunting.

  "Say, Bonnie. Have you ever heard about the Order of the Lost Court?" Hera asked.

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