I hesitated, but only for a moment.
I was helping her by going out of my way, and I was using my expensive materials for her.
There was no need for me to be embarrassed or hesitate.
I closed my eyes, moved slowly, and unbuttoned the upper part of her sleepwear.
I kept my movements precise.
There was no unnecessary contact thanks to my high Dexterity.
Within seconds, I managed to remove the fabric and gently rolled her onto her stomach without waking her up.
I opened my eyes once I was done.
"...Huh."
The curve of her back was more defined than I expected.
Her skin looked soft, almost glowing in the dim light.
From this angle, I could even see the slope of her side, the faint outline of her chest against the mattress—
I shook my head and forced the thoughts out of my head.
"It will take an hour to complete the Rune. I should start."
I pulled out the Fairy Dust.
This time, unlike before, I had to mix in my own blood.
The Anchoring Seal—officially known as a [Continuum Binding Array]—required a space-aligned mage’s blood to properly link to a soul and spatial tether.
My blood would act as the initial key that synchronized it to Elira.
I placed a few ingredients around the bed, scattering crushed Moonflint Shards and Ashroot Vine Dust in specific directions.
Once the field was set, I my finger into the glowing mixture of Fairy Dust and blood and began to draw.
Lines of glowing red and pale gold trailed behind each stroke.
I moved slowly, carving interlocking patterns, spirals, and layered rings across her back.
The rune grew, inch by inch, covering her spine, shoulder blades, and lower back.
Once the array was fully drawn, I placed the Catalyst next to her side and began the final chant.
"En valta rino... shem’ter val rukh... vesen tohl arin..."
The Catalyst pulsed in sync with the rune, absorbing my mana and regulating the flow.
"Fen lae siro... ketra vann toril... jek’ma laa trin..."
Sweat dripped down my forehead.
I clenched my jaw and pushed through the final sequence.
The array pulsed three times: once faintly, then stronger, then a bright flare that quickly dimmed.
Class Alchemist
Rank 0 → Rank 1
Grade: Formulation Alchemist → Combat Alchemist
+5 Dexterity, +3 Intelligence
Perk Gained: [Quickmix Technique]
Perk Effect:Craft simple alchemy items instantly in combat or while moving.
My Class went up a grade.
After reaching Combat Alchemist grade, the Alchemist Class reached Rank 1.
It increased the stat rewards from 3 Dex and 2 Int to 5 Dex and 3 Int.
"The Perk is quite good too.
"Now I only need materials, and I can instantly craft simple things like flash bombs, smoke grenades, or healing salves."
The need to set-up multiple runes, and chant was discarded for simple alchemy.
Another notification arrived in front of my eyes.
Class Runesmith gained
+1 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, +1 Spirit
"I finally got this class. Creating a proper Rune was worth it."
My eyes moved toward Elira’s back.
The rune lines of the Anchoring Rune faded, leaving no visible mark on her skin.
"With this, she should be protected from summoning effects for at least six months."
I wiped the sweat off my brow, then carefully helped her put her clothes back on.
Once she was dressed and lying on her side like before, I checked her and Seris one last time.
Both of them were asleep.
I thought about heading home for the rest of the night, but I immediately dismissed the idea.
Creating the Species Evolution Potion wasn’t something I could do back at my place.
The mana surge during the process would alert the guards.
"I’ll create the Potion here."
Quietly, I moved to the corner of the room and cleared a small area.
I activated the Inventory Rune on my palm.
A faint light shimmered as the storage space opened.
I pressed my hand to the floor, and one by one, the ingredients began appearing.
Mist Ivy Extract.
Condensed Salamander Blood.
Violet Quartz Threads.
Ironwyrm Tendon.
Dryad Bone Slivers.
I caught myself calculating the cost automatically.
"Eleven thousand dollars... fourteen thousand dollars... seventeen thousand dollars... thirty-eight thousand dollars ... nineteen thousand dollars..."
After weapons, the thing I liked most was money.
Why?
Because it was money.
The idea of hoarding money, watching it pile up, was soothing.
Using it always made my stomach tighten just a bit, and I was doing just that right now.
Was necessary? Yes.
But it was painful nonetheless.
I sighed and placed the Catalyst I had created earlier in the center.
Then, I opened a small pouch of Fairy Dust and began drawing the alchemical runes on the wooden floor, carefully linking them together around the Catalyst.
The pattern had to be precise.
Once everything was in place, I began the invocation in Runic Language.
"Kael’mora trih ven’alor... sihra zhen tal’karin... ulveth dra mana’vahl."
"Vorren sehl thran’ik... malor venas dul’hir... ressan votu rahl."
The runes lit up, faintly at first, then brighter.
The materials began reacting, dissolving, and merging together in small bursts of energy.
A mist filled the room for a few seconds, swirling into a tight orb.
It floated in the air, glowing with an odd shimmer.
Slowly, the orb condensed until it formed a thick, fluid sphere with a pale golden hue.
It hovered just above the fading runes, then gently started lowering toward the ground.
I took out three vials and filled each one as the potion descended.
The liquid inside shimmered faintly.
I held one of the vials up to the light.
There were no flaws, or impurities.
The reaction had stabilized perfectly.
Without hesitation, I drank the vial.
The effect hit almost instantly.
My body heated up, and for a moment, it felt like fire ran through my bloodstream.
My limbs twitched, and I could feel the pulse of mana rushing along my spine.
But the pain didn’t last.
The heat passed, replaced by a sensation of expansion.
It was as if my body had grown, not in size, but in strength.
Then the notification appeared in front of my eyes.
Species: Human [Rank 1] → High Human [Rank 2]
+30 Strength
+30 Dexterity
+30 Endurance
+30 Intelligence
+30 Spirit
Technique Unlocked: Harmonic Flow Breathing
My mouth curved into a grin before I realized it.
I flexed my fingers, rolled my shoulders, and took a deep breath.
My muscles felt lighter and tighter at the same time.
It was like someone had turned up the resolution on my body and mind.
My sensitivity to Aura and Mana had increased. Now, I would be have an easier time awakening Aura.
Along with the physical changes, information about the Harmonic Flow Breathing technique flowed into my head.
Harmonic Flow Breathing was about equilibrium.
It allowed one to balance the mind and body and operate them in sync.
It had three stages of mastery, each with its own benefits.
At the first stage, which I had just entered, I would gain resistance to mental fatigue and improved coordination between thought and movement.
Resistance to mental fatigue would affect Spirit stat.
In other words, as my mastery increases in Harmonic Flow Breathing, so would my Spirit Stat.
This was just the effect of the first stage of mastery.
Second stage of mastery and third stage of mastery would give additional benefits.