76 Prize (1/2)

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?”

”I honestly can't say. I'm not good with formulas, so I just think about what I want to happen. I never considered it to be a ring. I only pictured a radar of sorts going to a single place,” 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 me in the area. It was like the mana came out of my entire body, not just from my hands. It was a weird feeling.”

”I think I understand. It's like sketching before going for the full drawing, right? You need to have an idea of how that works and then just do it,” Blue said.

”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 said.

”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,” Bleu 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. 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, none of them were willing to do so.

They kept hunting through the afternoon. The group was feeling comfortable with the setup they had. Hera and Alex would take an assassin role, while Leo and Blue were the vanguard and Bonnie as 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 quest he needed, they decided to take a day off. 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 still took its toll.

”If you want, I can practice my pulse spell with you tomorrow,” 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 recruitment was in Brilansis, but not in the guild they received their training. It would be in a small arena near it. He wanted to be rested and ready. Maybe he could even get some information about his uncle.

As the hunter left, Hera completed the quest Helena had given to 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.

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 a first-hand experience with it, the woman 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.

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 the 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.