Warm liquid seemed to flow from Faust's fingertips into Li Mei's body, building in temperature with every centimeter it traveled until it felt as though she'd be burned to ash from the inside out from the heat alone. Faust's instructions sounded distant and muddled to her ears, as though he were whispering down a long tunnel.

When Li Mei meditated in the garden she sometimes saw mana particles dancing in the air. Touching them filled her body with vigor, leaving her feeling refreshed and alert. Her impression of mana was of fluffy friendly warmth, not the scalding torrent scouring her veins at Faust's discretion.

How was he even controlling it? Li Mei frowned, gritting her way through the pain to try and figure out how in the world one manipulated mana. It was easy to talk about refining it, turning particles into thread, and other such complex concepts. But actually doing it? She was a normal person from Earth, how was she supposed to grasp such metaphysical concepts without more detailed instructions?!

Yet all Faust was saying was to guide it into a Core.

What?

How?!

What half-assed teaching methods!

After having those dreams where she had superpowers like telekinesis, upon waking she felt as though they were just within her grasp, but no matter how hard she imagined using them nothing ever actually happened. Trying to manipulate the mana flooding her body was a similar sensation - power just beyond her understanding.

"Feel the mana, then move the mana." Faust kept repeating the same line until Li Mei was ready to kick him in the teeth. Sure she could feel the mana, all she could feel was the mana! But how was she supposed to move it?! There wasn't a mouse cursor for her to click and drag the mana, there wasn't a console of buttons or a special lever. Using her own hands would be pointless, the mana was inside her body! How could she move some weird magic force flowing through her veins, sheer force of will!?

Wait.

No.

Could that be it?

Could it be as simple as sensing the mana itself then imagining a pair of hands and-

Li Mei scowled, her face contorting into an odd mixture of pain and disbelief. It was really that simple.

Only refined mana could make a Core and Faust was providing plenty. Once he sensed Li Mei clumsily manipulating the mana in her body, he provided more detailed instructions.

"Once foreign refined mana enters your body it becomes susceptible to your control. Since I'm not using it to attack the process is much easier for you. Stretch the refined mana into threads, and find the point of convergence. Through manipulation, the refined mana becomes yours. Mana naturally flows through your body in a cycle, out to the tips of your fingers and toes then back in to a point on your torso. Guide the refined mana threads to that point and start weaving them together into a sphere. Don't rush! Don't make it too big and don't leave gaps, you'll regret it later!"

His warning was unnecessary. Li Mei had a strong perfectionist streak, if she bothered doing something it was going to be with her full capability. All or nothing, no inbetweens! Half-assed effort was a waste of time in her eyes.

She spun mana threads together into something that resembled wires, making a basic frame the size of a ripe plum just behind her sternum. With the frame she'd have guiding lines so the Core wouldn't be lopsided or weirdly shaped. Then she wove threads between the wires, building up a sphere layer by layer.

The pain flooding her body slowly receded, partly because she was using up the mana and partly because she was concentrating too hard to notice the pain anymore. Her breathing became steady and even, muscles relaxing as the Core in her chest took shape.

Minutes ticked into hours. Li Mei didn't move an inch, her attention entirely on the arduous process of creating a Core. Faust observed the process with great interest - she instinctively picked up on the idea of creating a frame, which gave the process a large amount of stability that basically ensured its success. Those who tried to just haphazardly weave a Core almost always failed, or made a substandard Core with a low grade and common Gift.

Li Mei was tenacious and methodical. She didn't rush with impatience, and wouldn't hesitate to unwind mana threads that didn't weave together in a satisfactory manner. Bit by bit, centimeter by centimeter. Once she created a rudimentary Core Faust exhaled a relieved breath of turbid air.

"Now, use the rest of the mana to coat the Core. Don't weave it into threads, slather it on like plaster and influence it to solidify. Refined mana is extremely susceptible to influence, use your willpower to make it firm. Build up walls on the outside, the more uniform the better! Mana can permeate mana so thick walls won't influence the flow or make it harder to use in spellcasting, but the more solid the Core the more impurities will be kept out. Slow and steady, now. Once you feel the walls are thick enough, guide the rest of the mana inside the Core."

Faust initiated the Baptism around lunchtime. By the time Li Mei finished the entire process, two moons were high in the night sky. Both master and disciple were thoroughly exhausted, but Li Mei had an enormous grin splitting her face in half.

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NAME: Li Mei

RANK: 0 (92%)

HEALTH: 100%

AGE: 12

SPECIES: Human (? ? ?)

JOB: Disciple

CORE: 100%

C.GRADE: A+

C. QUALITY: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

MANA: 20/1000

M. QUALITY: ★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

EXP: -6923874

STR: 5 (20.4%)

CON: 5 (19.2%)

DEX: 7 (8.7%)

INT: 9 (1.3%)

WIS: 10

GIFT: [Barrier Lv.1]

TITLES: [Disciple] [Experiment 44] [Illegitimate Child]

TRAITS: [Enslavement Bind] [Poison Resistance]

SKILLS: [Archive] [Concealment] [Fera Riding (Natural) Lv.5] [Scan Lv.5] [Sense Lv.3] [Storage Lv.1]

SPELLS: [Barrier (Basic) Lv.1]

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[Barrier Lv.1]

The instinctual ability to create barriers.

Mana is only used to create, modify, or repair barriers, not to maintain them. Once a barrier is created it will exist until dispelled or destroyed.

Dispelling a barrier will refund some of the mana used in its creation or modification depending on how much damage the barrier took before being dispelled.

At Lv.1, gain the spell Barrier (Basic) Lv.1. Barriers are restricted in size, not to exceed 2 meters in total surface height or width or 10 centimeters in thickness. No more than 3 barriers may exist at once.

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[Barrier (Basic) Lv.1]

10 mana per meter

Create a square or circular barrier with a base durability rating of 5. Durability can be increased after barrier creation.

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[Spell Casting]

To cast a spell, focus on an image of the spell result in your mind while drawing mana from your Core. Speaking the spell name, or keeping it in the forefront of your thoughts, may help in the process.

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According to the Interface tooltips, raising a stat past a rating of 10 required the use of magic or special treasures. Her Wisdom was at the current maximum, her Intelligence was close behind, while the other stats were on par with most physically capable adults! Health was excellent for once, she gained a poison resistance trait, had a new Job, and the Core creation was a huge success!

High grade, high quality, and a decent Gift to boot. Li Mei was so happy she almost cried. Even if her master was a fiend who didn't understand leniency, she learned a lot and her personal strength was reaching a satisfactory level.

Li Mei concentrated, guiding mana out of the Core to create a small circle barrier in the palm of her hand. It was the same cyan as the Interface display and seemed to give off sparkles. When she turned it over, the surface shimmered and danced like a soap bubble.

"Is that your Gift?" Faust asked, eyebrows raised. Her immediate intuitive grasp of magic nearly left him speechless. Did she even need his guidance at all?

"Yes. I can make barriers!" Li Mei puffed out her chest, looking excessively proud of her tiny little barrier. Her first magic spell! The excitement in her heart couldn't be contained, and she did a happy little wiggle dance.

Bao, who had been waiting patiently for many hours, sauntered over while wagging his long tail. He sniffed at the cyan barrier and, after a moment of thought, bit down on its sparkling surface.

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Barrier damaged! -5 durability!

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Barrier destroyed!

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The barrier disappeared in a shower of blue light, taking precious mana with it. Li Mei glared at the fera, creating another barrier to smack him in the face. "Rascal!" Then she turned to look at Faust with an innocent expression, eyebrows raised. "How big is the difference between our levels of strength?" Thanks to Scan she knew Faust was Rank 7, but he never admitted outright exactly how strong he really was.

She was much healthier and more vigorous than when she first transmigrated into 44's injured, malnourished body. From being a pile of wet tofu she improved over half a year to the strength levels of a common adult human of Earth. While her body was only 12! Yet the Interface insisted her Rank wasn't even 1 yet.

What was the criteria? What was the difference between the Ranks? Li Mei burned with curiosity! And perhaps a competitive streak, as well.

Faust revealed one of his rare half-smiles, the truly genuine smile that wasn't a predatory grin or mocking smirk. Seeing the child so eager to learn the difference between them, he found a spark of interest settling in his chest for whatever nefarious plans Li Mei might have been concocting. If she sought to challenge him someday, he'd welcome the attempt - but it would be a very long time before she'd ever succeed, and it was best if he pruned her ambitions before she got too thorny to handle. He picked a rock off the ground, one the size of a ripe grapefruit, and placed it in her hands. "Try to break it."

Li Mei stared at the man like he lost his marbles, but nevertheless tried her best to crush the rock. No matter what she tried, smashing or hitting or smacking it against a larger stone, all she managed was to chip off some hardened dirt on the edges.

"You're near the peak of Rank 0, so you could be said to summarize Rank 0. Having authenticized the hardness of the rock, allow me." Faust took the rock, then brought out a knife and sliced the stone in half with no visible effort. "I used strength equivalent to the peak of Rank 1 to cut the rock, though the very sharp knife bore the brunt of the effort there. At the peak of Rank 2..." One of the rock halves was crumbled in his hand, crushed into little pieces like the entire thing was a clod of soil rather than a stone. "Now Rank 3's peak, which is the Rank Oriole thinks I have." Faust clapped the remaining rock half between his palms, and it vanished into a cloud of pulverized fine-particle dust.

Li Mei gulped nervously. "Rank 3... Oriole thinks?" She honed in on some keywords, using the opportunity to wrangle some truth out of her fickle master. Telling him she knew he was Rank 7 was a bad idea, since she'd have to explain how she knew - the safest method was getting him to admit it himself, or at least admit enough for her to have logically drawn some conclusions. "Then you're..."

"Much stronger than that." Faust grinned his predatory grin and leaned close enough for Li Mei to smell a faint aroma of aftershave and cigarette smoke. "The gap between the Ranks is like the gap between the stars, Li Mei. It cannot be crossed through ordinary means. If you want to challenge me someday, you'll have to train very hard for a very long time." He pat her shoulder, then rose to his feet and shoved both hands in his pockets. "Now come along."

"We're not going to train at this hour, are we?" Li Mei grumbled, but the man walked away like he never heard her. She was compelled to follow but thanks to his vague wording could still drag her heels and take her time. Bao pranced along at her side looking very pleased, which made the girl scowl. "You better be happy for my sake and not because you ate my barrier."

Much to Li Mei's relief, Faust just went into the cave and not down the mountain. He rolled up his sleeves, gestured for her to sit on one of the benches, and set about preparing an elaborate meal. Vegetables were chopped with artistic precision, and before long the scent of roasting meat filled the cave. Fruits were peeled, carved, and arranged into beautiful flowers and shapes in plain bowls that would be fun for children to eat in normal circumstances.

Not a word was spoken until an entire spread of delicious aromatic dishes occupied the long kitchen counter. Faust started portioning out servings onto three plates, including one for the eager fera who kept licking his chops in anticipation. The man even used a small magitech device to make fresh juice for everyone from some oddly shaped purple fruits.

"Today is the 9th day of the 9th month, already an auspicious day, but also the day you formed your Core and developed a fine Gift. Quite a nice day for a birthday, wouldn't you say?" Faust passed Li Mei a plate, setting one on the floor for Bao. The number 9 was the luckiest number on Elysium, forming her Core on 9/9 was indeed a sign of great fortune.

"Birthday?" Li Mei muttered, eyebrows drawn together. Such a subject really seemed to come out of nowhere! Her actual birthday was irrelevant since it was based on the Earth's calendar, and 44 naturally didn't know her own. No matter how she searched her memories, Li Mei couldn't think of a reason for Faust to mention birthdays all of the sudden.

Mistaking the reason for her confusion, Faust smiled. "The day one comes into the world is a day to be celebrated. I know you were never celebrated before and don't even know your actual birthday, why not choose this one? Since any day's as good as another. Creating the first Core is also cause for commemoration, today is your lucky day twice over."

"Oh. Okay." Li Mei nodded, but a shadow of suspicion haunted her narrowed eyes.

"Birthdays are observed with a homemade meal shared with loved ones, a special dessert made by your elders, and gifts for the one who's survived yet another year in this world. The meal's taken care of, I'll make the dessert when you're done eating dinner. You're only considered older once you finish the dessert according to tradition, though I've always found that silly as time won't stop marching just because you don't finish a fruit tart. As for the gift..." Faust leaned forward, setting his plate on his knees. "Recite the names of the civilized nations in the world."

Li Mei, whose cheeks bulged like a chipmunk's with her eyes wide in panic, hurriedly swallowed her food. Faust's cooking was delicious, and she was expecting to finish her plate while he went off on another of his monologues. Having to participate in a pop quiz ruined her plans! Luckily he waited for her to finish clearing her throat, giving her time to bring up the information in the Archive. "Um, there's seven globally recognized nations in the three settled continents: Mu Republic, Agartha Empire, Hawaiki Archipelago, Brittalund, Reynes Monarchy, States of Kitezh, and Zion."

"Correct. And the relationships between them?"

"Complicated and turbulent."

"Correct again." Faust nodded, spearing a cluster of blue broccoli that tasted faintly of eggplant on his plate. "There are of course many organizations and micronations that aren't globally recognized, doing their best just to survive. And on the other side of things, there's a few nations and organizations that are recognized by the greater powers, but completely unknown to the common people. Oriole is one such organization, I belong to another.

"My gift to you is knowledge of this organization: Erebus, whose shadow encircles the world. We seek to maintain balance between nations, preventing outright war which would allow the harsh environment of our world to completely erase the light of civilization. Only through cooperation can we move forward with society, as one false step means losing our lives to the various enemy tides and strange creatures lurking in the wilds."

"How noble of you," Li Mei said through a mouthful of shredded pink cabbage and chunks of black lamb. Her obvious sarcasm brought a smile to Faust's face.

"Only sometimes. Agents of Erebus are classified according to their duties. I am a Dolos, who specializes in infiltration and information gathering. Since you are my official disciple I can recommend you into the organization once you are an adult so long as you have reached a certain level of strength. Our resources are vast, and our influence reaches far." Faust paused to take a bite of his dinner before it got too cold, scrutinizing Li Mei's face through half-lidded eyes. "My gift to you is thus: Knowledge of Erebus, which is a secret organization. The promise of membership in the future so long as you meet the requirements by then. And the information that you will the need power and influence Erebus provides to take revenge on the powerful and influential person who killed your mother, made you a slave, and tried to get you killed while in my care.

"Happy Birthday."