“Do you really need all of that?” Levi asked impatiently.

“I am a human and compared to you, I need to eat every day.”

Although I agreed to Levi’s suggestion, I did not head back to the room with the pools directly. Instead, I went down the Slaves and Workers’ section to pick up the small firestone lighting the place up. Firestones were not worth much and it would be very inefficient to store them in my belt to sell them later; I would earn more from a giant rat corpse. Nevertheless, I diligently collected a few pieces of firestone to use while I would be sealed in the room.

I once again entered the room filled with the pools of water and mud. Levi’s aura was pressing down on me and the entire room. As soon as he released his aura, the giant rats ran away and disappeared in the nooks and crannies of the room. He quickly got to work and the large mass of dirt he was magically carrying with him flew around to seal the ceiling, the small passages the rats used to travel from room to room and the main door. The room was isolated from the rest of the world.

“Will it be fine like this? There is no air flow.” I asked anxiously.

“Don’t worry. I am not a fool. I also need air to survive. I’ll periodically make small openings to refresh the air.”

Then, having completed his work, Levi moved on to ignore me and jump right into the large mud pool. He smiled delightfully and swam around like a little kid.

I also got to work; I started by taking out a giant rat corpse from my storage belt and dismantling it. I needed to remove all the mana stones from the corpses but this time, I also took the time to peel off the skin of a couple giant rats. I cut off the head of the giant rat and drained the blood as cleanly as I could. Then, I arranged the firestones I collected, forming a small bed on which I placed the giant rat’s meat, followed by another layer of firestones.

The firestones were warm but not to the point where I would burn myself. I did not know whether it would be enough to cook the meat, but I was hoping that by putting all the firestones together, they would generate enough heat to roast it ever so slightly. It was the only source of heat I had access to, and the giant rats were my only source of food. I never thought about spending a night out and did not prepare any provisions.

Satisfied with my small ‘oven’ set up, I turned my attention to the mud pools. Time has come for me to advance. There was no need for me to enter the mud bath but the boost in vitality it provided may come in handy.

I glanced at Levi who seemed to be concentrating on absorbing what he could from the mud bath. While I did not fully trust the fairy, I knew it was in his best interest to secure this room and keep us safe.

I did not feel tired at all despite having been up for longer than usual. I took out the mana stones that I just cleaned using the water in the other pools. Then, I soaked myself in the mud bath before tossing a few mana stones in my mouth. I closed my eyes and waited.

The familiar gagging feeling appeared but I did not feel any change in my mana pool. I was about to reach a threshold and to do so, I would need more mana stones than usual.

Two mana stones… Five mana stones… I continued to put more mana stones in my mouth; I did not think much of the number as I knew my affinity was low.

Then, I felt my body turn light as an illusion appeared before my eyes. I was still firmly closing them and yet, I could picture a small hieroglyph floating on an empty plot of land. It was the same hieroglyph I chose in the second room; the one representing the Healing element.

The hieroglyph shone and gradually turned brighter. It swirled around before slowly descending on the land and disappearing underneath. Time went by until finally, some movement occurred. A small shoot emerged from the ground with a tiny leaf at the top.

The process was slow; the shoot barely moved and yet, I remained there, observing its growth. I was literally watching a plant grow. The sprouting of a skill tree was a mesmerising process. I lost myself in time as I watch the shoot growing slowly. The sprout shone lightly, emitting the same halo that was covering the hieroglyph.

I instinctively knew that it was trying to communicate with me.

‘You want more mana?’

In response, the halo surrounding the sprout flashed.

I kept my eyes closed, watching the sprout as I moved my hand toward the small pile of mana stones I had. I tossed a few in my mouth and watched as the sprout flashed in delight. At the same time, a familiar comfortable feeling travelled through my body. It was the same feeling I experienced when I first entered the mud bath. My body was no longer satiated and could once again absorb some nutrients from it.

I was advancing; I was no longer a non-magical creature. Once I reached the first threshold, my body would naturally be able to hold more vitality.

The shoot grew. The leaf at the very top became larger and longer. At the same time, another leaf appeared on the side of the shoot, followed by another. While this was happening, I would continuously consume my mana stones under the encouragement of the sprout. Until I finally moved my hand toward the pile of mana stones and felt nothing but the cold floor. I patted the surroundings but found nothing but emptiness. I knew the process was about to come to an end.

The sprout looked disappointed but there was nothing I could do.

My vision turned blurry until the sprout completely disappeared. A headache immediately assaulted me, jolting me awake. I opened my eyes and found myself sitting in the same mud bath in the dimly lit room. Levi had moved on to the third mud bath and had started absorbing its nutrients. While he said that it would belong to me, the fairy took advantage of the situation and claimed it for himself while I was in the process of advancing.

I felt dizzy and yet full of energy. I knew I had succeeded. I had now officially reached the first circle.

I closed my eyes and focused. Once again, I was able to picture the newly sprouted shoot. I smiled to myself.

This sprout was my skill tree. Before I reached the first circle, my skill tree only took the form of a seed as the hieroglyph. But now that my mana pool expanded, it was able to plant itself and germinate. The skill tree was still young, but it would grow and provide me with more spells in the future.

Each leaf represented a spell. The one at the top, the largest leaf, represent Heal, the first spell I acquired. The more I practiced it, the larger the leaf would grow until it would turn into a branch and hold more spells.

The other two leaves that appeared on the shoots were the two spells I received from reaching the first circle. By focusing on the leaves, I was able to determine their identity and the correct way to use them.

The first one was Cure; a simple spell that worked like an antidote I drank earlier. It could expel harmful foreign substances from the target’s body. While Cure worked at the micro-level, the second spell worked at the macro-level. Its name was Cleanse. It was typically used to clean the target’s wounds to prevent infection but could also remove foreign objects such as arrowheads or darts embedded in the target’s body.

Together with Heal, these two spells were the bread and butter of all healers.

“Are you done with your advancement?”

Hearing Levi’s sharp voice, I opened my eyes. “Yes. How long has it been?”

“Congratulations! You are now officially a magical creature. Not sure how long but I would say about twelve hours.”

“Twelve hours? It did not take as long as I expected. Are you almost done with this mud bath?”

“Not yet. Give me a few hours. Take that time to rest and adapt to your new state. It will take you a while before you are able to use any spells.”

“I know.” I nodded quietly.

Feeling my body once again reaching satiety, I got up and exited the mud bath. I did not feel very different from before. Having reached the first circle simply meant that I was slightly more sensitive to mana and my body would be more vigorous than before.

I turned my attention to the meat I placed between the firestones earlier. I did not feel hungry after absorbing so many nutrients from the mud bath, but I knew that my stomach was empty. It has been empty for hours and leaving it like that could lead to health consequences. Furthermore, as someone who is used to having three meals a day, I felt the need to eat this rat meat.

After spending hours surrounded by firestones, the meat’s colour changed a little bit. I did not know if it was because of the heat or simply because it has been exposed to air for such a long time. Nevertheless, I picked one of the legs and cut it in half to look inside. The results were disappointing.

‘Does not look cooked at all. The heat was not strong enough. I guess that’s what I should have expected from a heat source that I can hold in my hands for so long.’

Disappointed and with an empty stomach, I sat down against the wall and closed my eyes to rest for a bit. There was nothing else to do than to wait for Levi to unseal the room.