Like yesterday I was standing in the kitchen, preparing a filling breakfast for everyone when I felt someone wrap their hands around my waist.
Without turning I said "Good morning, Jahi."
Chuckling, she kissed my cheek before looking down into the bowl, asking "What are you making?"
Swirling together the various oats and berries, I said "Oatmeal, mixed with some blueberries and cranberries."
Jahi nodded, kissing my cheek again before moving to the table.
Hearing two cute yawns, I glanced over my shoulder to see Anput stretching with her arms above her head while Leone covered her mouth daintily, blinking a few times.
"Morning..."
"Good morning."
Smiling at them, I went back to finishing breakfast, the girls all taking sips of their tea.
Of course, Leone perked up instantly, barely holding herself back from completely draining her cup.
Pouring out the oatmeal into bowls, I laid them out in front of everyone before sitting down.
As we started eating I asked "Is there somewhere around here thats like Fovos Forest?"
Leone pursed her lips, staring into the bowl with narrowed eyes, before saying "There's the Academy owned Hunting Grounds, and then theres a cave system at the base of the mountain. Why?"
Smiling up at everyone, I said "I want to hunt something."
Jahi just chuckled, while Anput nodded.
"Yeah, if we're only going to be training in the Combat Class, I'll need to go somewhere else to let loose."
Anput nodded again, adding "If not, I might just provoke that Ulysses guy in our class, challenge him to a duel or something. It's really boring since the only people on our level is... well, us."
"Well, we might not be able to get into the Hunting Grounds just yet..."
We all turned to look at Leone, who continued with a slight blush.
"After all, Mother made it so first years aren't eligible for the Hunting Permit needed to enter the Hunting Grounds."
Sighing, Jahi leaned on the table, her lips pursed as she said "Then I guess that means we need to explore that cave system. What's it called?"
"Zhu'Rong Caverns, named after an old fire spirit said to inhabit its depths. Of course, it's unknown whether or not it actually exists, but there are an abundance of monsters that reside inside."
Furrowing my brow, I asked "Why don't the monsters break out of the caverns? I mean, if its comparable to Fovos Forest, there should be a large amount of monsters inside, right?"
Leone nodded, saying "If anything, there might be more. However, not only are the monsters content to stay inside the caves due to the large amount of fire crystals found there, but the Empress has a few Royal Knights and Mages stationed by the entrances."
Chuckling, Jahi added "Remember Kat, even at Fovos we had a few outposts around the edge to try and create areas for adventurers to travel through. They weren't able to enclose the forest, obviously, but if an outbreak did happen they could easily cordon the area off."
Turning back to Leone, Jahi asked "How common are fire crystals in Zhu'Rong Caverns? Even the smaller crystals sell for a a dozen silvers, not to mention the large ones."
"They're common, but also surrounded by stronger monsters. It's a high risk for a large reward. However, the veteran adventurers have always said that the real moneymaker in the Zhu'Rong Caverns isn't the crystals, but the alchemical ingredients and minerals to be found. For some reason they grow rapidly in the depths of Sanctus Ignacia, likely because of the abundance of mana inside due to Aunt Igna and its state as an active volcano."
Leaning back, Jahi scrunched her brows as she stared into her bowl, before looking at Anput, who said "Eh, money's nice, but it's not like we're hurting for gold. I'm more curious about the monsters inside, and how tough they are."
The Demoness nodded, turning towards our Vampire.
"Lava Goblins, Salamanders, Drakes, Coal Serpents, Firefangs, Ash Ghouls... there's a lot of monsters in this mountain."
"Lava Goblin..?"
"Coal Serpent?"
"The hell is a Firefang?"
Leone laughed, grinning at us.
"You'll find out when we enter the Caverns. Which we could do..."
Jahi nodded, finishing Leone's sentence.
"In three days, when we get out of the Academy and have the next day as a break."
That made Anput and I grin at each other.
It's been a few days since I got to whet my blade, and to be honest...
It was hard to not try and kill Jillian, what with the way she smiles at me.
Finishing the meal, we returned to our rooms and prepared for the Academy before setting out.
Like always the streets were utterly crowded, students and workers rushing towards where they needed to be, store vendors shouting about deals and limited time items they were selling.
It was a busy, hectic journey to Vulcan Academy, but traveling with a large, imposing woman like Jahi made things easier, since people gave way to her, parting like the sea as she walked.
Reaching the Academy, we entered Vice-Headmaster Bijilo's hall, where the older man was standing next to his podium, flipping through his book.
Seeing us enter, he closed his book and gave us a nod, greeting the other students who eventually funneled in as well.
Once everyone was seated, Vice-Headmaster Bijilo started.
"Yesterday we discussed what mana is, so today I want to start our exploration into each element. Since we are on Sanctus Ignacia, it only feels right to start with Fire. Now, fire mana..."
Time trickled by, the Vice-Headmaster explaining where you are likely to find fire mana, how it can be different, and what happens with an abundance or lack of it.
Mainly, an abundance of fire mana in a mountain or over a plains creates a volcano and desert respectively, and a lack of fire any area is usually replaced by either water or wind, creating either the verdant forests seen in the March Asmodia, or the sprawling snow laden lands of the Blizzard Dukedom.
He also mentioned that when there is a large amount of mana in a certain area, sometimes it can coalesce and convert itself from an energy to a solid, being the crystals.
Using the Zhu'Rong Caverns as an example, he said that the abundance of lava and magma allows the fire mana to take another physical form, creating the fire crystals that many adventurers seek for profits.
Finishing that up, we then went to Professor Xiant's hall, where we learned a little more about the human tribes that formed the west side of the Empire.
Apparently the Gragori's were from those tribes, specifically the Grean and Tragori tribes. They retained their power over the millennia through good trade deals, impeccable management, oaths and treaties from other Houses, and strong House heads over the years.
As for the other tribes, the only one that I recognized was the Vesca's, which was Fresca's former employer. They were always a more passive, agriculturally focused bunch, content with their farms and orchards.
The day ended on a good note, with the three Combat professors telling us to spar with someone who used a different weapon.
Of course, that meant that Jahi and Anput ended up needing to find someone new, which ended up being Greselda for Jahi, and Jillian Sariel for Anput.
I felt bad for Greselda, who was warding off the flurry of blows Jahi sent her way, but it was refreshing to see Anput push Jillian around, landing hits on more bony spots like the knuckles, elbows, and knees to maximize the pain done to her.
As for me...
Leone and I stood across from one another, enjoying a basic spar, not hitting too hard or fast as we just glossed over the basics.
The Vampire wasn't a physical fighter, preferring her magic, so I was happy to relax and show her the ropes, though it was also...
Difficult.
Sending a strike towards my side, Leone stumbled as I parried the blow, only to trip and fall directly into me, her face landing in-between my breasts.
Sighing slightly, I helped her back to her feet, allowing her a moment to cool down before resuming the spar.
That was the third time out of seven spars that she somehow ended up in an ambiguous situation, and I could feel the eyes of the surrounding students as they watched the cute Vampire clumsily land on the maid.
Hah...
Continuing our spar, I briefly opened up my system, looking at my level.
[Level 24 (201,692/1,121,931)]
Sighing again, I pursed my lips.
Hopefully the monsters down in the Cavern provide a large amount of experience...
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That's what's coming up next; a new grinding location for Kat, the Zhu'Rong Caverns.
Which means the shop is unlocked soon, and I plan on having a few other things as well~
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