There was a dualistic nature to the way the place had been set up. Half of the place seemed to have been designed for leisure and relaxation, the other side for serious study and research. To one side of the cave, there was a large bed that even at a glance seemed like one could sink into and forget all the troubles of the world. There was a thick, snow-white, fur carpet covering the floor on the leisure side of the cave. A rocking seat next to a fireplace carved into the wall that even now was burning. There were no logs in the pit instead, a runic sigil that produced bright orange flames was inscribed into the bottom of the hollow. The most eye-catching feature of the leisure side of the cave was a small pool full of clear water that was currently giving off a layer of steam. Greg didn't know whether this was a natural hot spring or something that the healer had designed herself. Still, he'd be lying if he said that he wasn't tempted to just sink into it and allow the soul fatigue t

"If I may be allowed to be a bit immodest, a high magical affinity isn't the only reason I managed to become a seventh-tier mage. I've always had a mind sharper than most when it came to the field of magic. Even among my peers, few could rival me as far as knowledge and insight into the various fields of magic were concerned. When I am motivated to, there aren't that many subjects in the field of magic that I can't dig into. And trust me, I was more than motivated! I put all my mind and intellect to the question of how to get weaker vessels such as myself to bear more and more mana. Within two years of this, I gained enough insight, not only to be able to use almost any tier-one spell without worsening my condition, but I could also make small magical tools using materials that wouldn't have been able to bear any kind of magic under the present magical paradigm," She revealed. "Now, ten years later, while I can only cast up to tier three spells, I never stopped studying the effects

The final unknown that I can think of at the moment is one of complexity. So far, the only living subjects I've worked with are small, relatively simple creatures like insects and rodents. Simple beings are much more easily affected by magic compared to human beings. The largest creature I've tried this process on is a wild cat and let's just say that the results weren't that pretty. Human beings are much more complex in their makeup and magical affinities. To think that the same process will work with them as did with mice is just plain folly. Things like the concentration of mana needed, the schedule on which to administer the mana, the clash or correspondence with the affinities of the target, and so on. All these things must be taken into account before we even dare to think of trying it on a person!" She laid out. "And all that is without even mentioning the fact that I don't even know if this sigil works, I finished just an hour or two before I came to meet with you and haven't

Alena wasn't surprised by this. One would have to be a fool not to see the potential that this idea held. It was the kind of idea that could start bloody wars if ever revealed. Recklessly revealing it to the wrong party would indeed be a colossally idiotic move. Alena, however, was reasonably certain that she wasn't sentencing herself to death. "It would be naïve if I didn't think this through," Alena finally found her voice and responded. There were a few higher notes in her voice as she fought the urge to moan in the middle of her speech. Still, she managed to deliver the statement without making a complete fool of herself. Olivia's head tilted to the side, the being looking slightly amused at her response. "And, pray tell, what was the thought process behind this meeting?" Came the question. "A being as powerful as you are has no reason to make use of someone that isn't even a tier one mage. A mundane human doesn't have anything that you might want. And even if he did, you coul

Coming to a stop before the boy, Alena sent her mana-sense forward to feel out the spell holding the boy in place ready to break it. Someone observing her face would have noticed the pause, followed by an expression of surprise followed by a look of fascination that crossed her features. She had been right, the spell wasn't complex. But just because it wasn't complex didn't mean that it was easy to break. If anything, Alena couldn't find any weak points for her to attack. Each part of the spell was so intricately tied to the rest in such a way that it both enhanced the other parts of the spell and protected the parts connected to it. Probing the spell for weaknesses was like trying to find out where a circle began. You'd just find yourself going round and round in circles. Of course, with her abilities restored to the third tier, Alena could easily use brute force to break the spell if she wished to. She, however, was disinclined to do so. As someone who was obsessed with magical know