After the server update, the biggest change for Yu Yu was how much easier it was to carry things.
Before, she had to sneak instant noodles past Eternal Darkness's watchful gaze. Now, she could haul several boxes of noodles without breaking a sweat.
[Epic: Ant (Completed)] (Ascend to Mid-Ring Spellcaster)
[Gourmet (Recurring)]
Yu Yu began ticking off her fingers. "Senior Sister's delivery can be handled in a day—she prefers healthy stuff, so I'll send it daily."
"For the Grand Archon and the Duchess, I'll send a box each, mixed flavors of instant noodles. Senior Meng's probably hasn't finished hers yet, so I'll toss in some fruits and veggies later," Yu Yu mused, glancing at the sprouting potatoes in her home. "I need to hurry to the Pioneer camp and claim those rewards."
Self-sufficiency was key to her delivery plans. Though she was using bought supplies, Yu Yu couldn't shake the feeling she was squandering her resources.
"For Senior Chang, Senior Meng, and Senior Qiong, a few packs to try should do." After divvying up the food, she tossed a small bag of snacks for Senior Chang.
"These can stay at home. If someone drops by, just set them on the table…"
Lynn lounged in a chair, happily munching on dried fish. "You're playing favorites. Careful—they might come for you."
When Yu Yu returned, the half-elf had been pathetically pinned to the chair, lamenting Yu Yu's failure to rescue her. Now, her mouth was stuffed with fish.
"What's on your agenda today?" Yu Yu asked, preparing to log off and ping Shu Tu and the others to get online.
Lynn pondered. "Thinking of picking up a city guard bounty. Earn some pocket change."
Yu Yu nodded thoughtfully.
Lynn was fast, with high attack power and versatility in close and ranged combat—perfect for scouting missions. In camps without tough opponents, she could single-handedly clear them out. Despite her gripes about the magic circle, she had a good temperament and often took on tasks to clear local threats. That's why, despite frequent visits to the city guard and enforcement office, she was still bouncing around.
After a moment's thought, Yu Yu said, "Hold on, I'll make you a few scrolls. Be careful out there."
She set her phone aside and pulled out her stack of magical paper.
For a healing spell… a restoration type…
She needed low-pollution, neutral magic ink.
Yu Yu opened the magic circle shop, browsing until she found her target: ink made from deep-sea merfolk blood mixed with deep rock crystal, blended with elven tree sap and heart ink grass. Suitable for ring-three or lower spells without specific attributes or elements. Clearly, this highly vital, neutral ink wasn't suited for negative energy or elemental spells.
One perk of being a mid-ring spellcaster? She could access the magic circle's shop page anytime, anywhere—no need to visit the circle itself. Now, Yu Yu could shop from home, and mana servants would deliver straight to her door.
Living in Silver Moon meant near-instant delivery. The magic circle offered pre-made ink, but Yu Yu, fresh from Senior Meng's lessons, wanted to try blending her own. Buying raw materials was far cheaper—she could make about 500g of ink for less than 15 gold, while the magic circle charged 5 gold for just 50g.
She wasn't a rich senior; every coin saved counted.
According to Senior Meng, spellcasters once dominated enchantment, alchemy, and forging, standing at the world's pinnacle. But after the Flora Calamity, alchemy collapsed. The magic circle preserved the techniques and traditions, but without resources, it was a hollow victory. Only the elves, thanks to their racial traits, managed to cultivate some herbs with special methods, though yields were low, limiting them to basic potions.
Forging? That died when the resource zones fell. The magic circle's near-infinite energy source, the Moon Well, equivalent to nuclear fusion, exploded. All magical furnaces were lost on the main continent, crippling forging entirely. Yu Yu could only imagine the magic circle's former glory from Senior Meng's tales. Talk about controlling all production and resources, huh?
She slid open her bedside drawer, pulling out a neat stack of pristine magical paper. It wasn't thick, but its magical composition could withstand mana and mental energy. Her current stock came from Senior Meng for practice. Buying it herself? Fifty sheets cost 5 gold—steep. The crafting process was too complex for Yu Yu to attempt, but Senior Meng never seemed to worry about paper, casually handing her 500-sheet stacks. Yu Yu still had over five stacks, so she was set for now.
As a beginner, her mental energy was unstable, and mistakes were common. Beyond draining her mental energy, it burned through materials fast. Seeing her prepare to craft scrolls, Lynn's eyes sparkled, her emerald gaze brimming with curiosity. "You're making scrolls? How do they even work?"
Yu Yu grabbed her feather quill, a durable piece from the magic circle's beginner kit. It lacked any origin details, but…
"Should be fine, right?" she muttered.
The magic circle was pricey, but it never shortchanged its spellcasters. Their goods were expensive and high-quality. A healing spell was only ring-one. No problem.
"It's about spell principles," Yu Yu explained. "Spellcasters use mental energy to harmonize elements or the energy in ink or materials. Then, they construct a one-use model to shape the energy into a ready-to-cast state—what you call a scroll…"
A soft blue mana foal trotted in through the window, a small parcel on its back.
Yu Yu clapped. "It's here!"
Grinding the materials, she forgot all about notifying Shu Tu and the others to log on. Once she entered her zone, Yu Yu became focused, serene. Maybe it was the quiet atmosphere at Senior Meng's. Whenever Yu Yu visited, she'd slip into this state, and now she could do it at home. Lynn didn't dare interrupt, her dazzling green eyes fixed on Yu Yu.
Senior Meng's clear, magnetic voice echoed in Yu Yu's mind: "Though merfolk dwell in the deep sea, they descend from the dream merfolk. Fleeing the depths, they now reside on Silver Moon's east coast, aiding against oceanic anomalies. Through unknown means, they resist pollution, their blood retaining the dream merfolk's neutral harmony, brimming with energy and vitality…"
Yu Yu murmured to herself, "But merfolk are few, below the critical threshold, nearing extinction. As magic circle allies, their blood is precious and rare, widely used in ring-three and above evocation, enchantment, and conjuration…"
"What I bought at this price? Definitely farmed fish—Dream Flounder blood. It carries a trace of merfolk traits, but not much."
"It should suffice for healing."
Senior Meng's lecture resurfaced: "Ink ratios affect a spell's potency and duration. Every spellcaster's ink varies, as do their materials and mental energy depth, distinguishing each scroll's maker."
"But you're a newbie, so use the simplest ratio: core materials to additives, 3:7. If there's more than one core material, split evenly. Same for additives. Do the math."
Yu Yu cast mage hand to divide the materials, taking just enough for 50g and stowing the rest.
Flounder blood: 4g. Deep rock crystal powder: 4g. Elven tree sap: 8g. Heart ink grass juice: 9g. Add 25g of clear water later.
Carefully, she mixed them, watching the pale blue blood seep into the crimson crystal powder, followed by the light green sap and the deep black grass ink…
Senior Meng hadn't shared more details, suggesting this beginner-level blending required little finesse. Under Yu Yu's tense gaze, the crystal powder dissolved first, then the liquids merged, forming a black liquid. Lifting the test cup, Yu Yu noted the ink's thick, deep consistency. It seemed… successful?
Adding 25g of water, a faint cyan sheen coated the ink. Yu Yu grinned. Her first blend was a success!
Heck yeah, thrilled~
Next step: write!
Under Senior Meng's guidance, Yu Yu had practiced many spells, even ring-three ones. Compared to their grueling difficulty, healing was a mere ring-one spell, boosting her confidence.
Watch me shine!
Half an hour later, Yu Yu stared at her 50% success rate—five out of ten scrolls—lost in thought.
"Fine, take these healing scrolls for now. I'll work on restoration later."
If ring-one healing had such a low success rate, she needed more practice. Notably, enchanting consumed more mental energy than casting a spell outright. Maybe that's why the magic circle priced scrolls so high?
Though only half succeeded, Lynn was ecstatic, her green eyes curving with joy. "My first gifted scrolls! I'm so happy."
Yu Yu noticed Lynn's pointed ears perk up, resisting the urge to pat her head.
Gods, half-elves are adorable.
Wanna keep one!
Sadly, Lynn was grown. Should she find some elf kids to raise? So cute…
Senior Meng mentioned that elf children occasionally studied at the magic circle, often showing spellcaster talent…
But Yu Yu deflated. A mere mid-ring spellcaster with shallow knowledge? No elf kid would be assigned to her. Ugh.
Lynn dodged her head-pat attempt. "No touching! I'm off to test these!"
"They're for healing," Yu Yu called. "One-use healing might be weak. I'll research stronger ones later. Hey, don't run off! Let me know how they work!"
Made with her own ink and materials, Yu Yu wasn't sure of their effects. Compared to traditional potions, she didn't know the pros and cons, but Lynn's excitement warmed her heart.
Heck yeah~
I can make scrolls!
Could she craft them in reality? For the Federation? Maybe hospitals could use them?
Yu Yu saw potential.
Ring-one healing offered sustained recovery, but its one-shot healing needed tweaking. Ring-two restoration could heal external injuries, but with no one hurt to test it, she wasn't sure. She'd uploaded the spell, and high-ring spellcasters likely learned it, but it wasn't yet shared with outsiders.
As a mid-ring spellcaster, her spell list now included unfamiliar ones, like negative energy spells targeting humans—suggestion, daze, and more. But negative energy models were brutally complex. Without specializing, early negative energy spells were hard to systematize. In short: weak in combat.
Negative energy was all curses, control, poison, decay—barely any normal spells, and a glaring lack of strong offensive ones. Yu Yu suspected the magic circle hid these spells deliberately. They worked in reality, too. A spellcaster learning them could wreak havoc unchecked, with no high-ring spellcasters or magic circle oversight in the real world…
Yikes, too scary to think about.
Happily crafting two more healing scrolls, Yu Yu snapped a photo to send to Senior Meng for critique.
Then she hit a snag.
Logging off at lightspeed, she posted on the forum, @Xue: [Senior! Why can we send voice and pics outside, but not in the magic circle?]
[I want to add Senior Meng and the others as friends, ideally in a group chat with photo sharing!]
Xue: [It's in progress. Zong's handling it.]
In the 27-person group, she @Zong: [That's her. Send your suggestions.]
Guang Chen: [Xue?]
Zong: [Why ping me?]
Xue, slightly more respectful but only just, replied: [Introduce Zong to the kid. I'm swamped.]
Who's Guang Chen?
Yu Yu lurked, hesitating to speak.
Known: high-ring spellcasters use single-character codenames; top-ring use two.
Over half this group had two-character codenames!
She spotted Senior Dai, codenamed 'Daihao'—two characters, pure clout!
Xue's codename wasn't Xue either; it was 'Xuexi'—Learning.
Yu Yu thought if Shu Tu were a spellcaster, she'd vibe with Xue.
Did they regret their codenames? Were their tears now the water that flooded their brains back then?
She didn't dare ask or say it, lest she tempt fate and perish.
Guang Chen: [Kid? Yu?]
Yu Yu finally spoke: [Hello, Senior QAQ]
Lean into the cute.
[Not bad. I'll return to the academy soon. Meet me then,] Guang Chen said. [Restoration is a key internal discipline, now revived. I have tasks for you.]
Yu Yu perked up. [Mission accepted!]
Panda salute.jpg
Feng Ye: [Hey, she's mine.]
Guang Chen: [Borrowing her. Quit whining.]
Yu Yu sensed something. This sister, like Xue, was in the internal department? But what did she oversee?
Not daring to interject, Yu Yu watched the big shots bicker. With so many two-character codenames, she couldn't tell who was who. The Grand Archon's group was anonymous, so she couldn't even identify other Grand Archons.
Ugh, Grand Archons are lame.
Summoning Shu Tu and the others online, Yu Yu packed and sent the food. Then, astride her pony, earphones in and power bank tucked away, she listened to music while heading out of the city.
With no rush on her task, Yu Yu felt like a leisurely wanderer. Sadly, Silver Moon's shops were sparse, with little to buy. Unbeknownst to her, she cut an odd figure.
A black-robed spellcaster rode a translucent purple steed, ambling through the streets. Two white cords dangled from her hood. Sharp-eared high-tier professionals could even catch faint, pleasant music…
Hood up, Yu Yu missed the NPCs' stares.
She checked addresses, hoping the auction house would finish soon so she could sell her guild token. Though she'd added charging enchantment to her research, at her current level, it'd take ages. Power banks were bring-in, not take-out. Even landlords weren't that extravagant.
The Federation was kind, but Yu Yu didn't want to mooch forever. Nothing beat having her own cash. Sell the guild token quick! The Grand Archon surely had follow-up plans, and Yu Yu couldn't keep her waiting.
Still, having a phone was nice—photos, videos, music. Shame about no internet. She hoped Senior Zong would soon invent a magic circle phone. The one perk? If she could take her phone out someday, she'd snap book PDFs to study in reality.
Mom would praise my study vibes.jpg
Who grinds a game just to read and learn?
Yu! Yu! Always Yu! (Roaring)
Replicating restoration in reality wasn't easy. She'd discuss with Yu Bai later, maybe sourcing energy-rich materials through Federation channels. She'd make them for the Federation, maybe for free. Though she lacked time for quests, Yu Yu didn't mind aiding them her way. Enchanted bullets were too easy to replicate; she needed to boost her irreplaceability.
For now, steady progress.
Humming to her music, Yu Yu rode out of Silver Moon under curious gazes. White earphone cords paired with a spellcaster's black robe? Kinda stylish.
Too bad her robe lacked pockets. She desperately wanted to pitch to 0007: Can you sew pockets onto robes, big shots?
Robes had hidden enchantments, so she didn't dare modify them. Her phone was tucked inside the robe or her clothes' pockets. It was summer, and without the robe's AC-like enchantment, Yu Yu wouldn't bother wearing it.
At the city gate, she summoned a fire elemental. Under the silver-armored guards' stunned gazes, she cast feather fall on the elemental, tied it to her ghost horse's tail with animated rope, and…
"Let's roll!"
Sparks flying, Yu Yu blazed down the highway.
"White dragon horse, hooves to the west, carrying Yu Yu, Yu Yu, Yu…"
Singing, she galloped past working players.
"What the—? Is that Boss Yu? Are those earphone cords?"
"Holy crap, that fire elemental's setting the roadside on fire!!"
"Put it out!"
"Why's it raining?"
Though Silver Moon to Moon Bay Town was magic circle territory, a frail spellcaster needed a bodyguard, right?
For stray sparks, Yu Yu cast call raindrops to douse them. Outside wasn't under enforcement jurisdiction, so a drizzle was fine~
Thanks to her summoning specialization and Senior Meng's spell model, Yu Yu extended her fire elemental's duration to thirty minutes. Now a mid-ring spellcaster, her mental energy was 1920, plus 30 from gear and 2000 from the Grand Archon's ring. Mental energy shortages were a thing of the past.
Senior Meng once slipped, praising Yu Yu's mental talent—mid-ring, yet at the tier's peak. When Yu Yu overheard, Meng quickly pivoted, scolding her poor studies and wasted potential.
Still, Yu Yu was thrilled. Talented! Proud stance.jpg
The forests that once terrified her now felt tame. Her ghost horse outpaced most players, reaching Moon Bay Town's forest in fifteen minutes. Yu Yu turned off her music, removed her earphones, adjusted her robe, dismissed the fire elemental, and sauntered into the woods. The ghost horse's off-road prowess was reliable, proven from her trip with Lynn.
But…
Though outside wasn't enforcement territory, burning forests could cause issues.
That sparked a thought.
Her points! How'd she forget?
Water, ice, lightning, wind elementals?
Yu Yu halted, buying four elemental summons: -20,000 points, -80 gold.
She'd learned them but stuck with her fire elemental. Her fire and earth elementals used improved models—duration, strength, and cost far surpassed the originals. She'd learn new models from Senior Meng before summoning others. At the cave from before, Yu Yu paused.
Checking the magic circle list—
There! A ring-two summon: spectral dire wolf.
Big, rideable, and cave-friendly.
-1500 points, -1 gold.
Checking her fire elemental's timer, Yu Yu jotted a note.
Complaint to 0007: Eternal Darkness lacks a real-time clock. Bad review!
Summon timers too—can't you display them? Bad review!
Dismissing the fire elemental, she summoned a fresh one, resetting the thirty-minute clock. Casting candlelight above her head, Yu Yu rode the dire wolf into the cave, relaxed. The magic circle had high-ring spellcasters here; small threats couldn't touch her fire elemental. For safety, she added a shield and summoned an earth elemental to trail behind.
Her candlelight was blindingly bright, illuminating her path like daylight. Safe. Steady. The journey was smooth. The bat swarm that once troubled her? One sonic burst cleared them. Dead or not, Yu Yu didn't care, strolling past. She reached the ruin's entrance.
The burly fire elemental crouched, charged, and leaped!
Yu Yu, on her wolf, landed effortlessly. The earth elemental crashed loudly behind, cracking a leg, but the damage vanished instantly. Yu Yu's leisurely pace caught many eyes.
Lynn: "?"
Spellcaster Lynn, possibly codenamed 'Lynn'—Yu Yu wasn't sure.
Good thing this senior was here, or the half-elf might've been forcibly renamed overnight…
Spotting two black-robed spellcasters, Yu Yu dismissed her summons and said politely, "The Grand Archon sent me to deliver food to His Majesty."
The two stood one before the other, suggesting a hierarchy.
"Follow me," the lead spellcaster said.
It'd been a while, but Yu Yu could tell this wasn't Senior Lynn's voice.
Maybe they rotated shifts?
Muttering to herself, Yu Yu followed.
The lead spellcaster's stride was relaxed, and Yu Yu unconsciously matched her calm pace.
Ah, chill vibes.jpg
Though, riding a summon was comfier, honestly.
Next time, maybe summon a cushion too?
The black-robed spellcaster asked, "What's your name, little one?"
"Yu, Senior," Yu Yu replied. "I'm Yu."
The spellcaster's voice was warm, mature, and likable. "What do you think a legend is like?" she asked casually, a hint of amusement in her tone.
Yu Yu recalled the Majesty she'd met, hesitating. "Maybe… they eat a lot?"
The spellcaster: "…"