Making the team
In a mansion in Soran,
Alyssa was sitting in the meditation pose, absorbing mana from a C Rank Mana Gem. There were three of them available in front of her. This was the gift Asher had given her for ranking up to D Rank.
Unlike weapon users, mages ranked up purely based on the amount and quality of their mana. It was easy for a mage to rank up and become an S Rank hunter but difficult for a sword user to become an S Rank hunter purely by using mana gems.
People who chose the path of a mage needed strong mana meridians and a good flow of mana inside their bodies. But those who chose the weapon path needed a stronger body to withstand their mana.
This was why, despite having so much mana, Asher still needed to expend that mana to increase the power of his physical body as well. Mana circulation techniques helped with that. Due to this long and hard process, ranking up was a difficult task for most people.