Training: Preparation (part 1)

"Where are you taking us?" Illianna questioned Sian.

Finishing stretching under the morning sun, Sian replied, "Just wait and you'll see."

After breakfast, Sian prepared to go hunting with Illianna and increase her levels as he had promised.

At the moment, they were on a green plain near the mansion.

Along with the two were Milka, who refused to stay behind, Tina, who was Sian's student, and Teshar.

Since Tina was still very young, Sian did not intend to get her into combat, but he believed it would be good for her to observe and get used to fighting.

When they were leaving, there was another one who also wanted to accompany them. That one was Emily. But it was too early for her, then Sian bribed her to stay with the promise of a gift.

"Before we begin, I have something for you two."

Two staffs appeared in Sian's hands, and he presented them to Illianna and Tina.

Both were different, while one was yellow and looked like it came straight out of a fairy tale, the other looked like a simple brown cane. Despite their differences, both staffs were equal in terms of efficiency.

"Use this when you go to practice magic." Sian handed the yellow one to Tina and the brown one to Illianna. "Since I made them in a hurry, they're not that good, but they'll do for beginners."

While Illianna examined the staff curiously, as if she were studying it, Tina was crestfallen.

"What's the matter?" Sian asked.

"I still can't use magic..." With a sad look on her face, Tina continued in an almost inaudibly voice, "I don't think I have aptitude for magic..."

"It's normal not to get it at first, kiddy," Milka put his hand on her head and squeezed it between her soft mounds. "You'll learn sooner or later, I'll help you with that."

"Milka's right," Sian agreed. "Learning magic is like swimming, there's no point in watching, you just have to try until you succeed."

"But Illianna made it in no time..." Tina murmured as she passed her arms around Milka.

"Well, people are different, there's no point in comparing," Sian said. "Remember, magic is an internal energy that everyone has, so as long as you don't give up, you'll make it, got it?"

Although she didn't give a verbal response, Tina nodded her head.

"Are these staffs really necessary?" Illianna asked. "I've read that they assist in channeling and controlling mana, but I don't need one. I can already use magic perfectly well."

"No, you just don't think you need one, but you do." Sian stated. "A staff will improve the efficiency of your spells."

Although some underestimate staves, they are as important to mages as swords are to soldiers. Not only do they help the user to better control magic, but they also improve the quality of magic.

It is widely known that spells have limits imposed on their creation and cannot exert a power much beyond what was pre-established by its creator. But it is a different matter when it comes to the quality of the mana used.

Using the mold of a blade as an example, if it is filled with mud, this will give rise to a blade of clay and this represents a normal spell. On the other mold, the material used would be molten iron and represents a spell powered by magic enhanced with the staff.

"With that said, it's obvious which blade is stronger. But anyway, do you still think you don't need a staff?" Sian asked Illianna.

Seeming to be convinced by the explanation, Illianna raised the white flag, "Okay, I was wrong."

With a sudden change of expression, Illianna seemed to have remembered something and took a short wooden staff and a breastplate from her inventory.

"I received that when I was reincarnated. The shadow said that this was a gift from the gods. What do you think?"

Using the connection between the two, Illianna questioned.

The staff looked like just a short piece of thin stick at the bottom that gets thicker at the top. As for the breastplate, it looked like a sturdy corset and nothing else.

But to be a gift from the gods, it could not be as simple as it seemed. Taking the staff from Illianna's hands, Sian injected magic and examined it carefully.

The staff appeared to have been intricately created by putting various metals together. It was full of magical formations and circuits, some of which Sian had never seen. But because of his knowledge, he was still able to get a general idea about the staff's functions and quality.

"That's amazing!" Sian was surprised. "It looks like they wanted you to do well around here."

"What do you mean?" Illianna asked.

"That is an extraordinary weapon and in addition to being disguised, it is bound to you. It seems that it can awaken and become even better if enough magic is injected into it."

"Then do it," Illianna said.

"Although I can make it through our connection, I think there's a trick to that staff. It's just a guess, but it will probably awaken proper functionality for you. So you'd better do it yourself."

Receiving the staff from Sian's hands, she immediately began to inject mana into it and within seconds, the staff began to glow blue and its shape changed rapidly.

Unlike the piece of wood it looked like before, now the handle became a long silver rod with golden spiral stripes. At the top of it was a sun within the empty space of a half-moon.

"Hmm," after examining it a bit, Sian said, "Maybe I'm wrong, but I think the staff may have absorbed some of my mana flowing to you."

"I think so too," Illianna nodded.

The reason for the two's suspicion was simple, while Illianna was a full mage, the staff didn't seem to be just for mages. The rays of sunlight coming out of it were so long and sharp that it was perfectly suited to be used as a weapon.

Picking up the staff, Sian examined it again. Strangely, some functions that had not existed in his past check, were now available. Although he didn't know how, Sian was pretty sure that this was due to the same system that granted Illianna skills.

"That's extraordinary!" Thinking of trying something, Sian said, "Your armor has a similar mechanism. Put magic in it."

Doing as he said, Illianna inserted magic into the armor. At that moment, Sian did not stand immobile and increased the flow of magic transferring to Illianna.

Like the staff, the corset glowed, and although it was in Illianna's hands, it opened and clung to her chest. As if undergoing a metamorphosis, it began to change, becoming a long blue dress.

While the back of Illianna's dress almost touched the ground, the front of her skirt was open, showing her legs in a black pantyhose. On her head, which previously had nothing on it, appeared a long, pointed hat.

Not stopping its transformation, silver metal plates with gold details appeared all over the dress. Despite the protection offered by the plates, they were elegantly and neatly distributed.

"It's so beautiful!" Tina, who previously had her face buried in Milka's chest was marveling at the transformation of Illianna's corset.

"It doesn't really look like armor, it's more like a dress full of decorations for some noblemen's event." Milka said after looking it up and down.

"Isn't it heavy?" Tina asked.

"Actually, no. I don't feel any weight coming from the dress." Illianna said as she examined herself.

"That's one of the features of that armor, it has some interesting features," Sian said.

"Like wha-!"

*Bang*

Before Illianna completed her sentence, a punch from Sian flew straight at her abdomen, but was stopped by a transparent barrier. At the same time, Sian could feel that Illianna's magic was completely consumed and even some of his own mana was consumed.

With a clear expression of grumpiness, Illianna stared at him, "What are you doing?!"

"Testing your armor."

Without giving her time to respond, Sian struck another blow, but this time he completely cut off the mana supply that transferred to Illianna.

He wanted to find out if the armor could withstand a blow even if Illianna was out of mana.

Just as his punch was about to hit Illianna, she simply disappeared.

"What happened?!" Tina was confused as she looked from side to side, "Where did she go?"

"Back to the central continent," Sian said calmly.

Through the link that connected them, Sian could sense that Illianna had been taken to the hotel on Solaris.

"The armor can judge the strength of an attack and if it can't defend, it runs away with the wearer," Sian contemplated. "Even though that's a resource with a recharge time, it's still interesting."

Proving to be truly a gift from the gods, Illianna's armor also had several strengthening effects and several auxiliary spells that serve to cover her weaknesses as a mage and improve her strengths.

After that, Sian went to get Illianna, and although he spared no praise for her armor, he was not saved from the flurry of lectures.