Lilinette's Return to the World Full of Mana

In the midst of a mini savanna, a teenage girl meditating was none other than Lilinette Millard, the Head of the Arcadia Social Division. 

She had recently managed to restore her damaged Mana Nucleus thanks to a curative potion crafted by Cien. 

This potion, listed as "Elixir" in Cien recipe, possessed the remarkable ability to heal all wounds and ailments, including broken Mana Nucleus, which was often considered the end of a warrior's journey.

A week prior, when Cien had successfully concocted the Elixir, he immediately instructed Lilinette to consume it, stating that it was a condition for her journey to Mandora.

"What kind of potion is this?" 

Cien grinned widely and replied, "It's a curative potion for all illnesses, my dear. It's called Elixir."

Hearing this, Lilinette hesitated for a moment. "I'm not sick."

Still wearing a smile on his face, Cien said, "Just drink it. You'll understand its effects soon enough."

Reluctantly, though still uncertain, Lilinette had to drink the mysterious potion given by her uncle. 

For her, the journey to Mandora was not only about fulfilling her responsibilities as the Head of the Social Division but also about addressing the family issues she had left behind when she fled (kidnapped by Cien) from Ashur.

Witnessed by Ethel, Kirana, Mia, Sella, and Cherry, Lilinette consumed the potion in a single gulp. When it was all gone, there was no immediate visible effect for a few moments.

"..." 

Lilinette fell silent, as if sensing something happening within her body.

"Nothing's happening?" Mia wondered.

"Is this some kind of prank?" Cherry asked.

Ethel glanced at Cien, feeling anxious about the potion he had just given to their niece.

"Just stay calm. Wait a moment. The magic is about to begin," Cien reassured them.

Cien instructed everyone in the living room to remain quiet and witness the mystical event that was about to unfold. 

Only two minutes later, Lilinette's typically indifferent eyes suddenly widened. She could now truly feel a significant change within herself.

"Uncle, this is...!"

Lilinette's body began to emit a bright green glow. Mana in the vicinity instantly flowed into the teenage girl's body, causing those around her to squint, unable to look away from her radiant gaze.

For several minutes, they watched Lilinette continuously absorb Mana into her body. Cien, who was witnessing this phenomenon for the first time, was quite intrigued.

'So, this is what happens when someone's Mana Nucleus is being repaired... damn, I guess this experiment should have been conducted outdoors.'

Unlike the mesmerized onlookers, Cien surveyed his messy living room, noticing furniture flying about haphazardly.

'When Ethel realizes this, I might get an earful. Sigh…'

"Cough!!"

Lilinette suddenly coughed up blood, shocking Cien and the others. They watched as Lilinette grimaced, clutching her chest in pain.

Cien furrowed his brow, sensing the flow of Mana in the air and attempting to feel the Mana within his niece's body – using his instincts.

"Lily! Meditate and channel the flow of Mana within your body!" 

Cien ordered, a command immediately obeyed by the girl. Still feeling a sharp pain in her chest, Lilinette forced herself to manipulate the Mana currently running wild within her.

Her body was in shock, having gone for a long time without Mana flow. 

This made it difficult for her narrow and dried-up Mana channels to contain the powerful flow, which was now forcibly widening them and causing her pain. If left unchecked, Lilinette could injure herself once more. 

Therefore, she worked to manipulate her Mana flow, making it gentle and steady as it was gradually absorbed by her Mana Nucleus, which had begun to repair itself.

The radiant aura surrounding Lilinette dimmed, no longer as brilliant as before but now appearing gentle, with the flow of Mana in the atmosphere resembling a peaceful river from head to toe.

The situation eventually returned to calm. However, Lilinette continued her peaceful meditation. 

Ethel and the others who had witnessed the mystical event were left in awe, pondering the extraordinary occurrence before them. 

They all turned to Cien simultaneously, who wore a stiff smile, sensing all their questioning gazes.

"Cien, what did you just give her? What happened to Lily?" 

Ethel inquired, representing the curiosity of the others as well.

"Didn't I already mention it earlier? It's the Elixir potion. It can heal all kinds of illnesses and wounds," Cien proudly explained to those who watched. "That includes repairing a damaged Mana Nucleus."

"!!!" 

They fell silent in shock. 

Something miraculous had just occurred. Healing a Mana Nucleus, something considered impossible, had just been accomplished by Cien. 

Not even Holy Magic and Creation Magic from Divinia could mend such damage.

"How did you do it?" a still surprised Mia asked.

"I simply brewed a potion. Alchemy," Cien replied.

"Do you realize what you've just done, Cien?" Ethel inquired.

"Of course. The entire Kastia would panic if they knew about this healing potion. But even if they did, it doesn't mean they could easily make it. Not only is its creation the most challenging alchemy I've ever done, but the materials required are also not easy to come by." 

Cien explained, making Mia immediately realize something.

"No way, Eternal Ice?"

"Oh, you're sharp~ yup, Eternal Ice is one of the main ingredients. Of course, there are other rare materials as well, but Eternal Ice is the hardest to obtain. So even if the world knows, it would be difficult to replicate."

"Nevertheless, this is still a breakthrough that could shake Kastia. Knowing that there's a potion that can heal someone's Mana Nucleus. It's nothing short of a miracle. The royals would pay a fortune to get their hands on this potion," Mia added.

Cien smiled, well aware of this. 

He had no intention of hiding it. In fact, he wanted to promote it. If the enthusiasts had the necessary materials, Cien would brew the Elixir at a price that certainly wouldn't be cheap. 

This would not only benefit Arcadia but also forge new connections with influential people in Kastia.

"Hmm, nice~" Mia grinned widely, already formulating plans in her mind to spread the news. "I'll get the preparations started."

"Hm, I leave it to you," Cien responded.

Cien and the others returned their attention to Lilinette, who was still in meditation. 

However, even as the sun set, she showed no signs of finishing. Eventually, Mia and the rest bid farewell from Cien's home.

Meanwhile, Cherry and Sella were busy cleaning up the house, which had been thrown into disarray by the powerful Mana surge earlier.

"It looks like this might take until morning," Cien remarked as he sat at the dining table with his family.

"Father, let Kiran accompany Lily. You all should rest," Kirana suggested.

With that, Kirana stayed by her cousin's side throughout the night. 

She watched the Mana flow entering Lilinette's body without growing weary. Until just before dawn, as the sun began to rise.

Lilinette let out a long breath and opened her eyes, feeling the cool Mana flow within her. A sensation she hadn't experienced in a long time, something so familiar yet distant over the past few years.

"Lily, congratulations. You're a mage once again."

"Kiran..." Lilinette was surprised to see Kirana sitting cross-legged beside her. "Hmm, I never saw this coming. It feels like a dream."

Lilinette's face at that moment radiates warmth. She smiled with tears glistening on her cheeks.

"Kiran... I'm glad death hasn't come for me yet."

.

.

.

And that's what happened a week ago.

After that, two days later, Lilinette, who had adapted to her healed Mana Nucleus, handed all her responsibilities over to Casey temporarily. 

Lilinette and Kirana then ventured into the Death Valley forest to train.

In just five days, Lilinette not only regained her former peak strength but even surpassed it. 

Lilinette now possessed the power of a Rank 5 Low Class, a development that seemed impossible to others. 

However, Kirana, who witnessed it firsthand, could only marvel. She had seen Lilinette just return to Rank 1, but each day her rank had continued to increase until she reached Rank 5.

"No wonder many people considered her a genius in the past. That's also why Uncle Raphael was so disappointed when Lilinette's Mana Nucleus was destroyed."

Although Kirana understood that Lilinette's rapid development might be attributed to her previous knowledge, the concentrated Mana in Death Valley, and her father's Elixir, she believed that Lilinette could still progress to Rank 7 before this rapid growth would start to slow down.

But…

'It's still terrifying.'

Kirana thought as she approached Lilinette.

"Lily, it's time to head back," Kirana said, waking her cousin from her meditation.

"Hm, let's go." 

Lilinette replied as she rose from her seated position. She patted her clothes and pants before turning to Kirana with a sweet smile. 

Lilinette's expression still appeared somewhat emotionless, but now there was warmth emanating from her eyes and her smile.

Lilinette and Kirana began to prepare to leave. Kirana took out her compass to determine the way back, while Lilinette's attention was diverted to her right. 

She sensed from the rustling of the wind that a monster was rushing toward their location.

Lilinette raised her hand and seemed to grasp something in the air. She clenched her fist tightly.

Kirana observed this action, realizing that there might be a monster approaching at this moment. 

However, she felt no threat whatsoever because when the monster came into view, a black tiger with white stripes, it stumbled and fell lifeless about five meters in front of Lilinette.

'Removing the air... Lilinette has truly mastered a terrifying technique.'

Kirana thought. Over the past two days, she had witnessed monsters approaching her cousin, only to die on their own.

Lilinette was aware of her shortcomings and the need to relearn magic from scratch. 

However, she had been fortunate to observe Cien's combat techniques during her time in Ashur and Farnodt.

One thing Lilinette had learned was the importance of elemental manipulation. 

She had seen how Cien could turn low-level spells like [Water Ball] into deadly weapons by manipulating them to disrupt an opponent's respiratory system.

If Cien could do it, why couldn't she? As a wind magician, shouldn't she be able to remove air from her enemies, depriving them of oxygen?

That's what she had been trying to master over the past two days—manipulating the air around her. And the results were evident: the monsters couldn't get close to her.

"Take them?" Lilinette asked.

"...Do you know how many monsters you've killed? It's too troublesome; just leave them," Kirana replied.

"Hm."