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After dismissing the chain quest notifications, Emily decides to check her other ongoing quest.

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[The Four Fundamental Forces]

[Rank:] C

[Description:] Learn and understand the four fundamental forces of physics

Requirements:

-Learn 3/4 Forces (Not Complete)

Rewards:

-Blueprint: Universal Transmitter

_____

“Thought so!” Grinning, Emily opens her notebook to a random blank page and begins writing:

Electromagnetic Force – Basic Electrical Theory

Strong Nuclear Interaction – Basic Particle Physics

Weak Nuclear Interaction – Basic Particle Physics

Gravitational Force – ?

I’m certain these are the four fundamental forces, but I don’t understand gravity enough for it to count yet. I have some scraps of information from kinematics, but only how to use it in relation to projectiles. Wait, isn’t this knowledge great for making weapons?

Continuing her notes, Emily jots down a simplistic breakdown of her new knowledges to help her process them.

Kinematics – Forces, Projectiles, Momentum, Motion

Material Science – Material Properties/Composition, States of matter, Fluid Dynamics

Yep, kinematics is definitely helpful for weapons! I should try making a gun again, this time it shouldn’t require anywhere near as many tests blowing up in my face. Material science will help a lot too. I can’t believe I never considered the stress explosions place on the metal of the gun before. It’s no wonder my creations degraded so quickly.

Nodding to herself happily, Emily drops her quill and picks up the spell scroll from the desk.

I can make plans for weapons later. For now, let’s make the most of this knowledge to complete my quest!

Opening the parchment, Emily sees another simple magic circle, chant, and spell name. Within a few seconds of reading, a new system notification pops up.

ˉˉˉˉˉ

Spell memorised: Stunning Touch

[Stunning Touch]

[Circle:] First

[Cost:] 20 Mana/cast

[Description:] Sends a pulse of lightning into a target upon contact.

_____

Satisfied, she tosses the spell parchment aside and begins considering which elements to manifest next.

Water should be easy now that I understand fluid dynamics, and ice as well since it’s just the solid form of water. I think metal should be doable too. Though I’m not too sure since metal is a wide term; I suspect that’s due to their limited knowledge of exotic elements. They should count it if I focus on manifesting steel, right? Hmm, earth might be possible too, but it may take a while to work out what combination of minerals, water and air makes it up. I don’t think I can do light or darkness yet. I’m still in the dark, heh, on those two. And that’s the same with space.

With a choice made, Emily begins her work on manifesting elements. After only fifteen minutes of meditation, she manages to manifest a small, clear orb of water and a shard of ice.

“Two down, one to go.”

Next, she attempts to manifest steel. It comes a lot easier to her, and after ten minutes she conjures a small chunk of glistening silver steel.

“Mission complete! Now for the challenge.”

As she expected, manifesting earth becomes a solid roadblock for her. After a full hour of focus, she finally manages to conjure a small mass of dirt above her hand.

“Ugh, Goddess I thought I’d never get that. Whoever decided earth should be a common element deserves an air blast to the head!” Grumpily dismissing the mass of dirt, Emily sits back in her chair and stretches.

“I need a break.” Just as she mutters this to herself, she hears a knock at the door. “Perfect!”

With a small grin, she stands up and leaves her room to join Juliana for lunch.

***

After spending the rest of the reset practising gesture-casting spells and theory-crafting weapons for her advancement requirements, Emily once again finds herself standing in a classroom manifesting elements. She surprises everyone in the room with a plethora of different conjurations as usual, with even Jenny seeming shocked at the sheer quantity of her affinities. As she manifests ice, her system notifications alert her to a new quest completion.

ˉˉˉˉˉ

Chain-Quest completed: True Magical Genius #2

[True Magical Genius #2]

[Rank:] C

[Description:] Three manifestations down, three more to go!

Requirements:

-Manifest 6/6 Elements in your first manifestation attempt (Complete)

Rewards:

-Mechanic Knowledge: Basic Waves

-Mechanic Knowledge: Basic Thermodynamics

-Skill: Basic Metalworking (passive)

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Chain-Quest Generated: True Magical Genius #3

[True Magical Genius #3]

[Rank:] B

[Description:] You’ve successfully marked your right as a magical genius, now can you achieve the impossible?

Requirements:

-Manifest 6/15 Elements in your first manifestation attempt (Not Complete)

Rewards:

-Mechanic Knowledge: Basic Fields

-Mechanic Knowledge: Basic Biology (human)

-Mechanic Knowledge: Basic Chemistry

-Talent: One With The Elements

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Ignoring the familiar feeling of new knowledge being filed into her cortex, Emily looks at the new quest with dissatisfaction.

Fifteen elements? That’s more than the Covenant seems to be aware of. I think I may have to give up this quest here.

Ignoring Jenny congratulating her, Emily quickly manifests steel, watching her quest tick up to 7/15.

Maybe if I manifest different metals? I’ll test that next loop. What about my new knowledges.

Focusing on the new information in her head, Emily quickly sorts through for anything that could help manifest a different element.

Thermodynamics is useless here. The only element it could help with is fire and I can already use that. Waves can definitely help with light, and possibly darkness since that’s an absence of light? But that only takes me to nine elements, I need six more. Space is too abstract, I get a feeling I will have to look outside of physics for that one, but that will take too long for this unless I want to keep looping for weeks of experimentation and research.

The lesson finishes with Emily still stuck in her thoughts. She leaves the classroom quickly, ignoring Jenny’s attempts to get her to stay, and visits the information hub to grab another spell. By the time she settles back down in her room, Emily has come to a disappointing conclusion.

“I think I have to give up here.” Sighing and collapsing in her chair, she accepts her defeat.

No matter what she considers, she can’t find a way, other than different metals, to reach fifteen elements without introducing new elements to the Covenant. Needing a distraction, Emily pulls up her new skill.

ˉˉˉˉˉ

[Basic Metalworking (passive)]

User knows how to form metal to their will.

-Grants +10% production speed when working with metal

-Grants an instinctive understanding of how to best process metals

_____

Hmm, why is this classified as a skill instead of a knowledge?

To test, Emily focuses on the concept of metalworking and finds no information rising to the front of her mind. Confused, she instead tries thinking about processing a raw chunk of iron into an ingot, and immediately the processes required for smelting and shaping the metal flash through her mind.

Ah, I see. This is more an application of my knowledge than new knowledge itself.

With a small, satisfied nod, she moves on to the new spell before her. Following the process of opening the parchment and memorising the contents, the new spell is quickly added to her Spellbook.

ˉˉˉˉˉ

Spell memorised: Grease

[Grease]

[Circle:] First

[Cost:] 30 Mana/cast

[Description:] Spray a burst of slippery liquid in the direction of the caster’s gaze.

_____

Emily raises a brow in confusion while staring at the new water element spell.

How odd. I guess it’s water-related, but the other starter spells have been so basic compared to this.

Quickly brushing aside her confusion, and deciding she’ll look in more detail at her spells once she’s collected every element’s starter spell, she focuses on finishing off her manifestations. Light proves more difficult than she expected, taking a full hour to form a stable mental image.

“Tsk, this new knowledge is great and all, but I think I need to do some tests with it to fully understand everything.” Clicking her tongue, she dismisses the shimmering waves of light twisting together above her hand.

As if to prove her point, even after spending the next three hours trying, she fails to manifest darkness. Dropping her head onto her desk, drained from her repeated attempts, Emily checks her mana levels.

ˉˉˉˉˉ

[Mana:] 48/345

_____

Figures, I think I have to give up on darkness for now. Let’s test copper then meditate for the rest of this reset, I’m exhausted.

Sitting back up, she closes her eyes and follows the same process for manifesting steel, but this time picturing a chunk of copper being formed. As expected, she successfully manifests the metal, however, her instincts tell her it’s still the same element as steel.

Whatever, I’ll find out tomorrow.

***

The next reset, Emily cycles through all her elements again. After the four common, she summons lightning, ice, light, and steel. Then, while ignoring her classmates’ disbelief around her, she manifests copper. Checking her system quest, she sees 8/15 marking her failure.

Thought so, it feels the same as steel and the system counts it as such. I’ll just reset until I have a free spell from each element then move on.

Disappointed, she accepts her inability to complete the third stage of her chain quest and begins the slow process of repeating the same day over and over again with no changes.

After three more resets, she runs into a problem.

“I’m sorry Miss Coldstone, I’m afraid I can’t give you a spell for an element you can’t use. Miss Forsythia has already registered your affinities, and while the list is long, it does not include darkness. Please choose another element,” the clerk behind the counter tells her with an apologetic tone.

Shit, I didn’t think this would be an issue since they asked us which element we would like, but I guess full confirmed manifestations has limited my choices.

“Fire then please,”

Checking the spell after returning to her room, she finds the same burning hands spell.

“Tsk, guess I’ll have to live with one of each element.”

Once again resetting at the end of the day, this time around Emily doesn’t manifest any elements in class and successfully claims a darkness element spell. She repeats this again to claim a space spell, completing her collection of all available free spells.

Finally, she resets one last time to live out her day correctly.

***

Walking into the classroom, Emily walks straight towards Tom and Hester.

“Hey! Come sit with us!” Tom calls out for the tenth time.

“You gonna talk through the lesson as well?”

“No, don’t worry!” Tom flashes a toothy grin which Emily mirrors as she settles down with the twins.

A few minutes later when Jenny is done with her explanation, she invites everyone to the dais again and Emily happily skips down to claim her contribution points.

Time to show off!

Fire.

“Ten points to Emily Coldstone!”

Water.

“Ten points to Emily Coldstone!”

Wind.

“Ten points to Emily Coldstone!”

Earth.

“Ten points to Emily Coldstone!”

After the first four elements, Emily looks at her classmates to see them staring at her with familiar shock on their faces, and two equally familiar glares of hatred and envy from Jeremy and Kyle.

“Incredible Emily! Truly a talent blessed by the Goddess herself. Do you think you can attempt any other elements?”

As expected, Jenny quickly derails the lesson to focus on Emily after this display.

“I can try.” Emily smiles as she closes her eyes and cycles through the rest of her elements.

Light. Ice. Lightning. Metal.

Opening her eyes at the end of her display, Jenny claps for her enthusiastically.

“Outstanding! Three higher form and one fundamental element. Have you had training before coming here?” Jenny questions as she walks back to her podium again.

“No, Miss, I’ve never been taught a thing,” Emily lies on a technicality with a smile.

“Good, then for that unbelievable display… One hundred points to Emily Coldstone!”

A collective gasp breaks out across the line-up of students. As all of them stand in a stupor and Emily basks in the stares of envy with a grin, Jenny approaches the students again.

“Would anybody else like to try their hand at another element?” she asks with a knowing smile.

Pausing for a few seconds and hearing nothing but silence, she dismisses the class, advising each of the new students on which elements to focus on. She asks Emily to stay behind afterwards, to which Emily agrees this time before waving Tom and Hester out while promising to talk again later.

“So, Emily, why don’t you tell me a little about yourself and how you ended up here?”

Her conversation with Jenny flows similarly to the first time till the end.

“No problem, I’m happy to help.” Emily stands up and starts walking out, waiting with bated breath to see if Jenny calls her again.

“Oh, and Emily.” Hearing Jenny’s call, Emily clicks her tongue silently as she turns around.

Damn, I thought I hid my reactions better this time!

“If you ever hit a roadblock in your magical studies or need help or advice on anything else, my door is always open. I’m in room S118. I’ll make sure The Dome has you registered as welcome in the staff dorms,” she says with a kind smile, catching Emily slightly off guard.

“Ah, thank you, Jenny,” Emily says, matching her smile. “See you next lesson!”

She bows her head lightly before stepping out.

Success!