Seraphina settled on taking production classes that had nothing to do with smithing or enchanting, so as not to overlap with their professions.
In the end, she enrolled in Tailoring, Leathercrafting, Jewelcrafting, Herbal Studies, Scribing, Animal Husbandry, and Cartography for her final semester. They were practical subjects, arts that would always be useful no matter where she ended up, and they allowed her to contribute meaningfully without overlapping with anyone else's profession.
Tailoring and Leathercrafting would help cover the gap in their party's skill set. At the very least, it ensured they could produce clothing when needed.
Tailoring focused on weaving cloth from raw materials and crafting robes, uniforms, and casual wear. Leathercrafting, on the other hand, involved treating hides and assembling durable gear like boots, gloves, and light armor. Both classes also included basic repair techniques, which meant their party could mend damaged clothing and equipment while on the road.
As an alchemist, she could use Synthesize to add chemical effects to the cloth and Extract on leather for a cleaner finish. This allowed her products to become stronger, more flexible, or resistant to certain elements.
Although Jewelcrafting slightly overlapped with smithing, it was a lucrative field with high market demand, making the redundancy well worth it.
In class, she learned how to cut and polish raw gemstones to enhance their clarity, color, and value. She practiced embedding gems into rings, amulets, and armor pieces, often pairing them with enchantments for added effect. She also studied how different gem types interacted with magical energy, allowing her to create specialized accessories tailored to specific combat or utility needs.
As an alchemist she used Synthesize to combine certain gems, enhancing their effects when enchanted. Additionally, she applied chemical stains to gemstones to further boost their magical properties.
As a side hustle, Bastion often asked Seraphina to prepare gems with specific enchantments in mind. She carefully fine-tuned each one for maximum compatibility, ensuring they were perfectly suited for the enchantments he planned to apply. Once he received them, Bastion would set the gems and enchant them, often producing results far stronger than anything he had crafted before.
Any extras they had were sold off, and the profit they made easily outshined what Bastion used to earn on his own.
Herbal Studies covered everything from identifying rare herbs and understanding their properties and uses, to locating their natural habitats and learning how to cultivate them, making it a valuable choice for her alchemy business.
Scribing was one of the most profitable markets she had heard of, so dabbling in it might pay off in the future. While she couldn't create skill books due to their divine origins, she could at least craft her own skill scrolls for personal use.
Animal Husbandry, on the other hand, was her way of testing whether she had the potential to become a tamer. Bastion had enjoyed the class during his time with it, so perhaps she would too. Besides, they might one day encounter a creature as valuable as a goose that lays golden eggs, and being prepared for that possibility could prove useful.
Finally, Cartography might help them navigate dungeons designed as labyrinths. She had read that some even manipulated perception and memory, so learning how to create enchanted maps could prove valuable one day.
Hopefully, one of these professions would resonate with her and ignite the same passion she felt for games, anime, manga, and novels.
As their 3rd and final semester began, Bastion finally made time to visit the War Council Chamber. He had intended to visit it since his first year at the academy, but various pressing circumstances kept pulling his attention elsewhere.
Now, in his final semester of his final year, he decided it was time.
Armed with advanced knowledge in magic, enchanting, and smithing, he assumed it would be easy to deconstruct whatever magical device the academy used to simulate intelligence.
After entering the War Council Chamber and booking a session, he stepped into a private room where a large table stood surrounded by high-backed chairs.
The table displayed a map through a holographic projection created by light manipulation, a relatively simple enchantment in theory, but extremely difficult to apply in practice. Properly using light manipulation enchantments required a great deal of information. It demanded an Intelligence and Wisdom close to 200, far beyond Bastion's current capabilities.
The simulation was straightforward. It presented a military scenario and asked the user to issue a response. Bastion had to give precise orders before the simulated armies carried out the battle.
The battles felt realistic, complete with statistical data that clearly reflected the outcome of each decision. It required an exceptional level of intelligence to interpret and respond to everything effectively. The complexity of the system placed it far beyond the capabilities of a typical Rank 2 mage.
Bastion quickly realized he was in over his head, but he still tried to understand how the system worked.
He reasoned that the most likely method involved something similar to his golem's magic core. The core would be infused with the intent of a highly strategic mind, allowing it to manipulate the holographic projection and produce accurate outcomes based on decisions made during the simulation.
In essence, there was no actual logic system running the simulation. It was powered by a magic core that had been filled with the strategic will of a Rank 2 or higher individual. It functioned similarly to a golem.
With mild disappointment, Bastion ended the session after poking around for a few hours. He hadn't uncovered anything groundbreaking, but discovering a new application for the magic core gave him plenty of ideas for the future.
On his way out, Bastion thought it over and realized he would have likely spent months trying to figure it out if he hadn't had access to his golems or the research from the ruins. He would have wasted an incredible amount of time trying to understand how a system without logic could function with logic.
He let out a relieved sigh and silently thanked Seraphina for giving him access to golems. Thanks to her, he didn't have to waste more time on the War Council Chamber than an afternoon.
Now he could focus on more important matters, like diving into dungeons and leveling up his skills.
Lilia, meanwhile, eagerly scoured the library for magic books whenever she had the chance. She knew she had to make the most of the limited time left with the academy's resources. Unfortunately, her schedule was tight, as Bastion was determined to prioritize skill development during their final semester in preparation for their rank ups likely after graduation.
Elyra, on the other hand, mirrored Lilia's dedication but focused her efforts on cookbooks.
The advanced cooking classes she attended had mentioned the possibility of imbuing food with special effects when prepared by someone with the right class. She hoped the library might hold rare recipes capable of producing similar results.
Unfortunately, she realized she would need to dabble in alchemy to achieve anything close. It was not the cooking alone that added effects but the ingredients themselves. Outside of special classes, using the right materials could still produce food with beneficial properties.
Meanwhile, during most of the group's free time, Bastion and the girls focused more on their statuses in preparation for their rank ups rather than their lessons. Bastion, Elyra, and Lilia in particular dove into dungeons religiously to improve their skills, which made for an oddly amusing sight.
Bastion stopped using his shield and chose to wield his sword with both hands. This forced him to rely more on his offensive and mobility-based skills rather than his usual defensive combat style. Instead of tanking enemies head-on, he focused on avoiding damage by maneuvering around opponents using Dodge and Dash.
Elyra stuck to her assassin approach, relying almost entirely on Backstab and Garrote. She would strike from behind or target distracted enemies, then retreat immediately to set up another ambush. Even if her target survived, she would still pull back rather than stay engaged.
With Bastion and Elyra both avoiding direct confrontation, Lilia was left to act as the tank. She adapted by using a creative mix of skills such as Water Curtain, Water Barrier, Mystic Downpour, and Minor Illusion to confuse and distract enemies. Her Mist Lynx familiar, Misty, helped by spreading thick mist across the area, making it difficult for enemies to focus.
When an opening appeared, Lilia would freeze enemies with Frost Ray before rushing in to finish them off with Shocking Grasp. In effect, she had taken on a more melee-oriented role.
Their efficiency in clearing the dungeon suffered, but their skill levels improved much faster than during their usual, more methodical dives.
Seraphina, on the other hand, focused entirely on Vaporize, the only important skill she still had at level 2. As a result, Bastion's room was often left humid and foggy, much to Elyra's delight. It gave her an excuse to repeatedly cast Clean for practice, even though it was already at level 3.
Still, the benefits were clear, as Vaporize reached level 3 a month before the end of the semester.
This meant it was finally time for her long delayed rank up.
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