Ascension: Strongest Fateless Mage

Vernisia opened her eyes slowly and saw an unfamiliar ceiling while sleeping on a king-sized bed. To her left was Zevien while Baishi sat on her right side as she had just finished using a healing spell and applying a healing potion on Vernisia\'s wounds.

"Completely cured. That was a good battle, hahaha. Fight all you want, no matter much injuries you sustain, we will heal you," Baishi chuckled after seeing Vernisia opening her eyes.

Vernisia got up with a surprised expression, "I am not even feeling pain anymore." She then looked at Zevien and nodded with a smile, "thank you for not interfering in the battle and watching till the end."

Zevien hugged her tightly, "It will take time for me to see you used to get hurt." He wanted to intervene, but he knew that if he did that, it would upset Vernisia.

"But you have to get used to it, hehe. Injuries are unavoidable," Vernisia smiled.

"Alright, now I\'ll take my leave. Hahaha, enjoy each other\'s company," Baishi laughed and left the bedroom before leaving the abode.

A few seconds later, Zevien heard footsteps and turned around to see Afina entering the bedroom.

"You really did a number on my brother," Afina said as she walked towards a chair and sat down. "My brother is resting in another room. I hope you don\'t mind our stay here for a while."

"No problem," Zevien nodded.

"So, which one of you is stronger?" Afina asked curiously as she looked at Zevien and Vernisia. "Just so you know, I am stronger than my brother but I won\'t challenge you again for this abode. We\'ll just find another Elite-rank abode."

"Zevien is stronger than me," Vernisia smiled proudly, puffing her chest, "no students who have arrived here can beat him."

"Wow, that\'s some confidence you have in him," Afina raised her eyebrows before smiling and standing up, "I\'ll cook something for the four of us if you don\'t mind. After that, I and my brother will leave."

"Yep. Thanks," Vernisia nodded with a smile.

…

After thirty minutes, Afina called them to the dining table in the hall.

Vernisia and Zevien left the room and went downstairs. They saw Kaal was already sitting there, ready to eat.

Seeing Vernisia and Zevien coming, Kaal nodded, "good battle. It\'s my loss."

Vernisia nodded before she and Zevien sat down beside each other at the table.

"Tier-1 mystic chef…," Zevien commented after taking a bite from a meat dish.

"Yep," Kaal nodded with a smile, "my sister cooks the best food."

"Zevien, how are you faring in your mystic chef practice?" Vernisia asked.

"Cough….eh, it\'s good, I guess," Zevien coughed with slight embarrassment and took a sip from a juice glass. "I will become tier-1 mystic chef soon after attending the mystic chef class here, no worries."

"Well, then there\'s a surprise for you," Afina snickered, "if you cannot prove that you have reached tier-1 in a magic occupation on your first week after attending your first magic occupation class, they will expel you directly.

"No problem, I can prove it after taking the first class," Zevien smiled while thinking internally, \'It looks like I will have to quickly breakthrough and become a tier-1 Mystic Chef in the next three days. I don\'t want to attend my first mystic chef class as someone who can\'t cook tier-1 mystic food.\'

After eating, Afina and Kaal left while Zevien turned to Vernisia and grabbed her hands. "Let\'s go out and bring ingredients for cooking. I want to cook foods and breakthrough to tier-1 mystic chef before the opening ceremony starts."

"I knew you would say that, haha. Let\'s go," Vernisia said smilingly before wondering, "oh yeah, what about Dan and Erica? Did they get an Elite-rank abode?"

"They did," Zevien nodded.

"Good. Let\'s invite them as well."

…

"This is a rather nice market," Erica said as she, Dan, Zevien, and Vernisia entered the student-driven market of the academy on the island.

"Selling a white-rank magic crystal! Bid to your heart\'s content, hahaha."

"Tier-2 potion: Red Night for sale! Only four remain in stock now!"

"A perfect-grade tier-2 spear with a pearl of thunder gemstone embedded in it! Selling it for 9 Gaia credits!"

The students in the market, mostly 4th class magicians and senior students were selling their things and those with good items were advertising by shouting.

"Let\'s get the ingredients for Zevien first," Vernisia said as she walked towards a stall that was selling food ingredients.

After buying the ingredients, Dan and Erica also bought a few things related to Enchanters like a magic pen to carve the magic formation of enchanters and some ores for Dan so he can practice magic smithing.

Out of them, only Zevien had yet to reach tier-1 in his magic occupation. Vernisia, Erica, and Dan had reached it pretty quickly after becoming 5th-class magicians. But Zevien was busy preparing for Spell Gauntlet and other products in research, so he didn\'t have time to practice and successfully cook a tier-1 dish.

"Let\'s return. Dan and Erica, you two come to our abode as well. I am gonna do my cooking practice and you three will become my guinea pigs," Zevien grinned.

"Fine, but don\'t make us throw up, hahaha," Dan laughed as he patted Zevien\'s shoulder.

"Yeah, our mouths will face you so if your food made us throw up, you will be targeted," Erica said with a gin before looking at Vernisia. "You agree, right?"

"Of course!" Vernisia chuckled.

…

After returning to the abode, Zevien started cooking.

He lined up the ingredients and used his mana to carefully clean them and bring out their essence power. This required absolute focus and high control of mana, just like with other magic occupations.

A mystic chef needs to bring out the essence power of various magic ingredients by infusing mana into them. However, this is a sensitive process and the chances of ingredients getting destroyed are common, while one is infusing mana in the ingredients.

Zevien carefully controlled his infused mana inside the ingredients and brought out their essence power as they started glowing faintly with various colors. One can say that he basically awakened these ingredients, but they don\'t last long in this state, so one needs to quickly cook them before the essence of power disappears into the air, forever gone.

\'Alright, the essence power extraction went perfect without mishaps. Now time to cook them,\' Zevien thought as he quickly cut the ingredients and started cooking.

——

"Hmm? I am feeling stronger, physically!" Dan exclaimed after taking a bite from the Gato Hamburger Steak that Zevien cooked. However, this burger had no bread. Instead, it was cooked in thick green leaves that were a tier-1 magic ingredient.

"Yes, this dish gives ten minutes of physical body boost," Zevien nodded.

Vernisia nodded after taking a bite. "It looks like you successfully cooked a tier-1 dish in your first attempt."

"Hmm, no side effects so far," Erica said after eating half of the burger. "it was delicious. But it was a bit burnt, so you have to work on timing."

"Yeah," Zevien wryly nodded while counting in his head and after five minutes passed, he sighed a relief, "alright, it seems that there are truly no side effects."

If a mystic chef doesn\'t cook food properly, then side effects also appear along with their proper effects. They usually appear after five minutes. For instance, constant farting, puking, feeling dizzy, stomach pain, and such annoying and painful side effects.

"If you got more ingredients, cook us some more things, hehe. We are hungry," Dan said as he licked his finger after finishing the hamburger.

"Alright, Vernisia, you? If you are still hungry, then I can make your portion as well," Zevien asked.

"Nah. Afina made plenty, so I was already full," Vernisia wryly smiled.

"Yeah, I am also full," Zevien nodded before returning to the kitchen.

…

The next day, someone challenged Zevien and Vernisia for their abode. This time, Zevien fought and won. He was slightly injured as well, but it was not serious.

Three more days passed, and they got challenged a total of four times, but Zevien and Vernisia won every time. Dan and Erica also managed to defend themselves.

Kaal and Afina also got another Elite-rank abode. It was on the 5th hill, just beside Zevien and Vernisia\'s 4th hill.

On the fifth day\'s morning, a middle-aged man arrived flying. He overlooked the entire Abode area that had 500 students and scratched his throat. "Arrive at the ceremony hall in the next ten minutes! Those who are late will have to swim in the thirty kilometers diameter lake surrounding this island three times!"

After saying that, the middle-aged man in a white robe left.

Students were dumbfounded and started running towards the academic structures in the center of this island from their abode area. The distance was approx ten kilometers!

Those who could fly started flying and those who could run started running. But everyone was using magic spells that helped them increase their speed!

Zevien and Vernisia flew towards Dan and Erica\'s hill.

"Haha, it\'s time to surprise them," Dan laughed while looking at Zevien. "We are going in that, right?"

"Of course, hehe," Zevien grinned as he activated his storage ring by infusing mana and took out a mini-boat. Zevien bought this boat from a student in the market since he was selling it. It cost whooping 9860 Gaia credits, but Zevien had no shortage of money.

Zevien jumped on the boat as it was floating. Vernisia, Erica, and Dan also followed before Zevien took the wheel and started flying towards the palace at full speed.

"W-what the heck? Those guys have a freaking flying boat!"

"That\'s not fair!"

Kaal and Afina, who were flying, were surprised to be overtaken by the boat.

"I didn\'t know we could buy a boat," Afina pouted. "Let\'s go buy one later."

"Mhmm," Kaal nodded.