Chapter 105: Apprentice?

To take or not to take, that was the question as Aria stared at the glowing crystals resting in Ethan’s outstretched hand.

As someone who had awakened and possessed her own Awakener panel, she knew what he was saying was entirely true.

To acquire ten crystals on her own through hunting without combat experience or proper gear was a nearly impossible gamble.

To receive such a resource outright was an opportunity of a lifetime.

"Thank you so much! I’ll take them!"

"I promise I won’t let you down."

Although she knew that accepting them would effectively bind her fate to these mysterious people, Aria didn’t hesitate for even a second.

For a better life for her and her little sister, she was willing to take any risk.

So, lifting the gems from Ethan’s palm, she instantly began swallowing them one by one.

Right here, right now, she was going to force her breakthrough to E-rank!

"Grandma Maya, help her suppress her mana core to stop it from running out of control," Ethan instructed sharply.

"She absolutely cannot die here."

Hearing the command, Maya acted instantly. Placing a steady hand gently over Aria’s abdomen, she activated her internal Mana Sight.

If at any moment the sudden influx of energy threatened to rupture Aria’s pathways, Maya was prepared to forcefully stabilize the volatile current with her own 2nd-Circle mana.

Feeling a warm palm press against her stomach, Aria blushed slightly, but realizing the older woman was only trying to protect her, she quickly calmed her breathing.

Sensing her core’s temperature rise and the crystal’s energy rapidly heating up inside her, she braced herself.

Her evolution had begun.

"I’ll leave it to you... " Thank you," Aria whispered.

Giving Maya a final nod of gratitude, she closed her eyes, focusing all her willpower on guiding the violent surge of mana into her developing core.

She had to concentrate with every ounce of her being, because if even the slightest mistake occurred, not even Maya’s intervention could save her from being crippled or killed.

An Awakener’s breakthrough is drastically different from a Mage’s.

While Mages rely on the profound comprehension of abstract principles to drive a natural, inside-out transformation of the soul and body, Awakeners use raw mana to forcefully drive a physical evolution from the outside in.

One was like soft, smooth force gently gliding across an ice rink, while the other was like a giant industrial drill tearing forcefully through solid rock.

Regardless of the differing paths, however, both ultimately aimed at the same goal: the qualitative enhancement of the human vessel.

This principle was once again confirmed by Aria’s violent yet successful transformation.

Under the combined efforts of her iron willpower and Maya’s expert suppression, after roughly thirty minutes of agonizing purification, she finally broke through the bottleneck, stepping officially into the E-rank tier!

With her breakthrough complete, visible changes swept over her body.

The ugly, inflamed scabs on her leg rapidly sealed and faded away.

Her body, emaciated from days of malnourishment, suddenly filled out as cellular regeneration rushed through her tissues.

Her sunken cheeks regained a healthy, natural color, and her slight frame gained a healthy vitality.

Beneath the caked-on dirt and torn clothes, her natural youthful beauty began to shine through.

More importantly, Aria felt incredible. Right now, she felt like she could take on a dozen of her past selves simultaneously!

"This is... amazing! Haha!"

Testing her new limits, she flicked her wrist, sending a condensed wind blade slicing straight up into the sky to cleave a floating cloud cleanly in half.

Not only had her offensive output multiplied, but she could now continuously circulate wind mana around her limbs, drastically boosting her speed and agility. Overall, her combat potential had undergone a massive, qualitative leap.

Ethan watched the transformation with evident satisfaction.

"Alright then, since you’re done, let’s head straight to your base. I’m eager to meet this ’Helios’ character."

Saying this, Ethan’s eyes flashed with cold, razor-sharp killing intent, a sentiment instantly mirrored by Maya and Viktor.

"Yes, sir! Thank you so much, I’ll lead you to the base right now!" Aria said, scrambling excitedly to her feet.

"It’s not too far from here. If we walk north for about an hour or two, we should reach the perimeter. But if I use my ability to sprint, we can cut travel time down significantly!"

Hearing this, Ethan, Maya, and Viktor exchanged amused smiles.

"Is that so? ...Grandma Maya, I’ll leave her to you," Ethan said with a smirk, activating his Air Walk and shooting straight up into the sky.

"Hey, kid, try not to scream too much, alright?" Viktor chuckled warmly, following close behind him.

For a brief moment, Aria remained entirely confused, unable to fathom what they meant.

However, Maya’s next action made her regret her ignorance instantly.

Scooping Aria up and hoisting her effortlessly over her shoulder like a sack of grain, Maya joined the two men, stepping casually onto the invisible air currents to race northward.

"Kyaaah! Put me down! I can walk on my own!" Aria shrieked, clutching desperately at Maya’s jacket as the wind roared past her ears.

Unfortunately, Maya just smiled placidly, continuing her steady pace through the sky.

For some reason, the more she looked at this spirited girl named Aria, the more she found herself growing fond of her.

Even though Aria hadn’t done anything extraordinary yet, Maya was already seriously considering taking her on as an apprentice, especially since all the other veterans had started eyeing potential successors of their own.

"Hey, Aria... do you want to become a Mage?" Maya asked mid-flight casually, bouncing the screaming girl slightly on her shoulder.

"If you agree to be my apprentice, I can ask our Patriarch to teach you the ways of a Mage."

Unfortunately, Aria at that exact moment was entirely too busy hyperventilating and screaming at the dizzying height to offer a coherent reply.

Hearing only muffled wails in response, Maya let out a soft, understanding sigh.

’I see. The very first thing we need to tackle once this girl becomes this old woman’s apprentice is curing this dreadful fear of heights.’

Recalling Viktor’s earlier teasing remarks, Maya privately concluded that she was right; the younger generation truly lacked the iron nerves of their era