“Xia Li, what magic are you going to teach me?”
Anise’s excitement completely replaced her exhaustion and fear.
“Intermediate magic—Fireburst.” Xia Li intended from the start to have Anise use this spell.
It was a pure fire-element destructive magic.
When cast, it burned through all the magic power in the body; the more consumed, the greater the power.
When an intermediate mage releases it with full force, the destructive power rivals that of an advanced mage.
But with a corresponding severe side effect.
A mage who exhausts their magic becomes as physically fragile as an ordinary person, sometimes even weak enough to faint.
Using this spell in battle was a gamble—if the enemy wasn’t killed in one blow, the caster would become a sitting duck.
Beginner mages couldn’t use it, intermediate mages dared not use it, and advanced mages had no need for it.
No wonder the spell had been lost to time.
But now, it was just the right fit.
Anise was still only a beginner mage, and this was the most powerful destructive magic that could guarantee breaking through the Dark Den Tree Demon’s inner walls.
As for the side effects…
Hah, not a problem at all.
With Xia Li’s formidable physique, as long as she could punch a hole through the inner wall, she could easily carry Anise on her shoulders and escape.
“Magic circuits, incantations, magic power—these are the three essential elements that make up magic… You should have learned these basics, so I won’t go over them again.”
The incantation was the simplest—just recite it as is.
Magic power was still recovering and couldn’t be used yet.
The most important thing to learn was how to construct a magic circuit.
In simple terms, a magic circuit was like using one’s will as a thin thread, connecting the magic power inside bit by bit.
Each spell required a different magic circuit.
The higher the level and the more special the effect, the more complex the circuit, and the more magic power had to be connected exponentially.
If even a slight mistake was made in construction, letting magic power form in the wrong place, the entire circuit would “pop” and break.
If the construction was too slow—“pop!”
If the magic power was too weak to sustain it—“pop!”
Many mages got stuck at this stage.
Even beginner magic circuits required a lot of time to practice to master.
Otherwise, they’d be like Anise at the start—chased by slimes and unable to cast magic.
For them now, Anise didn’t need to be very proficient in Fireburst.
She only needed to use it once.
This step could be artificially assisted.
Xia Li pressed close behind Anise, taking her hand. “Let’s practice directly. I’ll help you guide your magic power to build the circuit.”
“Mm… mm!” Anise swallowed hard.
Xia Li couldn’t use magic herself, but in other aspects, she was skilled.
With their bodies in close contact, she could feel the sparse magic power flowing inside Anise, guiding it to gather together.
“When building a magic circuit, you don’t need to painstakingly perfect every detail, just connect a few key nodes, and the magic power will naturally flow.”
A beginner magic circuit required ten nodes connected.
For intermediate magic, that number was ten times higher.
Anise had a magical talent, but this was her first attempt at intermediate magic.
The first ten nodes connected smoothly.
After that, the magic power began to rebel.
Her face flushed red, but the more anxious she became, the more uncontrollable the magic power was, shaking the previously connected nodes.
“Relax. Don’t be afraid of failing. We have plenty of time.” Xia Li’s gentle voice whispered near her ear, fingertips brushing the back of her hand.
With Xia Li’s comfort, the magic power that had been wavering finally collapsed completely.
“Xia… Xia Li, you’re too close…” Anise’s cheeks burned, her voice trembling.
You still have the nerve to say that? Xia Li stepped back helplessly, placing her hand behind Anise. “Calm down and try again.”
“Ugh… still not working.”
“It’s okay, try again.”
After more than ten tries, Anise’s barely recovered magic power was nearly drained.
Finally, hundreds of magic nodes linked within her body, forming a complete circuit.
A flicker of fire appeared in her hand, forming a ring of flames.
“Xia Li, is this considered a success?” Anise asked excitedly.
“It’s still a bit rough, but good enough.” Xia Li nodded.
Unfortunately, Anise’s magic power wasn’t enough.
The flame vanished after only a few seconds.
Magic power—that was the next issue to solve…
Taking advantage of the brief light, Xia Li observed their surroundings.
The Dark Den Tree Demon’s stomach acid had already spilled onto the ground.
Judging by its flow speed, the acid would reach their feet in ten minutes.
Even if they used stones or something to stand on, it wouldn’t last long… at most an hour.
Anise had to recover enough magic power within this tiny window to break the inner walls of the Dark Den Tree Demon.
Impossible!
Unless some special method was used.
“Anise.” Xia Li’s serious and solemn voice snapped Anise out of her excitement.
“Xia Li, you mean the magic power, right?” Anise understood that was their biggest problem right now.
“Exactly.” Xia Li nodded. “I’m going to replenish your magic.”
“…Huh?” Anise froze for a moment, then jumped up. “Replenish… magic?!”
She was, after all, a proper mage and knew what those words meant.
Mages replenished magic by intimate, deep physical contact, linking their hearts as one, opening special magic channels, and efficiently transmitting magic power between bodies.
Anise remembered seeing a detailed book on the replenishing process on her sister’s bookshelf.
Hugging, kissing, bodies entwined, licking the other’s neck, then fingers reaching toward…
“N-no! I’m not mentally ready yet!”
Just imagining such a scene happening to her made her face burn red from cheeks to ears, hands waving frantically in front of her.
Xia Li took her hand.
“This is the only way I can think of for us to escape,” Xia Li said softly. “Don’t worry, the first time is always a bit awkward, but it will get comfortable quickly.”
“Xia Li, I…” Anise turned her face away, avoiding the hot breath brushing her face.
Her thoughts tangled like a messy ball of yarn.
Was she really going to do something like that?
But only people who were very close could do such things!
And they were still stuck in this godforsaken place…
Anise didn’t want her important first time to happen inside a monster’s belly!
And with Xia Li…
She already thought of Xia Li as half a sister.
How could a younger sister and older sister have that kind of relationship?
No, no, absolutely not!
Or… maybe not impossible?