Attempt

Fran held the Guide of the Spirit Realm she had exchanged for at the points redemption hall and began searching for the type of spirit guide she had on hand.

She compared the characteristics of the guide against the entries in the book.

"Emitting a blue light, relatively bright—this is a characteristic of a trial. Upon completion, one can obtain excellent rewards."

"This type of trial differs from those provided by the Spirit Realm itself; it is a trial generated by the region. Typical rewards include spells, items, or knowledge, and in very rare cases, ownership of a piece of Spirit Realm territory."

"Given that the guide is a stone, the region must be located in places like the Earth Mountains, the Jade Corridor, or the Pure Valley."

You have identified a Guide of the Spirit Realm. Spirit Realm Cruising Method proficiency +1

Fran now had a rough understanding of where this guide pointed and what its purpose was.

However, she felt that the reward Richter received was a bit of a scam.

Based on the notes she had obtained earlier, Richter was clearly following the Transmutation School's own path of advancement, rather than ascending through the Spirit Realm.

Therefore, this thing seemed completely useless to Richter; he couldn't just switch to the Spirit Realm's method and abandon all his previous accumulation.

Combined with Richter's reputation, Fran highly suspected that the staff in charge of issuing rewards didn't like him and had specifically given him this useless item.

Or, perhaps this thing was actually very useful, but could only be obtained after participating in this trial?

Regardless, Fran intended to give it a try. After all, with the "newbie protection period" Ichi had mentioned, how could she not go up and test it out?

She had no classes tomorrow, the deadline for the potion delivery was still far off, and she had no other appointments. Perfect.

Fran lay on her bed, touched the Guide of the Spirit Realm, and recited the incantation.

Unlike the first time where her consciousness had snagged during the ascent, this time Fran's consciousness rose rapidly, and she lost consciousness immediately.

When Fran tried to open her eyes, she found it pitch black before her; she couldn't see a thing.

Furthermore, she felt as if she were wrapped in something. Although the pressure wasn't intense, she could still feel it pressing against her skin.

She moved her hand, heard a series of cracking sounds, and then felt a spot on her shoulder lose its covering, leaving her feeling a bit chilly.

Fran exerted a little force, and her entire body suddenly felt light as the sounds of cracking and objects falling to the ground echoed.

Only then did Fran see the scene before her.

She was surrounded by stone walls above and below, looking like a cave. Scattered across the sides and ceiling of the stone walls were glowing, protruding rocks of various colors.

Although it resembled a cave, it seemed to extend into the distance, and Fran could not see the end.

She patted the debris still clinging to her body, shook it off twice, and finally managed to clean herself up.

She looked down at the ground to see dark red fragments; it seemed she had just been encased in these materials.

"Hm?!" She felt something wedged between her hand and her body, which she only noticed when her hand moved.

She caught it with her hand and brought it before her eyes, startling herself.

It was actually the tattered book she had seen when she last exited the Spirit Realm Cruising.

It was just as Teacher Ichi said; this book had latched onto her.

Fran steadied her emotions before she began to examine it.

This time, the book didn't seem any different from the last, at least not from the cover.

Opening the book, unlike the blank pages from before, this time even the blank cover had text on it.

The cover read:

[Trial Quest: Find three pieces of jade. A reward can be obtained upon exiting the Spirit Realm for each one found.

Hint: The first piece of jade is on your companion.

The second piece of jade is in a dim place.

The third piece of jade can be found by following the flow of the river.]

Fran was somewhat puzzled as to why this trial quest was written in this book, and whether the content would have appeared if she didn't have the book.

She didn't know the answers, but she continued to analyze it anyway.

First, finding three pieces of jade was a material collection quest; there were likely dangers near these jades.

The hints were a bit cryptic.

She had no idea what "companion" meant; she looked around and saw nothing that could move, and she didn't think it referred to the book.

She also had no idea where to look for a "dim place," as she was completely unfamiliar with this area.

As for the "flow of the river," she had seen a small stream in the distance; it seemed that was the only place with a lead.

Just as she continued to clean the debris off her body, she suddenly realized what she was wearing.

She looked down and discovered she was wearing a grayish-yellow robe, and she noticed that her body felt wrong too.

She felt taller, taller than her original body, and her chest had also grown to a certain size.

"Ah!"

She exclaimed, discovering that her voice had changed as well.

"I feel like I've become a different person."

She touched her body, noting the differences, and felt a flicker of confusion. She clearly remembered that the first time she entered the Spirit Realm, she had used her own body; the height was the same, and there had been no discomfort.

Why was her body different this time?

Fran suppressed her doubts and decided to start moving.

She took a step forward, heading toward the river in the distance.

As she walked, she gradually grew accustomed to the fact that each stride covered more ground than her original body ever could.

After walking for a while, she realized there was still a long way to go before reaching the river.

"Why is it so far?"

"Hm?"

Just as she sighed, a sound suddenly emerged from behind the hillside to her right, followed by the noise of approaching footsteps.

Fran stopped and turned her head to look, a tall figure appearing from behind the slope.

He wore a set of leather armor covered in the marks of many battles, riddled with small tears and stained with layers of dust and dirt, looking quite grimy.

Several daggers hung from his waist, each one glinting with a cold light, suggesting they were well-maintained.

In his hand, he gripped a short sword with a purple blade that shimmered like crystal, emitting a faint glow.

"Oh!" he exclaimed, his tone carrying the relief of someone who had finally found what they were looking for.

He raised his short sword, held it against his chest, and assumed a combat stance.

"I've finally found a companion!"

"You..."

Fran wanted to engage him in conversation upon hearing this, but the stranger had already charged toward her.

Fran sighed, prepared herself for the encounter, and condensed a Wind Blade in her hand.