Recaps

Fran earned full marks in both parts of Rita’s potion-materials course, receiving four Contribution Points and the Harmonization Method. After learning that apprentices who could not cast a spell by year’s end would be sent to the military, Fran focused on using her remaining three months to learn Magic Missile.

• Rita announced the course grades and named Fran the only outstanding student, with full marks in theory and practical work.
• Rita awarded Fran four Contribution Points and the Harmonization Method, and offered to recommend her to the Pharmacist Association after she learned it.
• Rita repeated the academy head’s rule that apprentices who could not cast a spell by year’s end would have to serve in the military.
• Fran left the classroom, avoided social invitations, and checked her Panel, which showed that she had not begun learning Magic Missile.
• Fran recalled that Magic Missile required a Magic Stone and realized she had earned the Harmonization Method to help solve her spell-learning problem.

Fran practiced the Harmonization Method, gained proficiency, and ran out of materials before she could make a potion. She went to the Contribution Point Exchange Hall and sold her four points to Milank for fifty silver coins.

• Fran fused her mastered Herb Identification and Herb Processing skills with the Harmonization Method as a possible new skill, then practiced harmonizing Ash Tree Root and Soul-Entangling Vine.
• Fran made several failed attempts and a cup of liquid with an unknown effect, raising her Harmonization Method proficiency before she ran out of ingredients.
• Fran went to the Contribution Point Exchange Hall to sell her four Contribution Points for money.
• Milank offered Fran fifty silver coins for access to the first floor of the library and the books Composition of the Soul and Astrology and the Sea, and Fran agreed to redeem them.

Fran redeemed two books with Contribution Points, discovered a new skill after reading Stars and the Sea, and sold the books for fifty silver coins. Meanwhile, an Apprentice told Richter that a target he had watched die had returned to life, and Richter ordered him to keep watching Fran.

• Fran received Structure of the Soul, Stars and the Sea, and a library access card, then began reading both books.
• Fran gained the uninitiated Star Gazing Art skill, sold the books to Milank for fifty silver coins, and planned how to spend the money on training and potion materials.
• An Apprentice saw Fran and ran away, leaving her concerned about her lack of combat abilities.
• The Apprentice reported to Richter that a target he had apparently killed with a Spirit Driving Scroll had gone out to buy herbs two days later.
• Richter questioned the Apprentice about the attack and told him to keep watching the target in exchange for a Spell.

Fran bought ingredients at the Apprentice Market, then bargained for a partially complete Breathing Technique. Two men nearby discussed protecting apprentices from robbery, leaving Fran to continue her purchases with the technique in hand.

• Fran bought fifty portions each of Ash Tree Root and Soul-Entangling Vine, plus ingredients for a Strength Potion.
• Fran heard a man offering an incomplete Breathing Technique for sale and learned that it could help someone reach the Formal Rank.
• Fran negotiated the price down to five silver coins by offering to buy without a Knowledge Trade Agreement, and the seller accepted.
• Fran inspected the Breathing Technique, found it roughly seventy percent complete, paid the seller, and left.
• Two men in an alley decided they had to protect apprentices from attacks in the Apprentice Market.

Fran initiated the Swift Wind Breathing Technique, gaining a wind-related Trait, then practiced Star Gazing Art and saw a vision of a future battle in which she killed Richter and another Apprentice. The vision left Fran wondering whether she was in danger and gave her further insight into combat.

• Fran practiced the incomplete Swift Wind Breathing Technique, endured its dangerous breathing pattern, and eventually initiated it.
• Fran gained the Moving with the Wind Trait and found that it made her movements lighter, though the training left her exhausted.
• Fran stared at the stars while trying to practice Star Gazing Art and matched their arrangement to illustrations she had seen.
• Fran saw a future scene in which Richter and another Apprentice confronted her, and she recognized the threat and learned Richter's name.
• Fran's future self killed Richter and the other Apprentice in a swift battle, and Fran gained proficiency in Star Gazing Art and the Swift Wind Breathing Technique.

Fran attended Swordsmanship Class, where apprentices sparred as John assessed their combat skills and considered whom to recommend to the Sword Chant School. After Fran quickly defeated her first opponent, John matched her against Mars, whom she disarmed within seconds.

• Fran practiced the basic sword movements and learned that the class offered a chance for apprentices to earn recommendations to the Sword Chant School.
• Mars defeated Mason in a sparring match, and John praised Mason's fighting while offering Mars only a brief assessment.
• Bela defeated Mars with her swordsmanship, while Fran watched the apprentices reveal their distinct fighting styles.
• Fran rushed her first opponent before he could take a defensive stance, and John stopped the match to pair her with Mars.
• Mars underestimated Fran and waited for her attack, but Fran struck his wrist and knocked his wooden sword away.

Fran fought Mars again after John reprimanded him for his first defeat, and she won by using the Breathing Technique in battle. Mars accepted the loss but left the match humiliated and furious with Fran.

• John scolded Mars for his poor performance and made him thank Fran for agreeing to another match.
• Mars attacked aggressively, but Fran evaded his strikes and drew him toward the match boundary.
• Fran used the Breathing Technique from the Star Gazing Art to strengthen herself, and John recognized the technique.
• Fran struck Mars twice at high speed, and Mars conceded defeat after blocking only the first attack.
• John gave Fran and Mars feedback, while Mars felt humiliated and glared at Fran in anger.

After mastering the Harmonization Method, Fran brewed her first Strength Potion and gained the Apothecary profession, which increased her Divine Power. She showed the potion to Teacher Rita, who praised its quality and pointed out a mistake in the timing of one ingredient.

• Fran reached the Mastered level in the Harmonization Method and successfully brewed a Strength Potion.
• Fran gained the Apothecary profession, and her Divine Power increased as Pharmacy combined her potion-related skills.
• Fran considered learning more professions to improve her attributes but worried about the cost and decided to seek Teacher Rita’s help.
• Teacher Rita examined Fran’s Strength Potion, praised her fusion and material processing, and said Fran had added the Blood-Eating Flower too late.

Fran received Rita’s recommendation to join the Pharmacist Association and asked her about magic schools, Spell training, and Richter. She left knowing where to seek new Spells and that Richter was a powerful apprentice in the Society of Living Rebirth.

• Fran admitted her mistake in brewing the Strength Potion, and Rita wrote her a recommendation for the Pharmacist Association.
• Rita explained how apprentices joined school organizations, competed in yearly assessments, and earned resources and the chance to become Formal Mages.
• Rita told Fran she could earn more Spells through courses or an organization, or buy them from Elan at the Emerald Heart Tavern.
• Fran asked about Richter, and Rita said he was a five-year apprentice and a strong contender in the assessments.

Fran joined the Pharmacist Association, bought the Energy Potion formula and ingredients, and made a large profit by selling fifteen bottles. After realizing her high success rate had drawn attention, she bought a Healing Potion formula and ingredients to build proficiency in another potion.

• Fran joined the Pharmacist Association and learned that it bought members’ potions and regulated private sales.
• Fran asked which potion sold the most, then bought the Energy Potion formula and twenty sets of ingredients.
• Fran brewed eighteen Energy Potions, kept three, and sold fifteen for 132 silver coins and 78 copper coins.
• Fran heard Apothecaries discuss how difficult Energy Potions were to brew and worried her success rate might attract attention.
• Fran recognized that her Pharmacy mastery and Skilled Alchemist trait had helped her brew so successfully.
• Fran bought the Healing Potion formula and ten sets of ingredients to gain proficiency in another potion.

Fran visited the Emerald Heart Tavern, defeated an Apprentice who mistook her for someone from Cuilan Academy, and bought the Wind Blade Art Spell from Elan. As she prepared to leave, Elan asked her to discuss a business deal.

• Fran bought a sword from the impoverished noble who had sold her the Breathing Technique and entered the Emerald Heart Tavern to seek a Spell.
• A drunken Apprentice from Velos Academy attacked Fran after blaming Cuilan Academy for his brother’s death, and Fran knocked him unconscious with her Mastery-level Swift Wind Breathing Technique.
• Fran found Elan and asked to buy a Spell, then chose Wind Blade Art despite its cost of fifty silver coins.
• Elan gave Fran the book containing Wind Blade Art, then called after her and proposed discussing a business deal.

Fran met Elan in secret, where he proposed buying her Energy Potions to sell outside the Pharmacist Association. He explained the association was near collapse after a disastrous investment, and Fran agreed to supply him for 30 silver coins per bottle.

• Elan led Fran through a hidden passage and asked how many Energy Potions she could brew successfully.
• Fran questioned why she should sell to him, and Elan proposed that she supply potions for him to sell to others.
• Elan told Fran that the Pharmacist Association had lost funds in a failed shipment and that Apothecaries from Velos Academy and Blackwater Academy had withdrawn.
• Elan explained that Energy Potions remained in high demand despite the association raising its prices to cover its losses.
• Fran agreed to sell her Energy Potions to Elan for 30 silver coins per bottle.

Fran attended Art Appreciation class, where a starry-sky painting awakened her interest in the Astrology School and improved her Star Gazing Art. She agreed to visit Lai’s invitation-only Night Sky Reading Club and also asked Bela and Lai about finding a club that taught Enchantment Art.

• Fran met Bela and Lai in Art Appreciation class and told Bela she had no family and had bought her Breathing Technique at a street stall.
• Bela explained that specially treated paintings could reveal apprentices’ affinities for certain Spells, but Fran felt nothing from the paintings that had interested the original owner.
• Fran became absorbed in the final painting of a starry sky and gained 20 proficiency in Star Gazing Art.
• Lai asked whether Fran had tried Astrology School Spells, and Fran said she had Star Gazing Art.
• Lai invited Fran to join the Night Sky Reading Club, and Fran agreed to meet her there the morning after tomorrow.
• Fran asked Bela and Lai whether they knew a club that taught Enchantment Art.

Fran visited the Night Sky Reading Club, where Haya tested her aptitude for Astrology Spell through a star-measuring exercise. Fran unexpectedly calculated star coordinates without moving, astonishing Haya, who urged her to join the club.

• Fran met Lai and learned that Haya, the club president, remembered her poor arithmetic skills from class.
• Haya led Fran and Lai into a darkened observatory room and explained how the club used a star dome to observe the sky during the day.
• Fran studied instructions for measuring her position from the stars, then instinctively wrote down coordinates without following the usual steps.
• Fran calculated coordinates from star charts while standing still, gaining Star Gazing Art proficiency and shocking Haya.
• Haya recognized Fran's unusual ability as resembling that of a student who became a Formal Mage and asked Fran to join the club.

Elan and Celine discussed their effort to hinder the Pharmacist Association’s Energy Potion plans, while Fran sold Elan six potions and offered to sell potions brewed by her friends. Fran then asked to buy a Combat Technique, leaving Elan surprised by her request.

• Celine told Elan that the Pharmacist Association was recruiting Energy Potion masters with generous benefits, and they agreed that their plan to challenge the Association had failed but should continue.
• Elan and Celine discussed the Association’s treatment of Apothecaries, the sealed academies, and Richter before comparing how many potion brewers they had recruited.
• Fran brought Elan six Energy Potions, which he inspected and bought for one large gold coin and eighty silver coins.
• Fran offered to sell potions brewed by her friends, and Elan agreed to buy as many as they brought.
• Fran asked Elan to sell her a Combat Technique, surprising him.

Fran faced Bela in a swordsmanship duel after preparing by mastering a Combat Technique, while John watched the apprentices spar. Fran left the match with her mastery-level Breathing Technique giving her a clear speed advantage over Bela.

• Fran arrived at Swordsmanship Class prepared to duel Bela after training a Combat Technique to mastery.
• Mason defeated Mars by using a Combat Technique, earning John's praise and strengthening his chances of receiving a recommendation.
• Bela asked Fran to wait until she activated her Breathing Technique, and Fran agreed.
• Fran and Bela activated their Breathing Techniques, with Fran ready almost instantly and Bela taking two seconds.
• Fran launched a rapid attack, and Bela barely kept pace despite her greater constitution and strength.

Fran won her sparring match against Bela, earning John’s praise and a likely recommendation to the Sword Chant School. After selling fourteen Energy Potions to Elan, Fran was confronted by Mars, who blamed her for losing his chance and summoned two dangerous beastmen to attack her.

• Fran defeated Bela with [Sky Strike] after their wooden swords broke, and John praised both girls as worthy of joining the Sword Chant School.
• Fran noticed her injured wrist and considered using a Healing Potion she had kept in her dormitory.
• Fran delivered fourteen Energy Potions to Elan at the Emerald Heart Tavern and collected the money.
• Mars confronted Fran outside the tavern and accused her of ruining his chance to join the Sword Chant School.
• Mars revealed that he had brought two beastmen to attack Fran while her wrist was injured, then used a whistle to command them.

Fran killed Mars and the two modified beastmen after Mars attacked her, then Elan helped vouch for her when the law enforcers arrived. The officers accepted Elan’s account and left without questioning Fran, and she learned that he was the person in charge of the Apprentice Market.

• Fran used Wind Blade Art to wear down and defeat the two modified beastmen, then killed Mars as he lay wounded.
• Elan arrived and offered to handle the consequences, while Fran stayed at the scene to show that Mars had attacked her first.
• The law enforcers questioned Elan, who said Mars had attacked Fran and bought the modified beastmen from the Transmutation School.
• The officers recorded Elan’s account and left without questioning Fran or taking anyone away.
• Elan explained that he oversaw the Apprentice Market and had vouched for Fran with his reputation.

Fran realized she needed to grow stronger before Richter could act after the year-end assessment, so she planned to practice the Swift Wind Breathing Technique in combat. She joined the Second Weapon Smith to learn Enchantment Art and gained the uninitiated Runology skill after her first attempt.

• Fran concluded that Richter was likely waiting for the year-end assessment to make his move and decided to spar with Bela to improve her Swift Wind Breathing Technique.
• Fran visited the Second Weapon Smith and told Hall she wanted to learn Enchantment Art.
• Hall accepted Fran’s fifty silver coins and gave her the club’s rune book and materials to begin practicing.
• Fran tried drawing her first rune on a practice board, failed partway through, and acquired the uninitiated Runology skill.

Fran unlocked the requirements for the Rune Warrior Profession and tried to improve her Runology so she could fight using runes. After repeated practice, she successfully inscribed and tested an Impact rune, then told Hall she had learned what she needed.

• Fran received a notification that she could become a Rune Warrior by mastering Runology and winning ten battles using runes.
• After using her eighty-ninth practice board without gaining proficiency, Fran asked Hall for weapons to practice on.
• Fran rapidly and accurately inscribed an Impact rune onto a cracked longsword.
• Fran tested the rune against Hall's bracer, and Hall confirmed that the inscription worked despite the weapon's flaws.
• After testing more weapons, Fran left and told Hall she had already learned it.

Fran commissioned two Magic Artisan societies to make a total of four hundred White Mountain Copper daggers, paying a large deposit for the first order. Meanwhile, an arrogant association inspector arrived at the Cuilan Academy Pharmacist Association and demanded organized purchase and sales summaries.

• Fran decided to train her Runology by engraving runes on weapons and brought a dagger blueprint to a Magic Artisan society.
• Fran ordered two hundred White Mountain Copper daggers to be made within a month for two Gold Coins and paid a sixty-silver deposit.
• Fran visited another Magic Artisan society and ordered two hundred more daggers of the same kind.
• A richly dressed association inspector demanded the Cuilan Academy Pharmacist Association's potion trade records.
• The receptionist gave the inspector the ledger, and he ordered the receptionist to prepare a summary of the records.

A man discovered the Cuilan Association’s unreported stockpile of Energy Potion materials and ordered half of it removed at double the price. Meanwhile, Fran used a rune to defeat Bela in a sparring match, then tried to keep Bela from realizing what she had done so she could continue pursuing the Rune Warrior achievement.

• The man checked the ledger, dismissed Fran as a poor potion maker, and questioned why the Cuilan Association held 500 batches of Energy Potion materials.
• After learning the Association president was absent, the man used his authority to order half the stock packed up and its price doubled.
• Fran and Bela sparred until both were exhausted, and Fran secretly used the Impact rune in a forceful strike that knocked Bela down.
• Fran claimed her strength came from a Combat Technique, and Bela accepted the explanation despite finding it unusual.
• Fran resolved not to use the Impact rune again against Bela while continuing to work toward the Rune Warrior achievement.

Elan told Celine how corruption and dwindling supplies kept the Pharmacist Association in trouble, though demand for Energy Potion kept it alive. Richter arranged for a patch of wasteland to be claimed and built over after his examination, intending to hide something there while pursuing an apprentice he was interested in.

• Celine told Elan that dishonest liaisons and angry apothecaries had further reduced the Association's Energy Potion production.
• Elan explained that a liaison had stolen ingredients from the Association and sold more than a hundred batches through Elan's apothecary.
• The Association's new president proposed inspecting its storerooms, but committee members rejected the plan.
• Richter refused the lavishly dressed man's offer of ingredients and said he needed a safe place for an apprentice he was interested in after the examination.
• Richter paid the man in advance and ordered him to arrange for the wasteland south of Cuilan Academy to be claimed, turned to slurry, and built over after the examination.

John conducted the apprentices’ final Swordsmanship Class assessment, grading their basic skills and sparring with them to judge their abilities. Bela impressed him with her progress, and Fran stepped forward next as John anticipated that both might be formidable candidates for next year’s assessment.

• John explained the assessment and began sparring with the apprentices, choosing Mason to go first.
• Mason fought cautiously at first, then tried more aggressive attacks and a Combat Technique before John ended their spar.
• John judged Mason’s combat skills strong but worried that his poor physique would hurt his chances of receiving a recommendation.
• Bela activated her Breathing Technique instantly and fought John for three minutes before he struck her wrist after a Combat Technique.
• John praised Bela’s progress, and Fran stepped forward with a wooden sword as he prepared to assess her.

Fran improved her skills and attributes through months of training and rune practice, then defeated John in a spar without revealing her Mental Power trait. John predicted she would pass the trial and become a Formal Mage within three years.

• Fran mastered Swift Wind Breathing Technique after months of sparring with Bela, and her growing strength eventually made Bela unable to beat her.
• Fran discovered that partially engraving runes on weapons quickly increased her Runology proficiency, so she ordered over a thousand weapons despite the Magic Artisans’ delays.
• Fran gained the Rune Warrior trait Mental Power and prepared for the coming assessment against Richter.
• Fran began her spar with John without using her Breathing Technique, and her strength surprised him enough to make him think she could already take the Advanced Apprentice assessment.
• Fran activated her Breathing Technique and attacked, but John gained the advantage after activating his own.
• Fran avoided using Mental Power, broke John’s wooden sword with a fast strike, and landed a hit that ended the match; John said he looked forward to her becoming a Formal Mage.