The carriage ride to Lava Canyon was bumpy.
Yelena didn’t bother admiring the scenery. She sat cross-legged on a cushion, an advanced talisman paper in front of her, the tip of the Lightning-struck Wood Brush hovering in the air without falling.
She was reviewing her failed attempt at drawing an Explosion Talisman yesterday.
That thing was too aggressive. The fire-type mana of Crimson Flame Crystal Sand was far too active—if the seal wasn’t tight enough, it would backfire. Luckily, she had it under control now and it didn’t explode…
“Switch tracks, switch methods…” Yelena muttered to herself.
If she tweaked the structure of the seal rune to make it a softer closed loop, would that work?
For example, how did water-type runes finish their strokes?
Yelena carefully thought through the knowledge Ivette and Anna had taught her, then redesigned the writing method.
Suddenly an idea struck her, and she hesitated no longer.
After dipping the brush tip in ink, this time she didn’t use Crimson Flame Crystal Sand—only Deep Blue Ice Essence Ink.
She lightly traced the brush across the talisman paper, quickly completing the entire rune.
For the final stroke, she imitated the swirling of water, gently lifting and closing.
A blue light flashed from the talisman paper, and cold air filled the carriage.
[Frost Talisman Type A, complete. Creates a localized freezing area, slowing enemies and causing frost damage.]
[Ding, Curse Mage proficiency increased by 10, mana control slightly improved.]
“Success!”
Yelena held the icy talisman, beaming with joy.
Dual cultivation of ice and fire—she was now a well-rounded person in every aspect.
Ivette opened her eyes from feigned sleep, pushed aside the blanket, and yawned. “Research at the crack of dawn. Our squad leader is really hardworking.”
“Of course!” Yelena pursed her lips, carefully stowing the Frost Talisman like a treasure, then pulled out another sheet of paper. “One more Explosion Talisman—I won’t give up!”
With the experience from before, her brush strokes were much steadier this time.
She needed to prepare as much as possible before reaching their destination—her combat profession demanded it.
—
The entrance to Lava Canyon was a massive rift.
Before they even got close, waves of heat blasted them. The air shimmered, and the gravel underfoot was scorching.
The moment Yelena stepped off the carriage, the heat made her dizzy, and her fox ears drooped.
“Ugh… so hot…”
Something cool fell over her.
Ivette had taken off her Ice Silk Cloak and wrapped it around her. “Wear this. It blocks some of the heat.”
The cloak still carried the faint scent of sunlight from Ivette.
Yelena’s face instantly flushed—whether from the heat or embarrassment, she didn’t know.
“Th-thanks…”
“Head of Household’s Daily Wife Pampering, Article 17: Proactively share equipment to boost affection points, execute the boyfriend-shirt-style offensive strategy.”
Anna scribbled furiously in her little notebook, muttering under her breath.
“Anna! What weird stuff are you writing again!”
Yelena, both embarrassed and annoyed, shouted at Anna. “Don’t write nonsense! And d-don’t use that title! Ivette and I are… we’re good brothers!”
While the three were joking around, another team arrived at the entrance.
It was Aisha Squad.
They looked worn out—everyone had terrible expressions.
Kate was complaining to Aisha: “It’s all those shady merchants! What garbage Cold Flame Protection Potion they sold us! Supposed to resist high temperatures, but it’s completely useless!”
Aisha was also annoyed. She ignored Kate, her gaze passing over the crowd to land on Yelena.
When she saw Yelena wrapped in Ivette’s Ice Silk Cloak, her hand on her sword hilt tightened. There was obvious envy in her eyes.
Ivette lazily stepped forward, blocking Yelena from view.
“What’s the matter, Hero? Can’t take the heat already? If you’re afraid, it’s not too late to turn back now.”
“None of your business,” Aisha replied, but she couldn’t help sneaking another glance at Yelena.
[Ding, Key character emotion detected: Mild Regret.]
The system prompt echoed in Yelena’s mind.
‘Regret? Haha… Is it because she didn’t grab the high-grade Fire Resistance Potion?’
She remembered how Aisha used to need her advice on everything, but now that she was competing with Ivette, she’d clearly made an irrational purchase.
‘Hah, Aisha never changes. Strong pride, doesn’t easily show weakness to outsiders, but gets carried away easily.’
Yelena ignored Aisha; her attention was on someone else.
The new battle maid, Mi La.
In this heat, Kate and Sylvia were drenched in sweat, and even Aisha’s forehead was perspiring.
Only the maid Mi La stood at the back, not a drop of sweat on her. Her expression even looked… almost enjoying it?
Yelena’s gaze shifted, and she caught a flash of an unnatural dark purple light in the other’s eyes.
Her heart sank. She immediately activated Chef God’s Five Senses.
The target of the scan was Mi La.
[Analyzing… Beep… Warning! Detected Abyss aura. Magic fluctuation too high. Danger level uncertain.]
[Abyss Aura!]
Yelena’s back went cold.
As she withdrew her gaze, she pretended to adjust her cloak, her heart pounding.
The two teams exchanged no further words. Each group sorted their gear and entered Lava Canyon, one after the other.
“Ivette, Anna,” Yelena whispered. “Be careful of the new maid in Aisha’s team. Something’s wrong with her.”
Ivette glanced sideways without saying much. “Got it.”
Anna nodded and moved her combat knife to a more convenient position.
The terrain inside the canyon was far more complicated than expected.
Cracks covered the ground, and magma often erupted from below.
Yelena focused, doing her best to control her mana.
Four clusters of blue-green Foxfire flew from her hands, swooping up and down within twenty meters ahead to scout the surroundings.
Three meters ahead on the left—magma eruption point, can be bypassed.
Right-side rock wall unstable, might collapse.
With the Foxfire’s warnings, the three managed to avoid several dangers and advanced faster than anticipated.
Then the canyon echoed with rumbling sounds, magical explosions, and monster roars.
“It’s Aisha and the others!”
The three exchanged looks, quickened their pace, and stealthily climbed a higher rock ridge to look down.
In the open space below, Aisha Squad was surrounded by seven or eight lava hounds the size of leopards.
Kate stood at the back, face red.
A layer of unstable blue cold flame covered her—the useless Cold Flame Protection Potion.
It seemed to conflict with her own mana. Every time she tried a high-tier spell, the cold flame flickered violently, on the verge of breaking.
She didn’t dare cast at full power, so she could only spam low-tier Ice Cone spells on the tough lava hounds, doing little more than scratching them.
Aisha swung her longsword, trying to use Sword Qi to drive back the pack, but the heat drained her stamina quickly, and her movements had slowed.
Sylvia’s healing and buff spells never stopped, but her forehead was covered in sweat.
The formation was falling apart; it looked like the lava hounds would break through any second.
“I’ll handle it.” Ivette gripped her sword handle, ready to jump down.
“Wait!”
Yelena reached out and stopped her.
Ivette turned back in surprise.
“Let me do it.” There was a rare spark in Yelena’s eyes. “Perfect chance to test my new talismans.”
She wanted Aisha—wanted everyone—to see that Yelena Moon Tail was no longer just the burden who hid behind cooking.
Without waiting for Ivette’s reply, Yelena jumped from the dozen-meter-high rock ridge!
Nine fluffy fox tails spread out midair, stabilizing her descent.
In midair, she flung both hands!
“Go!”
Three Frost Talismans shimmering with cold turned into beams of light, shooting precisely into the densest cluster of lava hounds!
The moment the talismans landed, bone-chilling cold exploded!
A vast expanse of white frost spread rapidly from the talismans, the scorching ground sizzling and erupting in thick white mist.
The lava hounds that had been about to pounce on Sylvia froze—their limbs encased in thick ice, the molten fire on their bodies dimmed.
The entire Aisha Squad, still struggling below, was stunned.
Kate’s eyes went wide, jaw dropped. She couldn’t believe the masked fox girl who had jumped down, surrounded by nine tails.
That ability to instantly unleash three high-grade talismans… was she really just a little chef?
Without a doubt, she was now the Phoenix Nirvana Team’s support and team-fight engine.
And the skill to use talismans—Kate had only read about it in books.
“A Curse Mage? That ancient profession even rarer than the Dragon Race?!” The bespectacled mage of the Hero Team couldn’t help exclaiming.
Then Yelena landed gracefully, sending a ring of ice crystals splashing outward.
She didn’t look at the frozen lava hounds. Instead, she turned to face Aisha, who stood not far behind her.
She smirked, but the smile carried a hint of distance.
“Excuse me, seniors.”
Yelena’s voice wasn’t loud, but it reached everyone’s ears clearly.
“The A-rank mission is ours now.”
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