"Alright, everyone, move it! We're supposed to be an elite squad here." EeDechi hopped off the teleportation hub, throwing an annoyed shout at the stumbling crew behind her.
Towering stone pillars surrounded them on all sides, each embedded with palm-sized magic crystals. Mana flowed through the grooves carved into the pillars, glowing with a faint blue light that shimmered like a starry river. This was the heart of the Baharuth capital—the central teleportation array hub.
The reason they could zip from Golden Sheaf City near the border to the Baharuth capital in the blink of an eye? EeDechi had muscled through everyone's objections and shelled out a fortune to use the magic teleportation array.
Teleportation arrays were the fastest—and priciest—way to travel in this world. Usually, only nobles and High-tier Magic Casters could afford the ride. But if you had enough gold coins rattling in your pouch, you too could taste the thrill of instant travel.
EeDechi had originally planned to leap straight from the empire's border to the edge near the Sorcerer Kingdom, but the funds ran dry. So, the capital it was.
Teleportation worked by harnessing massive magical energy to twist space itself, carving out a narrow transfer tunnel. People—or cargo—got squeezed through it and spat out on the other side. For the average joe, the process felt like having your body and soul ripped apart. Pure misery.
Yet EeDechi bounced off the array like it was nothing, while Barrett, Sean, and Stella staggered around like they'd just downed a keg of ale.
Stella, the weakest of the bunch, collapsed into a chair in the teleportation hall. Her trembling hands fumbled a 2nd Tier Divine Magic spell, "Gaia's Smile," and she finally caught her breath. Then she cast blessing spells on Sean and Barrett too, one by one, until the trio shook off the daze and got their legs back under them.
EeDechi watched with keen interest as Stella, decked out in a short-skirted cleric getup, chanted her Divine Magic. She nodded in approval but then shook his head. "Stella, your outfit's too damn flimsy. It doesn't fit with our crew."
"Huh?" Stella clutched her holy symbol, her eyes glazing over with confusion. "But this is the standard look for female clerics and priestesses."
She wore a blue-and-gold striped cleric uniform, tailored just right to hug her curves in all the best places. A creamy white cap sat atop her soft chestnut hair, which spilled over her shoulders, and a pair of white deerskin boots hugged her legs. With her magic staff in hand, she looked every bit the delicate damsel. No wonder Sean was smitten, always hovering around her like a moth to a flame.
EeDechi glanced around at the other adventurers milling about, then smacked her forehead. "Fair point. This is an isekai world—makes sense why all the cleric priestess warrior chicks dress like they're at a cosplay party, flashing skin left and right! What a freaking mess! Things would be better if this were straight-up Dungeons & Dragons."
"What's 'isekai'? What's 'cosplay'?" Stella blinked her big, curious eyes, while Sean leaned in, trying to catch EeDechi's half-baked ramblings.
Barrett, on the other hand, was used to EeDechi's weird-ass jargon by now. He just kept checking the gear in his backpack, unfazed.
EeDechi waved them off. "Forget it. I'd explain, but you wouldn't get it. Point is, you need to ditch that flimsy getup and stack some real defense. Full plate armor with chainmail underneath is non-negotiable. Oh, and a great helm—total coverage, just two slits for your eyes."
"What! But I'm a cleric, not some heavy-armor warrior!" Stella whined, her face scrunching up into a pitiful pout after hearing EeDechi's gear rundown.
"I'm the captain, so you follow my orders. Besides, it's for your own good." EeDechi took a step forward, closing in on Stella.
"Captain! All that heavy armor you're talking about—it's way too much! Even if Stella puts it on, she won't be able to move right. She'll just slow us down!" Sean jumped in front of EeDechi, blocking her path.
Sure, he was a smidge taller than EeDechi, but with his nervous vibe clashing against her badass aura, he looked like a hen flapping to shield a chick from a damn tiger.
For some reason, Barrett actually sided with EeDechi on this one. He couldn't stand those teenage wannabes—seventeen, eighteen years old—strutting out as heroes and adventurers in skimpy, breezy outfits.
EeDechi eyed Stella behind Sean and laid into her with a stern lecture. "Can't handle heavy armor? Then hit the gym! Look at you—skinny arms, twig legs, prancing around in that flirty getup. What are you gonna do on the battlefield, star in some hentai cartoon?"
"Captain, you can't just bulldoze her like that! Forcing Stella to do shit she doesn't want won't win you any loyalty down the line," Sean shot back. He was quick on his feet, trying to talk EeDechi down with a different angle.
EeDeChi's beautiful eyes widened in anger. "Who'd dare defy me… uh…"
She paused, then reconsidered. "You've got a point. Alright, Stella, let's make a deal. You teach me one of those healing Divine Magic spells. If I nail it in an hour, you ditch that outfit and slap on some chainmail. If I flunk, you can keep strutting around like that."
Stella's eyes popped open. "Wait, can we even do that? Divine Magic needs a rock-solid faith in the gods to work."
"Don't worry about that," EeDechi said, waving her hand like she was swatting a fly. "I'll show you what an orichalcum-level captain can do. Then you'll all see—disobeying orders gets you nowhere fast!"
Stella, still half in a daze, accepted the challenge. Divine Magic demanded unwavering loyalty to a god. Only after long, devout service could you earn a deity's blessing, channeling their mighty power through short prayers.
Even with EeDechi's insane knack for Arcane Magic, picking a god on the spot and expecting them to hand over power in a flash was a pipe dream. Especially since EeDechi used to brag about being an "atheist" who didn't buy into gods, demons, or any of that spooky crap. Bottom line: she was screwed in this challenge.
The four of them trekked to a wilderness spot outside the capital. Stella dropped to her knees, eyes shut, hands clasped around a round golden holy symbol, chanting under her breath:
"Gaia, I offer everything to spread your love and glory across the world. Your faithful servant craves the bath of your divine light."
A few ants Barrett had just squashed lay scattered on the ground. A soft white glow flickered over their tiny corpses, and a couple of them twitched their antennae, scrambling back to life.
A few others stayed dead as doornails. Stella explained that their bodies were too smashed up—low-level healing magic couldn't fix that kind of mess.
Barrett then carefully crushed the few ants that had miraculously revived, trying to leave their bodies intact.
EeDechi kicked off her Divine Magic challenge. She gripped the holy symbol, mimicking Stella's chant word for word. Nothing happened.
She muttered it again. Still nada.
Third time's the charm, right? Nope. Zilch.
Stella let out a relieved breath. Learning Divine Magic on the fly in an hour was, as expected, a total long shot. The captain's wild ideas had flopped, and she wouldn't have to ditch her cleric uniform for clunky chainmail after all.
Stella, still a beauty-obsessed teenage girl, couldn't stomach the idea of wrapping herself head to toe in armor.
EeDechi let out a long, pissed-off sigh. She stood up, clutching the golden holy symbol in her left hand. With her right, she yanked the giant sword, raising it high in a single fluid motion, pointing it straight at the sky.
Stella, still kneeling, stared up at her captain in confusion, totally lost on what the hell she was up to. Barrett and Sean both took a step back, eyeing EeDechi's weird stance and dead-serious glare with a mix of shock and curiosity.
EeDechi planted her feet wide, chest puffed out. Left hand gripping the holy symbol tight, right hand hoisting the longsword, she bellowed with a voice that could crack stone:
"O great Gaia, lend me your power and respond to my call. Do not be ungrateful! If Gods Deny Salvation's Hand, With Sacred Blade I'll Reprimand!"
The words barely hit the air before the ground within a twenty-meter radius erupted in waves of golden light. A warm current surged around them. Every ant on the dirt—whether their bodies were intact or smashed to bits—knitted back together, flipped over, wiggled their antennae, and scurried off like nothing happened.
Sean felt like he'd sunk into a hot spring. A soothing heat washed through him, and an itch flared up in his left leg. He knew that old break from a wasteland ice wolf's jaws was finally mending for good.
Stella, still on her knees, gawked at EeDechi standing tall. Her pretty eyes were wide with disbelief and a devout awe at the miracle unfolding.
She whispered, "That's 4th Tier healing magic—no, 5th Tier, maybe even higher!"
Barrett, caught in the same golden glow, felt it too—stronger than Sean. Every cell in his body hummed, groaned, and sang with delight, celebrating a fresh start. A grizzled adventurer who'd been scrapping for nearly twenty years, all his countless old wounds and nagging aches vanished in that moment.
And the kicker? He could feel it—his dick and balls, which were bitten off by a crocodile in the River Fra, have regrown at this very moment!