Even if they took a bit longer to set up given they were all different from the enchantments he’d been making until that point, Ben still made quick work of them, finishing up after an hour while at the same time creating models and blueprints to show how shapes and sizes could be placed in the factory to be properly enchanted on for the people who would be creating them at first until thinking better of it. There was an easier and better option all around as he shaped some of the leftover materials he’d been given and pulled some rainbow mana crystal from one of his rings, creating materializers for each one to create each item in their entirety, needing only to be placed in the factories to finish them off.
Except for the ones that need souls of course, but… I’m not sure if I’m even going to be needed here anymore, am I?
Okay, cool but as for now, nothing more you want me to try to make? Resistance amulets of all sorts or maybe enchanting factories for mini gates or even regular gates?
Nare asked, genuine curiosity in his voice as Ben thought it over.
The more complex the enchantment was, the more complex the factory that would be making it needed to be and gate enchantments were no simple thing no matter the size. He was certain he could do it but the scale such a thing would end up at would tower above anything he'd currently made unless he was able to refine the design further.
Eh, I’ll at least fiddle with the design in the back of my mind for a bit to see if I can reduce it more and I’ll let you know. As things currently stand though it looks like I just have one more thing to finish. Gotta say, I’m pretty disappointed, I was expecting more from them.
Sure, but still. It doesn’t matter though, I’d been going kind of easy on them since I had the time. Now I’m just going to awaken them the way I did Valaria.
<...Just do your best not to harm them.> Nare sighed in his head, getting a thumbs up for it.
You got it, I’m pretty sure this will be mostly safe and if it isn’t… Well, Xilly is a blessing mage on top of everything else, she’ll make it work out.
In the hours he’d been training the two, trying to get them both to awaken, neither had succeeded and Ben was officially out of patience. He’d finished the main thing he’d gone to do there and he had other tasks to get to so the gentler configurations of his mind were being dropped, instead going for something he was sure would leave both with powerful migraines but no real injury to go with it as he flashed between those configurations, finally getting results one after another as Nati and then Xilly finally awakened connect, leaving Ben privy to what they’d received from it.
Huh, both of them got the same advanced variant as Valaria and both of them got bonus skills for it, interesting.
Nati was left claiming parallel thought for her awakening while Xilly got mental expansion, two skills he had before in the same way Valaria had gained mental expansion from her awakening as well, making him wonder if the help he gave them all really was the driving force behind it.
Something to think about later I suppose. For now, let’s see how they’re feeling.
Neither awakening had been lost on Delair, the girl eyeing the two after flashes of mana had filled the room but now released from his mind, both Nati and Xilly’s first moves were to flop to the ground, both of them groaning in pain.
“Don’t be dramatic, if it’s that unpleasant then Xilly, start healing already.”
“I just need a second not to vomit first,” She groaned out.
“Nope, get to it or you’re back in my head.”
A powerful motivator that immediately put her back to work, instantly training her new mental expansion as she began to heal both herself and her friend, gradually easing the pain that they’d been put under, even as they continued to groan.
“Okay, stop being so over the top. You both got your awakenings and all the benefits that come with it so congrats but for now, I need to go. Keep working hard and the next time I’m in town I’ll see if I can squeeze another level out of you.”
Another groan he ignored, instead leading Delair through the gate with him, back to Stonewall to end the day, with his student’s mood not going unnoticed.
“You want to talk about it?” He asked her, getting a shake of her head for his efforts.
“It’s fine,” She told him, the pout on her face speaking of a different story while he lightly patted her head.
“Delair, I’m your teacher, if there’s something bothering you I’d like you to tell me.”
He’d seen it in her head while he’d been giving her her lessons but that wasn’t how he wanted to bring it up. He wanted to hear it from her and after a few moments of hesitation, she finally brought it up.
“Am I your worst student?”
“Now, why would you think something silly like that?”
“Because they just awakened skills right there and you said Jake was a non-affinitied mage and I’m not as good with the enchanting system as he and Thera were even though I’ve been doing it long and I’m just… Not there.”
He crouched down to meet her eyes. “Delair, their skills might be higher than yours but that's not because you’re worse, you guys just had different starting places. Nati’s the granddaughter of a god and Xilly and Jake are both from the summoned group which means they came to this world with awakened skills already and incredible power and all of them have been getting resources poured into them. You haven’t.”
The explanation didn’t help though, only bringing her face down further. “So that means I am your worst one.”
“It means you didn’t have any of the advantages they had but none of that matters. You wanna know why?”
“Because you’ve got me,” He laughed. “They only get a little bit of my time here and there, but you? You get as much as I can give and that’s going to make all of the difference in the world for you. Yeah, your skills might not be at their level right now but who cares? Anything you want to learn I’ll teach and as far as you want to grow, I’ll help you get there. You’ve got the greatest resource in the world right here so don’t let how well others are doing get you down, I’ll make sure you blow past them all.”
He understood the insecurity all too well, he’d gone through his fair share himself but it was because of that he felt confident telling her as much. She was his main student and as much as she wanted to grow, he’d work to help her achieve it, be it in the skills she was currently working on or more beyond too, with his declaration being rewarded with a smile.
“Really really. It’s still going to take work on your part and it’s going to take time too but you’re already learning way more than anyone would expect for your level, you’ll easily grow a helluva lot more in the next few months. You’ve just gotta do your best to live up to your own expectations as well.”
“Good,” He laughed before picking her up to carry her on his shoulders to take her back home. “I already know you can do it and I’m here with you the entire way. If there’s ever anything you want to improve on or skill you want to get, just ask and we’ll figure out how to make it happen.”
“Of course kiddo, now come on, it’s another early day tomorrow.”