Rita had no idea how long she had slept, but when she woke, the curse from [Shabby Road] was gone. The orange and white cat wriggled out from under the cloak, and both teachers sitting at the bow turned to look at her. For the first time, Rita had the mind to take in the scenery of the River of Time. But a second later, a hand grabbed the back of her neck and lifted her up, placing her at the center of the boat, facing her two teachers. Meeting her apprentice’s accusatory gaze, Lightchaser pointed at GodDraw77. "She has something to say to you." Rita immediately straightened, waiting for GodDraw77’s words. She knew they would matter. GodDraw77 spoke with feeling. "Every time I saw you, I thought, if only I had gone to Kaladom back then. But there are no what-ifs... "So when Lightchaser told me that if I came with her to find you, as long as you agreed, I could become your official mentor, I didn’t hesitate. I asked for leave from Wrong Answer right away. "You might have headaches in your next competitions, since during my absence, Wrong Answer has been covering my classes..." Her tone shifted from casual to solemn as she looked Rita straight in the eyes. "I always thought, when you were little, that you were the apprentice I wanted most." Rita had guessed as much back in BlueStar, when GodDraw77 had declared, "I’m here for my apprentice." She had heard that wish every year. But hearing it now, phrased so directly, still surprised her. She glanced at this teacher whose style was so different from Lightchaser’s, waiting for the inevitable "but." The source of this content ɪs novｅlfire.net "But," GodDraw77 said, "seeing you grown up, I realized I’m more changeable than I thought. It’s you as you are now who is the apprentice I want most. Will you be my apprentice? We still have more than eighty days before we reach the Arisentna time point. I could teach you druidry. Or something else you’d like to learn?" For a moment, Rita’s eyes showed uncertainty. She knew exactly what she had been like in Card Swap. She could never be that enthusiastic, honest, defenseless girl again. Hadn’t they just been upset about that when they first boarded? She stayed silent for a long time before finally answering in a low voice under GodDraw77’s hopeful gaze. "I might not be as likable as I was as a child." She had no intention of changing for the sake of being "likable." She thought she was fine as she was. Even if she angered or saddened others, that wasn’t her problem. Thinking this, she stiffened her spine, looking GodDraw77 straight in the eyes without backing down. If her teachers hadn’t crossed the River of Time to find her, she wouldn’t even have said those two apologies earlier. "Drop the word ’might,’" Lightchaser finally cut in. She pressed her index finger against the cat’s forehead, nearly knocking her over. In the blink of an eye, GodDraw77 shifted into a four-meter-tall Moonbear. With a thunderous roar, she raised her leg high and stomped hard on Lightchaser’s foot. Lightchaser tried to keep her expression steady, but Rita still saw the slight twist of her features. Her lazily resting hand had clenched into a rock-hard fist. So there were attacks even Lightchaser couldn’t dodge? That had to be some supreme combat technique! The cat in the middle of the boat bounced up, landing on Moonbear’s other foot. Standing on her hind legs, paws clinging tight to the bear’s leg, she tilted her head up and shouted with infectious enthusiasm. "Teacher! Teacher teacher teacher teacher teacher!" "Once you master the Heart of the Druid, you can switch between three forms: Savage, Hunter, and Nature. Each sacrifices certain abilities to greatly amplify others. "For example, my Savage Form—Moonbear—sacrifices some agility and intellect to greatly boost strength and defense. "My Hunter Form—Shadow Panther—sacrifices strength, defense, and intellect, enhancing agility, precision, and critical damage. It excels at stalking, ambushing, and direct assault. "My Nature Form—Starshatter Butterfly—sacrifices strength, defense, and physical attack to raise intellect and healing power. In this form, spellcasting speed triples, and cooldowns are halved. "All three forms can be switched freely, with no cooldown. "This skill isn’t especially profound, but it’s very rare. It comes from my people, not Orpha. You don’t need to worry about her. "Everyone’s druid forms match their nature." Back when she had trained with GodDraw77, Rita had always loved this kind of shapeshifting. But she knew it was a signature technique, not something even a teacher of Moonlight Marsh would hand out to just any student. She had never asked. Now, hearing the explanation, she couldn’t wait to learn. She asked curiously, "Do many people know this skill?" "Not many. Not just because the potions needed to learn druidry are extremely costly, but also because understanding this skill is very abstract. Most importantly, learning druidry requires the constant supervision of an experienced druid." GodDraw77 concluded, "Honestly, if not for the River of Time, I wouldn’t be able to find enough time to teach you the Heart of the Druid at all..." She pulled out a chest with seven bottles inside. "This is my entire stock. Each potion cost no less than ten years to make. Every year I gather enough materials to attempt one batch, but only these seven succeeded. That means you only have seven chances." The only question was whether this deluxe Animagus—no, the Heart of the Druid—would carry over to Arisentna. Before, she would have wanted a god-tier skill to exist outside the game. But since starting the wager with demons, her performance in the Divine Game had become far more important. Given her past results in Arisentna’s Divine Games, as long as she didn’t collapse in the final one, her chance of taking first was very high. GodDraw77’s answer was, "No. But once we enter Arisentna’s section of the River, I’ll teach you again. I’m curious how your druid forms will differ between the two timelines—if you can master them." That was more than good enough. Rita started with the Savage Form. According to GodDraw77, it should suit her best right now. After internalizing the transformation runes, GodDraw77 used a quill and potion to draw the symbol of Savage Form onto Rita’s back. The magic rune would last for only twenty-one days. In that time, Rita had to summon her deepest fear and despair, then ignite an overwhelming will to survive. Most importantly, she had to firmly believe one thing—no one will come to help you but yourself. Once the rune glowed, GodDraw77 would begin the ritual chant, singing without pause until the transformation was complete. This was the most crucial and most difficult step, because the time needed varied for each person. For that entire period, the mentor’s chant could not stop for even a second. This was why so few ever learned the druid’s art. That was the full process. But whether she could truly master the Savage Form would depend on luck. If anything went wrong, GodDraw77 would reverse it in time. This form really was the easiest to learn. After the BlueStar war, it was effortless for her to recall the feelings she had endured. In less than three days, the rune on Rita’s skin began to glow in rhythm. GodDraw77’s gentle singing rose over the River of Time. In that instant, Rita felt herself beginning to change. The rune reshaped her bones and flesh.