"Be as careful as you can on your adventures." Instructor Marvin looked like he wanted to say more, but in the end, he held his tongue.

"Instructor Marvin, there’s one more thing I’d like to ask you."

"What is it?"

"How much is the monthly stipend for a Junior Mage?" Zelir asked, quite seriously.

"..."

Instructor Marvin silently glanced at Zelir.

"Twenty Gold Coins."

Hearing this amount, Zelir’s eyes lit up.

’Holy crap... If I become a Junior Mage, I can get an extra twenty Gold Coins out of thin air every month!’

Seeing Zelir’s eyes gleam at the mention of money, Marvin couldn’t help but shake his head.

’He’s taking missions from the Adventurer’s Association every day, and he can still improve his strength to this level through Meditation.’

’Sigh...’

’If only Zelir had been born into a noble family that didn’t have to worry about resources. His progress might have been even greater.’

...

"Zelir, wait for me!"

Zelir had just left the Room of Serenity when he heard Lante’s voice calling from behind him.

He came jogging up the tree-lined path, panting and out of breath.

"What’s wrong?" Zelir stopped and looked at him, a little confused.

"Um..."

Lante caught his breath, but his eyes were evasive.

He hesitated for a long while before mustering the courage to speak.

"Zelir, I want to ask you... please, teach me!"

"Teach you?"

Zelir was a bit surprised. "Teach you what?"

"About Magic!"

Lante said loudly, "I want to have your level of Magic Power Strength and Magic Manipulation too!"

"Don’t you have a teacher?"

Zelir was still a little confused. "Their skill level is definitely higher than mine. If there’s something you don’t understand, wouldn’t it be better to just ask your teacher?"

"It’s not the same."

Lante shook his head repeatedly. "I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I just feel that you’re different from my teacher, Zelir. You have a special... um... how should I put it? A special sort of air about you, I guess."

This piqued Zelir’s interest. He smiled. "What kind of special air?"

"A sharp and decisive air!"

Lante had finally found the right words.

"You’re an Adventurer, right, Zelir? I heard the missions Adventurers take are really dangerous. Is that how you trained your Magic abilities, in that kind of environment?"

"Er..."

Zelir narrowed his eyes and thought for a moment. "I don’t think so...?"

’It’s true that I raise my attribute values by gaining experience from killing monsters, but that method only works for me.’

’If other Mages spent too much time on missions, they’d actually fall behind those who focus on Meditation.’

’For a Mage, the only way to increase their strength is through Meditation.’

"No, I think that’s exactly it!"

Lante clenched his fists, not abandoning his theory just because Zelir denied it.

"The essence of Magic Power must be understood on the line between life and death! Only by constantly challenging strong enemies can one improve their strength faster!"

"That sounds more like something a Warrior would say..." Zelir retorted weakly.

"So! Zelir, please, you have to take me with you on your next mission!" Lante looked at Zelir with a face full of earnestness.

’What overwhelming fighting spirit...’

However.

"No."

Zelir rejected Lante without hesitation.

"Why? I won’t make you take me for free. I can even pay you, really!" Lante said, growing anxious.

"You said it yourself, adventuring is dangerous. Taking you on a mission so rashly under these circumstances—wouldn’t that be incredibly irresponsible?" Zelir said.

"I’m not afraid," Lante said firmly.

"This isn’t a question of being afraid or not."

Zelir’s expression grew more serious. "You could die, you know?"

Now that he’d put it that way, Lante finally quieted down a bit.

He lowered his gaze, his expression crestfallen.

"Yeah... you’re right. I don’t even meet the standards of a Magic Apprentice yet. I’d just be a burden if I went with you..."

"You don’t have to be so discouraged."

Lante’s expression made Zelir feel a bit sorry for him. He patted Lante’s shoulder and said encouragingly.

"How about this? When a suitable mission comes up in the future, I’ll take you with me."

Lante looked up, his gaze turning eager once more.

"Really?!"

"I wouldn’t lie to you. But you have to promise me that you’ll focus on Meditation and improve your strength before then," Zelir said seriously.

"Okay!"

...

「Outside Black Stone Town.」

「The Desolate Forest.」

Valles stood alone in the center of a clearing, tightly gripping the Longbow "Moonlight." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

The first impression this Longbow gave was not one of violence, but of elegance.

The bow’s body was made of Snow Wood, pure white all over, with exceptionally smooth lines.

Like the arc of a new moon, or the horns of an antelope.

It was his family’s heirloom weapon, and it carried his mother’s will.

Valles closed his eyes, his entire being like a silent statue, almost seeming to merge with his surroundings.

The scene of his battle with the Giant Winged Bat a few days ago flashed endlessly in his mind. The images played in slow motion, frame by frame, as if time itself had been stretched thin.

The currents of air stirred by every flap of the Giant Winged Bat’s wings, the trajectory of each glide and dive, and the Bone Spikes sheathed in Wind Blades.

Swift, fierce, and Bloody, yet also exquisite.

’That’s not right...’

’The wind wasn’t simply sheathing them...’

’It was a push, an acceleration—an empowerment that made a physical object faster and sharper...’

Valles deconstructed the scene in his mind over and over again, trying to integrate the Giant Winged Bat’s attack method into his own skills.

He didn’t know how long this mental simulation lasted, but Valles finally opened his eyes, which were filled with focus and calm.

He calmed his mind and focused all his attention on his Heart of Qi.

Although it was called the Heart of Qi, it was located in his lower abdomen, more like a dantian.

As Valles concentrated, a unique wisp of energy seeped out from his Heart of Qi, flowed into his blood vessels, and then circulated to his fingertips.

Valles felt a sore, numb, and throbbing pain spread through his entire right arm—a sign that his body had not yet perfectly merged with his Fighting Qi.

He endured the discomfort and drew an ordinary Wide-Blade Iron Arrow from his Quiver.

Nock. Draw. Full moon.

The Fighting Qi at Valles’s fingertips began to try and merge with the Arrow.

’Release!’

WHOOSH!

The Arrow flew from the string, but the instant it was released, the uncontrolled Fighting Qi detonated at its tail!

The wooden shaft snapped in half. The entire Arrow failed before it had even flown a few meters, landing crookedly in the mud.

A failure.

Valles narrowed his eyes, lost in thought for a moment.