Chương 19: Teaming Up with Familiar Faces

Zelier couldn't help feeling grateful toward Bev. Despite being born into nobility, she'd never acted superior. Instead, she'd patiently shown him around the Mage Guild and taught him a wealth of knowledge that would have taken him months—if not years—to learn on his own. Then there was Instructor Marven, who had quietly bent the rules just enough to let him qualify early and start receiving the Guild stipend. He owed them both. I'll repay those favors someday.

"Good evening, Auro." Back at the Nightflower Inn, Zelier greeted the receptionist with a wave.

"Good evening, Mr. Zelier." Auro smiled sweetly.

"Your new outfit looks very handsome."

"Uh... thanks." Zelier scratched his cheek and instinctively looked away.

"I'll have a bowl of vegetable soup and some buttered bread." After seeing that vision of The Curse of the Undying, he had absolutely no appetite for meat tonight.

"Right away." Auro called the order toward the kitchen. The meal was inexpensive, costing only thirty copper coins. It wasn't long before the food arrived. Besides the soup and bread, there was also a mug of ale sitting on the table.

"It's on the house." Auro smiled.

"Thank you..." The Nightflower Inn's cook never disappointed. Every dish had its own distinct flavor. Zelier polished off the meal in no time before draining most of the ale in one long gulp." Haaah..." He let out a satisfied belch as the day's exhaustion finally melted away. His Mage Guild certification? Done. A wand? Bought. Several new spells? Successfully copied. And he still had one gold coin plus a little spare change left. He opened his status panel.

Wind Blade — 10% Illuminate — 10% Water Orb — 10% Simple Spell Matrices really did analyze at an incredible pace. At this rate, another three or four days would be enough to fully master all three spells. His combat strength would take another major leap. And when that happened... This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. It would be time to return to the Adventurer's Association. Four days later. On the outskirts of Blackstone Town.

Inside a sparse woodland. Zelier took a deep breath, steadying himself. Wind Blade. Activate. His ash-wood wand sliced through the air. An invisible blade flashed forward almost faster than the eye could follow. Slash! A deep gash instantly appeared across the trunk of the tree ahead. Sap slowly trickled from the wound. Walking over, Zelier examined the damage. The cut had bitten more than two centimeters into the wood. If that had hit an ordinary person...

It would've left them critically wounded at the very least. He nodded in satisfaction. Excellent killing power. Among the three spells he'd learned from Bev, Wind Blade had quickly become his favorite. Silent. Fast. And in terms of pure physical lethality, it even surpassed Fireball. Against unarmored enemies, it would be devastating. As for Illuminate... That was purely a support spell. And Water Orb... Honestly... Zelier thought it was kind of hilarious.

Throwing a ball of water at someone wasn't exactly terrifying. Unless the target happened to be made of living fire... It wasn't going to accomplish much. Still... Better than nothing. At the very least, if he ever ran out of drinking water in the wilderness, he could solve that problem himself. During those four days, mastering those three spells wasn't his only pleasant surprise. Because of its enormous head start... Flame Burst had also finished analyzing.

Unlike Fireball, Flame Burst was a Tier-3 Single-Layer Spell Matrix. One full tier higher. From every angle, it was practically Fireball's superior evolution. After comparing the two Spell Matrices, Zelier discovered the biggest difference. Flame Burst devoted a much larger portion of its circuitry to mana compression. That was exactly why it possessed such overwhelming destructive power. To avoid accidentally setting the forest ablaze, he chose to practice beside the river. Mana flowed through his body.

The Spell Matrix gradually took shape. Since it was his first time casting the spell, the process was slower than usual. Nearly eight seconds passed before blazing fire ignited at the tip of his ash-wood wand. Flame Burst. Activate. BOOM! A torrent of fire nearly five meters long erupted from the wand like a raging dragon's breath, surging straight ahead with terrifying force. The river hissed violently beneath the scorching heat. Steam billowed upward in thick white clouds.

Whether it was the sheer mana packed into the spell or the blistering temperature it produced... Flame Burst completely outclassed Fireball. And it possessed another remarkable trait. As long as mana continued flowing... The flames never stopped. With enough mana, a mage could keep pouring out fire until the enemy had been reduced to nothing but charred remains. Only after Zelier stopped feeding it mana did the roaring inferno gradually fade away.

"No wonder it's considered Fireball's upgraded version..." he murmured. Having a spell like this in his arsenal made him feel far more secure. Everything was ready. Now... It was time to hunt monsters. Earn money. And level up. The Adventurer's Association. Returning once again, Zelier felt noticeably more confident than before. The familiar hall buzzed with activity. Some adventurers studied the quest board. Others shouted for teammates.

Among the bustling crowd, one towering figure immediately caught Zelier's eye. A half-orc. His skin carried a pale green hue. His body was covered in coarse hair, muscles bulging beneath his armor, and the massive battle axe on his back was nearly as wide as a door. Zelier couldn't tell exactly how much orcish blood the man possessed, but it was certainly far stronger than Vaelis's diluted elven heritage.

Remembering everything Bev had told him about the relationship between the Mage Guild and the Adventurer's Association, Zelier scanned the crowd carefully. He wasn't looking for strangers. He was looking for someone he could trust. Fortunately... His luck held. Standing before the quest board was a familiar broad-shouldered figure. Marcus. He was studying the available commissions.

"Hey, Marcus." Zelier walked over and tapped him on the shoulder.

"How've you been?" Marcus turned around.

"It's you." A smile spread across his face.

"Not bad."

"Didn't expect to see you again so soon."

"So..." He grinned.

"Want to team up again?"

"Absolutely." Zelier accepted without hesitation. Working with someone he already knew was far more reassuring. At least Marcus had already proven himself trustworthy.

"What kind of quest are you thinking this time?" Zelier asked as his eyes swept across the commission board.

"What do you think?" Marcus replied. After surviving the Mistwraith together, his opinion of Zelier had changed considerably. Originally, he'd assumed the young mage was nothing more than an inexperienced rookie. But when things truly turned dangerous... Zelier had proven surprisingly dependable. Otherwise, Marcus never would have invited him to join a permanent party after their last mission.

"Let's play it safe." Zelier smiled.

"Maybe something on the easier side?" This time, he wanted to test his newly learned spells in real combat. Something too difficult would be asking for trouble. Something too easy wouldn't tell him anything. Marcus carefully looked over the quest board. A few moments later, he pulled down one of the commission notices.

"What about this one?" Zelier took the parchment. It was a commission issued by the Blackstone Town Administrative Office.