Ch.5555. You’ve Got Talent

Sunlight poured through the window on this holiday afternoon.

I lay in bed, recalling what had happened in the hospital room a few days ago.

“Sigh.”

With Shiro’s unilateral cooperation, the party was quickly formed.

I was a bit taken aback since she hadn’t told me in advance.

‘Ainer is capable, after all.’

She was a talented noble who had even received a blessing.

Moreover, according to rumors, her divine power level was said to rival that of high priests.

Bringing in such talent wasn’t about forcing the noble lady to join anyway.

In the end, I was the one who approved her joining the party.

-I’ve already finished talking with her. What do you think?

It was impossible to reject a noble lady while everyone was watching me.

Well, that wasn’t the only reason I accepted her into the party.

…Perhaps it had a slight, or maybe significant influence.

Anyway.

And so my party became four members.

1 Magic Swordsman (me, still can’t use magic).

1 Support-type Vanguard Mage (versatile Shiro).

And two priests.

Considering each person’s skills and potential, we were a mid-tier party very close to the upper tier.

Even though Shiro and I hadn’t completed our Source settings, we were skilled enough to hunt on the 6th floor with just the two of us.

If we fully aligned our Sources, we could aim for floors 8-9.

‘Quite beautiful.’

Airi was originally a priest active in the mid-tier, and Lady Ainer had received a blessing, so she should be around floor 5-6 level.

It was slightly concerning that Lady Ainer was a novice priest, but not a major issue.

As long as we weren’t entering the 9th floor, any priest would do similarly.

She could probably stay with us until we completed our Source settings.

-Knock, knock.

“Adel. Are you up?”

As I was continuing my thoughts, Shiro’s voice came from outside.

“I finished preparing and was just lying down. I’ll be right out.”

“Okay.”

Today we were supposed to learn magic from a mage belonging to the Polaris Guild.

That’s why Shiro came looking for me this early morning.

“Good morning.”

When I opened the door, I saw her dressed in casual clothes.

Despite it being midsummer, she was still wearing a white dress, but thanks to her high proficiency in ice magic, she didn’t seem to be sweating.

“Indeed.”

Shiro grabbed my wrist and moved closer to me.

A cool sensation circled around my body, which had been heated by the hot weather.

‘So she can do this now too.’

Shiro seemed to have taken one step closer to becoming a true “Support-type Vanguard Mage.”

“Thank you.”

I looked down at her, who was sticking close to me.

“…Yeah. It’s nothing.”

Her bright purple eyes looked up at me, and I was dying to pat her head.

…Should I?

“…?”

As I quietly watched Shiro, she tilted her head and pressed against my shoulder.

In the past, we both would have blushed and frozen up, but over time, the boundaries regarding physical contact had broken down.

‘Maybe it’s okay to do it?’

Her head was right next to mine—this might actually be a silent request to be patted.

Should I, or shouldn’t I?

“Shiro.”

“Yes, Adel. What is it?”

After a long deliberation, I finally raised my other arm.

-Swish.

“…?”

I brushed back her hair that had fallen forward.

It had gotten disheveled when she moved close just now.

“…Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.”

We walked through the inn’s corridor.

Shiro was still holding my wrist, making me feel like a child being led by their mother.

Well, judging by our size difference, it would probably look like I was kidnapping Shiro.

“…Oh?”

As we were about to leave the inn, someone in the lobby looked at us with surprise.

Of course, it wasn’t because they thought I was a kidnapper.

“H-hello…”

She greeted us timidly.

“Hello, Arya.”

I was about to greet her casually and continue on my way when I felt a strange sensation on the back of my head.

I turned my gaze toward her.

“!”

As if she had really been quietly watching us, she quickly turned her head and began counting the floorboard patterns.

Whether she’d practiced this a lot when getting scolded by her mother, her eye movements were quite skilled.

Anyway.

She wasn’t just looking at us for no reason; there must be something.

‘Is it because of that?’

The Labyrinth tutoring.

I had promised to teach her about the Labyrinth a while back.

But I kept postponing it due to lack of time, forgetfulness, and many other reasons.

So far, we’d only met about 2-3 times. Even then, something always came up and we parted after just a few dozen minutes.

‘She can’t even bring it up.’

Being in the position of a student, she probably felt awkward about mentioning it first.

“Shiro, can you wait a moment?”

“Sure. That’s fine.”

After asking Shiro for her understanding, I approached Arya.

“Arya.”

“Y-yes? Adel. What is it?”

She seemed a bit surprised, as if she hadn’t expected me to come to her.

“I’ll teach you right after we return from the Labyrinth next time. I’m a bit busy now because I need to learn magic. Can you wait?”

By the way, when I mentioned teaching Arya, Shiro had asked if she could join too.

Rather than being jealous or concerned, she seemed to genuinely want to nurture an aspiring explorer.

“Ah, yes. I would be grateful if you could do that.”

“Then let’s plan it that way. I’ll make sure to meet you first thing after we come out of the Labyrinth.”

She nodded with a noticeably brighter expression.

Technically, she’s older than me, but in this Labyrinth city, age doesn’t really matter.

If someone earns more money, is more successful, or is a senior in your field, they’re all teachers and mentors.

“Let’s go now,”

“Okay.”

With that, Shiro and I went outside.

The streets were full of people.

Children played under the hot summer sun.

Some were selling goods, while others sat on benches lamenting their lives.

Though not perfect, many seemed to be living their lives diligently.

“…”

Looking at them made my mind go blank.

“Adel.”

Honestly, I’m not sure.

Am I living my life diligently?

Even if I do my best in given situations, is the direction of that diligence truly right?

Under the hot sun, my head heated up, and such doubts arose.

“Adel.”

The sounds around me grew faint.

My vision spun, making me dizzy, and what I usually believed in became mixed with other thoughts, all jumbled up.

Is the direction I’m heading really—

“—Adel.”

“…”

I heard Shiro’s voice.

I looked in the direction of her voice. I saw Shiro, who had moved three steps ahead of me.

…When did she get there?

“I’m sorry. I think I zoned out for a moment.”

“It’s okay.”

I apologized to her and continued walking.

It’s probably nothing.

***

We arrived at the Polaris Guild.

After being amazed once again by the imposing building, we went inside and were guided by a staff member.

The corridors were wide, and the materials used to construct the building were on a different level from ordinary wood.

It was “mana-coated wood.”

-Sparkle, sparkle.

…Aside from the fact that it constantly sparkled, it was hard to find any practical use for it.

“…”

But the mana-coated wood was invincible, and the Polaris Guild, the owner of this building, was godlike.

If I said this in front of Airi, she might cut ties with me, saying, “…Is that blasphemy?”

“Please enter this room. Have a good time.”

Just as my wandering thoughts ended, the guild staff bowed and opened the door to the room.

‘I’m excited.’

It’s been over three years and several months since I came to this world.

I’m learning magic for the first time.

And from an amazing mage of a major guild, no less!

With a heart full of anticipation, Shiro and I entered the room.

“…Sigh.”

Sofa, table, sofa.

A room with such a structure. On the left sofa sat a woman with wine-colored hair.

“Siiigh…”

If I had to point out anything unusual,

It would be her shark-like teeth, fierce expression, crossed legs, and the fact that she was smoking indoors.

“…Sigh. Ah, you’re here? You’re… Ah, right. Airi’s acquaintances? Sit over there.”

I sensed things were going to be messed up from the start, but I politely greeted her and sat on the opposite sofa.

The sofa had a softness you’d expect to find only in noble mansions.

“So, what do you want to learn?”

Without introducing herself, she jumped straight to the point.

Judging by the lethargy on her face, she seemed to have a generally negative attitude toward everything.

Quite taken aback, I almost had a brain freeze, but quickly tried to gather my thoughts.

‘Think positively.’

True masters often don’t care about formalities.

“Shiro here wants to learn ice magic of 5 stars or higher, and I want to learn enhancement magic that I can use freely during combat.”

Actually, after coming out of the Labyrinth and doing this and that, there was only 1 week left until the next portal opened.

Most people would think we’re crazy for trying to learn magic in such a short time.

It was too short to learn even one spell, but Shiro and I could definitely do it.

“The elf will learn from me for a week, then practice a bit in the next Labyrinth to build up proficiency. Hmm… about 3 weeks total.”

She muttered something that I couldn’t tell whether she was talking to herself or to us.

‘That’s a relief, at least.’

I was thinking it would take over a month, but it seems we might be able to use it in the Labyrinth if we do well.

But.

“By the way, your energy feels unusual. Have you learned magic from someone else before?”

“What?”

She looked at me curiously.

“Seems like you haven’t, but that wasn’t a compliment. Your mana pattern is bizarrely twisted. You probably shouldn’t use magic… Hmm. I’m not sure.”

She spoke in a serious tone.

“…Are you saying you won’t teach me?”

“No, I’ll just teach you the basics. If this doesn’t work, you’d better just go home.”

She began to teach me how to manipulate mana, one step at a time.

“First, move your mana. You know, that thing you can feel in your body?”

“…Understood.”

She lacked enthusiasm, but I had to do as told.

I closed my eyes and tried to feel “that thing.”

For the first few seconds, I wondered what it was.

“Is this right?”

Blue energy began circulating through my body.

“…I apologize for earlier. You seem to have talent. Then I’ll teach you the next step—”

She indifferently began to teach the next steps.

Flowing mana, moving it, controlling it, and so on.

I learned all sorts of basics, and after about 20 minutes…

“What are you?”

Her lethargic face filled with questions.

“…What do you mean?”

“No, what is that? Did you succeed?”

Unlike when I first released mana, a stable dark blue light faintly illuminated my body.

I had succeeded in body enhancement.

“What’s strange about it?”

In games, skills just appeared when you did things.

In reality, I just did it and it worked.

“No, even your energy is a bit strange. I’ve never seen such a blue light…”

She muttered all sorts of things to herself, surprised and amazed, then looked at me, who hadn’t fully grasped the situation.

“You said you’ve never learned magic before, right?”

“Yes.”

“When a beginner mage learns body enhancement, it usually takes at least three days just to apply that magic.”

“…What?”

Three days?

I thought it was easy since I just did it, but it was more difficult than I thought.

“For a beginner mage with basic skills, it takes 2 weeks. If you start from scratch, it would take about 2 months.”

“…”

“You just skipped those 2 months entirely. And, as enhancement magic quality increases, the color changes.”

Her voice became strangely energetic.

“Usually, a beginner mage has a light sky blue. A mage around floor 5 has a blue color.”

“…Mine is dark blue though?”

“Yes. That’s the problem.”

She let out a hollow laugh and extended her arm with enhancement magic applied.

“Right now, you’re identical to a mage who was in a party entering the 9th floor.”

Dark blue light swirled around her arm.