“Senior, did you use magic?”
Gauss put down his wine glass, his gaze sharp as a torch as he looked at Andni, showing no attempt to hide the suspicion in his eyes.
Everyone was clearly drinking fairly, so why did she have to get sneaky?
“Ma-ma-magic? What are you talking about?” Andni’s cheeks flushed slightly, but she firmly denied Gauss’s suspicion. “How could anyone have learned a magic specifically to sober up? Haha... haha, you don’t seriously think I cheated by using magic, do you?”
“Yes.” Gauss nodded resolutely.
Anyone who saw her cheeks turn as red as a boiled shrimp one moment, then her head droop and her face instantly return to pale white with clear eyes the next, would have the same doubt.
“Hehehe…” Andni laughed nervously, her eyes darting about.
Gauss was even more certain of his guess.
Case solved!
No wonder she said that no one could outdrink her during their adventures back then. She had been cheating with sobering magic all along. Who could possibly be her match?Andni’s eyes glanced between the two sitting by the table.
Sophia was already drunk, her neck flushed and cheeks faintly pink.
She usually had a good tolerance, but she couldn’t keep up with Andni’s earlier relentless “encouragement” to drink.
Unlike Andni, she didn’t have sobering magic, so it was no surprise she got drunk.
And Gauss?
His complexion was normal, his eyes clear, and his condition looked even better than Andni’s magically aided state.
“You’re the one cheating, aren’t you?” Andni grumbled stubbornly.
How could Gauss be more sober than her, who had cheated with sobering magic? He must have used some trick too!
“Born with a good constitution, don’t envy me.” Gauss shook his head, looking innocent.
After a satisfying meal, Gauss pushed back his chair and was about to get up and go downstairs to pay.
But just as he moved, Andni suddenly vanished like a popped soap bubble with a soft “pop,” leaving only a triumphant voice behind.
“I’ll pay.”
“Is that some kind of illusion magic?”
Using illusion magic to snatch the bill! Gauss shook his head and smiled helplessly.
He guessed that if he went downstairs now, Andni would have already finished paying, so he just sat back down.
Sure enough, not long after, the private room door was pushed open, and Andni returned with a light step.
“Using magic to cheat again? So sly, Senior Andni.”
“What do you mean ‘again’?” Andni shook her finger and proudly lifted her chin. “Besides, I’m teaching you. Magic itself is a tool to improve efficiency! The spell I used earlier, whether at the dining table or when paying the bill, you didn’t notice at all. That’s because my magical power is more refined and controlled than yours!”
Andni explained shamelessly, instantly turning her cheating into an on-site lesson.
“Dismissed!”
Andni popped the last few blueberries into her mouth, clapped her hands, and announced.
The three of them walked downstairs and pushed open the restaurant door.
“You don’t need to walk me out.” Andni waved her hand and pointed at Sophia, who was leaning against Gauss. “You can just escort her back since you live together anyway.”
“Don’t say things that can be easily misunderstood.” Gauss quickly reminded her, feeling awkward under the watchful eyes of the front desk owner.
“Let’s go!” Andni’s small figure merged into the moonlight and soon disappeared at the end of the street.
Gauss sighed helplessly, gently putting effort into supporting the body-softened Sophia as he walked toward the inn.
In the evening breeze, a faint, elusive fragrance drifted into his nose.
Nothing more happened that night.
The next morning.
Gauss sat on a high stool in front of the inn’s counter.
Sophia’s body still felt soft and weak from the hangover, but diligent as ever, she had already slipped into the kitchen early to start working.
Gauss retracted his gaze and deliberately pinned the brand-new Bronze-rank badge on the most conspicuous spot on his chest, openly displaying his identity.
He flipped through several newly purchased cantrip scrolls while keeping an eye on the surrounding activity.
Sure enough, travelers passing by would pause for a few seconds when their light swept over him. Especially when the indigo badge on his chest caught their eye, many pupils suddenly contracted.
Bronze-rank adventurer!
What was his relationship with the innkeeper?
Seeing Gauss sitting leisurely near the counter, exuding an air of ownership, various speculations stirred in the customers’ minds.
They couldn’t help but overthink.
In a frontier town like Grayrock, Bronze-rank adventurers were openly the top fighters.
Although even within Bronze-rank, the gap between professional level 5 and professional level 1 could be vast, to the lower-level adventurers, these were figures they had to admire from afar and dare not provoke lightly.
Gauss felt the mixture of respect and curiosity directed at him and nodded inwardly. The shock effect brought by this badge was even better than he had expected.
Having achieved his goal, he focused his mind and immersed himself in the contents of the scrolls.
“Magic Cantrip.”
He first studied this foundational basic, nicknamed the “universal remedy” among practice spells.
The effect of this magic trick was weak but didn’t require finding a secluded corner to practice.
After carefully reading the cantrip model construction methods and effect descriptions several times, Gauss felt an unprecedented smoothness.
This was completely different from the obscure difficulty he had experienced when initially studying the torn Light Cantrip scroll.
“Looks like this is the benefit of advancing to the Magician rank.” Gauss understood.
The professional talent Spell Mastery enhanced his perception and control over the magic source, greatly improving magic learning efficiency. Now, the effect was clearly showing in his cantrip learning.
He repeatedly studied the intricate model structure until it was clearly imprinted in his mind.
Gauss closed his eyes and sank into his consciousness, beginning to construct the cantrip model.
Deep in his mind, his spiritual force was like invisible threads, carefully weaving, outlining, and fixing the cantrip model according to the scroll’s guidance.
Time passed quietly.
After one hour, and a couple of minor construction mistakes, a stable and complete Magic Cantrip model finally formed firmly in his spiritual world!
The hardest step was done!
Gauss moved his thoughts and looked at his panel.
Level 0 Cantrip Magician Cantrip Lv1 (0/10)
It really worked.
A faint smile lifted the corners of Gauss’s mouth.
This cantrip, usually requiring months for apprentices to master, he had learned in only one hour. The double boost from rank and talent was astonishing.
“Magic Cantrip!”
Gauss silently repeated in his mind.
At the same time, he imagined a breeze blowing through the air before him.
“Whoosh—”
A faint but clear airflow brushed across his cheek.
There was a reaction, but it was still unstable. Gauss concentrated again.
The wind came!
This time, the airflow fluctuated noticeably stronger. Gauss keenly caught the difference between the two casts.
Thoughtfully, he tried a third time.
The wind came again!
A clear, tangible breeze with a slight chill brushed his face.
Success!
“Magic Cantrip proficiency +1”
“Level 0 Cantrip Magician Cantrip Lv1 (1/10)”
Gauss smiled broadly.
A genius?
No wonder they said the Magician profession was a bit overpowered.
Learning a cantrip and succeeding after three tries was easier than drinking water.
It just took some time to memorize and build the model.
“But...” Gauss calmed down and carefully felt. “My mind seems... a little heavier?”
A subtle sensation, as if his consciousness was carrying something extra, surfaced again.
This was the second time he felt this way.
The first was after mastering Light Cantrip.
Both cantrips were learned independently through scrolls, not as rewards from the Adventurer’s Manual.
“Looks like spells rewarded by the Manual don’t add extra burden to my mind, but those learned on my own do.” Gauss compared the two and found the key difference. Though he didn’t understand the deeper reasons, he didn’t dwell on it.
At the same time, he felt the small cup symbolizing his rank seemed to solidify slightly, and the flowing magic... whether psychological or real, felt smoother.
“So learning more spells also accumulates experience for rank?” Gauss scratched his head. “Are they trying to turn me into a walking magic encyclopedia?”
Setting those thoughts aside, Gauss enthusiastically began testing other effects of Magic Cantrip.
With constant attempts, all kinds of wondrous phenomena started to appear.
Sparks flickered at his fingertips, faint magical imprints appeared on the table, invisible forces brushed dust off the flowerpot…
Gauss happily experimented.
Although his low proficiency caused the cantrip’s effects to fluctuate and control was still not smooth, the proficiency was rapidly rising.
Level 0 Cantrip Magician Cantrip Lv1 (8/10)
After trying the main effects several times, Gauss put down the Magic Cantrip scroll.
The model representing the Magic Cantrip on the learning scroll seemed to lose its luster, as if Gauss had absorbed something important from it.
It probably couldn’t be used twice. Gauss shook his head and picked up the second scroll, Message.
With the experience of learning Magic Cantrip, practicing Message went more smoothly.
By noon, Gauss could skillfully use this convenient communication cantrip.
“Hey, hey, Sophia, can you hear me?” Gauss silently called in his mind.
“Hmm? What’s up?” Sophia, just stepping out of the kitchen, instinctively replied, then covered her mouth and looked around. After seeing no one, she relaxed.
The first time she received Gauss’s Message, she was startled, thinking Gauss was whispering in her ear.
After several times, she learned it was a magical effect.
Although her body relaxed to cooperate with Gauss’s practice, this one-way transmission still made her a bit shy, because to respond, she had to speak aloud, which over time made her look like a fool talking to herself.
Over the next two days, Gauss devoted himself fully to learning new skills.
Four cantrips — Magic Cantrip, Message, Mending, Fire Bolt — plus the rogue apprentice skill Insight Technique, were all mastered one by one.
Level 0 Cantrip Magic Cantrip Lv2 (6/20)
Level 0 Cantrip Message Lv2 (3/20)
Level 0 Cantrip Mending Lv2 (1/20)
Level 0 Cantrip Fire Bolt Lv1 (9/10)
Insight Technique Lv1 (4/10)
Among them, Insight Technique took the longest time.
More than all four cantrips combined.
Because it couldn’t benefit from the Magician’s Spell Mastery talent, Gauss had to rely solely on his own aptitude and panel assistance to grind through it.
Fortunately, he was brilliant and with a little help from his panel, he finally succeeded.
Looking at the long list of skills on his attribute panel, an unprecedented sense of “wealth” welled up inside him.
He had officially promoted to Bronze!
He had also purchased a Storage Bag!
His skills were almost all trained!
Next, he would officially step into the world of Bronze-rank adventurers — a big leap!
Thinking of the heavy debt of 20 gold coins weighing on him, Gauss felt a surge of motivation.
Even though his earning ability improved after promotion, why did he feel poorer?
After pondering, he concluded it was probably the endless greed of humans.
In the past, a street-side tavern meal costing a few dozen copper coins was enough to satisfy his taste buds, but now it would cost at least a few dozen silver coins.
Human greed was like an ever-expanding circle.
The more you gain, the more you see, and the more unknown and desired things appear, never allowing true satisfaction.