The joint training session began, naturally, with Gauss.
Everyone turned their attention to him.
"The spell I'm about to demonstrate is Mage Hand."
"Mage Hand."
As he spoke, Gauss smoothly activated the spell with a practiced mental cue.
A shimmering ripple of magic gathered before him, forming an invisible hand of pure energy.
While most of the team couldn't clearly see the spell's manifestation, aside from Daphne the cleric, they all sensed something shift in the air—a strange, unexplainable presence that followed the name of the spell.
Call it intuition. Sixth sense. Whatever it was, they felt it.
Because the others couldn't see the Mage Hand, Gauss had the invisible force lift his rapier and wave it around a few times in midair to give them a visual demonstration.
"Feels kind of weak," Doyle, the swordsman, commented without thinking—comparing the hand's slashes to his own full-powered swings. Naturally, it came up short.
The others reacted in their own ways, but the expression on team leader Laevin's face lit up with interest.
"No, no—it's a great spell," Laevin said, clearly impressed.
Doyle raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"It can be used to trigger traps remotely, scout ahead, or activate devices without putting ourselves at risk. Meva," he glanced at the rogue, "imagine Gauss using Mage Hand to trigger one of your traps from a distance. Oh, and Gauss—how strong is your Mage Hand, exactly?"
"About ten pounds of force."
"Not bad," Laevin nodded. "Enough to interfere during combat. Can it carry powder?"
"It should be able to," Gauss replied, a bit unsure. He hadn't tested that before.
To demonstrate, he directed the invisible hand closer, bent down, and scooped up some dust and dirt to sprinkle on it.
The particles settled into a thin layer, sticking visibly to the air—while Gauss could sense he could easily shake them off, the dust was definitely clinging to the hand's surface.
"It really is a hand," said Oliver, the archer, stepping closer out of curiosity. Even though they'd all seen magic before, it wasn't often they got to observe it up close.
"Perfect," Laevin clapped his hands together with excitement.
"Meva, give Gauss some of your special poison powder later."
Everyone quickly caught on.
A poison-coated Mage Hand, even if visible, could be directed to hit a monster's weak spots—eyes, throat, wounds—and apply status effects or damage over time. Against unarmored enemies, ten pounds of pressure might even be enough to stab with a coated blade and get past defenses.
"We'll figure out the best ways to coordinate with Gauss's Mage Hand as we go."
Though not a front-line combat spell, it was clear that with the right support and planning, this "support skill" had serious potential.
The group's attitude toward Gauss noticeably shifted.
Even Doyle, who typically favored raw strength and had little interest in "tricky" magic, had to admit—mages could be terrifying in the right hands.
He certainly didn't want to be the one getting powder dumped in his eyes or stabbed in the back by an invisible hand mid-fight.
And it's not like you can keep track of everything in combat.
The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he got. Doyle's gaze toward Gauss now carried a faint edge of respect... and maybe a little fear.
"Alright, that's Gauss's ability showcase. Next up—" Laevin began, then paused when he saw Gauss looking like he had more to say.
"What is it?"
"Actually, Captain… I've got another spell I'd like to show."
"Another one?"
The rest of the group turned to stare again, their expressions mixed with surprise and curiosity.
Usually, aspiring adventurers in the "pre-professional" stage would focus on mastering a single skill—limited time, resources, and mana made it the smart move. Occasionally, melee fighters might train a second ability to round out their combat power.
But a mage with more than one spell?
Even Daphne, the party's support cleric, only had a single cantrip—Stabilize, a basic healing spell that stopped wounds from getting worse. It wasn't flashy, but in the hands of a skilled caster, it could save a dying ally from the brink of death.
Gauss nodded. If he was going to use his Magic Missile spell during future battles to raise its proficiency, better to show it now and avoid any awkward surprises later.
Just as everyone expected another mild utility spell...
"My second spell is Magic Missile."
"Magic Missile?"
They repeated the name in their heads—until Gauss raised his hand and channeled his mana.
"Magic Missile!"
A deep blue orb materialized midair in front of him.
Now that the spell was at Lvl. 2, he no longer needed to hold it in place. It hovered naturally, swirling with compressed magical energy.
Even the air around it seemed to shift.
Wind began to stir around them.
"Heads up—this one hits hard," Gauss warned calmly. "Back up a little."
Once everyone was clear, Gauss locked his focus onto a patch of empty field in the distance—and launched the spell.
"Boom!"
The orb accelerated almost instantly, tearing through the air like a streak of blue lightning.
"WHUMP!"
A deep, concussive impact echoed through the clearing as it smashed into the ground.
Soil and dust exploded outward.
The shockwave even caused a subtle tremor underfoot.
When the dust settled, there was a shallow crater at the impact site—about a foot wide, with a sharp depression at the center the size of a clenched fist.
"Whoa…!"
The entire team blinked, stunned. Doyle and the others swallowed hard.
They had clearly underestimated him.
None of them expected this kind of firepower from the "random mage" Laevin had recruited at the guild.
This wasn't some beginner level spell.
That Magic Missile looked like it could seriously injure—or straight-up kill—someone if it hit directly.
And it was fast. Dodging it would be almost impossible.
They stared at the smoking crater for a long moment, their hearts pounding.