"You used magic, didn't you, senior?"
Gauss put down his cup and stared straight at Andeni, eyes sharp with suspicion.
They were all drinking fairly—so why was she pulling tricks?
"Ma-Magic? What are you talking about?" Andeni's cheeks were still a bit flushed, but she denied it flatly. "Who would seriously learn a spell just for sobering up, haha… ha… You don't really think I cheated with magic, do you?"
"Yes," Gauss said firmly.
Anyone would be suspicious after seeing her blushing like a boiled shrimp one moment, then completely clear-headed and pale the next, as if nothing had happened.
"Hehehehe…" Andeni let out a guilty laugh, her eyes avoiding his gaze.
Gauss was now certain—case closed.
No wonder she used to claim that nobody in her old adventuring party could outdrink her—it was all magical cheating! Who could compete with that?
Andeni glanced between the two at the table.
Sophia was already drunk. Her neck and cheeks were red, and while she usually held her liquor well, she couldn't withstand Andeni's explosive, nonstop toasting.
Unlike Andeni, Sophia didn't have any magic to sober up—so it wasn't surprising she ended up like this.
Then there was Gauss.
His expression was calm, eyes clear, and he looked even more refreshed than the one who had cheated with magic.
"You… you're the real cheater, aren't you?" Andeni grumbled, unconvinced.
How could Gauss look better than her, when she had literally used a spell? He must've done something too!
"Just natural talent," Gauss shrugged, playing innocent.
After a hearty meal and plenty of drinks, Gauss pushed back his chair, ready to head downstairs to pay the bill.
But before he could even stand fully, Andeni suddenly vanished from her seat with a pop, like a popped soap bubble, leaving only her smug voice behind:
"I'll go pay!"
"…Was that an illusion-type spell?"
Using magic to grab the check? Gauss chuckled and shook his head.
He figured that by the time he went downstairs, Andeni would have already paid, so he sat back down.
Sure enough, not long after, the private room door opened and Andeni returned, bouncing in cheerfully.
"You used magic again! That's cheating, Andeni."
"What do you mean 'again'?" Andeni wiggled her finger at him, lifting her chin proudly. "I'm teaching you something here! Magic is a tool to improve efficiency! You didn't even notice I used magic at the table or at checkout—that's because my control is more refined than yours!"
She defended herself righteously, somehow turning her cheating into a hands-on magic lesson.
"End of class!" she declared, popping the last few blueberries into her mouth and dusting off her hands.
The three of them made their way downstairs and stepped outside.
"No need to walk me home," Andeni waved her hand, then pointed at Sophia, who was leaning on Gauss. "Take her home instead—you guys live together, right?"
"Don't say things like that! You're giving people the wrong idea," Gauss muttered, flustered, catching a suggestive glance from the restaurant manager.
"Later!" Andeni's small frame disappeared down the moonlit street.
Gauss let out a helpless sigh and gently supported Sophia, who was leaning heavily on him, as they made their way back to the inn.
A faint, delicate fragrance drifted in on the breeze.
…
The next morning.
Gauss sat at the high stool behind the inn's front counter.
Sophia was still groggy from her hangover but had dragged herself into the kitchen, unwilling to let the morning go idle.
Gauss glanced back briefly, then straightened his back and pinned his brand-new Bronze badge to the most visible part of his chest, proudly displaying his status.
While flipping through his recently purchased spell scrolls, he kept an eye on the inn's patrons.
As expected, anyone passing by would glance at him twice. Especially when their eyes landed on that bronze-blue emblem on his chest—their pupils would shrink slightly.
Bronze-tier adventurer?!
What's his relationship with the innkeeper?
Seeing Gauss sitting so casually by the counter, as if he were the owner, sparked all kinds of speculation in their minds.
And why not?
In a frontier town like Grayrock, a Bronze-tier adventurer was already considered top-tier power.
Sure, even among Bronze ranks there was a world of difference between someone at Level 1 and someone at Level 5—but for most people at the bottom of society, all of them were out of reach and not to be provoked lightly.
Feeling the mix of awe and curiosity in those gazes, Gauss nodded inwardly.
This badge was having an even greater effect than expected.
With that goal achieved, he settled in and focused on the scroll in his hand.
"Prestidigitation…"
He started with this jack-of-all-trades utility spell, widely known as the most versatile cantrip.
Its effects were minor, and there was no need to go looking for a hidden corner to practice.
After reading through the scroll's description and method of spell model construction several times, Gauss found the process to be incredibly smooth.
Completely different from how tough it had been back when he struggled through that damaged Light scroll.
"So this is the benefit of becoming a [Arcane Adept] class."
The innate talent Spell Proficiency greatly enhanced his ability to perceive and control magical essence—and more importantly, drastically boosted his learning efficiency. That advantage was now fully apparent.
After repeating the reading a few more times and engraving the spell model into his mind, Gauss closed his eyes and dove deep into his consciousness.
Inside his mind, his spiritual power moved like invisible threads, carefully weaving, outlining, and anchoring the spell model as instructed.
Time passed quietly.
An hour later, after one or two minor missteps, a complete and stable spell model of Prestidigitation had finally taken form in his mental space.
The hardest step was done!
Gauss willed open his system panel:
Cantrip — Prestidigitation Lv1 (0/10)
It worked.
He smiled.
Was he a genius?
Honestly, the [Arcane Adept] class might be a bit overpowered.
Three attempts, and he was already casting the spell—that was easier than pouring a glass of water.
Sure, building the model took some time, but—
"…Hmm?" Gauss paused, focusing internally. "My mind feels… a little heavier?"
It was a subtle feeling—like he was mentally carrying something extra.
It was the same sensation he'd had after learning Light.
And both of these spells were learned manually from scrolls—not unlocked via the Adventurer's Manual.
"So manual spells don't burden my mind, but self-learned spells do."
He noted the difference. While he didn't fully understand the underlying reason, he didn't dwell on it.
At the same time, he sensed that the tiny cup representing his class tier had grown slightly more solid. And the mana flowing out of it… maybe it was just his imagination, but it felt a bit smoother now.
"Learning new spells might actually contribute to class progression?"
He scratched his head.
"Are they trying to make me into a walking spell encyclopedia?"
Setting that aside, Gauss eagerly tested the various effects of Prestidigitation.
He summoned tiny sparks from his fingertips, wiped away dust from a flower pot with invisible force, left faint magical markings on the tabletop...
He was having a blast.
The spell wasn't stable yet—its power was inconsistent—but his proficiency level was climbing fast.
Prestidigitation Lv1 (8/10)
Once he'd tested the main effects a few times, Gauss put down the scroll.
Its glow had dimmed, as if it had been drained of something vital.
Most likely not reusable. He shook his head and picked up the second scroll: Message.
With the experience from learning Prestidigitation, this one went even smoother.
By lunchtime, Gauss was already proficient in the convenient Message cantrip.
"Sophia, can you hear me?" he whispered mentally.
"Hmm? What is it?" Sophia, just stepping out of the kitchen, instinctively responded—then covered her mouth and glanced around, relieved that no one was nearby.
The first time she heard his Message spell, it startled her—she thought he was whispering directly into her ear.
Now that she'd gotten used to it, she knew it was just magic. But it still embarrassed her, since replying required speaking out loud, which made her look like she was talking to herself.
…
In the following two days, Gauss threw himself fully into training his new abilities.
He mastered all four cantrips—Prestidigitation, Message, Mending, Firebolt—and the Rogue apprentice skill Keen Insight.
Prestidigitation Lv2 (6/20)
Message Lv2 (3/20)
Mending Lv2 (1/20)
Firebolt Lv1 (9/10)
Keen Insight Lv1 (4/10)
Keen Insight took the longest—more than all four spells combined.
Since it wasn't a spell, it didn't benefit from his Spell Proficiency talent, and he had to brute-force it through effort and intuition, with only a little help from the system panel.
Thankfully, he was smart, and with the panel's "minor assistance," he managed to succeed.
Looking at the long list of skills on his stat page, Gauss felt something new:
A sense of abundance.
He'd made it to Bronze-tier!
He had his storage pouch!
He'd trained his skills to a solid level!
Now it was finally time to set foot into the world of Bronze-rank adventurers—and make something of himself.
Just thinking about the 20 gold loan he owed filled him with motivation.
Funny how after leveling up, getting stronger, and becoming a better earner—he still felt poorer than ever.
On reflection, he realized this might just be the bottomless nature of human greed.
Once, a tavern meal costing a few dozen copper coins was enough to satisfy him. Now? He'd probably need at least several silver coins for a "real" meal.
Desire was like a growing circle: the more you had, the more you saw, the more you wanted—and the harder it became to ever feel satisfied.