The anonymous "S" was someone Will had met when he posted a request for help with the Adventurer's Association a year ago.
At that time, Yiel was just beginning to learn ice armor possession. Will had calculated the theoretical values and found that it could withstand steam at 200 degrees Celsius, but Yiel had still been burned repeatedly. After thinking it over, Will realized he needed practical advice, so he posted a request asking for someone with hands-on experience.
Then he received a letter signed "S."
The letter explained the principles in detail, from steam to ice armor, and concluded with a list of possible causes for burns. One analysis noted that when Yiel possessed the ice armor, she was in zero-distance contact with it. The ice armor worked through a dynamic cycle of melting and regenerating. At such high temperatures, the steam caused the ice armor to vaporize instantly. The water vapor's heat was even higher than liquid water, which made it easy to get burned.
The simplest solution, according to S, was to maintain an air gap between the body and the ice armor during possession. Before the smallest vaporized unit touched the body, the dynamically generated ice would cool back to liquid—or even solid. Adding the dynamic cycle of ice armor would effectively prevent burns.
Will recalled the ice armor data he had written before. In the game, the cycle time of ice armor possession corresponded to the shortest interval between damage events. Using this, he calculated the optimal distance and instructed Yiel to follow it. Sure enough, she was unharmed the next time.
This was also the first time Will realized that the numerical data he had meticulously calculated for theory could actually apply in real-world combat. The formulas he had derived over the years were practical, and this might be one of his rare advantages.
Later, S was shocked that Will could calculate such detailed data, and Will was impressed by S's combination of solid theory and rich practical experience. The two frequently exchanged letters, discussing dungeon monster strategies, magical compositions, and weapon techniques. Over three years, their correspondence filled several cabinets with information. When he eventually attended the magic academy for graduate studies, Will could write dozens of MCI papers from the wealth of material in these letters.
Will had gradually upgraded the mysterious helper's title in his mind—from "that S" to simply "S," and finally to "Mr. S."
As for why he called him "Mr."—S had never disclosed his gender. But his analyses were rational, precise, and entirely free of unnecessary sentences. Such decisiveness and maturity could only belong to a man. S's tone was calm and dependable, like a seasoned adult who had been through countless battles.
But more important than his gender was the question: Who was S?
Since this was a novel, such a strong, knowledgeable person might have appeared in the original work. But… most magic academy teachers in the original story lacked practical experience. They spent their days writing papers, not actually practicing magic. Someone with S's expertise couldn't be a teacher.
What about powerful adventurers? Few adventurers were true scholars; most were skilled only in their own trades. Even a frontline captain would rarely be familiar with all kinds of magic and techniques the way S was.
Then… could it be the protagonist?
Xiu, the original protagonist, had higher theoretical knowledge than most teachers. After graduation, he joined an adventurer team and mastered the skills and tricks of multiple professions. Such a guess was simple and obvious—Will would never miss it.
But according to the original story, Xiu was still in school, studying theory, and had not even entered a dungeon. It would be about two more years before he actually adventured.
Will immediately wrote a test letter.
S replied that he did odd jobs in the adventurer world, occasionally helped with logistics in the shallow layers of dungeons, and had accumulated practical experience. He offered to assist Will with anything—even sourcing materials.
Will dismissed the idea that S was the protagonist. The timing and behavior didn't match—how could it be?
In novels, there were always hermits, unnamed characters who appeared briefly. It made sense. They were not the protagonist.
Thinking this, Will sighed. If S were the protagonist, he would likely be a mentor—constantly supplying upgrades, providing guidance, and offering spiritual support. But he wasn't. Mr. S would remain anonymous, perhaps forever.
"Let's see what Mr. S wrote. Since he's replying now, he must have discovered something."
After dinner, Will opened the package sent by Mr. S under the desk lamp's glow. This time, it was more of a parcel than a simple letter.
Inside were a letter, a small wooden box, and a tattered book with yellowed pages.
He opened the letter first:
To: WLast time, we discussed restoring the ancient magic Extreme Flame Meteor. To be honest, ancient magic isn't my specialty. I can provide little help. Fortunately, I found relevant ancient books in the dungeon containing fragments of records. One passage mentioned that a medium is required: the abdomen of a small monster called an Explosive Firefly. I collected over a hundred of them and smelted a small bottle, included with this package. Use it sparingly.If you obtain more accurate explosion and damage data during testing, please report it in your next letter.S
Will opened the small wooden box, filled with shockproof cardboard. Despite the box's size, inside was only a small vial of powder—likely extracted from the firefly's abdomen. He turned off the lamp and held it up to the moonlight. A faint pink glow shimmered within.
"This is promising. I just don't know if it will work."
He opened his red-covered Task System notebook.
"Okay… Extreme Flame Meteor… Extreme Flame Meteor, huh… mission here."
Turning to the next page, he read:
[Important Mission: Have Yiel block the assassin's Extreme Flame Meteor! Must be accomplished. Very important. Recommended: conduct a preliminary experiment.]
His expression grew serious. He wrote the task down to not forget the plot. The reminder triggered memories from the original story—a terrible event:
An assassin.
In the original work, "Master Will" would later encounter the witch who wielded Extreme Flame Meteor. After receiving his admission letter from Entak First College, the empire's top school, Will was attacked en route to the capital. He was slightly injured, missed the practical exam, and this set off a chain of events that led to bullying, psychological issues, and deteriorating relations with his father. It also affected his eventual relationship with the popular half-elf princess.
Even though the villain deserved it in the original story, Will couldn't feel happy knowing he had to go through it.
Such an important mission… with an incredible reward.
He turned to the back page:
[Reward: Complete Quest 38. Upon finishing the series, obtain Yiel's exclusive ancient magic book—Ice Array.]
The quest planner's skills were evident. Rewards could be included as side quests to push the players further.
Ice Array.
This was crucial. Yiel's ice armor possession was like a beginner skill in a new game. It was sufficient for now, but four years later, when the protagonist joined the team, it would be outclassed. Ice Array would strengthen her drastically, potentially making her Tier 0 in one leap.
But… in the original story, Yiel learned this skill too late—after she had already been discarded. A rejected loser turned T0?
If she could block the Extreme Flame Meteor, she could gain this power ahead of schedule.
Will rubbed his brows, turned on the desk lamp again, opened the tattered booklet, and took out a piece of draft paper and pen. If he could figure it out tonight, Yiel could do a preliminary experiment tomorrow—sooner the better.
Dong Dong.
A knock at the door interrupted him.
"Yiel?"
"Master… um… you're still awake?"