After that, things progressed quite smoothly, and only then did Leo truly understand how this world actually worked.
You didn't pay the girls directly. Instead, you bought drinks. Once you'd bought enough alcohol, the girls would accompany you to a room furnished with sofas and chairs, and then you could do whatever you pleased.
But unfortunately—
"Only five points of energy… looks like there's absolutely no point in coming back."
Sitting on the bed and looking at the disheveled Yellow Rose Lady lying beside him, Leo let out a sigh.
He'd gone five rounds with her, and the result was only five points of energy. Forget comparing it to Erina—even Lux's mouth had been more effective than this.
"Though the service attitude and skill level were indeed quite good…"
He ran his hand along the Yellow Rose Lady's smooth, satin-like back and sighed again. She was just an ordinary person, after all. After being completely drained, she was already exhausted to the point of collapse.
Taking a deep breath, Leo placed ten gold coins on her chest, put on his clothes, and walked out of the pink-colored tavern.
Since accumulating energy was proving so inefficient, it was only natural that he should focus on finding ways to grow stronger during this period.
"Come to think of it, swordsmanship is pretty widespread in the Dungeon Fighter world."
Watching the swordsmen walking around with blades in hand, Leo considered which discipline he should learn.
Firearms training was a given—there was no way he'd abandon that. Guns were far faster than swords.
But strengthening his own body was also essential. He hadn't forgotten that, even with similar buffs, Rias received dozens of times the amplification he did, while he still looked like a weakling in their eyes.
So he needed to train and cultivate his base attributes.
With that in mind, he headed straight for the Mage Guild.
Magic was cooler, after all.
When Leo entered the Mage Guild, what he saw was nothing like the shabby single-room setup from the game. The guild was enormous—more like a full academy.
As he stepped inside, he saw many robed figures carrying books, walking back and forth, each with a long staff at their side.
Sharan, whom he'd made a special trip to see before, was standing in front of a large door, holding a star-tipped wand about the length of her forearm, instructing two children who looked no older than eight or nine.
Leo stood at a distance and quietly waited for Sharan to finish.
This time, the cold expression usually on her face had mostly disappeared. As she taught the children and watched them successfully cast two spells, her demeanor became gentle and radiant.
Her curves were still as captivating as ever, and when she bent down, her already ample bosom appeared even fuller—but what Leo cared about more was the maternal, earnest aura on her face. Combined with her sensual evening gown, Sharan looked like an elegant noblewoman—though she already was one.
After dismissing the children, Sharan turned her gaze toward Leo. She'd seen many humans before, but Leo was the type who easily drew attention. Though his features were somewhat plain, the aura of someone who had repeatedly faced life and death was impossible to fake.
More than that, the closer she got to Leo, the stranger he felt to her.
She sensed that he possessed some powerful force—yet the truth was that there wasn't a trace of magical power in his body.
"Good morning, Miss Sharan. I came to thank you for this."
Leo pointed to the brooch on his chest and casually took out half of the remaining gold coins on him, preparing to hand them over.
"There's no need for repayment. I'm here to help those in need. But you didn't come just to settle a favor, did you?"
Sharan looked at Leo with interest. When he'd watched her teach earlier, part of his gaze had lingered on her legs and chest—but most of it had been focused on the spells she was teaching.
That kind of desire in his eyes couldn't be faked. She knew it well.
It was the gaze of someone who yearned for power.
And magic was power.
"Yes. I'm quite interested in magic."
Leo nodded openly.
Swordsmanship was cool and necessary, but if he could also learn magic—
"Then come with me. That's one of my responsibilities as well."
Sharan smiled and opened the door behind her, walking in first.
Leo hadn't expected things to go so smoothly, so he followed her inside.
With a casual gesture, Sharan activated several crystals of different colors. Then she pointed to a pentagram formation in the room.
"Step inside and close your eyes. Try to sense the energies around you. You can imagine them if you like—energies with their own colors and emotions. If you can grasp one, you'll be able to learn magic. If not, then there's nothing to be done."
Leo nodded and stepped in without hesitation.
His decisiveness made Sharan nod in approval. She snapped her fingers again, and this time even Leo felt a fluctuation of energy.
He tried to sense the surrounding energies but felt nothing, so he followed Sharan's advice and imagined colors in his mind.
He imagined four different colors. The one closest to him felt black—cold and unsettling.
Instinctively craving warmth, he imagined a mass of red.
As soon as the thought of "grasping" that red formed, Leo felt a violent warmth surge—and then Sharan's voice rang out.
"That's enough. Congratulations, Mr. Leo. You possess the aptitude to learn magic. It's weak, but you should be able to feel the surrounding magic converging toward you now."
Leo opened his eyes.
The warmth wasn't an illusion. A flame hovered in his hand, radiating gentle heat.
He could feel a strange force seeping into his body from all directions, gathering in his hand and combining with the surrounding energies to form the fireball before him.
With a light wave of Sharan's hand, the fire element dispersed. Leo focused the energy within himself, and a faint glow appeared in his palm.
Staring at that light, he still couldn't quite believe that he had obtained the supernatural power he'd once dreamed of—so easily.
"This is… magic?"
Sharan was pleased, the kind of joy that came from seeing someone step onto the path of a mage.
"Yes. This is magic. Once you grow accustomed to its presence, you'll be able to generate it on your own."
Leo examined his hand. The magic felt difficult to control, but with focus, he could still manipulate it—though it consumed a lot of mental energy.
Looking at the glowing magic, he still found it hard to believe that an ordinary Earth human like himself could use magic so easily.
If it wasn't the system's influence, then this world's magic itself must be truly extraordinary.
He looked at Sharan.
"So what's the principle? I shouldn't have had magic before—why can I generate it now?"
Sharan's answer was immediate.
"I don't know."
"Huh?"
Seeing Leo's surprise, Sharan smiled again.
"There are many theories. Some say it's the soul, others say it's the fusion of spirit and life force. But everyone has their own answer, Mr. Leo. I can only tell you one thing."
"They're all wrong."
"And they're all right."