Chapter 20

The first impression of Chaos, as seen by the two, was that of a frail foreign youth who did not look like an adventurer at all. This was because he was dressed in shabby clothes that looked like those of a beginner, and he only had a staff that beginners typically carried. Moreover, his black hair was a rarity in this area.

Despite her misgivings, there were no other adventurers available besides Chaos—perhaps this was orchestrated by someone—and due to the extracurricular practical training, there was no choice but to include him in the party. When he said he didn't need any reward for being hired, Irene became even more wary, suspecting that he might be a saboteur hired by someone.

If she were told not to join the party in such a situation, her suspicions would only grow. However, upon closer listening, it turned out that the advice was not to accompany them, but rather a warning that if Irene were to fight, it would not be beneficial for Alexia. Despite having only just met, he had discerned the difference in strength between master and servant and was speaking out of concern for his master. Irene relaxed her guard, thinking that he was a pure adventurer who had taken on the job.

On the other hand, Alexia felt envy and a hint of jealousy towards him, who was undoubtedly more powerful as a mage than her, a dropout. When they faced the Blood Rabbit, the difference in their abilities was evident. While her thin and clumsy Mana Bolt was weak, Chaos's Mana Bolt was on par with other students. She had harbored a faint, baseless hope that perhaps she could do something in her first real battle, but that hope was shattered by the sight of his skill.

If she were asked whether she wanted to become stronger as she was, the logical answer would be "yes." At the time, she didn't understand what "as she was" meant, but the words were like sweet poison to her, who thirsted for strength as a mage and was in despair. Despite her efforts, which felt like she was scraping her skin, she had never achieved the strength of a typical mage. If she could really become stronger, she would have agreed to pay any price, even offering herself.

That's why she could only nod to his words.

"Magic skills are basically influenced by 'Intelligence' and 'Spirit' in terms of magic power. Do you understand this?"

Alexia nodded. There are support spells called 'Intelligence Boost' and 'Mind Boost' that mages use. These spells enhance 'Intelligence' and 'Spirit,' respectively, and mages can increase their magic power by using 'Intelligence Boost' and spellcasters by using 'Mind Boost.' This was their common knowledge.

"Attack-type magic skills, with a few exceptions, are influenced by 'Magic Attack Power,' which is heavily influenced by 'Intelligence' and slightly by 'Spirit.' In other words, the higher the 'Intelligence,' the more powerful the attack skills of us mages will be."

She wondered if 'Magician' referred to mages, given the context, and if it was a different term used in his country. It seemed that the power of magic was not directly linked to 'Intelligence' alone. This was not something she had read in her books or that her teachers knew. Perhaps in his country, a different theory was prevalent.

As she was still reeling from the shock, Chaos delivered another shocking statement.

"By the way, just because someone has high 'Intelligence' doesn't mean they are smart."

To Chaos, it was a joke, but to Alexia, it was a shock that made her world go dark. It meant that the teachings of her predecessors were fundamentally wrong, and her efforts, which felt like she was spitting blood, were in vain. It was only natural that a hint of murderous intent arose towards Chaos, who said it so casually.

But if she thought about it calmly, it made sense. No matter how much she honed her knowledge as her teachers taught, she never improved in magic. She had not dismissed the hypothesis that intelligence did not affect the strength of magic. However, the reality was that others improved in magic as they studied more. Therefore, she had come to believe that improving knowledge led to improvement in magic, but there were individual differences, and she lacked the talent.

Thinking about it, some things made sense. 'Intelligence Boost' is a support spell that is said to enhance intelligence. However, there were no stories of people becoming smarter temporarily just because their magic power increased. If something other than 'Intelligence' was being enhanced, it made sense, but it was frightening to think that they had been using magic without understanding the principles and had blindly believed in a vague system of knowledge.

"In Alexia's case, 'Spirit' is high—she is a 'Spirit' type magician, which is fundamentally incompatible with magician magic. Especially 'Mana Bolt,' which is directly influenced by 'Intelligence.' Therefore, compared to 'Intelligence' type magicians, there will always be a difference."

The reason for her low magic power was that her 'Intelligence' was low and her 'Spirit' was high. However, this realization brought Alexia even more despair. It was as if she had been declared to lack the essential talent to be a mage. While she had been abandoned by her teachers and mocked by others, no one had ever told her directly that she lacked talent. For her, who was beginning to believe his words, it was a cruel fact, and she felt so shocked that she almost fainted and had to be supported by Irene.

She finally understood why he had asked if she wanted to become stronger as she was. The question was whether she wanted to become stronger as a mage or become a spellcaster, for which she might have talent. She might have talent as a spellcaster, but she had to be a mage.

"However, there are magic skills for magicians where 'Spirit' affects the power, or skills that are not influenced by 'Intelligence.' Using these, you can definitely become stronger. If you become a Sage, a secondary class, you will become even stronger."

A ray of hope shone through her despair. He had said that there was a way to become stronger even as a mage. The term 'Sage' was unfamiliar, but he seemed to know deep, arcane knowledge of magic that was unknown even in Vaisel. She decided to believe his words, clinging to them like a straw.

Alexia hid in the bushes to avoid being seen by the Blood Rabbit. She exchanged glances with Chaos and Irene, who nodded in return.

With that, she began to chant a spell.

"Sleep Cloud"

A white mist enveloped the Blood Rabbit. Overcome by drowsiness, it closed its eyes and fell to the ground.

"Poison Mist"

A green mist rose, and the sleeping Blood Rabbit's figure became hazy. The mist cleared after a short while, but the Blood Rabbit did not move.

As she watched, Alexia and the others waited for the time to pass.

"It's about time."

At Chaos's words, they approached the Blood Rabbit. Confirming that its breathing had stopped, Alexia realized that she had defeated a monster alone for the first time.

"Irene, I did it. I defeated a monster on my own!"

Excited, Alexia hugged Irene. As a servant, she should have scolded her for such improper behavior, but seeing her master's joy, she could only return the embrace. However, she felt a complex mix of emotions.

(To put it to sleep and then poison it... It's like the method of an assassin. But since it's a battle, is this just a matter of course...?)

She could not shake off the feeling of 'dishonor' that came from learning proper swordsmanship, and it felt like an act unbecoming of a noble.

Irene glanced at Chaos, who had brought out her master's talent. She had somehow believed that Alexia lacked magical talent. Therefore, he was both her savior and the one who brought out an expression she had never seen in all the years she had served her. She felt a slight dark emotion towards him.

On the other hand, Chaos, though not showing it on his face, was also troubled.

(The status effect magic is much stronger than I thought. I was supposed to weaken it before attacking. Maybe I should learn it. But I don't have enough skill points... What should I do...)

"Status effect magic?"

Alexia asked Chaos.

"Yes. While most magician magic is direct attacks, there are also spells that cause status effects to make battles more advantageous. For example, there is a spell called 'Spider Net.' It slows down the opponent's movement by making them 'Sluggish.'"

"But even if the speed is reduced, it doesn't mean the monster can be defeated, does it?"

Alexia knew about 'Spider Net,' but it was not a spell to defeat monsters.

"Status effects are not limited to 'Sluggish.' There are also 'Burn,' 'Poison,' 'Sleep,' 'Paralysis,' and 'Seal.' In this case, we use status effect magic like 'Burn' or 'Poison' to deal damage to the opponent. The power and success rate of status effect magic are not influenced by 'Intelligence' or 'Spirit.' Therefore, the method is to weaken the opponent with accumulated damage from 'Burn' or 'Poison' or to defeat them directly."

"I see..."

Understanding dawned on Alexia's face.

"However, there is a problem. Both have high success rates but low immediate effects, and we can't let the opponent escape, so we need to use 'Sleep' or 'Paralysis' to stop them. In this case, 'Sleep,' which works on beast-type monsters, is the best choice."

"Sleep... I think it's 'Sleep Cloud.' But if the sleep is light, won't it wake up with a single hit?"

Alexia voiced her doubt.

"Ordinary attack-type magic skills would, but status effect magic indirectly deals damage without waking the opponent."

"So we can defeat the opponent without taking any counterattacks... That's a rather frightening thought."

Irene, who had not spoken until then, grimaced at the grim scene she imagined and spoke up.

"Some enemies are immune to status effects. For example, 'Sleep' and 'Poison' don't work on undead. In such cases, you can use 'Paralysis' or 'Burn' to which the enemy is not resistant. If Alexia focuses on status effect magic, she should be able to defeat most monsters."

(Unlike 'Intelligence' type magicians, 'Spirit' type magicians don't benefit much from putting skill points into attack-type magic. On the contrary, they have extra skill points to learn status effect magic.)

"I understand. But I'm embarrassed to say that I haven't learned any magic besides 'Mana Bolt.'"

"True, at Alexia's level, you can't learn them yet, but if you continue hunting like we did just now, you should be able to learn them soon."

('Sleep Cloud' and 'Poison Mist' can be learned with 3 skill points, so you should be able to learn them by level 6. At the pace of yesterday, it shouldn't take long.)

Alexia closed her eyes. She was trying to calm her mind, which was filled with unprecedented shock. She would not let go of the light she had finally seen. Suppressing her excitement, she asked Chaos to help her become stronger.

Finally, she was able to take a step forward in her journey as a mage.

This is the meeting between the famous savior, formerly known as Marie Alexia von Zavarelish, and her teacher, Chaos.

This is inferred to be mostly true based on her diary and the records of the Adventurer's Guild. Her diary, in particular, is of high historical value, and the transformation from a harsh childhood to a girl of her age through her encounter with Chaos is vividly recorded, making it highly valued as a story. Therefore, many plays based on her and Chaos's tragic love story have been performed.

Her book, "Introduction to Magic," became the foundation of modern magic studies, adding various unique theories, data, and unknown magic that were previously unclear, causing a stir in the academic community. All of her books followed a similar path, and the preface of every first edition always included words of gratitude to Chaos. It is likely that all of her works would not have been possible without him