“Damn it, what a stroke of bad luck!”
“Have those mercenaries never taken a commission before? How come as soon as they get to the Association this early in the morning, all the commissions are snatched up, leaving only scraps behind?”
On a muddy forest path, a squad of four trudged forward, all looking dispirited.
Among them, a girl clad in a pale red mage robe was grumbling with a face full of displeasure.
“Enough, Fana, don’t complain so much. Commissions don’t come every day. Everyone’s scrambling for those that pay well and require little effort.”
Walking at the front, a boy draped in a short cloak, carrying an iron sword on his back, spoke to console her.
“Getting a Patrol and Investigation Task is already good enough. At least it’s better than those who can’t get any and have to just stare helplessly at the wall full of high-difficulty missions.”
After that, the girl stopped complaining, though her puffed-up cheeks still clearly showed she hadn’t calmed down.
[ E-Rank Entry-Level Mission: Investigate the outskirts of Mageling Forest. Recommended team size: two or more ]
[ Commission reward: 50 silver coins ]
Fifty silver coins—this sum was not small for ordinary townsfolk, enough to cover over half a month’s wages for dock workers.
But for these adventurers, it felt a bit meager, especially since they were a team of four and one was even a mage.
The two swordsmen in the front were fine; beyond daily expenses, their major costs were upkeep of armor and weapons.
The priest just needed to replenish healing Magic Wands and that was about it.
But for the mage, things were much worse—their Magic Wands, potions to maintain spiritual power, powders, incense, and Magistones used to boost magic power in special environments—all of these were progressively more expensive on the market.
If this mission didn’t yield any Magic Crystals or other magical materials, this trip would be nothing but a pure loss.
No wonder the girl named Fana was so resentful.
“Don’t worry. Haven’t we always been lucky? Maybe this time we’ll find something worthwhile.”
“You’re only saying that to convince yourself…”
“Hmm? Wait, the owl has detected something unusual.”
Fana suddenly spoke up, signaling the squad to be on alert.
“There’s someone ahead—a young silver-haired woman. Her magic power readings don’t seem right.”
Hearing this, the group’s hearts sank.
That description, that location—it was hard not to associate it with some kind of strange creature.
“Could it be…?”
***
After a series of tests, Krexia was roughly able to confirm that her current magic level was at least twice as strong as her former self.
Perhaps due to the considerable amount of inherent magic power within her, the speed at which she could chant spells had greatly increased, and her sensitivity to ambient magic was much sharper than before.
The power and effect of her released magic had also become far more significant.
For Krexia now, this was undoubtedly a huge blessing.
As long as she put more effort into magic research, her strength would improve much faster than before.
At least she wouldn’t fall into that useless husband trope, where despite having the chance to kill the Third Princess, he fails because of insufficient ability.
Thinking this, her previously gloomy mood was somewhat lifted.
“Magic, huh? Not bad. As support, it’s a pretty good tool.”
“If this body were used only to study magic, that would be such a waste.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just what I said. Enough of that for now—your position has been discovered, and someone’s on their way. Weren’t you looking for a human? Well, no need to rush now.”
Krexia hated riddlers above all else, especially those who deliberately withheld key information.
But she was helpless against Coutia.
“Tch…”
Looking up and scanning the sky, her heightened senses quickly detected a faint magic fluctuation hidden among the treetops.
Looking closely, a strange bird with dark green plumage and large eyes was perched on a branch, staring intently at her.
If not for her improved vision and perception, it would have taken her a long time to spot this abnormal bird.
“It’s a general second-tier secret magic—Pathfinding Owl, probably from a nearby Patrol Squad.”
“Hmm… How am I going to explain my presence when they arrive? Although I look very human now, the pointed ears, red pupils, and abnormal internal magic readings clearly mark me as something else.”
“Well, just say you’re an elf who was exiled because of your appearance. The elves are very secretive; few know much about them anyway.”
So, with just a few words, Krexia’s new identity was settled.
Smoothing her skirt, she found a place to sit and drew a Magic Inscription pattern from memory on the ground with a twig, waiting for the Patrol Squad’s arrival.
About two minutes later, faint footsteps approached along the dirt path nearby.
They sounded cautious, each member deliberately keeping their noise to a minimum.
Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to matter.
Krexia turned her head toward the source of the sound.
For a moment, she thought she heard their breathing falter as she looked.
“Hello there, Patrol Squad, I…”
“Die, filthy Vampire!”
“?”
Before Krexia could finish, a burly young swordsman, his long sword in hand and exuding faint white battle aura like a leopard, charged straight toward her.
His presence was so fierce it seemed he wanted to tear her apart.
Krexia’s pupils contracted sharply, and she quickly jumped aside.
The sword, wrapped in battle aura, had devastating power.
The blue stone she had just sat on was split clean in two, and the resulting force left countless fine cracks in the stone and the ground beneath.
It was easy to imagine what would have happened if she’d taken the blow.
“Are you crazy?”
Just as she landed, a surge of magical energy rushed toward her.
Glancing sideways, she saw a small fireball about half a meter in diameter.
Though not large, the magical energy and heat it carried were definitely equivalent to an average third-tier magic.
“Tch…”
No doubt, there was a mage in the squad.
That strange owl was probably the work of that mage as well.
Raising her arm toward the incoming heat wave, five runes quickly formed a basic magic circle.
A thin jet of water, about the thickness of a pinky finger, shot out from the circle, carried by powerful magic energy.
[ Elemental Series·Offense·Water Severance ]
“Fsssh!”
The water jet collided with the fireball, instantly producing a large amount of superheated steam, rapidly reducing visibility around them.
“Watch out! That bastard is strong!”
The swordsman who had attacked shouted loudly.
“??”
Krexia felt the veins in her head bulging.
“You dare insult me again?”