Hulim was deeply surprised, and she finally understood why every mage always carried a wand.
A mage with a wand and a mage without one—these were two entirely different levels in battle.
And this was only a wand used by low-tier mages, yet the impact was already so great.
Then, what about the wands used by high-tier mages, or even an S-rank Wand?
What kind of power could those wield… It might very well be enough to completely transform a person.
Hoo~!
She dispersed the fireball in front of her, and Hulim decided to try out some other spells.
“How is it? How does that wand feel?”
Seeing Hulim cancel the magic, Corritte couldn’t wait to ask.
“It’s very strong—its effect is surprisingly powerful.”
“Is that so? That’s good.” “Next, I plan to try some other magic.”
“Alright, go ahead and try them out.”
Hulim once again focused her mind on the wand, then cast the next spell…
After some time, Hulim looked at the wand in her hand, a question surfacing in her mind.
“Hulim, is something wrong? Is there a problem with the wand?”
Noticing Hulim’s unusual expression, Corritte asked.
“Uh… Corritte-sensei, I’m not quite sure how to describe it. Everything went smoothly when casting fire attribute magic, but when I tried to use light attribute magic, I inexplicably felt a sense of rejection. Although, in the end, there was still a clear improvement compared to casting without a wand, but compared to fire attribute magic, the difference was just too much.”
“Eh? Really?!”
Corritte was surprised as well. At this moment, the shop attendant chimed in:
“Miss, the sense of rejection you’re feeling may have something to do with this wand’s properties…”
Both of them looked at the attendant, and Hulim asked in confusion, “What do you mean by that?”
“That’s because the wand you’re currently using is a Fire Attribute Wand. For a fire attribute mage, it’s certainly the best, but precisely because it’s so attuned to fire elements, its connection with other elements is reduced. So, when you use it for other types of magic, it actually creates an obstacle.”
“So that’s how it is, thank you for clarifying!”
Hulim glanced at the wand in her hand. Its strengthening effect on fire attributes was indeed excellent, but she couldn’t let a single attribute affect her use of other types of magic. She always saw herself as an all-rounder mage.
“Miss shopkeeper, could I swap for another wand?” The shop attendant nodded, “Of course, that’s no problem!”
The attendant took the wand and returned inside the store. Not long after, she came out carrying another wand.
This wand had a rather peculiar shape—entirely silver, with a tip shaped like a curved spearhead. To call it a wand was a stretch; it looked more like an oddly-shaped spear.
Corritte was also surprised when she saw this wand.
“Miss shopkeeper, this wand…”
The attendant smiled as she explained, “Ladies, just now I heard that this young lady is a rare three-attribute mage. Although we don’t have a Holy Staff of the light attribute in the store, we just happen to have a wand suitable for mages who possess both fire and non-attribute magic.”
Hulim accepted the wand from the attendant. Her first impression was that it was heavy—very heavy. Was this wand made out of metal?
“Miss shopkeeper, why do you say this wand is suitable for both fire and non-attribute magic?” A wand suited for non-attribute users—what an odd description. Was it for Warriors who wield wands?
Sensing their confusion, the attendant explained, “Here’s how it is: when crafting this wand, a fair amount of Mithril was used. Mithril is not only great for making magical tools, but it’s also a very common material for the Warrior class, because Mithril’s excellent magic conductivity works equally well with non-attribute magic!”
“So, when you use this wand, you can not only unleash long-range fire magic attacks as usual, but you can also use it in close combat just like a regular spear.”
So it really is a spear, and not just shaped like one?
After listening to the explanation, Hulim decided to give it a try. With mastery in Hyeyeral Swordsmanship and her affinity for non-attribute magic, from another perspective, calling herself a Warrior-type wouldn’t be wrong at all. If she could really combine ranged and melee combat as this wand allowed, it might turn out to be unexpectedly useful.
“【K’+MToPX’*FITMPN.MMnPX 】”
“Cleanse.”
The wand emitted a faint, white glow.
Just as the shop attendant said, when Hulim cast a Tier 1 non-attribute spell, the non-attribute mana flowed through without any hindrance.
“【ドドタト<nM·nドM*Mドタ’oA<】”
“Ignite.”
Whoosh!
A flame burst from the tip of the wand as well, though compared to the previous wand, the fire was noticeably smaller.
After all, it wasn’t specially reinforced.
After thinking for a moment, Hulim tried some other spells.
Soon, a bright light shone from the tip of the wand.
Before long, the light faded, and Hulim looked at the wand in her hand, lost in thought for a brief moment, then she lifted the wand and, using the style of Hyeyeral Swordsmanship, tried swinging it a few times.
After swinging it a couple of times, she put the wand down.
No good.
For her current self, this wand was far too heavy, and for someone following a swordsmanship path, a spear was out of the question.
There was another thing—as much as the sense of rejection was less than with the previous wand, it seemed that any wand with a pronounced attribute would still cause some hindrance when using magic of other types. Normally, these small flaws might be overlooked, but at a crucial moment, they could cause irreparable consequences.
“Miss shopkeeper, may I try another wand?”
Hulim handed the wand back to the shop attendant.
“Is this one too heavy? Sure, I’ll get you another.”
Noticing how awkward Hulim was when swinging the wand, the attendant readily agreed to a swap.
After a moment’s thought, Hulim added, “Miss shopkeeper, do you have any wands in the shop that don’t interfere with the casting of any attribute magic? I’d prefer not to have my practice in any attribute be affected by the wand.”
Just as she was about to leave with the wand, the shop attendant paused.
“Hmm, is that so… Alright, I’ll look for you, but I can’t be sure if I’ll find one.”
“It’s alright if you can’t, thank you anyway.”
“If that’s okay with you, please give me a moment.”
With that, the attendant took the wand and headed back into the store.
After the shop attendant left, Corritte spoke up, “It’s true, if you want to handle three attributes, it’s really difficult to find a suitable wand… Sorry, Hulim, since I’m a single-attribute mage myself, I overlooked the fact that single-attribute wands can affect other attributes.”
….
“Corritte-sensei, there’s no need to apologize. In fact, I should be the one thanking you. If it weren’t for your reminder, I wouldn’t have even thought about buying a wand right now. Plus, you came with me to get one. Honestly, I know nothing about wands myself. Even if I came into the store, I wouldn’t have known where to start.”
Hulim, you’re way too modest. As your teacher, I feel like I haven’t helped at all. Earlier I boasted about being your guide, but now I just feel embarrassed as a teacher.”
“No, not at all! Corritte-sensei, you’re a wonderful teacher, I can guarantee that!”
“Ahaha, really? So I’m a good teacher after all…”
Corritte awkwardly touched her cheek. Even she couldn’t help but feel a little shy and pleased at this moment.
“Sorry to keep you both waiting.”
At that moment, the shop attendant returned from the back room.
In her hands was… hmm, a wand that looked just like an ordinary stick.
…
… “Wow, I didn’t expect to actually find a wand like this. It’s probably because no one ever wanted it, so it got shoved under the counter and forgotten.”
“Miss shopkeeper, what kind of wand is this? I don’t think I’ve ever seen this material before.”
Corritte was the first to ask.
The shop attendant smiled as she explained, “Ladies, this wand is made from the trunk of a Fog Marsh Treant. Since Fog Marsh Treants are quite rare, magical items crafted from their bodies are uncommon as well.”
“And the Fog Marsh Treant has a unique trait—it possesses almost equal resistance to all attributes. So, a wand made from its trunk won’t create any rejection with any attribute magic!”
Hearing the explanation, Corritte’s eyes couldn’t help but shine.
“Oh~! Really?! There’s actually a wand like this! I’ve only heard of Fog Marsh Treants before—never thought I’d actually see something made from one in person!”
“Come on, Hulim, hurry up and give it a try!”