Ranger, Warrior, Mage

"Hill, ranger, silver-ranked adventurer."

She was a tall woman in fitted clothing, holding a crossbow and wearing a finely crafted short pistol at her side. Her skin and hair gave only one impression: pale. Fair skin, short light-golden hair, and a figure that could be called "modest"—but her face was nothing short of stunning.

She made no effort to hide her slightly pointed ears. Rorschach guessed that this ranger lady was a Half-elf. He had actually seen a handgun, while her primary weapon was a precision-focused crossbow. Had the rangers of this world already begun developing toward becoming hunters?

During the test, Hill moved while firing her crossbow, hitting a straw target in the distance. Then she rolled, somehow drew her pistol, and fired at a nearby straw target.

It wasn't even a matchlock? Rorschach had been watching closely.

"Singlev. Just call me Sing. Gold-ranked adventu... adventurer! Artificer Samurai." He was a dwarf wielding a war hammer, registered as a warrior with the added skill of basic machinery repair.

But Rorschach had read in the academy library that Artificer Samurai were actually regarded as priests of the Progenitor Dwarf King. From ascension to godhood until His slumber, the Progenitor Dwarf King had held the divine authorities of God of Mines, God of Forging, and Lord of the Furnace. His priests' primary skills could be summed up in three areas: metal material production and shaping, mechanical design and manufacturing, and eighty-pound hammers with forty-pound hammers.

As an engineering student in his previous life, Rorschach had taken an immediate liking to this dwarf uncle. This was a guardian of the mechanical engineering major and a fellow pitfall sufferer from the metal materials major!

The Luowei Merchant Guild's representative cautiously asked Rorschach, "Mage, may I presumptuously request that you reveal one offensive spell and one support spell?" Asking a spellcaster about their spells was highly taboo, but it was also necessary for the job.

"Fireball." Rorschach did not hide a low-level spell and tossed out a fireball that struck a straw target on the training field.

The straw target was sent flying and knocked to the ground, rapidly burned black and broken apart by the fireball. That was with Rorschach controlling its power.

"Water Creation. Besides putting out fires like this, it can also provide the team with clean water."

Rorschach tossed out another water bullet, extinguishing the flames. Unlike the Rorschach's Water Creation he had used during the assessment, this had actually been Rorschach's Water Bullet. Like Fireball, the water sphere had been given kinetic energy and fired outward.

"Exquisite magic! Thank you, sir."

Hill, Singlev, and Rorschach were the people the guild representative had selected. With the capable guild trader Arle added in, they formed the team for this journey. Rorschach and Sing could even make up a warrior-mage-priest setup, though Sing held two roles at once, and though he was a priest with no healing output... probably.

The guild treated the team to a meal, though they were not allowed to get drunk, so only light beer was served. Once the contract was signed, the representative clapped his hands, and attendants brought out three sets of leather gear. The ranger received an underarm holster, the dwarf warrior received gloves, and Rorschach received a close-fitting leather undershirt. "A small token of our appreciation. We wish you all a pleasant partnership with our Luowei Merchant Guild."

The three tried them on and found that they all fit perfectly... What a sharp eye that merchant had. With food, drink, and gifts, they could certainly appreciate the Luowei Merchant Guild's strength and generosity.

The guild's caravan had four wagons loaded with fur and leather goods, plus one wagon carrying supplies, tents, Rorschach's luggage, and Singlev's armor. The drivers all wore matching uniforms and looked shrewd and capable. Even more generously, after confirming that the guards could all ride, the guild provided everyone with a fine tall horse.

During the hunting season in his hometown, adolescents had to join the Viscount's hunts, and that was when Rorschach had learned to ride. He could not claim to possess horsemanship, but he was competent enough.

"Mr. Arle, these are all fine horses!" The dwarf had been assigned a jujube-red mare, and he needed a mounting block to get on. Arle smiled faintly. "Once we ride to Valuana, the capital of the Holy Kingdom, they'll be sold as well."

It turned out that horses sold for more in the Holy Kingdom than in the Empire, and horses from the Empire's north were taller and sturdier, making them especially sought after. If one drove a herd of horses into the Holy Kingdom to sell them, the two tax checkpoints would collect taxes amounting to sixty percent of the horses' value. But if they were listed as pack animals and riding horses, the tax was cut in half. That was why many caravans heading to the Holy Kingdom traveled with two horses per person and four horses per wagon. On the return trip, people rode in the wagons, with each wagon pulled by two horses or even just one.

Only after listening to Arle's explanation did the others understand the trick behind it.

The Queen's District of the Imperial Capital was lush, spacious, and quiet, a place where universities and academies clustered together. The central district was prosperous and splendid, with broad roads, the magnificent buildings of the Imperial Palace, the Imperial Council, and its various departments visible in the distance, along with dazzling shops. Now that the caravan was approaching the city wall, the houses had become crowded, low, and disorderly, though fortunately the main road remained broad and solid.

The old Rorschach had been broke, and unless Bart invited him, he rarely left the academy. Now, Rorschach rode slowly through the heart of the Empire, passing through this city and leaving it behind.

"I haven't even been transported here for long. Why am I already leaving?" Rorschach felt a sense of unreality. The memories he had inherited contained too many memories of the Royal Magic Academy. Now that he had graduated and was leaving both this place and the Imperial Capital, the surreal feeling this period gave him even surpassed the fantasy of using magic.

Fireball (Purple)

Water Creation (White)

Basic Decomposition (Purple)

Arrow Shot (Purple)

Rorschach's True Water Creation (Purple)

Rorschach's Water Bullet (Purple)

Rorschach's Mana Drive (Purple)

He did not currently know many spells, but he had mastered them rather well. During those idle days, Rorschach had tormented no small number of leaves and pebbles around the academy, raising Basic Decomposition to Purple proficiency.

As an Elemental Spell, its greater significance was that through simple practice, Rorschach had obtained a Purple tag. When learning or constructing new spells, identical tags would inherit their proficiency. Compared to directly learning and practicing complicated multi-step spell formulas, this was undoubtedly an advantage.

A "tag," in magical terms, should have been a casting step. While dismantling Elemental Spells, Rorschach had realized that every casting step differed in the Internal Magic Power it consumed and the time it took to take effect. Higher tag proficiency would also unlock more effects.

After Basic Decomposition reached Purple proficiency, Rorschach could control the degree of decomposition and could even affect flowers and grass with relatively weak life force—originally, Basic Decomposition had only worked on the "inorganic matter" of this world.

As Rorschach pondered these things, the caravan unknowingly passed through the city gate. Beyond the Imperial Capital's southern gate lay wilderness and vast stretches of wheat fields, with the road extending straight toward the line where heaven and earth met. Looking back, blocked by the city walls, he could only vaguely see the highest points of the clock tower and Parliament Building.

"Why's the mage sir looking back? We only just set off, and you're already missing the bright and bustling world?" Singlev's manner of speaking always carried dwarven characteristics.

"That's true. Our journey has only just begun... Also, just call me Rorschach."

"Alright, Lord Rorschach!"

"I'm still young. I don't want an uncle like you calling me 'Lord'!"

Sing and Arle both chuckled. The ranger lady remained silent, riding at the very front of the group and vigilantly watching their surroundings, with no intention of joining such meaningless chatter.