Strength Increased [Please Follow Along!]

"Hiss—"

Andeni's fists might have been tiny, but they packed quite a punch.

Her two thudding blows landed on Gauss's waist, making him suck in a sharp breath of cold air.

Mage Hand nearly dissipated.

"Oh, sorry, sorry."

Only then did Andeni realize she had gotten a little too excited. She licked her lips, a trace of embarrassment appearing on her face.

"It's fine." Gauss took several deep breaths and spoke only after the pain slowly ebbed away.

His impression of Andeni had changed somewhat.

He hadn't expected that, aside from being able to cast spells, she was this strong as well.

All he could say was, she truly deserved to be called a professional. Even though Andeni was clearly not in a strength-focused profession, her physical abilities far surpassed those of ordinary people.

"I never thought this bone would find an owner too." Andeni sighed, her heart filled with a thousand tangled feelings.

In the past, she had been curious whether anyone in this world truly existed who was suited to it. Yet now that she had found such a person, she instead felt a faint sense of loss.

"Then, Senior Andeni, how much is this staff?" Gauss asked uneasily.

Although Andeni had casually mentioned before that it was not expensive, the staff suited him far too well, leaving him anxious about gaining and losing it.

Besides, Andeni's expression was unfathomable at the moment, and he had no idea what she was thinking.

After a brief silence, Andeni, still full of emotion, finally spoke.

"Just give me ten silver coins. After all, polishing and making it took quite a bit of my time."

The price she named immediately set Gauss's hanging heart at ease.

"However."

"?"

He had relaxed too soon.

The heart he had just set down was immediately yanked back up again.

Couldn't she just say it all in one breath?

Gauss turned his gaze back to Andeni.

Had she changed her mind?

He subconsciously tightened his grip on the staff.

"However, if you want to turn this bone staff into a Wand later on, I'm afraid it won't be easy." Andeni grinned wickedly, one fang catching at the corner of her lips.

"Perhaps my skills simply aren't good enough, but over all these years, I've tried many times to turn it into a true Wand, and every attempt ended in failure."

"I've tried every Magic Item I had on hand that was suitable for use as a wand core, and not a single attempt succeeded."

That's it?

Gauss's face remained expressionless, but inwardly, he quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

All that jumping at shadows—he had thought it was something serious.

To him, turning it into a proper Wand was a matter for later. Right now, the most urgent thing was to get it completely into his hands.

"But there's no real problem with using it for now. You'll have a second and third Wand later anyway." Andeni glanced up at Gauss's "grave expression" and offered another word of comfort.

"For Spellcasters like us, having several Wands is perfectly normal."

"Every Wand is like a person—they all have their own specialties and traits: rapid assault, precision, burst power, coordination."

Andeni waved toward her row of Wands. One of them was even twice as tall as she was; it was hard to imagine how ridiculous she would look using it.

"Understood." Gauss nodded. "Then, Senior, should I pay now?"

It was only ten silver coins. The cash on him was enough to cover it.

"Tsk, fine. Look how impatient you are."

Andeni shook her head and stopped teasing him.

She held out her fair little palm toward him.

Gauss hurriedly counted out ten silver coins from his pocket and placed them in her hand.

Yet the instant the coins touched her palm, they abruptly vanished.

Magic? Or some sort of storage space like in the fantasy works from his previous life?

But Andeni showed no intention of explaining, so he did not ask.

After that, Gauss stayed in Thorn House for a while longer.

Mainly because Andeni pulled him aside to give him a great many instructions. Before he left, she also lent him one of her early spell notes—perhaps out of consideration for Gron, or perhaps because he was the owner of the Bone Staff.

By the time Gauss walked out of Thorn House, it was already close to sunset.

In the twilight, the oak doors slowly closed behind him.

Gauss felt as though a lifetime had passed.

The Thorn House's presence seemed to be gradually fading, slowly blending into the plain, unremarkable alley until it became the most inconspicuous building there.

What marvelous magic.

Gauss watched for a moment, then withdrew his gaze.

Gripping the Bone Staff, he headed out of the alley, his steps noticeably lighter.

His visit to the Thorn House had truly yielded a full harvest. Not only had he borrowed a notebook from Andeni explaining the fundamental principles of magic, but he had also bought suitable Wand Base Material for just 10 silver coins.

Yet in the end, he still had not sold the Life Magic Stone and kept it with him.

Andeni had told him that if he was not in urgent need of money, he should not sell it just yet.

Wearing a Life Magic Stone for a long time also brought subtle benefits to the body. Though the effects were slight, over time they could still produce decent results.

Over the following days.

Like the other adventuring squads, the Night Owl Squad had no other arrangements for the time being after completing a mission.

Gauss did not know what everyone else was doing.

But his days were incredibly fulfilling.

Each day, he woke to the sound of bells, ate, carried the Bone Staff to an open area outside town, practiced magic, read, practiced swordsmanship, returned to town to rest, and then repeated the same routine the next day.

Having a staff let him rediscover the enthusiasm he had felt when he had first begun learning spells.

Naturally, what he practiced was Magic Missile.

After the latest mission, his Magic Missile proficiency had risen to Level 2 (3/20).

But after obtaining the staff and beginning his secluded, immersive training, his Magic Missile proficiency began climbing rapidly again.

It rose all the way from Level 2 (3/20) to Level 2 (6/20).

The Bone Staff's boost, his increased spell proficiency, and his mana reserves, which had been growing slowly yet steadily all along—

Together, they had caused his combat strength to undergo another tremendous transformation compared to a few days ago.

1.65 standard units of innate mana.

The mana compression for a single Magic Missile had been further reduced from 60% power to 50% power.

In other words, he could now unleash three miniature Magic Missile attacks in one breath without falling into the weakened state of mana exhaustion.

At the same time, the Bone Staff's boost made Magic Missile faster to cast, while its power also increased slightly.

A Magic Missile released through the staff at 50% power possessed the destructive force of a bare-handed Magic Missile at 70% power.

It could be said that his combat strength had climbed another step.

In a direct confrontation, he should now be able to defeat the him of a few days ago with ease. After all, faster casting speed meant claiming the initiative.

Before an enemy had even fully unleashed their attack, your magic had already blasted into their face. The advantage spoke for itself.

Sometimes, casting speed was even more important than magical power.

The principle that nothing could withstand sheer speed applied just as well to Spellcasters.

Counting the days, Gauss estimated that it was nearly time to gather for their next commission.

Perhaps the progress from several days of training had left him itching for a fight.

He was even a little impatient to begin the next mission and test his improved strength in real combat.

Oh, right. At their next meeting, he could suggest to Leven that they take on combat missions involving something other than Goblins.

With his strength having improved, Gauss felt far more confident.

It was time to kill some other low-tier monsters and unlock more entries in the Adventurer's Handbook's Monster Codex.

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