Hoxi clutched the money pouch, a hint of uncontrollable delight still on his face.
This was finally more than Annis could bear.
Her beautiful almond-shaped eyes were full of disdain and confusion.
"Tell me, are you really a mage? Why do you look like you've never seen money before?"
Hoxi thought, I really haven't seen much money.
Of course, it was also possible that the young lady had simply seen far too much of it.
He put the pouch away and replied with forced composure, "For now, I should still be considered an apprentice. I was just lucky enough to master a spell, but I haven't been certified by the association, so I don't count as a true entry-level mage."
"An apprentice?" Annis found it hard to believe that the astonishing spell she'd just seen had come from a mage apprentice.
"What level are you now?"
"I just told you. I can only be considered an apprentice."
Annis rolled her eyes at him. "Idiot! I know you're an apprentice. I'm asking for your actual numerical level! Level 10? 15? Or are you already level 20?"
Hoxi's expression froze.
Wait a second?
How does she know the term 'level'?
In his memories, the world's power system was supposed to be divided into ranks: apprentice, entry-level, then intermediate, advanced, and master.
Could she have a cheat of her own?
No way. Is she a transmigrator too?
The thought made him wary.
He first suppressed the storm raging inside him, then cautiously asked, "What numerical level? I'm not sure what you mean... Aren't mages ranked by tier?"
Annis's gaze instantly turned suspicious. "You don't know the Appraisal Spell?"
Hoxi shook his head without hesitation. "What's the Appraisal Spell?"
"Then you don't know the Labeling Spell either?"
Hoxi answered honestly. "No. I've never heard of it."
Annis said nothing.
She looked as if she'd choked on a piece of bread, disbelief written all over her pretty face.
She muttered under her breath, "That can't be... I remember that since last year, lots of adventurers in Holder City have been using those two spells! The Emerald Federation Weekly called them 'the greatest invention of the past decade'! How could you have never heard of them?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly leaned toward Hoxi, bringing her face so close it was almost against his. She stared hard at him, as if trying to find signs of a lie on his face.
"By the way... are you really from Hord?"
At such close range, Hoxi felt a little flustered.
The other girl's fresh, elegant scent mingled with her youthful warmth and drifted straight into his nose, making his thoughts wander.
He instinctively leaned back a little, forcing himself to remain calm as he maintained his lie.
"I... I've been at home studying magic, so I rarely pay attention to what's happening outside. Hord... is a big place."
One lie really did take countless more to cover it up.
"So," Annis said, suddenly enlightened, "you've never even registered as an adventurer, have you?"
Hoxi nodded along, then turned the tables and asked, "Could you tell me about them? The Appraisal Spell and the Labeling Spell?"
Annis gave him a few suspicious looks before returning to her seat.
The thought that this future mage still needed her to explain basic things gave her little vanity an enormous boost.
She proudly lifted her chin again and said:
"Since you've asked so sincerely, I suppose I'll tell you, so you don't embarrass yourself in front of real adventurers when you get to Rose Town."
"In the early days, when new adventurers registered, the Adventurer's Guild usually had an evaluator assess their abilities—things like strength and agility—and give them a vague rating, such as 'apprentice' or 'entry-level.' But those judgments were very subjective and often inaccurate."
"Later, the guild realized that while it was hard to quantify someone's actual ability to complete quests, their basic attributes could be roughly measured—for example, how strong they were, how fast they could run, how tough their bodies were, how clever they were, and how firm their resolve was. So they came up with a more straightforward 'numerical level' system."
"At lower levels, every five attribute points usually raise your level by one."
She paused, then added, "Without learning any skills, an ordinary adult man can generally reach around 10 points in strength, agility, and physique.
"But their wisdom and will usually hover around 7 points, which is why spellcasters are so rare."
Hoxi complained silently, I bet those two attributes are low because they never had nine years of compulsory education... They spent their whole lives training instead of studying.
He noticed Annis hadn't mentioned charisma, so he took the opportunity to ask, "What about charisma? What's the average charisma attribute for an ordinary person? Doesn't it count toward their level?"
Annis waved her hand, looking as if it didn't matter. "Charisma? That thing's too vague. You can't use it to fight or cast spells, so the guild can't be bothered to count it toward your level."
Hoxi understood.
That calculation was the same as the one used by the system panel in his mind.
He subconsciously "looked" at his own attributes:
[Name: He Xi Atmesia] [Race: Human] [Level: 8] [Class: None] [Physique: 10] [Strength: 6] [Agility: 7] [Wisdom: 11] [Will: 10] [Charisma: 16]
His first five basic attributes—physique, strength, agility, wisdom, and will—added up to 44 points.
Forty-four divided by five was 8.8, so he was currently level 8, just short of level 9. It all matched perfectly.
He continued asking, "So what do those two spells you mentioned earlier... the Appraisal Spell and the Labeling Spell, have to do with this?"
Annis's face took on an expression of admiration.
"The Appraisal Spell! It's a magnificent spell created by the legendary mage Master Bornhard!"
"I heard Master Bornhard had a granddaughter he loved dearly, who dreamed of becoming a great adventurer.
"Although the master prepared countless powerful enchanted items for her, he still worried she might encounter dangers she couldn't see through while adventuring.
"So, with his boundless wisdom, this powerful mage removed the Adventurer's Guild's reliance on complex magical instruments during evaluations.
"He simplified the principles behind assessing attributes and determining levels into a spell that... well, as the newspaper put it, 'even a fool can learn'!"
"Although the simplified spell can't precisely measure the exact value of each attribute, it can roughly determine someone's overall level!
"More importantly, it can even identify all kinds of monsters. It's practically an essential skill for any adventurer setting out on a journey."
Hoxi understood. A detection skill with no class restrictions that anyone could learn was revolutionary.
Calling it the greatest invention of recent years was no exaggeration.
Before you continue