A Change in Mindset

Before Pete could ask Rena what had happened, he saw the burly man at the front grab a thick wooden club and violently pound on the tavern's wooden door, shouting inside:

"Moni, we gave you three days to think it over. So, what's your answer?!"

"Say something! Weren't you loud enough when you went causing trouble with your friends back then? Why don't you even dare come out now?!"

"Lord Dursley gave us strict orders. Compensate him for all his losses during this time, or forget about getting by in Greenport ever again!"

The wooden door was on the verge of collapsing beneath the burly man's heavy blows. Rena's expression darkened further, and she muttered under her breath, "F..."

Pete seemed to vaguely hear the girl curse with a word beginning with F.

"Who are these people?"

Pete's friends at Caron Academy had told him that Greenport's upper district and lower district were practically two different worlds, with a gap as vast as heaven and earth.

The upper district was home to wealthy merchants, hobgoblins, and high-ranking professionals. They lived luxurious, comfortable lives, with carefully tended gardens and courtyards surrounding their homes, rare treasures serving as decorations, and fine food and wine from across the continent available at their leisure. Almost every day brought another ball or banquet.

The lower district, meanwhile, was where Greenport's ordinary people gathered. They lived in crude wooden or stone houses, while the fishy stench blown in from the harbor's fishing boats and drying fish lingered all year round. The place was practically synonymous with filth, chaos, and squalor.

Various gangs also ran rampant through the lower district, and with Greenport Police Station's sluggish efficiency, public order was an utter mess.

Pete had only just arrived outside Rena's family tavern, yet he had already personally experienced the chaos of the lower district.

Rena frowned and let out a troubled sigh.

"It's a long story. This isn't the time to explain. I might not get the chance to buy you a drink after all. What rotten luck—why did we run into these awful people again?!"

"Anyway, while they haven't noticed me yet, let's get out of here. They know I'm Moni's daughter. If I fall into their hands, we'll be in trouble."

Pete had instinctively wanted to agree and leave with Rena, but then a thought suddenly struck him.

No, wait!

If this had happened in the past, especially here in Greenport, I would've definitely avoided trouble whenever I could.

After all, although I used to be a professional, I didn't actually have any combat ability. If a fight broke out, I'd definitely be the one getting beaten up.

But now that the God of Knowledge is watching over me, I can even kill a third-tier aberration. Why should I be afraid of a few thugs from the lower district?

No matter how good they are at fighting, can they really be stronger than that aberration?

Judging by the look of them, they aren't professionals either. They're probably just sturdier-than-average ordinary people.

I was afraid of this sort of thing before because I couldn't beat them. But now the God of Knowledge has come, and I can learn powerful spells. If I'm still scared, then wouldn't the God of Knowledge have come for nothing?

Pete's mindset quietly began to change.

In the past, he had known perfectly well just how much of a fraud he was as a professional. Greenport was not the baronial estate of his hometown, where guards could let him throw his weight around.

But after getting caught up in those black-robed people's ritual, experiencing real combat, and personally destroying a powerful monster, Pete realized he had begun to change.

At Greenport Police Station, he had been intimidated by the aura of that mysterious man named Bahamut. Following his old mindset, his first instinct had been to beg for mercy.

After leaving the police station, Pete gradually came to his senses.

With the achievement of killing a third-tier aberration under his belt, he felt strong for the first time.

More importantly, the one watching over him now was not the aloof Goddess of Magic, who could barely be bothered with him, but Noven, the God of Knowledge!

The knowledge the God of Knowledge gave him was far more useful than the Goddess of Magic's methods!

"Rena, we don't need to leave!"

"They're just a few thugs. Leave them to me."

With his mindset changed, Pete's courage grew as well.

"Great God of Knowledge above, I need your help! Please teach me a spell that can teach these bastards a lesson!!!"

The familiar voice rang out beside Pete's ear the next moment:

[Ding!]
[Prayer from a believer received! Quest issued.]

[Quest: Learn the spell [Arcane Missile] (Tier 1). Current progress: 0%]

[Quest: Defeat thugs 0/5]

Pete patted Rena on the shoulder. "Go hide nearby for now. And don't forget what you said—I'm an archmage. Taking care of a few of them is a simple matter."

Rena hesitated for a moment, then nodded obediently. "Then... Mr. Pete, please be careful. Don't let them hurt you."

Pete gave her an assuring gesture, steadied himself, and began constructing the spell model according to the information in Noven's divine revelation.

He was already quite familiar with the process of drawing upon the magic network. It took him only a few seconds to successfully connect to it once more.

"Seriously, the God of Knowledge's method is so much better. I never dared imagine that communicating with the magic network could be this easy."

Pete could not help sighing as he constructed the [Arcane Missile] spell model.

If his former method of drawing upon the magic network through prayer to the Goddess of Magic had been like humbly submitting an application and begging the magic network to answer his request, with the amount of arcane energy he could use entirely dependent on its mood—

Then Pete now felt as though he were issuing commands to the magic network. With a single thought, the flowing arcane energy arranged itself into the form he needed.

[Arcane Missile] was merely a basic Tier 1 offensive spell, and its spell model was not complex. On top of that, Noven had provided him with a ready-made model to copy, greatly reducing the difficulty.

Once the crucial nodes were arranged, Pete could clearly feel arcane energy gradually gathering in his hands.

Pete had learned about the spell's specific effects while looking through materials at Caron Academy.

Arcane energy would be bound into three bright, compact purple missiles. Once the caster designated a target, the missiles would fly toward it at astonishing speed, using shifting flight paths to avoid any obstacles in their way.

When the magical energy contained within the missiles erupted upon impact, it would produce a powerful shockwave strong enough to knock an ordinary adult to the ground on the spot.

Without a doubt, [Arcane Missile] was one of the most basic and useful Tier 1 offensive spells for mages.

"Arcane Missiles!"

Pete chanted the incantation, focused on the burly leader smashing the door with his club, and sharply raised his hand. Three missiles glowing with brilliant purple light tore through the air with piercing whistles as they shot toward him!

Update delivered, the little missiles are here! Please vote with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets if you have them. Thank you~