Is Cana that strong?

"Ha! Hah! Ha!"

Rhode punched the sandbag in front of him, his bare upper body reflecting a faint glow from being covered in sweat.

This was a new evening training regimen.

He had bought the sandbag a few days ago with a 'huge investment', believing it would help him become more disciplined.

—After all, he'd spent the money, and it would feel like a waste and a pity if he didn't use it properly.

After half an hour of punching, Rhode stopped, panting, wiped the sweat from his face, and gently massaged his sore arms.

Once his breathing and heart rate had mostly stabilized, Rhode went to take a bath.

Before coming out of the bathroom, he flexed his arm in front of the mirror, "Did I get a little stronger?"

He bent down and patted his calf. Compared to before, when his leg would wobble three times after one pat due to its plumpness, it felt much firmer now.

"Rumble!" Warm gave him an affirmative answer.

"Good, time to study," Rhode returned to his bedroom and sat at his desk, opening magazines and notebooks to start drawing and writing.

He had already skimmed through over 60 magazines using the Wind Chant Glasses, and they were now divided into two piles.

One pile had over 20 books, containing Mira's photo collections (not really), with more important information.

The other pile had over 30 books, containing only ordinary information.

What Rhode was doing now was organizing the useful information, such as major guilds, famous mages, renowned cities, and so on.

He also recorded any special magic mentioned in the news that caused trouble.

He wanted to understand this world as much as possible and adapt to it, to avoid causing trouble in the future due to common sense mistakes.

Additionally, this world had many 'first encounter kill' magics. Those who didn't understand them could easily fall victim, but with understanding, they could be easily deciphered.

For example, the Charm magic that was banned by the Council a few years ago… Honestly, after learning about the effects of Charm magic, he was a little tempted to learn it.

"'Bora of the Red Sky,' expelled by the regular guild Giant's Nose for theft, has been active in the border area between the Kingdom of Fiore and the Kingdom of Bosco, committing occasional crimes…"

Rhode noted down the information about this dangerous individual, closed his notebook, and began his meditation practice for the day.

The guild master had said that to become stronger, one could only rely on steady effort; even the most powerful magic required corresponding magical power to support it.

Mira had even, uncharacteristically, warned him with great seriousness never to aim too high, as it would not only harm himself but could also affect his companions.

Rhode was someone who generally took advice, especially in areas he didn't understand well.

So, every day he just steadily accumulated magical power and trained his physique, even cautiously exploring the Summoner's Rift, which was shrouded in black mist, with his mental power.

If something like 'Beast Stampede' only happened in the forest, it would be manageable. But if it happened in a city, Rhode felt he would be trapped.

—

July 22nd, weather clear.

The opponent he had arranged for today was Kana, and Rhode felt he was ready.

Kana, as usual, was already guzzling from a large barrel of alcohol in the morning.

Macao, sitting beside her, was one of her drinking companions: "Kana, are you drinking more than usual?"

"Gulp gulp… Hah!" Kana wiped her mouth and glanced at Macao, "None of your business, aren't you drinking too!"

Macao spread his hands: "It's not that I want to interfere, I just think it's better for girls to drink a little less."

"Stop nagging, I won money yesterday, so I'm drinking my fill today," Kana complained, then picked up the barrel again, though her drinking speed had slowed slightly.

"Young people these days…" Macao said with an old man's tone.

After taking a few gulps amidst Macao's sigh, Kana put down the barrel with a thud: "Rhode, are you ready yet?"

"Almost…" As an excellent worker, Rhode had to finish his tasks first. "Don't get drunk again!"

"Still a long way off!"

Because she often got drunk, Kana knew her alcohol tolerance very well; finishing a barrel in the morning was just an appetizer.

Mira had roughly estimated that Kana alone accounted for over 20% of the guild's total alcohol consumption.

This meant that a considerable portion of the salary Rhode was earning was contributed by Kana.

After Rhode finished his cleaning duties, the two went to the backyard to prepare for their duel.

There were, of course, onlookers, but not as many as usual.

Rhode, as usual, summoned a River Crab to test the waters.

"Just to be sure," Kana took out three card-sized cards from her waist pouch. "Will this thing die?"

Rhode replied, "Don't worry, it will be sent back when it's injured to a certain extent, and it will recover tomorrow."

Besides, compared to Poros, River Crabs and Stone Beetles seemed to lack 'spirituality.'

"Then I won't hold back." Kana showed a confident expression, and the cards in her hand began to glow with golden light.

Was this still the same drunkard? Rhode noticed that when Kana got serious, her entire 'aura' seemed to change.

He even had the illusion that he was facing Erza.

The River Crab charged forward, and Kana shot three cards from her hand, hitting the River Crab precisely on the head.

The three cards exploded, and in a flash of golden light, the River Crab was sent back.

"This power..." Rhode thought, a bit surprised. He immediately summoned an Ancient Stone Beetle.

Kana threw two cards, one turning into flames and the other into a gale. The Ancient Stone Beetle was hit by these two magical attacks and instantly split into two Stone Beetles.

This was not the end. Kana shot three more cards, and three golden lightning bolts struck the heads of the three Stone Beetles.

"Light, Fire, Wind, Lightning..." Rhode's eyes were filled with cool special effects. He now understood the meaning of an all-around Mage.

By the time the three Stone Beetles were hit and split into six Mini Stone Beetles, Kana casually shot out six more cards.

Six explosions sounded, and the Stone Beetles were also sent back.

Kana stretched her wrists and smiled, "Alright, the close-combat fighting is the main event now, right?"

Rhode nodded. Although he could summon another River Crab or a single Stone Beetle, it was unnecessary.

This time, it could be considered a tactical miscalculation. In the future, when encountering enemies, he should make sure his summoned Stone Beetles burrow underground immediately.

A few minutes later, Rhode was lying on the ground, questioning his existence.

This speed, this power... was Kana really this strong?

"Of course, Kana is very strong," Mira replied to Rhode's question.

"She has been listed as an S-Class Mage candidate for three consecutive years, but unfortunately, she's always been a little short on luck during the exams.

It's like encountering Erza or Mystogan during the exams..."

"S-Class candidate..." Rhode thought about Erza's oppressive aura and Mystogan's powerful sleep magic...

He immediately felt much better. It wasn't shameful for a beginner to lose to Kana.

"Kana must be very sad, right?" Rhode glanced at Kana, who was drinking from a small cup.

Someone who appeared so carefree on the surface also had her own worries.

Mystogan - Mystogan Erza - Erza Mirajane - Mirajane Laki - Laki When translating Japanese anime character names, there are always various versions. Please understand.