Standing nearby, Semiris Pan Gine went over the incantation for Fireball again and again, until Hulim Heyerar had memorized it perfectly.

  “You’ve got the incantation down, Hulim. Now, stay here and master Fireball. Once you can cast it flawlessly and with complete control, we’ll move on to the next spell.”

  “Got it.”

  With that, Semiris drifted away from Hulim, leaving her to practice in peace. Hulim was so focused on her training that she barely noticed Semiris’s departure, nor did she wonder where the Fairy Queen had gone.

  Two days passed.

  “【???????????????????????????????】”

  “Fireball!”

  A blazing sphere of searing flame hurtled through the air, slamming into a massive boulder with a deafening BOOM! It scorched a deep, blackened crater into the rock’s surface.

  “Well, well~. Not bad at all. You’ve got that spell down pat now, huh?”

  Semiris called out from the sidelines, her tone laced with lazy approval. Hulim, however, stared at her hands in disbelief, then glanced over at Semiris.

  Two days...... No.

  To be precise, she’d mastered Fireball on the very first day she started learning it. It had come to her so naturally, so effortlessly, as if it were second nature.

  Compared to the endless struggles she’d faced learning First-Tier Spells, mastering this far more complex Second-Tier Spell had been child’s play. The reason was crystal clear.

  “So this is the power of the Fairy Queen’s Blessings......”

  “Semiris.”

  “Hm? What is it?”

  “Let’s start learning the next spell.”

  ......

  ......

  “【????????????????????????】”

  “Reinforcement!”

  A flash of brilliant white light flickered to life around Hulim’s legs. In an instant, her speed skyrocketed. She darted through the trees like a whirlwind, leaving nothing but a faint blur in her wake.

  It took her less than three seconds to cross the lake and reach the opposite shore.

  She skidded to a halt, the white light fading from her legs. She inspected them briefly to make sure nothing was amiss, her mind drifting back to the fruits of her intense training over the past month.

  First off, she’d mastered at least one Second-Tier Spell for nearly every elemental attribute. Unlike First-Tier Spells, the number of Second-Tier Spells was vast—so vast, in fact, that no one had ever managed to count them all.

  Mastering every single one was not only impossible, but also completely pointless.

  So after poring over countless texts and consulting with Semiris, the Fairy Queen had finally taught her a selection of the most practical and versatile spells available.

  By now, the Second-Tier Spells Hulim had mastered included: Fireball, Fire Arrow, Fire Barrier, Water Arrow, Water Barrier, Water Bullet, Earth Sink, Rock Bullet, Rock Barrier, Wind Slash, Wind Barrier, Lightness, Flash, Guardian, Veil, Hiding, Reinforcement......

  The sheer number of Second-Tier Spells at her command was more than many high-ranking mages could boast of.

  What’s more, Hulim had made sure to master both offensive and defensive spells for most attributes, with a few utility and control spells thrown in for good measure, allowing her to handle just about any situation that came her way. For special attributes like Non-Elemental Magic—which had always been scarce in spell variety—she’d only learned the most practical spell of all: Reinforcement.

  As for Light and Dark Elemental Magic? Well, there were no offensive spells below Third-Tier for either attribute. Or rather, offensive spells for light and dark were so powerful that they rarely appeared before the Third-Tier. That meant, for now, she lacked any offensive options for those two elements.

  Of course, certain creatures were inherently vulnerable to light or dark magic. Against them, even harmless spells like Flash or Veil could deal devastating damage. So it wasn’t entirely accurate to say that light and dark magic had no offensive potential below the Third-Tier.

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  “Perfect, Hulim. You’ve basically eliminated all your weaknesses when it comes to Second-Tier Spells. Your formal spell learning can come to a temporary halt now.”

  Hulim looked up, her gaze locking onto Semiris, who was floating lazily in the air above her.

  “If we’re not learning new spells, does that mean I have to practice First-Tier Spells nonstop again until my Mana reaches Grade C?”

  “That’s the general idea~. But there’s a tiny little twist this time.”

  “A twist?”

  “Don’t worry, it’s nothing too bad~! Just a slight change to your training method, that’s all~.”

  Hulim stared at Semiris, her eyes narrowing slightly as she caught sight of the mischievous smirk tugging at the Fairy Queen’s lips. A sudden, ominous feeling settled in the pit of her stomach.

  “After all, magic is—”

  Rustle. Rustle......

  The sound of bushes being crushed echoed behind her.

  Something was there......

  “—meant to be used in real combat!”

  Hulim spun around in an instant, her body tensing as she stared warily at the towering shadow emerging from the trees.

  As for Semiris? She’d already flown high up into the sky, a look of gleeful malice spreading across her face.

  “Starting today, your training targets will be monsters. Learn to take them down, and grow stronger! Go get ’em, Hulim! Hahaha......”

  “Wait a second—Semiris?! What are you doing?!”

  ......

  Staring at the squelching, wriggling mass of transparent jelly-like creature in front of her, Hulim was far too sensible to mistake it for something harmless.

  This was a Slime.

  It was one of the weakest monsters in existence, and its cute, squishy appearance bore a striking resemblance to the harmless Bopom—making it incredibly deceptive. But all monsters were dangerous, without exception!

  Back when she’d only known First-Tier Spells, Hulim would have turned and run for her life at the sight of it. But now? She’d mastered Second-Tier Spells, and she had the power to fight back.

  “Good luck, Hulim! Don’t get cocky and end up getting hurt! Use all those Second-Tier Spells you’ve learned and blast those Slimes into smithereens!”

  Semiris’s taunt snapped Hulim out of her thoughts, and she quickly forced herself to calm down, her mind racing as she formulated a plan.

  Slimes had no eyes. They tracked their prey entirely by sensing vibrations in the ground around them.

  Hulim froze, making her movements as small and silent as possible. The Slime hesitated, unable to pinpoint her exact location, and began wriggling back and forth, searching for any sign of movement.

  Taking down a Slime was easy enough—a single Fireball would be more than enough to severely injure it. But Slime mucus was highly corrosive. If she cast Fireball from this close, the splashback would drench her in the acid, leaving her badly burned.

  She had to avoid getting hurt at all costs.

  So which spell could she use to prevent that from happening......?

  As Hulim mulled over her options, the Slime finally picked up on her general location and began oozing toward her.

  “【?????????????????????????????????????】”

  “Rock Barrier!”

  BOOM!

  A thick wall of solid stone erupted from the ground in front of her, blocking the Slime’s path.

  Splat!

  The Slime slammed into the barrier, shaking it violently with its weight.

  Despite its imposing appearance, Second-Tier Earth Barrier Spells were heavily affected by the surrounding environment. There was no guarantee how sturdy it would hold.

  Fortunately, though, it was more than enough to slow the Slime down.

  “Reinforcement!”

  White light flared around Hulim’s legs once more.

  WHOOSH!

  Her small figure darted through the trees, quickly putting distance between herself and the Slime.

  Now—

  “【???????????????????????????????】”

  “Fireball!”

  BOOM!

  A blazing Fireball materialized in front of her, then hurtled toward the Slime at breakneck speed.

  Sensing the searing heat bearing down on it, the Slime writhed frantically, trying to escape. But it was far too slow to outrun the Fireball.

  KA-BOOM!

  A deafening explosion echoed through the forest.

  The Slime burst apart, sending globs of corrosive mucus flying in all directions.

  But Hulim had already ducked behind the Rock Barrier. The wall of stone absorbed every single drop of acid, not a single splash touching her.

  CRACK!

  The Rock Barrier crumbled to dust as the Mana sustaining it ran out. All that was left of the Slime was a cloud of acrid white smoke drifting into the air.

  Hulim let out a sigh of relief. The Fireball had been far more powerful than she’d expected—it hadn’t packed this much punch when she’d first learned it. Had she simply gotten more proficient with the spell?

  “Whoa, nice work, Hulim! I didn’t think you’d stay so calm during your first monster fight. I half-expected you to scream and run away!”

  “......Just what kind of image do you have of me, anyway?”

  Hulim deadpanned, shooting Semiris—who had somehow snuck back down beside her—an exasperated look.

  “Pfft, never mind that. But hey, Hulim—did you really think there was only one of them~?”

  “What—?!”

  Before Hulim could process what Semiris was saying, the sound of rustling leaves echoed all around her.

  Three more transparent jelly-like creatures emerged from the trees, surrounding her from three different directions.

  【Multiple enemies have appeared~!】

  “......What’s that glowing text floating in the air?”

  “Hehehe~. It’s just for dramatic effect, obviously!”

  Semiris laughed, scratching the back of her head sheepishly.

  “But hey, now’s not the time to get distracted! The Slimes are coming for you~!”

  “Ugh~! Fine, fine! Reinforcement——!”