......

  “【???????????????】”

  “Earth Split!”

  BOOM——!

  The ground shook violently, and a gaping chasm tore open beneath the earth.

  The C-Rank Troll that had been charging at Hulim, swinging a massive tree trunk like a club, stumbled and plummeted into the crevice. Its bulky frame wedged tight between the rocks, trapping it completely.

  “ROAR——!”

  Enraged, the Troll let out a deafening bellow, its body glowing with a faint crimson light.

  Crack! Crack! Crack......

  The rock walls of the chasm began to splinter as the Troll rammed against them with brute force, widening the gap with every heave. It was on the verge of breaking free.

  Hulim watched calmly, then raised her wand and pointed it directly at the struggling Troll, chanting an incantation at lightning speed.

  “【???????????????????】”

  “Tidal Roar!”

  Crash!

  A towering wave of water surged toward the Troll, drenching it from head to toe and sending its fury soaring to new heights.

  “ROAR——! Glurk, gurgle, gurgle......”

  The Troll had a habit of roaring loudly when enraged—only to choke on the water flooding its mouth, much to its surprise.

  And that was exactly the opening Hulim had been waiting for.

  She gripped her wand tightly with both hands, her mind sharpening to a razor’s edge. A flood of mana surged into the wand as she chanted another spell.

  “【?????????????????????????????】”

  “——Freeze Solid!”

  A wave of frigid air exploded outward in an instant, and the temperature plummeted drastically. A layer of frost glazed over the surrounding grass and leaves in the blink of an eye.

  But the Troll—the direct target of the spell—fared far worse. The water clinging to its body froze solid, locking its limbs in place and rendering it immobile. Worst of all, the water it had choked on froze inside its throat, sealing its mouth shut and cutting off the amplified magic it unleashed with its roars.

  “Ugh! Ugh——!”

  The Troll let out a muffled snarl of rage, trapped in the chasm. But the wet soil around it had also frozen solid, making the prison even more unyielding—and its escape all the more impossible.

  Hulim exhaled a cloud of white mist, easing the fatigue from channeling so much mana in such a short time. Then she raised her wand once more, aiming it at the trapped Troll.

  “【??????????????????】”

  “Storm Lance!”

  After a while, the battle finally came to an end.

  Thanks to its high magic resistance and incredible vitality, the three-meter-tall Troll had taken multiple hits from Storm Lance—a third-tier wind spell—before finally succumbing to its wounds and falling silent.

  In return, Hulim’s mana reserves were drained to less than half their full capacity.

  Second-tier spells could have inflicted damage, but it would’ve been negligible against the Troll’s thick hide. Taking it down with low-tier magic alone would’ve taken her until sundown—and that was if she didn’t run out of mana first.

  “Great work!”

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  As soon as the battle ended, Semiris appeared beside Hulim in a flash, just like she always did.

  “Well done. Taking down a Troll head-on all by yourself—you can officially call yourself a C-Rank mage now, Hulim!”

  Semiris commented, glancing down at the fallen Troll.

  C-Rank......

  I suppose I can, can’t I.

  Hulim stared at the Troll she’d defeated, still a little disbelieving.

  After all, even C-Rank adventurers rarely dared to face a Troll alone. They almost always hunted in teams to take one down.

  But that was probably because a single person had limited options. Not everyone had the luxury of being able to attack, control, and defend like she did. Normally, a mage could specialize in only one of those areas: those who could deal heavy damage couldn’t withstand the Troll’s attacks, and those who could defend or control it lacked the firepower to finish the job. That was why teamwork was essential.

  If I get cocky and think my strength equals that of an entire team, I’ll definitely get myself into trouble someday.

  “Sigh.”

  Having finished her mental recap, Hulim lay down on the spot, staring straight up at the sky.

  “What’s wrong? Hurt? Or just tired?”

  Semiris asked, leaning over her.

  “Do you want me to heal you?”

  Hulim shook her head, refusing the offer. “No, it’s fine. Let me just lie here for a bit.”

  “Hmm, fair enough. A break is well-deserved.”

  Seeing that Hulim wasn’t seriously injured, Semiris didn’t insist on healing her. Instead, she turned to deal with the fallen Troll.

  BOOM!

  A column of blazing golden flame erupted, engulfing the Troll’s body in an instant. The ground around it melted into molten lava—but despite being so close, Hulim didn’t feel the slightest hint of heat. It was nothing like the scorching waves that radiated from her own fire spells, or anyone else’s for that matter.

  Well......

  It’s Semiris, after all.

  Hulim looked away from Semiris’s handiwork, her eyes unfocused as she gazed at the sky. Her mind began sorting through all the progress she’d made since starting third-tier magic training.

  First, swordsmanship. The more advanced the forms got, the harder they were to master. She still only had the first two down pat: Flashback and Hunter’s Gaze. But she was starting to get the hang of the third form—Wind Ward. With a bit more practice, she’d have it perfected in no time.

  Then there was magic. For Compound Magic, she’d mastered first-tier spells like Chill, Electric Spark, and Nature’s Breath. For second-tier, she had Ice Arrow, Deep Freeze, Thunderball, and Nature’s Pulse under her belt, among others.

  But third-tier magic was where her repertoire really shone.

  Of course, she hadn’t learned every third-tier spell—that would’ve been impossible. Just like with second-tier magic, she’d focused only on the most practical ones.

  For single-target attacks, there was Great Fireball, Water Cannon, Rock Spear, Storm Lance, Light Bullet, Shadow Spear, Ice Spikes, and Lightning Strike, to name a few.

  For area-of-effect attacks: Scorching Curtain, Tidal Roar, Earth Grasp, Storm Surge, Radiant Flash, and Shadow Corrosion.

  For crowd control: Fire Thorns, Water Prison, Earth Split, Wind Cage, Freeze Solid, and Lightning Net.

  For defense: Repulsion Aura, Holy Barrier, Iron Guard, and Ice Wall.

  For mobility boosts: Water Leap, Wings of Wind, and Shadow Step.

  And for support: Purify, Heal, and Battle Roar.

  On top of all that, she’d learned some truly unique spells—things like Water Breathing, Wind Messenger, Shadow Sight, Ice Construct, and Nature Manipulation.

  “......”

  It hadn’t felt like much while she was learning them, but looking back now, the number of spells she’d mastered was truly staggering.

  Her rapid progress wasn’t just thanks to Semiris’s vast knowledge and excellent teaching, though. The biggest factor was the Seven Elements’ Blessings.

  If she’d still had her original magic affinity, even with Semiris as her teacher, mastering two or three third-tier spells in the same amount of time would’ve been her limit.

  But now? Even third-tier magic came to her naturally, with no hint of difficulty. It was easier than learning first-tier spells had been when she’d started out.

  “S-Rank talent......”

  It really was terrifying. With a gift like this, she might not hit a single bottleneck until she reached A-Rank.

  Semiris had once said that receiving even one of the Fairy Queen’s Blessings was enough to make someone a peak powerhouse of their era. Now Hulim knew those words hadn’t been an exaggeration in the slightest.

  ......

  “......We should head back.”

  Hulim stood up, casting a quick Cleanse spell to brush off the dirt and leaves clinging to her clothes.

  “Oh, ready to go already, Hulim?”

  Semiris asked, noticing her movements. Behind her, the Troll’s body had vanished completely—seemingly merged back into the earth.

  “Yeah, it’s getting late. We’ve had enough training for today.”

  Hulim handed her wand over to Semiris.

  Ever since she’d gotten the wand, she’d left it in Semiris’s care after each training session. It was too inconvenient to take to school, and running back home to fetch it every day would’ve wasted too much time.

  Semiris lifted Hulim off the ground and took to the sky, flying toward Mentor Town.

  “By the way, Hulim.”

  Mid-flight, Semiris spoke up suddenly.

  “You’ve learned enough third-tier magic to get by. Continuing to study more won’t boost your power much—not until you learn fourth-tier magic, anyway.”

  “So starting tomorrow, we’re going to put this magic training on hold for a while. We’ll shift our focus to other types of training instead. What do you think?”