Chapter 17

# Chapter 17 – New Adventurer Bern (15) – Ranks

The cleaning process became increasingly efficient as time went on.

Initially, Bern had to assist by subduing monsters and throwing them in front of Blankah, but as they progressed, Blankah herself began to unleash intermediate-level magic spells in rapid succession, slaughtering monsters on her own.

Instead of the old pattern where Bern would throw and Blankah would finish them off, now both of them were giving their all in the hunt (with Renya taking over the fire prevention role), leading to a situation where the monsters were utterly and mercilessly annihilated.

“Here, please try this! Though I appear this way, I do have a decent hand in cooking!”

Evening had fallen, and the sky had turned dark.

Bern took the offered skewer from Renya, and couldn’t help but gulp as the violent aroma hit his senses.

While Bern’s body, a product of the duplicate magic sustained by the Crown Prince’s mana, didn’t strictly need to eat, the food still offered a small recovery of power. More importantly, it carried no issue in experiencing taste.

Crack.

The moment it hit his mouth and he began chewing, a fiery heat and greasy flavor burst forth, stimulating his senses. The characteristic toughness and smell of wild game were present but not so overwhelming as to be painful, thanks to a specific powder sprinkled on the meat, which suppressed any unwanted odors.

Bern tilted his head in puzzlement. The taste was strange yet oddly familiar, stirring memories from his previous life.

“Is it something like…black pepper? No, that wouldn’t be it as it’s common here. Perhaps it’s closer to the less spicy, more fragrant Mala sauce?”

Even Blankah, who hadn’t seemed particularly eager, perked up upon tasting the skewer and widened her eyes in surprise.

“It’s not just salt, is it?”

“It’s called Sharbi, a type of herb.”

“…Isn’t that poison? It stings the skin and makes your eyes water if you get too close.”

“That’s right.”

As Renya calmly nodded, Blankah responded with an expression of disbelief.

“The wisdom of a poor country,” Renya chuckled as he explained further. “Soak it in water, dry it again, and grind it into powder, and you have a decent spice that suppresses gamey smells. The real charm is that even inferior ingredients can be made somewhat edible and easily swallowed.”

“Isn’t it dangerous for the body?”

“It depends on how long you soak it. This one’s been in for over two days, so it’s fine. Personally, I prefer soaking it for just a day; however, most people complain that their mouths feel like they’re on fire. Conversely, there are those who deliberately seek out this extra kick and sweat profusely while enjoying it!”

“To willingly endure such pain for a taste preference is quite unique.”

Blankah shook her head, but Bern couldn’t help but smile.

He could picture the situation clearly.

“Perhaps, I might want to try it sometime in the future. Would that be possible?”

At Bern’s request, Blankah looked at him as if not believing her ears, while Renya’s face lit up with delight.

“Of course! I shall do my best to satisfy Master!” Renya responded cheerfully, adding that Sharbi was a fairly common herb, so acquiring it wouldn’t be difficult.

“Are you sure you’re okay with it, Bern? What if you have a reaction after eating?”

“Isn’t it part of the charm of adventure?”

Sitting around the campfire with his companions, roasting meat and exchanging lighthearted conversations, this moment felt very pleasant to Bern.

It was as if his heart, worn down by the endless waves of work, was slowly healing.

Perhaps noticing the relaxed atmosphere, Renya also loosened up and joked, saying, “Honestly, both of your strengths seem boundless. I’ve taken on various jobs as an adventurer, but I’ve never seen anyone hunt monsters this easily in such large numbers.”

At Renya’s words, Blankah shook her head.

“You don’t understand, Bern can be left out of this. As for me, I’m not that extraordinary. I haven’t even reached level 3 as a mage.”

“Isn’t that the same as adventurer rank?”

“No, it’s different,” Blankah replied clearly as befitting someone with experience in the registration office. “Adventurer ranking is performance-based – a mix of skill and results, while mage ranking is purely about the level of mastery.”

She then began her explanation on magic:

– For those with knowledge of magic but unable to use it, you’re at Level 1.

– If you can wield basic spells useful in daily life, you’re at Level 2.

– If you can cast practical spells usable in combat, you’re at Level 3.

– Once your mana takes on a unique nature, allowing you to express your individuality, you’re at Level 4.

– If you can transcend existing spells, modifying their forms or even creating new ones, you’re at Level 5.

“Anything above this falls into the realm of extraordinary beings beyond the reach of ordinary people. Even realistically speaking, someone who’s Level 4 is already elite, sought after everywhere.”

“Isn’t there only a slight difference between Sister and that level?”

“There’s an enormous gap in that slight difference. Taking Karina from the other day as an example, if her mana was specialized in the frost elemental magic, her frost spells could consume half the mana while doubling the power. And that’s a conservative estimate.”

She explained that when a Level 3 mage and a Level 4 mage both cast the same basic spell, if the Level 3 mage uses 10 mana to produce an effect of 10, the Level 4 mage uses 5 or less mana to generate an effect of at least 20.

Even with similar mana reserves and casting spells of the same level, the practical effectiveness was incomparable.

Furthermore, this efficiency only increased with the proficiency of the mage. This was also why most mages usually specialized in a specific elemental type of magic and avoided or hesitated to use others.

“Level 4. I guess the easiest way someone attains that element specialization is by constantly using spells of a certain element to focus their mana in that direction.”

“Hm, I thought it was like a warrior using their specialized weapon, but it’s more profound than that!”

“That deep?”

“No, Renya! Thanks to Sister today, I’ve gained much insight! Does that mean you will continue to specialize in fire magic in the future, thus gaining mana specialized in that element?”

“Hmm…”

At Renya’s question, Blankah seemed lost in thought.

While the knowledge of elemental specialization was clear to her, she had so far refrained from putting it into practice. In this forest setting, it was safer and more stable to enhance physical strength and swing a sword rather than shoot fireballs, especially with healing magic becoming a part of daily life given the rough and tough conditions.

Even in her past, her staff had been tailored to boost the power and efficiency of her spells, minimizing any inconvenience from her varied approach.

But now, Blankah was without her staff, and the group she worked with had distinct roles, allowing her to focus on one specific aspect of magic. Perhaps specializing in fire magic was the fastest way to grow stronger.

“…”

Though intellectually understanding this to be beneficial, Blankah hesitated to commit.

Of the four spells she knew, only one, “Burn Rock,” was independently learned from a spell book she purchased. The others, “Burn Tree,” “Slightly Strengthen Body,” and “Heal Minor Wounds,” were all passed down by her mother, which in some sense made them personal mementos.

Discarding these was not something Blankah was willing to do easily.

Furthermore, trying to relearn these spells after reaching Level 4 carried the risk of mana corruption and loss of skill, as some senior magicians had reported.

Still…

“…I can’t keep indulging in nostalgia.”

While keeping her mother’s spells was important, it was far more critical to defeat Richi and free her mother.

Besides, wasn’t quickly growing stronger necessary if she wanted to repay Bern?

As she was about to nod in agreement, Bern, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, interjected.

“It doesn’t seem like you absolutely need to.”

“On a team of a certain scale, having specialized mages who can show off their skills in appropriate situations is not bad, and they are relatively easier to cultivate. But you are an adventurer, aren’t you? Rather than focusing solely on power and efficiency, it would be better to have as many tools at your disposal as possible.”

Among mages, there were many who wanted to learn various spells but couldn’t due to incompatibility.

While learning different attack spells might be possible, it’d be a shame for Blankah, who could already perform healing, strength enhancement, and attacks, to specialize, thought Bern.

“Ah! Master is absolutely right! Having diverse tools is the greatest advantage for an adventurer! Upon reflection, I was talking nonsense! I’m sorry, Sister!”

“No, it’s fine.”

Blankah tried to suppress her racing heart, moved by Bern’s words. She was surprised at how she was reacting emotionally to someone else’s words and actions.

Meanwhile, Bern also fell into deep thought.

“The advice I just gave is general enough not to cause any major issues, but I should probably avoid offering further advice on magic since I can’t even cast it.”

His eyes then fell on Blankah’s sword, likely one of her mother’s prized possessions from past stories.

With Bern covering the frontline so far, Blankah had hardly gotten a chance to wield her sword. However, she had mentioned before that she swung her sword when it was difficult to cast fire spells, so she must have some basic skills.

Offering advice on swords instead of magic to a mage wouldn’t seem so inappropriate.

[What, teaching both sword and magic skills? You’ll just end up mediocre at both. Dual wielding sword and magic might sound cool, but it lacks substance, don’t you know?]

‘Well, even if it’s not my story, the Crown Prince you’re talking about might be quite disappointed with such comments, given the nature of his rings.’

[No, that’s not my point. Generally speaking, it’s hard to master both, but with a good mentor… anything is possible!]

Shaking off Lucidra’s voice, Bern suggested, “Now that we’re talking about improving strength, why don’t we combine the requests with training? Blankah, Renya, both of you.”

“Huh?”

“Ah! If Master instructs me, Renya will gladly follow any teachings! Should we start with nine prostrations?”

“No need for that. How about you, Blankah?”

Blankah’s gaze flitted around but finally nodded shyly.

Bern’s lips curved into a smile.

Though the methods of assessing warrior and mage strength differ, their level of power is generally regarded similarly.

And the strength that “Adventurer Bern” could unleash was roughly at the upper limit of Level 4 mages.

To defeat Richi, who had likely attained Level 5, strengthening his companions was also necessary.

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