Chapter 64

“Umm, this necklace would definitely make Rakia happy, sis. It’s so shiny and sparkly.”

“Yeah.”

While Ariel and Roo were examining the necklace, Sena was quietly lost in thought.

‘…But when it comes to magic, I’m still a step ahead.’

Sure, Ariel is strong and quick, but the only magic she knows is Magic Missile and Shield.

At least when it comes to magic, Sena is still superior.

Then there’s no need to feel down just because she couldn’t defeat the bronze golem. They’re just in different fields. Sena is still the top genius mage of the Magic Tower.

‘Next time, I’ll be the one to save Ariel.’

Just then, the ground began to shake as if an earthquake had struck.

“Huh? What’s this? Did a trap activate?”

The man next to her muttered, and Sena raised her gaze to focus ahead.

A strong magical aura was emanating from the front.

‘This is…’

Then, a screeching sound echoed as something rushed toward them at high speed.

‘A m-monster!’

Sena hastily deployed her Shield.

A blue barrier formed in front of the group, and a powerful impact struck it.

*Boom!*

A giant scorpion-like monster had collided with the Shield.

Sena truly was the top mage of the Magic Tower.

The speed at which she deployed the Shield was impressive, and even under the monster’s impact, the Shield remained sturdy.

Something no other mage her age in the Magic Tower could have done.

“Both of you, step back. I’ll handle this monster.”

Sena stepped forward, casting an offensive spell on her magic staff.

Earlier, against the bronze golem, she had unintentionally shown a pitiful side, but this time would be different.

This giant scorpion monster didn’t have magical defense. If it did, Sena would have felt it when it collided with the Shield.

‘I’m sure of it. I can handle this monster.’

With a determined expression, Sena released the Shield.

The offensive spell was already cast.

Now, all she had to do was unleash a spectacular and powerful spell to defeat the monster.

That way, she could redeem herself from her earlier failure and restore her honor as the top mage of the Magic Tower.

“Screech!”

The monster charged at Sena, and Sena raised her magic staff.

“Inferno…”

Just as Sena was about to unleash her spell…

*Whoosh!*

A blue light shot past her.

It was Ariel’s Magic Missile.

*

A small hole pierced the monster’s forehead.

With its brain destroyed, the monster’s life was instantly snuffed out, and its massive body collapsed to the ground.

Ariel walked over and stored the monster’s corpse in her inventory.

The condition of the corpse was top-notch. If she sold it to a place that handled scorpion dishes, she could make a decent amount of money.

Ariel smiled faintly.

She got a shiny necklace and a giant scorpion corpse. The dungeon was indeed a good place.

Now, all that was left was to get Roo and Sena’s treasures.

“Ahh…”

Just then, a dejected groan came from behind.

Ariel turned to see Sena sitting on the ground, tears welling up in her eyes.

“I… I was going to defeat it… I could have done it… Ahh…”

“…You definitely could have defeated it. I saw it. The flames flickering at the tip of your magic staff. That must have been a really powerful spell, right?”

The man next to her patted Sena’s shoulder, trying to comfort her.

“Wow, you can use such a powerful spell? You’re really amazing. No wonder you’re the top mage of the Magic Tower.”

“But… I didn’t defeat it… Sob, I’m… useless…”

“No, no, why would you think that? Useless? Monsters will definitely appear again. Next time, you’ll defeat them in style…”

While comforting Sena, the man couldn’t understand why he was doing this.

Who cares who defeats the monster? The important thing is that no one got hurt.

‘But… I guess it’s different for her.’

Being hailed as the top mage of the Magic Tower, a genius, and then almost dying to a golem and not even defeating the monster.

Even if the golem was one thing, Ariel was faster at defeating the monster.

It was enough to wound a young heart and shatter her self-esteem.

“Sob… I shouldn’t have left the Magic Tower… Someone like me…”

“No, thanks to you, we blocked the monster, right? That blue barrier, it was your magic, wasn’t it? It was really amazing. If it weren’t for that, we might have been killed by the monster. So, technically, you deployed the defensive magic, and the elf kid finished it off. So, it’s like you two worked together to defeat it.”

“Sob, sob…”

‘…This is exhausting.’

The man scratched his head and glanced at Ariel.

Ariel was tilting her head, looking at Sena with a puzzled expression.

She didn’t understand why Sena was so upset.

The man leaned in and whispered into Ariel’s pointed ear.

“So, the reason she’s like this is…”

He explained Sena’s situation.

“…!”

Ariel’s eyes widened as she listened to the man’s explanation. She finally realized her mistake.

‘Wait, was it really a mistake…?’

From the man’s perspective, Ariel defeating the monster was perfectly appropriate. She handled it cleanly and swiftly with a single spell.

Honestly, Sena wouldn’t have been able to do that.

She would have used flashy, grandiose spells and turned the place into a mess. That’s just how mage battles usually go.

‘By the way… what was that earlier?’

The man stroked his chin, lost in thought.

The blue light that shot from Ariel’s finger.

It pierced the monster’s forehead with incredible speed and precision.

The monster probably didn’t even realize what had happened before its life ended.

‘That’s an incredibly dangerous spell…’

To meet one’s end from a beam of death with no warning. At this point, Ariel was starting to seem terrifying.

‘What exactly is this elf…?’

This wasn’t just a matter of the top mage’s pride being hurt.

Shattering a bronze golem with a hand chop and taking out a monster with a single beam of light—he had never seen anything like it.

If such a being existed…

‘!’

The man’s eyes widened in shock.

‘A d-dragon?!’

Certainly, a dragon could do something like this.

‘No, that can’t be. Why would a dragon enter a dungeon?’

The man chuckled and shook his head.

‘Besides, traveling with a fairy? There’s no way such a dragon exists. If it did, it would have to be a real eccentric.’

Meanwhile, while the man was lost in thought, Ariel cautiously approached Sena.

“Sob, sob…”

Sena was still sitting on the ground, tears streaming down her face. Her magic staff was discarded beside her.

“……”

Ariel pondered what to say.

According to the man, Sena’s self-esteem had taken a hit.

She had boasted about being the top mage of the Magic Tower, but then faced a crisis against a golem and had the monster defeated by Ariel.

“I… I should just go back to the Magic Tower…”

“Hey.”

Ariel crouched down in front of Sena. Sena looked up at her with tear-streaked eyes.

“Huh? Why…?”

Sena was still a child, crying for a childlike reason. Ariel intended to soothe her heart.

“Hey, you know what?”

Ariel wiped Sena’s tears and asked.

“Can you teach me magic?”

“……”

Sena looked dumbfounded.

“You want me to teach you magic…?”

“Yeah.”

“B-but, Ariel, you don’t need it. Your Magic Missile is so strong… and you’re so powerful… Why would you need someone like me…”

Just then, the man chimed in.

“Haha, who else could teach magic if not the top mage of the Magic Tower? This is something only you can do. Come on, stop crying. Dry those tears and teach this little elf some magic.”

At the man’s words, Sena looked at Ariel again.

“S-so, Ariel, you’re going to be my student…?”

“Yeah.”

“Really? You want to learn magic from me?”

“Yeah.”

“Sob, sob, sob…”

Sena burst into tears, but this time with a smile.

“Okay, then I’ll specially teach you magic.”

She quickly stood up and poked the ground with her magic staff.

“Ariel, what kind of magic do you want to learn? Just say it. I’ll teach you everything. Despite how I look, I’ve mastered most magics!”

Ariel thought for a moment.

Honestly, she didn’t really need to learn magic.

With all her stats being infinite, having just Magic Missile and Shield was enough for any adventure.

Besides, with Rakia, a member of the most magically adept race, by her side, Ariel had never been in a situation where she needed to use magic.

So, this was just to restore Sena’s self-esteem.

Any magic would do.

But since she was going to learn, Ariel thought carefully and soon made her decision.

“Ariel, this is something only you can do. If it were an ordinary person, it would take a long time to learn magic, starting with controlling mana. But you already know how to use magic, right? So, you’ll be able to learn quickly.”

Sena looked at Ariel with an expectant expression.

“So, Ariel. What kind of magic do you want to learn from me?”