After hearing the full story, Zelir couldn’t help but shake his head.

"Marcus... you really are reckless."

’He’s being too hard on himself.’

"As long as the outcome was good, it’s fine."

Marcus chuckled.

"It’s just that I’ll have to take some time off to recover, so I can’t do any quests."

"Let me see your wound," Zelir said.

Marcus was a little confused, but he pulled open his tunic anyway, revealing a left shoulder swathed in thick gauze.

Zelir’s fingers touched the gauze, and he slowly began to peel it away.

"Zelir, what are you...?" Gray and Valles were both confused.

Beneath the gauze, the gash from the arrow wound was exposed to the air.

Although it had received some basic treatment, the surrounding flesh was still red, swollen, and turned outward—a horrifying sight.

Just as they thought Zelir merely wanted to check on the injury, he raised his right hand and held it hovering over the wound.

A ball of warm, gentle green light quietly took shape, gathering in Zelir’s palm.

[Healing Skill]!

As Marcus, Valles, and Gray watched, dumbfounded, Zelir gently pressed his palm down, pushing the ball of light into Marcus’s wound.

Marcus felt an indescribably pleasant warmth spread from the wound and through his entire body.

The fiery, stinging pain was greatly eased.

Moreover, the wound began to feel tingly and itchy, as if countless tiny insects were crawling inside it—the tell-tale sign of rapid flesh and blood regeneration!

As Zelir’s Magic poured in, the torn muscles began to knit back together, and the blood vessels and skin healed rapidly.

In just a few dozen seconds, the arrow wound had vanished!

"You..."

Marcus lifted his own arm and moved his shoulder, discovering there was no stiffness at all.

He was speechless for a moment, the shock written all over his face.

Zelir had actually learned Healing Magic?!

In the Adventurer’s Association, calling a Mage who knew Healing Magic "sought-after" was a massive understatement.

They were the absolute core of a squad, a treasure to be guarded jealously, someone who absolutely could not be poached!

Everyone knew how incredibly difficult and expensive it was to find a Mage who specialized in Healing Magic.

"And your Magic Power... it seems stronger than before, too," Valles remarked, as if he’d noticed something.

"Yes, I’ve been promoted to Junior Mage," Zelir said with a faint smile.

The room fell silent.

The three squad members once again gave him a look reserved for monsters.

’A month ago he was a Magic Apprentice, and now he’s a Junior Mage...’

’Was the training path for a Mage really this easy?’

’Marcus had to work so hard, even risking severe injury to unlock his potential, just to get promoted to Middle Level Warrior.’

"Hey, hey... Do you guys have to be so exclusive? You’re making me feel like I don’t belong in the squad," Gray said with a look of resignation.

"How... how did you do it?" Marcus asked, touching his healed wound, still finding it hard to believe.

"Maybe it’s because I work harder?" Zelir said after a moment’s thought.

"Hah..."

A wry smile touched Marcus’s lips as he shook his head.

’Hard work... "Talent" is probably a more fitting word, isn’t it?’

Frankly, part of the reason Marcus had been so desperate to advance was because of Zelir.

Even when Zelir was just a Magic Apprentice, his combat prowess far exceeded his peers.

’If my own power continues to stagnate, I’m afraid I’ll soon be unable to keep up with Zelir.’

’Where would I ever find another Mage like him then?’

Marcus had thought that after his promotion to Middle Level Warrior, he could relax a little and, in turn, provide Zelir with a greater sense of security.

But now he suddenly realized he couldn’t keep up with Zelir’s pace at all.

And the crucial part was, Zelir was only sixteen.

His future was simply limitless!

"Alright, now that your injury is healed, there’s no need to wait any longer, right? Let’s go to the Adventurer’s Association and pick out a quest."

Zelir clapped his hands and led the way out of the room.

The others exchanged a look, then could only sigh and shake their heads, expressions of resignation on their faces.

...

At the Adventurer’s Association, the four members of the Marcus Squad reassembled, having picked up Gak on the way.

Gak had readily agreed to join them, not even bothering to ask what the quest was.

In the past, he’d be lucky to earn a single Gold Coin from a quest. Now, with the Marcus Squad, he was getting at least two or three Gold Coins a trip.

He was striking it rich.

"So..."

Standing before the quest board, Zelir’s interest was piqued. "Should we try going to that room over there and check out the Middle Level quests?"

’The squad is much stronger now,’ he thought. ’Both Marcus and I have ranked up. We could probably even take on a [Challenge]-rated Demon.’

"If Hill were here, we might be able to give it a shot."

Marcus said.

"But with our current team composition, taking on a [Challenge]-rated Demon is still too risky. We can’t afford any casualties. It’s better to play it safe."

"True..." Zelir mused, agreeing with Marcus’s point.

On the way to the Adventurer’s Association, he had even made a special detour to Number Seven, Dark Alley Street.

However, the answer he got was the same as always: Hill was away on a long trip, and her return date was unknown.

’Where in the world did she go...?’

"Gray, you’d better speed up your training... As it stands, you’re the undisputed weak link of the team," Valles said.

"Tch..." Gray looked defiant, but he couldn’t say anything in rebuttal.

After all, it was the truth.

Looking at Gray, Zelir suddenly had an interesting idea.

’A body enhanced by a Magic Contract versus a Junior Warrior...’

’Who would be stronger?’

"Hey, Gray."

Zelir walked over to an empty table, rolled up his sleeve, and planted his right elbow on the surface.

"Let’s arm wrestle."

"Huh? Are you serious?"

Gray reacted as if he’d just heard a joke.

"Zelir... you’re getting a little cocky. I’m a Warrior, and you’re a Mage. There’s no way you’re stronger than me."

"We won’t know until we try," Zelir said with a smile.

"Fine. Let your senior here teach you a little something about humility."

Gray walked forward confidently and gripped Zelir’s hand across the table.

He didn’t take Zelir seriously in the slightest, so he only used about half his strength, planning to toy with him for a moment before easily slamming his hand down.

However.

SLAM!

The moment their hands clasped and Zelir exerted his strength, Gray’s hand was slammed onto the table with practically no effort at all.

Gray was dumbfounded.

"No, no... Hold on... Was that a cheap shot?"