Training-Addicted Mage In A Progression Fantasy-Chapter 18: Easy Person, Difficult Person

The object in Rowen’s hand was a staff made of clean-looking old oak.

Didn’t she use a staff with a red Mana Crystal embedded in it?

Leon, who knew the staff she originally used from passing by the Magic Tower, thought to himself.

The petite red-haired girl holding an old oak staff didn’t suit her at all.

“...”

She was silent, and so was Leon.

Soon, her pupils began to shake, and she suddenly pointed her finger at Leon.

“You!”“...?”“Wh-What did you give me last time?”“Candy?”

When Leon answered with what came to mind, she eagerly latched onto the topic.

“It wasn’t just ordinary candy. Where did a General person get something like that?”

Leon, of course, had no intention of saying he received it as a Quest Reward.

“What are you trying to say? Thank you?”“...”

Rowen pressed her lips tightly.As she hesitated, Aaron approached Leon’s side.

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“Who is she?”“Uh...... The person who beat her rival in the personal Disciple Sparring?”“Who decided we were rivals?”

Her lips twitched slightly as she spoke up to correct him after staying silent.

She’s really easy to read......

Fortunately, it seemed she had overcome the frustration she experienced back then.

Leon asked Rowen again.

“So why did you come here?”“You... I heard you became a General Disciple... Even though you lack talent, you’re trying hard to become a Mage, right? As a senior Mage, I could give you advice or suggestions......”“You mean you came to congratulate me?”“...”

She closed her mouth again.Come to think of it, she only answers when she wants to say something.

Leon figured out why Rowen had come, in his own way.He could interpret her silence as affirmation.

“Thank you. I’ll think of it as a return for your encouragement last time.”“Ahem...... Here, take this.”

Rowen handed the old oak staff she was holding to Leon.Leon tilted his head and pointed at himself with his finger.

“You’re giving this to me?”“Yes, a Mage in name should at least have a staff. Of course, you can’t use it properly since you can’t use Magic now, but you can Train hard to use this precious staff, right?”

Leon received the staff with a bewildered expression.As far as Leon knew, staffs weren’t cheap.

“You’re giving such an expensive thing as a congratulatory gift?”“Well, you might not know. Have you ever heard the name Mardelia?”

When Leon shook his head, Rowen spoke with a haughty expression, raising her chin.

“Since you don’t know, there’s no need to explain further. Just know that I can buy staffs like this as easily as eating bread.”

She put her chin back in its original position and started explaining about the staff to Leon.

“Even though it looks shabby, it includes both Magic assistance and Magic amplification effects. Do you know the difference between a Wand and a Staff?”

Leon shook his head again.Leon, who had been immersed in Training, was ignorant of such common knowledge.It wasn’t for nothing that he learned Common Magic after becoming an Apprentice 3rd Grade Mage.

“Wands mainly focus on Magic assistance, while Staffs mainly focus on Magic amplification. But this old oak staff has both.”

Rowen looked at Leon as if to ask what he thought.She seemed to be expecting a reaction from Leon.

Leon forcibly stretched his lips into a smile.He had never thought about wanting a staff, but still, that feeling was there.Apart from the burden, that is.

“Wow, thank you so much. I can’t believe I’m receiving such a gift.”“That’s disgusting. Don’t make that expression in the future.”“...”“Hm... ahem.”

She let out a laugh and then quickly composed her expression.

“Well then, I’ll be going now, so work hard.”

Leon watched Rowen’s retreating figure with a sour expression as she turned around briskly, as if she had only intended to give the gift.

Aaron cautiously approached Leon and asked.

“How did you get to know each other? To give such a precious Artifact so readily......”

He trailed off, staring intently at the staff.

“She’s another Mage’s personal Disciple.”“Oh......”

Although he spoke as if impressed, his eyes showed no sign of surprise.When their eyes met, he hastily concealed his gaze.

“I’m envious...... If you have connections with a personal Disciple, there must be some benefits for you too.”“...”

It was hard to deny when he had just received a staff right in front of him.

As Leon, who had no desire to continue the conversation with Aaron, was about to wrap it up, Peter came running in again.

“Leon, someone else is here to see you?”

The person who entered with those words was Ria.

“Wow, you......”

Aaron turned his head sharply to look at Leon.It was a gaze that Leon didn’t particularly want to understand the meaning of.This time it contained sincerity, which made it even more uncomfortable.

Leon deliberately ignored that gaze.

Uncomfortable with Aaron’s gaze, Leon took Ria outside the building.

“Leon.”

Only when he heard her calm voice did Leon realize that it had been quite a while since he last met Ria.The last time he saw her was on the day of Ria and Rowen’s Sparring.

Recalling that time, Leon’s face became somewhat awkward.

“Oh, uh...... It’s been a while since we last met, right?”

He remembered leaving the Sparring arena almost like he was running away, without properly congratulating her after the Disciple Sparring ended.

No, I didn’t run away. Strictly speaking, other Mages took Ria away.

Looking at Ria’s calm expression, Leon felt relieved inwardly and asked.

“What brings you here?”“...”

She stared at Leon for a moment without saying anything, then finally spoke.

“I heard you became a General Disciple, so I came to congratulate you.”

Leon scratched his cheek.

“You didn’t have to...... You already knew I was learning Magic anyway.”“Yes, but... I thought Leon must have had his reasons for doing this. I wanted to cheer you on. Sorry I’m late.”

Was she apologizing for coming two weeks later?Leon subtly used Scanning Magic to assess Ria’s Realm.

He sensed 2nd Grade Magic Power.It seems she had been busy rising to the 2nd Grade Realm during that time.

Leon hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“You’ve become 2nd Grade?”“Yes.”

Leon’s words carried many meanings.The fact that he noticed she had become 2nd Grade meant that Leon was at least 2nd Grade himself, and it subtly indicated that Leon, who had been a Triple Attribute Body of 1st Grade until recently, was growing abnormally.

Anyway, since I’ve been pretending to be a normal person after becoming a General Disciple, she probably knows there’s a way to hide one’s Realm.

Ria, who had now learned quite a bit about Magic, would have felt something odd recalling Leon’s behavior from the orphanage.

Yet, she hadn’t asked anything until now.

Leon still had no intention of talking about the Space-Time Orb or the Rewards he received from Quests.That was Leon’s secret that he couldn’t tell anyone.

However, Leon decided to reveal a part of his many secrets in his own way.

“You probably know......”

He opened his mouth with such a bold decision, but Ria shook her head and stopped Leon’s words.

“I know. That Leon is hiding something. But I don’t want to interfere because Leon always has his own thoughts.”“...”

Is this Ria’s consideration, suggesting that this doesn’t need to be spoken out loud?

“I’ll follow along too, so Leon can do whatever he wants.”

Ria seemed to really think that way, without even a flicker in her eyes.Leon let out a shallow sigh and said.

“Thank you. Congratulations on becoming 2nd Grade too. I’m glad I can properly congratulate you this time.”“...”

Seeing her become silent again, Leon felt like he might have said something unnecessary and continued his words like an excuse.

“I’m sorry about last time. There were too many Mages around, so I couldn’t approach you.”“I didn’t say anything, Leon.”

Leon closed his mouth as he looked at Ria’s calm face.

Apart from opening up to her the most, Leon certainly often encountered difficulties when dealing with Ria.If she had acted more appropriately for her age like Rowen, it would have been easier to deal with her, but it was hard to gauge what Ria was thinking.

A child who is difficult to read despite her young age.

“I’m happy to receive congratulations from Leon......”

As she was calmly continuing her words, she suddenly wrinkled her nose slightly.While Leon’s face was turning puzzled, she took a step closer to him.After standing silently for a moment, she asked.

“......Did someone come before me?”

Her gaze finally showed interest in the staff Leon was holding.

“Rowen did come by...”“...I see?”

After that, they parted without much more conversation, as she seemed lost in thought.

***Two months passed without incident.It was four months after Leon had become 3rd Grade.

Leon was at the peak of the 3rd Grade, about to reach 4th Grade.It was a growth rate that even Leon hadn’t expected.The synergy of talent, Elixirs, and the Orb dramatically reduced the time required for Realm Ascension.

In fact, if he had focused solely on raising his Realm, he would have already reached 4th Grade.The reason he couldn’t was that Leon had spent a month focusing on something else.

Namely, Elixir production.

One corner of Leon’s personal room was strewn with various Herbs and herbal decoction pots used to brew them.On the iron plate laid down to prevent the floor from scorching, there were traces of wood chunks from the Orb being used as firewood.

Leon began attempting Elixir production in earnest after all the Herbs needed for F-Grade Elixirs had fully grown.

As he worked on it, he realized that it required more specialized skills than he had thought, so he focused on honing his production skills for a month.

After completing the Training required for Quest Completion in reality, instead of entering the Orb, he remained in reality and focused on producing Elixirs.

As a result, the Orb time only accumulated for a month.

He didn’t feel like that month was a waste. It was preparation for making higher Grade Elixirs later.

If he could supply Elixirs by himself, he could focus on other Quest Rewards during that time.

After repeating hundreds of successes and failures over a month, he significantly increased his success rate.

Leon filled the herbal decoction pot with water using Water Magic and lit a fire under the pot using Fire Magic.

Four types of Herbs were used in making F-Grade Elixirs.To be precise, three types.

Planetia Dew Grass, Tear Mushroom, Rain Flower’s Petals, Fog Dew.

Among these, Fog Dew was the dew that forms when Planetia Dew Grass is in full bloom.

First, boil the roots of Planetia Dew Grass, then add the mushroom and flower petals at regular intervals, and finally mix in the Fog Dew to complete the Elixir.

When adding the mushroom and flower petals, Leon manifested the Brem System Elixir production Magic.

A Magic Circle appeared between the fire and the decoction pot.

The Herbs in the pot became mushy and quickly dissolved, fusing with the water.

While maintaining the Magic, Leon took out the Fog Dew using Basic Psychokinesis.

Leon, who had been waiting for the timing while concentrating, immediately dropped the dew into the green-tinged herbal water when the Magic Circle signaled.

The herbal water began to boil and sizzle, reducing in volume.

Soon, all the moisture in the decoction pot disappeared, leaving only a single round, green Essence.

The color was similar to Orc’s Essence.The name could be given freely by Leon, who made the Elixir, so there was no need to worry about it much.The color varied depending on the Elixir production Magic, so as long as he only had Brem System Magic at hand, there was no way to change it no matter how hard he tried.

It’s not like there’s a difference in quality anyway.

Although Nol’s Essence made by famous merchant groups is popular, it only has a slightly higher chance of producing high quality and a small difference in price.

Since Appraisal Magic couldn’t distinguish the plus and minus of Elixir Grades, it was natural for the price of Nol’s Essence, which guaranteed a certain level of quality, to be higher.

Of course, Leon, who had tasted each Essence given as a Reward, knew there was no difference.

Leon poured the Essence in his hand directly into his mouth.

It’s not F+ Grade. Just regular F-Grade.

Leon could tell the difference from his experience of consuming hundreds of Elixirs.

What a waste. Was the timing off?

Swallowing his disappointment, Leon entered the Orb.After increasing the success rate over a month, he didn’t spend more than 30 minutes a day making Elixirs.

This was because the effect of F-Grade Elixirs decreased exponentially as he reached the late stages of 3rd Grade.Only F+ Grade showed a slight effect.

It was time to put aside Elixir production and focus on Training again until all the Herbs needed for E-Grade Elixirs were gathered.

When Leon came out of the Orb after completing today’s Training, he felt that the time had finally come.

It was time to use the accumulated Orb time he had saved while making Elixirs to break through to 4th Grade.