From what Vincent told us, there are artisans in the capital who can custom-make them, but it's ridiculously expensive if you want the item to have any other additional properties. So, it's almost better to wait and see if we get any loot with a slot for the gem. If I don't find one, I can always take a trip to the capital and commission at least a bracelet to put it in. For the money, it would just be a +2 HP bracelet.

I don't think there are limits to how many magic items you can carry, beyond actually being able to equip them. I mean, I have 20 fingers, that would be 20 rings, right? Assuming I could shove 10 inside some boots. That's why, to avoid ending up with several bracelets clashing with my armor, I prefer to hold onto the gem until I find an item with other additional magic properties. Because something else Vincent told us when we asked him is that if you try to unsocket a gem, there's a very high probability of breaking it in the process.

And speaking of which… why am I thinking about the gem?

Oh, right, because the +2 is for HP, not constitution. So, it wouldn't help me get it to 8.

Catrina told us about the pack mule mastery, the most basic one for raising constitution. But the idea of carrying pounds of weight for hours to get it didn't sound very appealing to me. Maybe I should have listened… She told us about others, from the resistance branch, which are based on taking damage. Also not my cup of tea; they seemed even more masochistic.

In any case, I can always use the stat point I get when I level up to 10 for constitution.

As for spells I hardly use, like stone bullets or flash, I'd like to learn more about the latter. No need for the former, since I already know from class that as the spell levels up, the projectiles' speed increases and they gain effects related to earth magic, like petrifying on impact or the bullet transforming into a chain that wraps around the target. Earth control magic, which starts by controlling only earth, gradually includes rock as it levels up, and at higher levels, metals.

A mage in this world has a lot of power if they can reach high levels. The problem is, basically, that it gets harder and harder to level up yourself and your spells. I vividly remember that the experience I need to level up grows exponentially.

So far, leveling up has been relatively manageable. But for level 9, I needed 2,981 extra XP, for level 10 I need 8,103, and for level 11 I'll need 22,026. It's easy to say, but a whole different story in practice. I just have to remember that the slimes at the beginning gave me around 1 XP, the mummies about 7, and the scariest creatures in the Blue Mountains Dungeon—the wraiths—gave around 50, even more than the alpha wolf boss. Honestly, if I did the math right, the alpha was a bit of a letdown. As for bosses, according to my calculations, the golem gave around 2,000 XP and the scorpion queen about 8,000 XP. And there's no way I'm taking down the mother queen without the shadow wolf. No wonder so few nobles reach level 10—and even fewer make it to 11. And I say nobles because they're the ones with the best genetic inheritance, giving them magical affinities and better base stats at birth.

Back to spells and masteries, if there's a specific number needed to rank them up, my professors sure don't know it. What they tell us, besides it getting harder with each level, is that it depends on how much you use it and whether that use is "real." That is, if a heal mends a wound in battle or a sword strikes an enemy, the growth is greater than if you heal a kitten's scratch while calmly sitting at home, or use a sword to train against a practice dummy. It's like running for your life. That's one of the ways you get the runner mastery.

So, I try to get some information from the system window about how flash will evolve. But nothing. And since I'm the first archmage with spirit—that anyone knows of—there are no books or anyone who can guide me. Basically, I'm a pioneer.

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So, I'll just have to experiment.

I cast it once, since I have the mana. I look at the other side of the dorm room, Judith's bed, and this spell, being designed for quick battle use, only requires me to pinpoint the location and whisper "Flash." Maybe, in the future, I can manage to omit the word.

Anyway, here goes; I should've done this sooner. I visualize myself sitting on the opposite bed.

"Flash."

I appear over my roommate's bed and fall backward onto the floor. The reason? I was sitting on mine, legs dangling off the mattress. I teleport with the exact body position I'm in. The spell hasn't turned me around. So, my legs are in the opposite position to sit on a bed that's across from mine and, like mine, pushed against the wall.

For a moment, my heart leaps with panic.

Am I an idiot?

I could have appeared with my legs inside the mattress.

Luckily, the spell must have some kind of safeguard, and I appeared about half a meter above where I visualized myself, with my feet on the mattress. Off-balance, I fall backward. My butt hits the floor, followed by the back of my head.

Ouch, that hurts!

Oh my gosh...

When will I learn?

It's unbelievable, coming from Earth, where there are old sci-fi movies like "The Fly" that tell you about the dangers of teleportation.

The good thing is, I now know I won't end up inside a wall. I think.

Just in case, I'm not going to risk it again; from now on, I'll take into account my initial body position, my inertia if I'm running or moving, and making sure the space I want to go to is completely empty.

Now, my pup.

(By the way, should I give him a name? "Fucking-seed-of-evil-what-have-you-done-now" doesn't seem like a bad way to address him.)

I ask him to show me his stat sheet. Since he hasn't leveled up, nothing's changed (his progression to the next level has simply increased to 40%), but I want to see his spells.

Healing lick is still at low level; I expected that since he just leveled it up recently. The other two spells marked "unavailable" are still the same. My hope is that at level 7, the level where humans get their specialization, something will change.

As for me, out of the 8103 experience points I need for level 10, I've already got a bit over half, 4098.

Oh, it just hit me! Ronan took out most of the trolls with his bombardment. If I figure a troll must give 20 or 25 points, he must've gotten a good chunk. Did he level up?

Anyway, I ditch my inner monologue and head to where I'm meeting the aforementioned. When I enter the auditorium, I see he's already waiting for me, near the desk where the assistant professors are. His bag, with the little egg pouches inside, hangs from his shoulder.

I walk up to him and nod, signaling him to proceed. We approach the counter; there's no line, and he sets his bag on it.

"Good afternoon, we are here to turn in the worm egg pouch order," he informs.

"Very good," says the young woman helping us. She looks familiar; I think I've seen her in some of Catrina's classes as her assistant. "Please place them on the counter."

Ronan opens his bag and starts pulling out the pouches. One, two, three… everything's normal until he goes past the ten for the quest. The young woman's eyes start to widen in surprise, and by the time we're over 20, she's said something to her colleague, and both of them are amazed.

"Fifty. That is all," Ronan says. "I wanted to bring more eggs without pouches, but Bianca told me you would not accept them."

"How did you manage to collect so many? When you asked me for more pouches, I gave them to you, but I thought you wanted them to run the dungeon multiple times. You couldn't have had time to do it 5 times."

"Actually, it was two runs," I shrug. "We left empty-handed the first time, but we learned."

"But what about the trolls?"

"Oh, right. We've got a ton of white wolf hides, both skinned from them and the ones the trolls used as clothing. Could we sell them here?"

Because we didn't bring them. They're in Ronan's room. If this were a world with an inventory system, they'd totally flip if we suddenly pulled everything out and filled the counter with piles of hides.

"What? Did you defeat all the trolls in a village? Is that why you have so many eggs?"

"From two villages."

"But the normal thing is to sneak into the village, grab some eggs, defeat the first few stray trolls that show up, and run before the others come. Or, if you have someone with stealth on your team, they handle it alone. But despite all that, they usually detect you before you can fill too many sacks."

"They do not defeat all of them?" Ronan asks. "How inefficient."

"Inefficient?" interjects the other young woman from behind the counter.

Luckily, there's no one else in the room, or we'd definitely have an audience.

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