Chapter 23: Magic Missile
When he tasted the meat, Gauss was so moved he almost cried.
The mouthful of savory meat made the taste buds on his tongue and every cell in his body cheer with delight.
His body was satisfied!
Time passed quickly while enjoying the delicacy.
In a flash, he was full and content.
Letting out a burp, Gauss’s mind went completely blank.
“Sir, sir...”
Just as he was about to doze off, a gentle and sweet voice called in his ear.
He opened his eyes in a daze.
“Please settle the bill, a modest 2 silver coins and 50 copper coins.”
“Huh? How much?” The still-groggy Gauss asked instinctively.
“2 silver coins and 50 copper coins,” the beautiful waitress repeated politely.
“Is it that much?” Gauss wasn’t trying to skip the bill—he was simply confused whether he had that much money.
2 silver coins and 50 copper coins—just a few days ago, he had been shocked that Hailier’s treat cost 3 silver coins and 40 copper coins for four people.
And now you're telling him that he, alone, almost matched that total?
So the extravagant one was actually himself?
Hiss! One meal cost him 0.03 of a house. Gauss felt like his heart was bleeding.
“You can check it. These are all the dishes you ordered.” The waitress still maintained a very graceful demeanor as she handed him the menu.
“Fried fish and chips, air-dried ham with cheese, thick-cut high-temperature grilled meat steak (seasoned with salt and olive oil), borscht...”
The menu showed all the items he had checked himself, a dazzling array.
He remembered now—during the meal, because he hadn’t been full, he had ordered more dishes several times.
So he just kept adding more and more.
Silently adding up the total in his mind, Gauss helplessly found that the amount was accurate.
He really had eaten a feast worth 2 silver coins and 50 copper coins.
The stack of plates piled up beside the table was also strong evidence.
Even after paying and walking out of the tavern, Gauss still felt heartache.
It was reasonable that with higher income came upgraded consumption—but this meal upgrade was just too fast.
“It was that strange, inexplicable hunger that seduced me,” he sighed.
But to be honest, aside from the pain in his heart, every part of his body felt quite comfortable.
It was as if that large quantity of meat had filled the deficit caused by his body’s growth.
“Forget it, think of it as an investment in myself. Investing in myself doesn’t hurt, doesn’t hurt...”
Gauss convinced himself.
Current cash: 28 silver coins and 52 copper coins
Gauss silently calculated his savings.
While sighing, “This is the greed of humans—higher income, yet consumption climbs without realizing it.”
The money looked like a lot, but in reality, it couldn't withstand being spent.
Considering how hard it is to go from extravagance to frugality, Gauss’s desire to earn money increased.
——
In the blink of an eye, it was the next day.
“Morning, Sophia,” Gauss came downstairs and greeted Sophia, who was mopping the floor in the first-floor lobby.
“Morning, Little Gauss. Want some breakfast?”
Upon hearing Gauss’s voice, Sophia paused her task and leaned on her mop to ask.
“Uh...”
In Gauss’s mind, the nearly vomit-inducing image of black bread and pickled vegetable soup resurfaced, contrasted with yesterday’s feast.
The images kept flashing in his mind—in that moment of bittersweet reflection, he realized there was no going back.
His stomach had been spoiled by gourmet food—or maybe this was the price of growing stronger?
“Hehe... Sophia, maybe next time. I don’t have much appetite today,” Gauss said with an awkward smile, waving his hand.
Under Sophia’s resentful gaze, Gauss walked out of the inn with a spring in his step.
Only Sophia was left behind, doubting her cooking skills in silence.
Could it be that her culinary skills had seriously declined? But the other tenants hadn’t given any negative feedback?
This question might trouble her for some time.
The morning bell rang, and Graystone Town had awakened.
The streets were filled with breakfast stalls.
Gauss spent 4 copper coins to buy two meat-filled pies.
Sorry, Sophia, I’m a carnivore now.
The barren black bread and vegetable soup can no longer provide the nutrients my body needs.
“Didn’t expect that a mere roadside stall could make such delicious pies,” Gauss chewed with gusto, his mouth full of flavor.
Of course, he wouldn’t admit that this was thanks to the contrast with the memory of black bread.
His just-awakened body quickly regained vitality under the nourishment of meat juice.
This morning, his plan was to practice Magic Missile.
Mage Hand had to be shelved for now, and its usage frequency must be reduced.
The thing he feared most now was overusing Mage Hand and accidentally meeting the proficiency requirement that would trigger the Professional Path guidance.
If things went that far and Mage Hand, a Tier 0 cantrip, became his core skill, he would be filled with regret.
Mage Hand proficiency lv2 (15/20)—and since he wasn’t sure whether it was lv3 or lv4 or something else that was the requirement, it was already a bit risky.
After finishing breakfast, he began walking toward the town’s exit.
Naturally, there was no place within town for him to train magic, so he had to go to the vast open plains outside.
Of course, he wasn’t the first to do this.
In fact, many adventurers had a habit of training here—the plains outside the town were large enough for everyone to practice without disturbing each other.
After walking a certain distance, he found a deserted clearing.
Gauss officially began his training.
Closing his eyes to meditate, he sought the sensation of successfully casting a spell from before.
After all, several days had passed since he last succeeded in casting Magic Missile, and he had been in a state of special concentration at the time.
Now that he was back in town and relaxed, it wasn’t easy to recapture the spellcasting feeling.
“Magic Missile!”
A blue glow lit up in Gauss’s palm but quickly faded again.
He wasn’t too disappointed by this.
This was within his expectations—Tier 1 spells were supposed to be harder.
However, based on his experience training Mage Hand, at lv1, as long as he put in the time and effort, it shouldn’t be too problematic.
After all, the spell had already been etched into his consciousness—the Adventurer’s Handbook had spared him the lengthy learning and meditation required to construct the model.
He only needed to train.
Train until the proficiency growth slowed down, then consider the next step.
“Magic Missile!”
“Magic Missile!”
...
Tired, he took a short break.
“Magic Missile!”
“Magic Missile!”
After a round of practice, Gauss discovered that this Tier 1 spell was indeed different from a Tier 0 cantrip.
When he had practiced Mage Hand a few days ago, even if he failed, there were no repercussions—but this Magic Missile, even if not successfully cast, left his spirit fatigued after many attempts.
Fortunately, the fatigue wasn’t too strong.
Perhaps thanks to his unusually high 7 points in Spirit.
He just needed to lie on the grass and rest under the sun for a bit.
Finally, through Gauss’s patient training, he rediscovered the feeling of casting the spell.
It was an indescribable sensation, like a moment of divine inspiration.
As a breeze swept by, all the magical energy in his body surged.
It rapidly coiled, gathered, and concentrated in his hand, emitting strange pulses as it radiated outward, while the surrounding natural magical energy was also drawn in—ultimately the magic formed a stable structure in his palm.
A Magic Missile condensed in his hand!
Magic Missile—success again!
This time, without an enemy charging at him, he had ample time to observe the spell in his hand.
It was a crystal-clear spherical energy orb, wrapped in a faint white shell, with the magic inside surging rapidly like countless fine streams weaving together.
This Magic Missile would not harm him.
And vaguely, he felt he could control the movement of the Magic Missile with his mind.
He focused, and found that the Magic Missile really did shift slightly in his palm—about the width of a fingernail.
It seemed he could indeed control Magic Missile with his will—though at his current low proficiency, he couldn’t manipulate it freely.
With the observation complete, Gauss hurled the Magic Missile toward a distant empty area.
The Magic Missile accelerated in a straight line the moment it left his hand!
Its magical properties caused it to reach peak speed almost instantly, creating a dazzling blue trail through the air visible even to his eyes.
“Boom!!”
A deafening explosion rang out.
The Magic Missile exploded the instant it struck the ground.
Blue magical energy burst forth like fireworks—even in daylight, the beautiful magical aftershock was clearly visible.
After a while, when the magic’s aftereffects faded and the smoke cleared...
On the grassy ground, only a spiderweb-like shallow impact crater remained, about several dozen centimeters in diameter, with a fist-sized dent at the very center.