Chapter 29: Heart‑Pounding
The first step of the group practice naturally started with Gauss.
Everyone’s gaze unconsciously focused on him.
“I will now demonstrate the spell ‘Mage Hand.’”
“Mage Hand!”
Gauss’s mind churned, and his casting of Mage Hand already felt quite adept.
As magical energy coalesced before him, an invisible magical hand appeared.
Except for the priestess Daphne, none of the others could clearly sense the energy currents forming before Gauss.
But they could all instinctively feel that, the moment Gauss spoke the spell’s name, there was an unexplainable change in the air.
Perhaps it was what they called a sixth sense.
Since the others couldn’t perceive the Mage Hand’s actual presence, Gauss could only control it to lift a rapier and swing it in the air a few times, to demonstrate what Mage Hand could do.
“It feels pretty weak.” Doyle, the swordsman, commented instinctively without thinking all that much.
His judgment was based entirely on comparing it to his usual sword swings.
Of course, the slashing felt feeble and lacking in strength.
The expressions on the others’ faces varied as well.
Only Levin’s eyes lit up when he saw the Mage Hand.
“No, no, it’s a very powerful spell.” He couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.
Upon hearing such a radically different opinion, Doyle cast a surprised glance at Levin.
“It can help us detect traps, and remotely trigger traps and mechanisms set by Meiva. By the way, Gauss, how much strength can your Mage Hand exert?”
“About ten pounds.”
“That’s a bit weak, but enough. It can still interfere in a fight.” Levin tapped his chin in thought.
“Can it hold powder?”
“It should be able to.” Gauss hadn’t tested it in practice, so he wasn’t entirely certain.
He guided the Mage Hand to his side, bent over, scooped up some soil and dust, and carefully scattered it onto the Mage Hand.
The dust quickly formed a thin layer covering the Mage Hand. Gauss felt that he could shake them off at will, but indeed it could adhere.
“It really is a hand!” Oliver, the taciturn archer, drew closer in curiosity when he saw the hand manifest in mid‑air.
Though they had all encountered magic to some degree before, opportunities to observe it up close were rare.
“That’s great!” Levin suddenly clapped his hands.
“Meiva, later can you share some of your special poison powder with Gauss.”
The others gradually realized what Levin meant.
Each of them wore expressions of dawning understanding.
If the poison powder plus Mage Hand made the hand visible, as long as they could control it properly and smear or sprinkle it onto a monster’s vulnerable spots like its eyes, it could immediately deal negative damage or inflict a control status—at least weakening its combat effectiveness.
Against certain defenseless monsters, a ten‑pound force could even help a poison‑coated dagger break through defenses.
“We can later, based on how it performs, think of concrete ways to coordinate with Gauss.”
Although it was a support skill rather than a direct offensive ability, if fully developed and with the team’s cover, it could still be very effective.
The others’ gazes toward Gauss seemed much more enthusiastic now.
Even Doyle, who strictly believed in strength above all and had always been unimpressed by arcane trickery, had to admit that compared to upfront fighters, mages could indeed be scarier sometimes.
At the very least, he absolutely did not want poison powder raining down from the sky to blind him mid‑battle, or a hidden dagger plunging into his back.
As for staying alert—who could think of so many things during the chaos of combat?
Lost in thought, he even couldn’t help but look at Gauss with a hint of awe.
Mages really are deviously terrifying creatures.
“Alright, that concludes Gauss’s skill demonstration. Next up will be...” Levin had just prepared to continue when he noticed Gauss hesitating at his side.
“What’s wrong?”
“No, Captain Levin, what I wanted to say is—I have another spell.”
“?”
“Another one?”
Everyone who had been about to start warming up turned their heads simultaneously to look at him again, their expressions carrying a hard-to-define look.
Generally speaking, for quasi-professionals like them, due to limited energy, time, and resources, most would choose to specialize in one skill.
Occasionally, some might temporarily pick up an extra skill to boost their combat capabilities.
But most of them were warriors or similar professions.
Would a mage also learn an additional spell?
Like the team’s healing priestess Daphne—she only knew one Tier 0 cantrip: Life Stabilization.
Its effect was to stabilize the injuries of a wounded lifeform so that the condition would not worsen, after which she could proceed with further treatment using medical tools.
The actual effectiveness of Life Stabilization depended on the caster’s level.
It was said that when cast by a high-level priest, even a critically wounded person on the verge of death, with the Grim Reaper about to swing his scythe, could have their life stabilized immediately.
Gauss nodded.
He planned to use Magic Missile in battle later to increase his proficiency.
If he didn’t demonstrate it now and used it later, it would only make things awkward.
Just as the others subconsciously assumed that Gauss’s next spell would also be a support type like Mage Hand—
Gauss spoke.
“The second spell I’ve mastered is called Magic Missile.”
“Magic Missile...”
“Magic Missile?”
Everyone silently repeated the spell’s name in their minds.
In the next moment—before they could think further—
“Magic Missile!”
Gauss activated his magic.
A bright blue orb of light condensed in the air in front of him.
After reaching Lv2 proficiency, he no longer needed to hold it with his hand for control.
The air itself seemed to change with the appearance of the orb.
The wind began to slowly swirl.
“Step back a bit, just in case. It might be powerful.”
Gauss reminded the others, who were already entranced. After confirming they had backed off to a safe distance—
He locked his mind on the casting target—a patch of empty ground in the distance.
The next moment, the Magic Missile launched!
“Boom!”
As the thought passed, it accelerated continuously, reaching top speed in the blink of an eye.
This extreme velocity drew a dazzling streak of light across the air.
At the end of that light beam, the moment it struck the ground—
A heavy explosion thundered.
“Thud!”
It was like a massive object had slammed heavily into the earth.
Clumps of dirt and soil particles burst into the air.
The blast kicked up a cloud of dust, and even the ground beneath their feet trembled slightly.
Once the dust cleared—
A shallow crater appeared in the ground, several dozen centimeters in diameter, with a fist-sized dent at its core.
“So strong!!” Doyle and the others snapped out of it, gulping in unison.
Their expressions toward Gauss completely changed.
They hadn’t expected that the “mage” Captain Levin casually picked up from the Adventurer’s Guild would possess such power.
The spell’s power was terrifying!
It didn’t seem like something a bottom-tier adventurer without a formal profession should be capable of using!
That missile just hit the earth and caused such destruction—what if it hit one of them?
They’d probably be dead or crippled instantly. And with such speed, dodging it would be nearly impossible!
They stared at the crater, unable to hide their unease.