Chapter 38: Power Boost
“Hiss—”
Don’t be fooled by how small Andini’s fists looked—her strength was anything but.
Bang bang—two punches landed on Gauss’s waist, making him suck in a cold breath.
His Mage Hand nearly dissipated.
“Oh, sorry, sorry.”
Realizing she had gotten a bit too excited, Andini licked her lips, a slight look of embarrassment on her face.
“It’s fine,” Gauss said after taking a few deep breaths, waiting for the pain to fade.
His impression of Andini changed a little at that moment.
He hadn’t expected her to be this strong in addition to being able to cast spells.
One could only say—truly worthy of being a Professional.
Even if Andini clearly wasn’t in a strength-specialized class, her physical ability still far exceeded that of a normal person.
“Didn’t expect it... this bone could actually find its owner...” Andini sighed, emotions flooding her heart.
In the past, she had always wondered if there really was someone in this world who matched it. But now that such a person had been found, she instead felt a faint sense of loss.
“Well then, Senior Andini, how much does this staff cost?” Gauss asked nervously.
Though Andini had casually mentioned earlier that it wasn’t expensive, the staff suited him far too well—he couldn’t help but feel a bit anxious.
Moreover, with Andini’s expression unreadable at the moment, he couldn’t tell what she was thinking.
After a brief silence, Andini finally spoke, still sighing deeply.
“Just give me 10 silver coins. After all, I did spend quite a bit of time polishing and making it.”
The price she quoted instantly put Gauss at ease.
“But...”
“?”
Spoke too soon.
His just-settled heart was pulled right back up again.
Could she not just finish her sentence in one go?
Gauss turned his gaze back to Andini.
Was she regretting it?
He instinctively gripped the staff tighter.
“But if you want to turn this bone staff into a proper wand later, it’s probably going to be quite difficult.” Andini’s lips curled into a mischievous smile, a sharp canine tooth biting her lip.
“Maybe I just lack the skills. Over all these years, I’ve tried many times to make it into a real wand, but I’ve always failed.”
“I tried every magic item I had on hand that could serve as a wand core, but none of the attempts succeeded.”
That’s it?
Gauss’s face was expressionless, but inside, he breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
Startling him like that—he thought it was going to be something serious.
For him, turning it into a proper wand was a matter for later. Right now, the priority was securing it in his hands.
“But it’s fine if you just use it for now. You’ll eventually have a second and third wand anyway.” Andini glanced at Gauss’s “grave expression” and added comfortingly.
“For us spellcasters, having multiple wands is completely normal.”
“Each wand, just like people, has its own specialties and characteristics—rapid casting, precision, burst power, coordination...”
Andini waved her hand at her own row of wands.
One of them was even twice her height—it was hard to imagine how ridiculous she would look using it.
“Understood.” Gauss nodded. “So should I pay now, Senior?”
It was just 10 silver coins—he had that much on him.
“Click—fine, look at how eager you are.”
Andini shook her head and stopped teasing him.
She extended her fair little palm toward him.
Gauss quickly counted out 10 silver coins from his pocket and placed them in her hand.
However, the moment the coins touched her palm—they suddenly vanished without a trace.
Magic? Or was it some kind of storage space like in fantasy works from his previous life?
But since Andini didn’t seem inclined to explain, he didn’t ask further.
Gauss remained in Thorn Cottage a little while longer afterward.
Mainly because Andini held him back with several reminders, and before he left, she lent him one of her early magic notebooks—perhaps out of regard for Groln, or maybe because he was the owner of the bone staff.
When Gauss stepped out of Thorn Cottage, the time was already nearing dusk.
In the twilight, the oak door slowly closed behind him.
Gauss felt as if an era had passed.
The presence of Thorn Cottage seemed to slowly fade, gradually blending into the plain alleyway, becoming the most unremarkable house there.
Such marvelous magic.
Gauss observed for a moment, then withdrew his gaze.
Clutching the bone staff, he walked out of the alley, his steps noticeably lighter.
This visit to Thorn Cottage had been immensely rewarding. Not only did he borrow a notebook explaining basic magical principles from Andini, but he also bought a suitable wand base for only 10 silver coins.
However, in the end, the Life Magic Stone still hadn’t been sold—it remained with him.
Andini had told him, if he wasn’t in urgent need of money, he should hold on to it.
Wearing a Life Magic Stone long-term also provided slight health benefits. Though minimal, over time, it could have a decent effect.
In the following days—
Just like other adventuring teams, after finishing a mission, the Night Owl Team had no immediate plans.
Gauss had no idea what the others were doing.
But his days were very fulfilling.
Each day he woke with the bell ringing, ate, took the bone staff to the open fields outside the town, practiced magic, read, trained with the sword, returned to town to rest, and then repeated it all the next day.
Having the staff rekindled the enthusiasm he felt when he first began learning spells.
Naturally, the spell he practiced was Magic Missile.
After the most recent mission, his Magic Missile proficiency had reached lv2 (3/20).
But once he had the staff and began intensive, isolated training, his proficiency began to rise rapidly again.
It increased from lv2 (3/20) to lv2 (6/20).
With the bone staff’s bonuses, plus the rise in spell proficiency and his steadily growing magical reserves—
His combat strength had undergone a major transformation compared to just a few days ago.
1.65 standard units of personal mana.
The mana compression for a single Magic Missile had dropped from 60% power to 50%.
In other words, he could now fire three miniature Magic Missiles in succession without entering a weakened, mana-depleted state.
At the same time, the bone staff enhanced casting speed and slightly boosted the spell’s power.
A Magic Missile cast through the staff at 50% power had the destructive force of a barehanded cast at 70% power.
One could say his combat ability had taken another step up.
As he was now, in a direct confrontation, he should easily be able to defeat himself from just a few days ago.
After all, faster casting speed meant securing the initiative.
When the enemy had yet to fully launch their attack, his magic would already be blasting them in the face—that kind of advantage needed no explanation.
That’s why, sometimes, casting speed was even more important than spell power.
The principle of speed breaking all defenses applied to spellcasters as well.
Gauss counted the days and figured it was almost time to regroup for the next commission.
Perhaps due to the improvement from several days of training, his hands were itching for action.
He was even somewhat impatient to start the next mission, eager to test his growth in real combat.
Oh right—next time they met, he could suggest to Levin that they take on some non-Goblin combat missions.
Now that his strength had improved, Gauss felt much more confident.
It was time to slay some other low-level monsters and unlock more entries in the Monster Encyclopedia within the Adventurer’s Handbook.