A Master's Tool is Simply Superior

Duke Script stared quietly at me and the wooden wand—or rather, its charred remains.

"Was this your cherished weapon?"

"Not really."

I'd grown a bit attached to it, but in an alternate world overflowing with perfectly usable wands, why would I cling to this one?

"Do you happen to know the brand? The workshop that crafted it, or perhaps the name of the Magic Tower?"

"No clue."

"As I thought. It is embarrassing to even call this thing a wand."

"...Excuse me?"

If that was too embarrassing to be called a wand, then what on earth were those things I saw in the artifact shop the other day? Firewood?

"To be precise, it is the kind of cheap tool used by street-level adventurers who only know a few basic spells."

"But doesn't that mean it can still cast magic?"

"Technically, yes. But it is by no means a proper mage's wand. To think you cast magic with something like this... Just what are you...?"

Well, I am pretty amazing. Hehe. I could feel my self-esteem soaring.

"But then, what should I be using?"

"Generally, the greater one's talent and mana capacity, the better the wand must be to handle the output."

Huh? I felt a sudden sense of incongruity.

"Then what happens if you don't use ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a good wand?"

"It ends up like this—unable to withstand the strain and breaking."

Wait, was even casting Basic Attack Magic putting a strain on the wand?

"Judging by your mana capacity, it seems you were consciously minimizing the burden placed on it while casting."

I definitely didn't do that, though?

"Or perhaps your mastery of magic is so exceptionally high that you mastered the spell before the wand could even register the strain."

Well, it was true that I hadn't really used anything other than Basic Attack Magic.

"Is that a rare case?"

"Haha, it is practically unheard of. It would mean possessing mana control of at least the 4-Rank level, and I have never seen a student with that kind of control."

"I see."

Was I just imagining things?

"And above all, once you move on to Beginner Magic and beyond, the strain on the wand increases exponentially. If you had used this wand, it would have snapped, unable to withstand even a Beginner-tier spell."

Hmm. I guess the wand's death was inevitable either way. It was actually a pretty decent one among the R-grade wands, but it didn't catch Duke Script's eye at all.

Then again, even the school's loaner wands were SR-grade or higher. And far from being praised, those were dismissed as mere "standard-issue."

I had a vague inkling of it, but the magical civilization here seemed vastly superior to modern Earth's. Just as modern Earth's science was far more advanced than this world's.

After all, back on Earth, no one could even use something as common as Basic Attack Magic.

"Then what should I use?"

"Naturally, the top-of-the-line models... is what I would like to say, but unless our family sponsors you entirely, that will be difficult."

"What if you do sponsor me?"

"It is impossible during the semester. It is the law of the Empire, so do not blame me."

He smoothed his mustache.

"For now, use Reinhardt's loaner wands. You will still need to be careful, but if you rent their highest-grade model, you should be able to manage somehow."

"Can't I just buy one here?"

"I do not recommend it," Duke Script said flatly. "A wand is something that must be chosen carefully, taking your time to find a brand that matches your hand. If you buy one in haste, you will only end up wasting your money."

"Ack."

And here I was, just picking up and using whatever I found!

"At the very least, it is fortunate that your mana wavelength matched this one reasonably well." He handed the remains of the wooden wand back to me. "Had that not been the case, a severe strain would have been transmitted to the wand, and it would have snapped in no time."

Come to think of it, maybe that fire wand from before just hadn't been a good match for me.

"The brands available here are far too few to browse properly. In the first place, it is impossible for all those numerous wand shops to open branches here."

That solved my question of why there were so few wand shops. And why wands were so much more expensive than swords. It was because they were specialty items that only a select few bought and used repeatedly.

"I will write you a letter of introduction, so pay them a visit during the break."

Duke Script touched his wand to a piece of stationery. With a soft, sliding sound, elegant handwriting began to etch itself onto the paper. Once the writing was complete, a small flame flared, and the seal of the Script family materialized.

...That was seriously cool.

Can I learn how to do that too?

Though highly inefficient compared to modern machinery, the ability to resolve everything with a single wand was incredibly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠charming. Magic really was the best.

"And by the end of the semester, there will be many who wish to sponsor you. Choose wisely among them."

"What about you, mister?"

"We would be delighted if you chose us, but there are several other mage families that rival us or even hold a slight advantage."

Duke Script smiled warmly at me. He really gave off the vibe of a doting father who was absolutely whipped for his daughter.

"Back to relying on a loaner wand, I see."

Of course, the rental fee had jumped from 3 silver a week to a whopping 50 silver. But in exchange, I got to use a vastly superior wand. It was the kind of high-end tool used by noble children when their own wands broke—an elegant temporary replacement while waiting for repairs or a new purchase.

Oh? It had been a while since Observation Eye provided such useful information.

It could withstand exactly three strikes powered by Dragon Mana.

"Though it feels a bit plain for an SSR-grade..."

Actually, considering the sheer destructive power of Dragon Mana, it made perfect sense.

Dragon Mana was currently my only ultra-high-firepower option. My battle with Leokan had made me realize one thing:

I absolutely have to use Dragon Mana.

There was no telling what kind of absurd, unfair nonsense might be waiting for me in the future.

Thinking of it that way, knowing I could push it to a fourth cast if I was prepared to let the wand snap was a massive advantage.

Two weeks passed in the blink of an eye, and as for what I was doing during that time...

.

.

.

.

"Ugh... I'm so bored..."

I was doing absolutely, astonishingly nothing.

It wasn't that I was slacking off. There was just literally nothing to do.

Homework is all done... I've mastered Basic Attack Magic. I've mastered basic defense too.

The wand's performance was honestly incredible. Thanks to it, there were fewer fluctuations in my mana data, which allowed me to breeze through my assignments.

I had also used up all my potion-making ingredients. I had potions coming out of my ears, but I was too lazy to sell them. Besides, they were high enough quality for me to use myself, so there was no real reason to sell them anyway.

"It's not like I'm short on cash, so why bother...?"

Sure, I had a crazy wand that devoured 0.5 gold a week in rental fees. But even with that expense, the piles of gold and silver coins in my possession allowed me to live a life of uncharacteristic luxury.

I was so utterly bored that I was currently flipping through my botany textbook, memorizing the potion ingredient repulsion tables.

As for Imperial History... I had no intention of ever becoming an official Imperial Mage, so did I really need to study it? It just couldn't hold my interest.

Aside from that, there was truly nothing to do.

"By the way, it's getting kind of hot."

Even considering it was spring, the temperature was rising.

Almost everything else in this world is completely different, so why is the weather the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠one thing that's exactly like Korea's?

It made no sense.

"It really is getting quite warm," Aris agreed, fanning herself with her hand.

Did they not have air conditioning here? I might need to make some ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠preparations to survive the summer.

Things were bound to get hectic soon with final exams and whatnot, so if I wanted to study in comfort, I should make a quick trip back to Earth.

A Sudden Gate.

The most vicious type of Gate, capable of causing casualties ranging from a handful to thousands of lives.

Upon manifestation, it violently sucks in all surrounding objects. Furthermore, if it isn't cleared within the time limit, it unleashes horrific monsters right into the middle of the city.

When humanity first encountered Gates in the past, there was no disaster quite as terrifying. Yet, the rewards for successfully clearing one—such as artifacts and monster materials—were more than enough to make up for the risk. It was, in every sense, the absolute front line of humanity.

Lee Hyun-ho, a B-rank hunter from the Baekho Guild, rushed to the scene the moment he heard the news of a Gate manifestation.

Lee Hyun-ho listened to the briefing as he sprinted toward the Gate visible in the distance.

"Damn it. A troublesome match-up."

Spider-types spun webs and utilized the terrain to their advantage. For a melee-class hunter like him, they were a notoriously difficult opponent. But it was fine. The estimated rank of the Gate was C++. As a B-rank hunter, he could handle any unexpected variables that might arise.

Huh?

Just then, Lee Hyun-ho spotted someone with long white hair standing right in front of the Sudden Gate.

What's that? A hunter?

With Sudden Gates, whoever discovered and cleared it first claimed priority. However, that slender figure looked less like a competitor and more like...

A fragile existence he felt compelled to protect.

A cute appearance that triggered one's protective instincts, a face so perfect it seemed sculpted by the gods themselves. No matter how he looked at her, she didn't seem like a hunter.

He shouted from afar.

"Hey, kid!! Run away!!! If you get sucked in, you won't be able to get out!"

"What is he blabbering about?" Yumia muttered. "I should just clear this quickly, grab the loot, and run."

"Damn it, is the noise too loud for my voice to reach her...!"

Lee Hyun-ho assumed his voice wasn't getting through.

In the meantime, she was sucked right into the Gate.

"N-No...! Kiddd!!!" he screamed.

Ordinary people couldn't sense mana properly. She must have been swallowed up without even realizing a Gate was there!

"Ugh."

He let out a low groan.

He had a younger sister. He was also someone who had once been swallowed by a Gate, miraculously awakened his abilities, and barely managed to escape alive.

Since then, he had climbed the Hard difficulty of the Tower to become a respectable hunter.

Whenever he felt himself losing his edge, he would remind himself of how desperately he had wanted to protect his sister.

"I will save you, no matter what!!"

With that resolve, he threw himself into the Gate—

"Casting, Bullet, Octa, Explode."

—RUMBLEEEEE!!!

Only to witness every single spider at the entrance of the Gate instantly reduced to white ash.