Day 3 in the Shadow Forest: Rapi's Talent and Her Fatal Flaw
Three days into our commission in the Shadow Forest with Rapi. I'd finally figured out why she'd become the disciple of an archmage. At the same time, I understood why we hadn't managed to catch even a single starving orc.
"Uwaaaah!! Evan-nim, help me!!"
Rapi screamed as she fled, clutching her staff. She glanced back over her shoulder.
"Kekekekel—!!"
A coyote-like monster, a single kobold, was drooling profusely. It dragged a broad blade across the ground as it approached. The kobold smacked its lips at the sight of Rapi.
"Hieeek—! Evan-nim! Hurry!! Don't just stand there watching!!"
Rapi, who had locked eyes with the kobold, called out to me as I watched from behind.
"Hang in there, Rapi. You can do it. You're a high-potential Blue rank, aren't you?"
"Eeeeek—!"
The disciple of an archmage was running from a single kobold, unable to take it down. It was truly baffling.
Rapi stomped her feet in frustration upon seeing I wasn't moving.
"Kieeeek—!"
The kobold seemed to have heard me too, ramping up its menace even more.
"Evan-nim, if something happens, I take no responsibility!!"
Rapi turned to face the kobold, aiming her clutched staff at it. The blue gem at the staff's tip glowed brightly.
Pzzzt—!
Blue lightning began to flicker around Rapi's body. Starting from her heart—where her circle was located—the electric current raced through her, heading toward the staff. Its destination was the blue gem at the tip.
As the lightning-affinity mana was injected, the gem's blue glow deepened, and it unleashed a bolt.
Pzzzzzt—!!
"Kieek!?"
The kobold panicked. The lightning Rapi had manifested grew in size and brilliance. The azure flickering light was dazzling enough to hurt the eyes. Her hair and clothes whipped wildly in the turbulent flow of mana. Through the strands of her flying blue hair, Rapi's eyes gleamed.
The lightning, spreading in all directions, condensed into a single point—a sign that the incantation had succeeded. With a confident expression, Rapi thrust the staff forward at the kobold with all her might.
"Pierce!!"
Lightning Bolt.
Boom—!!
A blinding blue flash and thunderclap erupted in the Shadow Forest.
"Kiiieeeek—!!!"
Once the flash from Rapi's lightning faded, the kobold stood there unscathed.
"...Kiek?"
The bewildered kobold patted itself down in confusion. Not a single scratch anywhere.
"...We blew it."
Rapi's lightning spell had struck not the kobold, but somewhere else. A massive hole had been punched through a huge tree to the kobold's left. Scorched and splintered, the tree came crashing down.
Thud—!
"The power of that magic is seriously impressive."
It had missed, but Rapi's lightning spell was quite something. For completing the incantation in such a short time, the destructive force was top-tier. As expected of one of the two attributes representing raw power.
Among elemental affinities, fire and lightning boasted the strongest destructive potential. Lightning, in particular, was full of romance. Unleashing explosive firepower in a single burst—that was the flower of magic, no doubt.
Yet most mages used fire magic. It was the same in the game Star of Adenia, and even now that it had become reality, few mages wielded lightning affinities.
Most things lightning could do, fire magic could handle just fine. No matter how romantic lightning spells were, controlling it was tough.
For starters, entry-level aptitude was a wall. Lightning affinity was rare.
But even mastering the basics wasn't the end. Lightning magic was a pain in the ass the more you delved into it.
It demanded insane focus from the user. You had to build the incantation and pour out mana in an instant. Controlling the spell's power was tricky too. Unlike gradual amplification, lightning had points where power spiked excessively. You had to pinpoint those variable moments every time. Only then could you cast the desired lightning incantation.
Fire magic was the polar opposite. Entry was easy—fire's destructive image made incantations straightforward. Mana control was simpler than other attributes; the more you fed it, the more power it gave, linearly. Adjusting output was a breeze—just match your mana input to the steady power increase.
Lightning offered comparable destruction but with disgustingly high difficulty. Still, it had that romance. 'Cause using lightning is just cool, right?
I'd tried the thunder god route first when I entered the prequel game. The ceiling was wide open, after all. But I gave up because the hidden trait for lightning was unobtainable back then.
And now, Rapi was wielding this romantic yet difficult lightning magic effortlessly. Proof that becoming the archmage's disciple wasn't just luck.
Her mana control was excellent, her incantation completion solid, and her focus during construction impressive. Plus, her overflowing lightning aptitude meant she used minimal mana for the spells.
But Rapi had one massive problem. Her spell accuracy was abysmal.
Over the past three days watching her cast, out of ten spells, she hit maybe once. And that one hit? Pure luck—the monster panicked and dodged right into it.
Her accuracy was so cursed it was almost fascinating.
"Hiiik..! Evan-nim! Help!! I really used up all my mana this time!! I can't move!!"
Rapi couldn't budge, apparently out of mana. The kobold didn't miss the chance. Drooling like a beast, it charged.
"Kekekekel—!!!"
The kobold reared back its sword arm. It bent its knees and leaped high in an instant.
"I'll set up camp this time!! Kyaaak!!"
I was already planning to move, but her offering to handle camp was sweet. She'd grown up so fast.
"Promise?"
Swish—!
"...Kiek?"
The kobold's head slid off cleanly. Its body hit the ground with a clueless expression, unaware of what had happened.
"...Whoa.. Evan-nim, you're amazing!! I didn't even see the sword..! So this is Red rank adventurer level!?"
Rapi hyped me up. Still, it was a bit disappointing. With my Swift trait, I could've ended it faster, but toning down speed required annoying mana tricks as prep.
"Rapi, over these three days, I found the key to fixing your problem."
"Huh..? What was wrong?"
"..."
This kid didn't even see her low accuracy as the issue.
"Lemme see your staff for a sec."
"Y-Yes..!? No way! Absolutely not! Even for you, Evan-nim, I can't show a mage's alter ego—my staff!"
I raised my fist.
"Hehe.. But since you're my lifesaver, I'll make a special exception!"
I took the staff from Rapi. The special wood improved mana stability and flow the moment I gripped it.
"Did the archmage give you this staff?"
"Yup—! Professor Ariel lent it to me for the subjugation commission!"
The material was top-notch, but that blue gem at the end stood out most. If I had Appraisal, I'd know instantly, but with the Status Window restricted, I had to feel it out.
I flicked the gem with a mana-charged finger.
Ting—!
My mana resonated with the embedded power. As it spread, I read the gem's internals: incantation assistance, mana amplification, faster construction... all the bells and whistles. Even mana backlash prevention. This was top-tier Unique grade, easy.
"Evan-nim, is there something wrong with the staff?"
No issues—that was the problem.
"Just checking, but it's nothing."
I handed the staff back. I'd half-suspected the archmage added a function to disrupt her final incantations as training, but no—it was pure affection.
So Rapi's crap accuracy was all on her.
"Rapi, don't you wanna improve your spell hit rate?"
"Uh.. I do, but I'm just unlucky. Hehe."
Luck and accuracy—what did that have to do with anything?
"I even bought a bunch of Rimhold luck amulets this time, but they were useless. Sigh.."
Rapi pulled out finger-sized weird talismans from her pocket.
"..."
There were at least ten "luck amulets."
"Anyway, wanna learn how to boost your spell accuracy?"
"There's a way!? Yes!! Teach me now! They never taught this at the academy. You're the best, Evan-nim!"
Rapi bounced in place with joy.
"We still have commissions left. I'll teach you while we hunt the rest."
"Yes!!! Let's go now!!"
"Nooo, I hate it!! You didn't say it'd be like this—! Kyaaak!! The s-sword... the sword just went over my head!! I'm gonna die!! Professorrr!!"
The orc swung its sword diagonally. I shoved Rapi's head down. A few strands of her blue hair got sliced off.
Whoops, almost got me too.
"Careful, Rapi. But don't stop building the incantation."
I was holding her body from behind, controlling—well, restraining her so she couldn't run.
"Hiiiik..!! Its teeth are sparkling!! It's gonna eat me for sure!! Evan-nim, stop!! I hate it!!!"
Rapi's lightning magic had impressive power and range, even by my standards. But missing meant pure mana waste.
My solution was simple: If she can't hit from range, make her hit up close.
"Hiiiik—! It's coming again!! From below this time!!!"
"Oh. You can see that?"
I'd uncovered Rapi's hidden talent. Despite being a crybaby scaredy-cat who screamed nonstop, she never closed her eyes. She focused on the orc, reading its muscle twitches to predict attack paths. Pure visual insight? She'd be a genius warrior. With physical talent too, she could've reached sword saint territory.
But her scrawny muscles were stiff from tension, unresponsive.
I flowed mana into her body, loosening her up and guiding her movements.
"Calm down. Deep breaths. I can see the orc's moves, so just follow my lead."
The orc—a head taller than others—roared. Probably sucked up the forest's life mana.
"Groooaaar!!!"
Its sword surged from below. I'd tossed rocks to agitate it, but this rage was unexpected.
The pissed orc charged. Against its bulk, retreating was a bad call. The size gap meant you had to back off cleanly, but even successful dodges were trouble—its reach owned initiative. One step back led to endless evasion hell.
"To win, dodge and counter. Remember that."
So instead of backing off, dive in.
"Kyaaaaak—! I'm dying! Gonna die!! I didn't even leave a will for the professor!"
"Relax, Rapi. Move as I guide you."
I made her lower the hugged staff into spear stance: arms extended, core tight, knees soft but feet planted firm.
"This takes me back."
"Is now the time!?"
Reminded me of teaching Hayes weapon basics. Nostalgia hit. I'd handed her that death scythe, but she just stared, eyes saying why? Silent as ever.
Urged her to try, and she did—barely. But Hayes didn't just suck at scythes; her whole movement was wrong. Born imprisoned, she'd never handled weapons. I'd seen her as the boss Dark Lord, not the crybaby elf she was.
Perception mismatch. I laughed my ass off, called myself an idiot, apologized. Then stuck to her like now with Rapi, teaching hands-on.
The silent death-sower from the game? Blushing and squeaking—hilarious.
"Evan-nim!! Hey!! Dodge alreadyyy!!!"
Lost in memories, the orc's sword was now a handspan from my palm. Still plenty of room.
"Now."
Hugging Rapi from behind, I plunged into the orc's guard.
"Kyaaaaak—!!"
Ignoring her scream, I twisted our bodies outward, channeling force into the staff.
Whoosh—!
The staff's gem whistled through the air, slashing the orc's ankle upward.
"Grraaaargh—!!"
Blood sprayed as the orc howled.
"Rapi, cast the spell?"
"Y-Yes!!!?"
"Cast now, or I'll make you dodge again. This time even clos—"
Kaboom—!!
Before I finished, blue light exploded. Her incantation speed was no joke.