Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: 3. Training Begins (5)
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For 14 days straight, Vivian faithfully followed my instructions.
She never skipped meals or training.
Honestly, she was so diligent that even I started to worry just watching her.
She better not collapse like this, I thought.
Thankfully, nothing like that happened.
Her superhuman body wasn't that fragile, after all.
During training, we ran into her previous manager a few times—the one who'd tormented Vivian.
Felix, was it?
But since I was with her, nothing came of it.
He seemed more afraid of Kati, though.
Spending time together revealed that Vivian was surprisingly expressive with her emotions.
Behind her gloomy self-loathing was a shy yet honest side.
When she got a letter from the abbey saying the kids were doing well, she burst into tears.
The letter mentioned my food donation, which made her cry even harder.
She'd always been diligent, but after that day, Vivian trained with a fierce determination.
Ignoring the Managers' Guild's recruitment offers and class recommendations.
Finally, the 14th day arrived.
The training ground behind the training hall.
This was the spot for practicing real combat techniques.
Around us, other aspirants were testing their skills on straw dummies.
Vivian and I took our positions too.
"Don't be too nervous."
"Y-Yes... O-Okay..."
She'd even put on her combat mage robe to psych herself up, but she was shaking like a leaf.
It made me tense too, so I pulled out a sugar stick I'd stocked up on recently and chewed on it.
Vivian performed far better than I'd expected.
But I couldn't help feeling anxious.
I'd chosen the 1st Party members, including Sylvia, because I knew they were strong in the second playthrough.
Vivian was different.
I had no idea what she'd done in the second playthrough.
Even her mana explosion was just a reasonable guess.
And even if she could cause one, that didn't guarantee she'd become a great mage.
Still, I didn't show my tension on the outside.
If the one who'd trained her got nervous, it'd only make things worse for Vivian.
"One Ice Spear. Fast, accurate, and powerful. Keep all three conditions in mind."
"Yes...!"
"And don't close your eyes when casting. You've practiced it, but still."
It's the most common mistake for beginner mages, but surprisingly hard to fix.
I trusted she'd do it with her eyes open since she'd practiced that way.
...She would, right?
"Okay... I'll give it a try..."
Vivian took a slow breath.
Mercy gripped my arm tightly, tense herself.
Kati watched Vivian with a blank expression.
"Hoo..."
She exhaled slowly and snapped her eyes open.
The result came almost instantly.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Ice Spear! Massive ice lance pulverizes distant dummy on instant cast!
The straw dummy far ahead of Vivian vanished.
A massive ice spear had embedded itself in its place.
It hadn't just hit the dummy—it had utterly crushed and obliterated it.
"Wha..."
Even Vivian looked stunned.
The other aspirants training nearby were even more shocked.
A building-sized ice pillar had suddenly erupted in the middle of the training ground.
"Whoa... I-I did it! The moment I opened the circuit, the spell just...!"
Vivian alternated between looking at me and the ice spear, shouting in excitement.
"I-I couldn't even see it properly..."
Mercy muttered, as if she'd seen a ghost.
Vivian's spell had been that fast.
And it wasn't just the circuit opening that was quicker.
The calculations were far more precise too.
"D-Did I do well? That was good, right?!"
Vivian bounced up and down as she asked.
I couldn't answer right away.
...She's way too good. Better than I thought.
The instant the circuit opened, a magic circle formed overhead, and the massive ice spear launched.
The whole process happened in the blink of an eye.
The spear was even larger than before—colossal, even.
But the biggest change was that it had pierced the ground.
Unlike last time, when it shattered on impact.
Meaning the density had increased too.
This is overpowered...
As I hesitated, Vivian's face fell with anxiety.
"D-Did I mess up...? I guess I..."
"No, no. You exceeded my expectations by so much... I just forgot what to say."
Hearing that, she beamed again.
"Really?"
"Really. It's a bit funny to say, but honestly, I didn't expect this level of growth."
Vivian's smile widened even more.
Her mouth was practically reaching her ears.
Meanwhile, the other aspirants and managers crowded around.
A few approached the massive ice spear.
"Whoa... What is this thing? How is this even possible...?"
"I haven't seen any official hero mages pull off something like this..."
"It's not just big. Hit it—it's insanely tough."
"Mages, check this out. At this density, it could shatter some magic resistance."
The growing crowd nearby grew even noisier.
"She's an aspirant? Where's she from?"
"Tower Lord's daughter or something?"
"The Tower Lord doesn't have kids... but I'd believe it."
"Maybe an official hero bored and slumming it?"
People swarmed around Vivian, whispering excitedly.
My side was no better.
Managers or training hall staff clung to me, making a fuss.
"You're not guild-affiliated, right? Join now and..."
"Any classes for that aspirant? If not, my class..."
"Looks like a solo mage. How about joining our party?"
"Taking the temporary exam? Got other members?"
It was chaos.
Thankfully, I had it better than Vivian.
Kati's demonkin killing intent kept everyone at a distance.
But Vivian looked like she might get crushed.
"Excuse me, coming through."
"Just one answer, please...!"
What were these people, reporters?
I got that talented aspirants drew crowds, but this was obsessive.
Vivian, surrounded, looked at me with tearful eyes.
Pure desperation for help.
Any longer, and she'd really cry.
"Make way, please. I'm taking our mage."
"You're her manager?"
"How long did you train her? Party spots open?"
I ignored all their questions.
Kati subtly released her aura, clearing a path.
The crowd blocking us parted like the sea.
"Let's get out of here for now."
I reached out my hand.
"Y-Yes...!"
Vivian grabbed it hurriedly.
We quickly headed back to the dorm.
"Kati, don't vent your killing intent this way."
"...Understood."
In the middle of all this chaos, she just...
As our side got rowdy, even more people who'd missed it piled on.
"Who's that? The one who cast the spell?"
"Magic like that exists? What was it?"
Gazes turned to Mercy and Kati too.
"That maid a hero too?"
"Dagger means archer class? But why so scary..."
Kati ignored them completely.
"An elf? Hero aspirants include elves now?"
"Whoa... Prettiest elf I've seen."
Mercy was different.
"I-Ian... Um, over there..."
Because of that past incident, she feared attention.
Especially surrounded by strangers judging her.
She'd fainted a few times traveling with the 1st Party.
"This won't do. Transform into a fairy and hide."
"O-Okay... Got it..."
The elf suddenly vanished, prompting screams from the crowd.
Then they squealed at fairy-form Mercy.
They called it amazing and cute, but Mercy's face was on the verge of passing out.
Fairy Mercy darted into my pocket.
My chest pocket trembled.
She's grown, but didn't expect this much attention.
We barely pushed through the throng.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ ...What the hell is this?
Vivian's former manager, Felix, stared up at the massive ice spear.
It looked like it could crush several people if it fell.
He'd never seen magic this big and sturdy in his life.
This was tower-level stuff.
Felix's gaze turned to the distant crowd.
At its center: the mage, Vivian.
Her pristine white robe suited her so perfectly it twisted his gut.
Impossible to believe this was the rag-wearing Vivian he knew.
"Uh, um, excu..."
But stammering in front of people? Still pure Vivian.
Timid. Lacking confidence.
Felix's eyes shifted slightly to the side.
A tall man surrounded by people.
Vivian's current manager.
Unlike her, he waved them off like annoying flies.
"Excuse me, coming through."
The maid beside him exuded a chilling aura that made people step back.
Even from afar, Felix's fingertips tingled.
He'd experienced it firsthand.
"I'm taking our mage."
The manager finally reached Vivian and extended his hand.
"Let's get out of here for now."
"Y-Yes...!"
Vivian's teary face lit up with a smile as she took it.
Felix hated that smile.
Her smiling like that. Casting terrifying magic.
This wasn't the Vivian he knew.
Damn it...
He couldn't comprehend it.
The Vivian he knew wasn't this kind of woman.
Bottom-tier talent as a mage, always apologizing uselessly.
The type who dreamed vaguely without effort—the kind Felix despised.
Crushing her cowering form gave him a boring yet satisfying superiority.
Trampling someone with traits he scorned.
But now, that crushed Vivian had cast magic that turned every head.
This shouldn't have happened.
If she actually had talent, it meant Felix's judgment was wrong.
Her smile felt like mockery.
You were wrong.
Amid his tangled thoughts, surrounding chatter filtered in.
"She'll join the next exam, right?"
"At that level? Definitely. Just hope not in my exam room..."
"But she seems solo. Worth a shot?"
"No way... She'll snag teammates fast. I'd try if not contracted to my manager."
"That manager said no takers earlier?"
"Huh? Really? Weird. Taking the exam solo?"
Felix's mind raced.
Heroes usually moved in groups.
Standard was four-man teams, but temporary exams allowed smaller.
Solo exam...
No matter how skilled, a solo act was just that.
Dungeons demanded cooperation; solo clears were tough.
Vivian was alone.
His eyed aspirants? Four-man team.
He glanced back at the ice spear.
Her magic's strong. Slow, inaccurate trash otherwise.
That manager had just boosted her raw power.
Easier to specialize strengths than fix flaws.
The flashy result likely took ages to cast.
He knew Vivian's casting speed well.
Doable.
While everyone avoided her exam room,
Felix decided the opposite.
Enter the same room. Crush her with his picks.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Back at the dorm, Mercy collapsed like she'd fainted.
Cat-transformed Kati lent her her lap.
Vivian, envious yet recounting her spell:
"The moment the circuit opened, the magic I envisioned shot out."
So fast even she struggled to keep up.
"First time, so maybe overdid the mana a bit..."
Now she monitored her own mana usage.
"At this level, the temporary exam should be a breeze."
"R-Really?! B-But I'm solo... for the exam?"
"Yes. You'll manage alone."
No appealing aspirants yet anyway.
More importantly, she needed to fight solo too.
Heroes thrived on teamwork, but I believed differently.
Strong alone, stronger together—that was my philosophy.
I'd raised the 1st Party that way.
"If that's what you think, Ian... I'll do it."
Success had boosted her confidence.
About two weeks until the next exam.
Vivian planned to refine her magic.
Maintain density, reduce size.
Couldn't use something that huge in an exam room.
While Vivian schemed solo, I delved into past memories.
Wondering if temporary exam info from this period would surface.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Memory Correction Recalling temporary exam details from this era...
As memories surfaced, I smiled faintly.
This'll make Vivian's debut spectacular.