Moments earlier, when Ewaan tapped into his mana and activated ‹Mana Sense›, his unique skill ‹Pro Gamer›, bestowed upon him by the God of Entertainment, Daemon, activated on its own.
The activation produced a sound, accompanied by an unexpected surge of information on mana control, flooding directly into Ewaan's mind. Perplexed, he muttered,
– Huh? What's happening? Where's this sudden knowledge coming from? I haven't even finished reading the entire book yet.
With a mental invocation, he accessed ‹Great Sage› for clarity.
Ting~ [Proficiently channeling mana triggered the activation of the User's unique skill, ‹Pro Gamer›. Consecutively, It seamlessly extracted the contents of the book
– I recall you mentioning that activating this skill would enable me to master any abilities, but extracting information from a book? That's unexpected!
His inner expression reveals a blend of surprise and satisfaction as he comes to terms with the unexpected benefits brought by his Pro Gamer skill.
And then, the moment came, when he opened his eyes and witnessed the mana weaving through the surroundings, intertwining within people, and pulsating within himself.
°°°
Placing the books on the counter, Ewaan indifferently spoke, "We'll be renting these books for three days."
The librarian smiled and politely asked, "Sure. Can I see your library card, please?"
Ewaan responded bluntly, "I don't have one."
"You can't rent these books without a library card, I'm afraid! Would you like to register for one?" the librarian asked.
As Ewaan nodded in agreement, the librarian retrieved an application form from under his desk and said, "Please fill out this form."
Effortlessly, Ewaan completed the form, despite it being written in this world's unique scripts.
The librarian accepted the form and retrieved a card from under his desk, then placed both items on a tablet resembling the Status tablet found at the Church and Adventurers Guild.
The tablet emitted a soft glow in response. He then took the card and pressed it against the dorsal side of his hand.
As he lifted the card, the group noticed a glowing magic square on the librarian's hand, mirroring the one on the card.
Curious about the glowing symbols, Maya suddenly inquired, "What are these glowing symbols on your hand and on that card?"
The librarian smiled and explained, "Ah, those are part of our runic system. They help record your information and the books you've borrowed. The one on my hand ensures that the data is quickly retrieved when checking the card's information."
Observing the magical runic system, Ewaan couldn't help but ponder the similarities between the library systems of this world and the one he came from. "Interesting…" he mused,
– Back in my previous world, we used barcodes and computers for such tasks. Here, it seems to be a blend of magic and the librarian himself acting as a catalyst.
The librarian efficiently placed the card on top of each book Ewaan had brought, and within seconds, the books appeared to merge into the rune square.
Afterwards, the librarian handed over the card to him, saying, "Your total comes to 5 silver coins."
Without hesitation, Ewaan handed the 5 silver coins to the librarian and, with a nod, began to head out.
The librarian smiled and greeted them farewell by saying, "Happy reading!"
Exiting the library, Ewaan suddenly spoke, "Let's get started on our quest, shall we?" He glanced at Maya, offering a small smile.
Maya's expression brightened with enthusiasm as she nodded, affirming, "Yes, since it does have a time limit, we should complete the trial first!"
In response, Ayami said indifferently, "Oh well, we can learn Incantationless magic after your trial ends then. I don't use many magic spells anyways since I prefer sword fighting, but still a bit disappointed though," glancing at Ayaka, she remarked, "but not as much as her!"
Noticing Ayami's remark, she chuckled sheepishly, "No, it's fine." Then, adopting a playful tone, she continued, "We should prioritize our Sensei's needs first, since he Is the 'Sensei' after all."
"I told you to drop the sensei act, just call me Ewaan, please," he sighed, his tone softened as he addresses Ayaka's playful remark. "Sooo... What and where exactly is the trial?" Ewaan asked.
With sparkling eyes, Maya eagerly responds, "We need to gather 10 ‹Barinoctral Grass› and 7 horns from ‹Horned Rabbits›, the ones we stumbled upon in the forest last time."
Pausing thoughtfully, she adds, "And Alina mentioned we can find grasses in that same forest as well..."
"And even though it's a safe place, Ayaka and I have been assigned as your guides and supervisors for your trial," Ayami explains earnestly. "You two need to complete this separately, as it's an individual trial to become an Adventurer after all."
"Since it's like this, it won't take much time but..." He glances at Maya, concern evident in his eyes. "Will you be okay? I mean, you just learned how to use magic but still can't properly wield it."
Ewaan's tone is gentle, conveying consideration towards her.
Maya nodded, offering reassurance, "Don't worry, I'll be fine. And if something does happen, I have Ayaka here to protect me." Her tone is confident, tinged with gratitude for Ayaka's presence.
Ayami interjects firmly, "Yeah, don't worry about her; worry about yourself!" her tone carrying trust in Maya's abilities and a hint of playful teasing towards Ewaan.
Still harboring some worry but feeling reassured, he took a deep breath before starting to walk. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's get going!"
– Let's hope that I don't hear those creepy whispers again in that forest...
Ewaan muttered to himself with a hint of unease lingering in his voice.
By his declaration, excitement bubbled within them, and the girls started following Ewaan with a shared nod, and eagerly headed towards the location of their trial.
°°°
Reaching the forest within a few hours, they parted ways.
Ayami and Ewaan headed towards the south of the forest, while Maya and Ayaka ventured off in the opposite direction.
As soon as Ayami and Ewaan entered a bit into the forest, she jumped onto a small tree and assumed a relaxed pose.
"I'll wait here; you go ahead and do your stuff," she said, gesturing for Ewaan to proceed with his trial.
Surprised, Ewaan remarked, "Huh? I thought you were supposed to be supervising me—"
"I know what you can do. You nearly defeated me, a B-ranked adventurer, when we sparred, and I could tell you were suppressing your strength when fighting against the guild master, so I'm not worried. Besides, it's safe inside this forest, so go ahead,"
Ayami explained confidently, displaying her trust in Ewaan's abilities.
With a playful and mocking tone, she added, "Or are you afraid of some small horned rabbits?" Her teasing was lighthearted, aimed to encourage Ewaan to proceed with his trial.
Not worried in the slightest, he turned to move forward. "Fine, wait here; it won't take long anyway!"
With that, he ventured deeper into the forest.
[Notice: An Interlude Scenario has been initiated.]
『Complete The Adventurer's Trial』
[The User is entitled for additional rewards upon the successful completion of this scenario.]
°°°
Meanwhile, Ayaka assisted Maya in collecting a few Barinoctral Grasses, allowing her to familiarize herself with the herb.
"This is as far as I'll be helping; I won't intervene further since it's your trial," Ayaka declared, her tone firm but supportive. "However, if I sense any danger, I'll intervene and assist you."
Acknowledging Ayaka's support and expressing confidence in her ability to handle the trial on her own, Maya uttered, "Thank you, Ayaka. I appreciate your help, and don't worry." With a big smile, she continued, "Since now I can wield magic too, it won't be a problem."
With a warm smile, Ayaka said, "And I have complete faith in yo—"
"Wait!" Maya suddenly intervened, her expression shifting to one of alertness as she took her guard up. "I don't know, but I have a feeling that something is approaching us!"
Hearing Maya's words, Ayaka closed her eyes and mentally invoked, ‹LONG SENSE›.
With that, a large circle spread throughout her surroundings, and with a grey vision, three red auras got marked on her left side.
"They're coming from the left..." Ayaka opened her eyes, a smile playing on her lips. "It seems it's time to see if you can truly wield magic properly or not!"
Her smile hinted at anticipation, eager to witness Maya's abilities in action.
••• ••• •••