Lucian sighed softly, stepping forward to retrieve the half-charred beak of the Blood Crow and placing it into his pouch.
He realized he'd been overly optimistic. While Blood Crows were relatively weak magical creatures, they were not suitable opponents for Carrie at her current level, with only a single level-zero spell in her arsenal. It was like sending a beginner gamer straight to fight a boss without understanding the controls.
Failure was expected.
Lucian glanced at Carrie, who was standing nearby with her head down, seemingly bracing herself for criticism.
After a moment's hesitation, Lucian reached out and ruffled her hair. "It's alright. I picked a tough opponent for you. Failing the first time is perfectly normal."
"No!" To Lucian's surprise, Carrie ducked away from his hand and lifted her head, her eyes filled with determination.
"Lucian… I-I want to try again!" Carrie's gaze was unwavering. She understood Lucian's words were meant to comfort her, especially since he'd easily defeated a Blood Crow himself. Her struggle was due entirely to her own mistakes!
Clenching her fists, Carrie resolved that if her mentor could do it so effortlessly, then as his student, she should strive to follow in his footsteps.
Lucian looked at the fiery resolve in Carrie's eyes. He considered telling her that his demonstration involved a bit of "cheating," but seeing her determination, he chose to keep that to himself.
After all, if Carrie could truly manage to hunt Blood Crows with Scorching Fire, her mastery of the spell would advance significantly.
"Alright." Lucian nodded slowly.
"Thank you, Mentor!" Carrie's smile was pure and bright.
Lucian checked his system panel and noticed a new teaching prompt, requiring 10 Reverence Points to unlock.
[Teaching Prompt]: Provide Carrie with a bow and teach her to combine archery with sorcery.
A bow?
Lucian blinked, surprised by the suggestion. But after a moment, it made sense.
Given Carrie's limited mental energy, relying solely on it to drive her attacks was challenging. However, with the aid of a physical tool, she might achieve better results.
Lucian turned to Carrie, who was ready to charge forward and gently redirected her by placing his hand on her head.
"Mentor?" Carrie looked up, slightly nervous, worried he'd changed his mind.
"Pushing through on pure determination won't be effective," Lucian said, smoothing a few stray strands of her hair. "Let's head back to the academy. I have an idea that might help you."
Carrie was momentarily stunned but soon broke into a radiant smile. "Thank you, Mentor!"
...
"Here, give this a try." At the training ground, Lucian handed her a lightweight wooden hunting bow.
"Mentor?" Carrie looked at the bow, puzzled.
"Your mental energy is naturally on the weaker side, making precise manipulation difficult. My idea is to use another object to compensate for some of that effort—like a bow and arrow," Lucian explained.
"Think about it. If you could enhance an arrow with Scorching Fire and use the bow to replace mental force for trajectory and aim, you'd achieve the same effect…" Lucian carefully explained his idea, though Carrie still seemed apprehensive.
"But… I've never used a bow before…" she admitted hesitantly.
"Just try it. If it doesn't work, we'll find another solution." Lucian was momentarily unsure himself, but he trusted the system's hint.
"I'll show you the basics of archery first." Lucian drew the bow, took aim, and let an arrow fly—which promptly missed the target entirely.
"More or less like that," he muttered awkwardly, rubbing his nose as he handed the bow to Carrie.
Carrie took the bow, instinctively drawing it back and releasing her first arrow.
"Not bad…" Lucian began, but his words trailed off as his mouth dropped open in surprise.
Carrie's arrow had flown straight into the bullseye, twenty meters away.
Lucian blinked.
"Try a few more," he said, handing her a quiver of arrows.
Carrie, equally surprised, shot again without the precise aim Lucian had tried earlier. Out of five or six arrows, only two missed, while the rest hit the target, the worst landing within the sixth ring.
Lucian took a deep breath.
A prodigy!
The only word that came to mind as he watched Carrie's natural archery skill was "genius."
"Amazing!" Lucian couldn't hold back his admiration, giving her a thumbs-up. "You're an absolute natural with a bow!"
Carrie's face flushed with embarrassment, and she lowered her head shyly. "I… I don't know. It just felt…"
"No," Lucian interrupted. "I think you should take full advantage of this strength. But if we're going to combine Scorching Fire with archery, we'll need to adjust the spell model to make it more compatible with the arrows. Trust me, Carrie—once you master this fusion, you'll be every bit as powerful as other wizards. Perhaps even stronger."
Lucian paused and smiled. "In fact, in this area, you'll likely surpass even me."
Carrie's cheeks reddened further as she nodded enthusiastically.
[Your student Carrie feels deep reverence for you. +20 Reverence Points]