—Well, even though I said that, I still haven't met all the requirements to become a mage —said Mirra.
Nim, as always, watched Mirra's performance.
The mage class was special; that was because it couldn't be acquired without external help. Also, before acquiring the class, you couldn't use the mana in your body.
The body was a container and mana was the liquid, but there was no way for it to manifest. Only by acquiring the mage class could you manipulate the mana in your body.
Staffs like the one Mirra had were magic catalysts; with them, your mana could flow much better.
Of course, since Mirra still couldn't use magic, she had brought a substitute.
Mirra pulled out a pair of blue stones.
—Good thing I came prepared —said Mirra.
Nim continued watching Mirra in silence.
—Don't you want to know what these stones are for?
Nim wanted to respond, but her words were cut off.
—Anyway, I'll tell you.
In Mirra's explanation, she would use the magic stones to attack with the magic staff. The requirement for the mage class was to kill 20 monsters using magic.
Even if the attacks weren't from your own magic, they still counted.
That's why several magic stones were needed to acquire the mage class. That made it an expensive class to obtain.
After making a simple plan, Nim and Mirra continued.
...
Nim stood in front of three fire turtles. They were barely a meter tall and their shells looked like volcanic rocks.
One could imagine how difficult it would be to break through their defenses.
Upon seeing Nim, the turtles hid in their shells.
Nim smiled at their reaction and charged at them. In the blink of an eye, she appeared in front of a turtle, lifted it off the ground, and smashed it hard against a rock.
Boom
The turtle struck the rock with force, followed by a cloud of dust.
—This is fun —said Nim as she headed toward the next turtle.
Boom Boom
The sounds of explosions echoed.
Nim approached the turtles she had tossed in the same spot. The dazed turtles tried to get up; they hadn't died from the impact, but their shells were badly damaged.
—This should do —said Nim, satisfied with her work.
She then called out to Mirra, who was waiting for her signal.
When she arrived, Mirra looked at the three turtles and the smiling Nim —Looks like you're having fun.
Nim just smiled as usual.
—I won't judge your tastes, just line the turtles up as close as possible.
Nim obeyed and held the turtles in place. Mirra, with a serious expression, brought the magic stones close to the gem on her staff.
The staff began to glow faintly, and moments later, it reached a peak.
—Now —shouted Mirra.
At that moment, Nim quickly let go of the turtles and moved aside.
After Nim moved away, a ball of magic shot out from Mirra's staff and crashed into the turtles.
Boom!
The noise of a large explosion followed the impact.
Nim, off to the side, observed the enormous crater left by the attack. Even though she had seen it before, she couldn't help but marvel at the destructive power of magic.
Looking into the crater, she saw the charred turtles. They couldn't be any more dead.
Mirra approached Nim and said —Well done, Nim. After this, I only need four more monsters to complete the class requirements.
Nim nodded. During their journey, Nim had been weakening the monsters, then gathering them and waiting for Mirra to launch her attack. It was simple and effective, and since Mirra's magic stones weren't unlimited, they had to be used carefully.
After eliminating the turtles, they moved on.
They walked for several minutes until they came across a group of fire imps. There were five of them, a meter tall, each carrying a trident in their claws.
The imps didn't have much strength, but their speed and unpredictable behavior were the real issue.
Sometimes they fought stubbornly, and other times they simply ran away when sensing danger.
Nim noticed the imps. If she could capture four, Mirra would gain a class.
—Of all the monsters, it had to be imps —commented Mirra from the side.
—Well, I trust you, Nim.
After Mirra said that, she stepped aside, waiting for her signal.
Nim nodded as usual. She already had an idea of how to deal with these monsters.
Nim unsheathed her sword and ran toward the imps.
The imps, upon seeing the human, stopped jumping around. The next moment, three imps screamed and charged at Nim; the other two turned and ran.
Nim ignored the three approaching imps and chased after one that was fleeing. She easily caught up and slashed with her sword.
The still-running imp fell after one of its legs was cut. It screamed in pain.
After disabling the imp, Nim turned around and faced the three remaining ones.
The imps approached and thrust their tridents at her.
Nim dodged their attacks with ease and countered, slashing toward one imp's arm. The imp's arm was severed and fell along with its trident.
Amid the imp's screams, Nim slashed one of its legs. The imp collapsed, unable to stay on its feet.
At that moment, the two remaining imps attacked again. Nim didn't dodge and instead swung her sword at their attacks.
Clang
The tridents flew from the imps' claws; the bones in their arms had broken from the impact.
Nim didn't stop and immobilized the imps by slicing their legs. In the end, each imp was left unable to move.
After that, Nim gathered the four imps, still bleeding out.
Mirra had been waiting for this and used the magic stones on the staff again.
Moments later, Nim moved aside, and she launched the attack.
—Finally —said Mirra cheerfully after eliminating the imps. Now she could acquire a class.
—Let's go somewhere safer.
Nim followed her, and they soon arrived behind a large rock. When one acquired a class, they had to endure mental pressure. Mirra didn't want anything to go wrong.
Mirra sat down and took a deep breath. Nim stepped away and scanned the area to make sure nothing would interrupt her.
At that moment, Mirra closed her eyes and chose her class. A wave of information flooded her mind, accompanied by a slight stabbing pain.
Mirra endured it for two minutes until it stopped. At that moment, she opened her eyes.
—What an interesting and strange feeling —said Mirra.
She had been amazed by the sensation of instantly learning a skill. Although there was slight pain, it wasn't enough to be significant.
The mage class had granted her the skills [Mana Flow] and [Magic Ball]; with them, she could control the mana in her body and attack.
Mirra raised her hand, and in her palm, a small sphere of light began to form.
The next moment, the small sphere flew toward a small rock. The rock shattered along with the sphere.
—Well, for now I should practice with the staff —said Mirra.
Nim watched all of this from the side. Now, she looked forward even more to acquiring a class.
Once she acquired one, her strength would take a huge leap.
After Mirra performed a few more experiments, they continued.
Along the way, they kept encountering monsters. Nim eliminated them with ease, and Mirra tested her new attacks.
When struck by Mirra's magic, the monsters were wounded and some even died instantly. In that moment, the immense attack power of mages became evident.
The only downside was that she needed a moment to finish her spells before releasing them.
—Uff… I'm starting to feel a bit fatigued after casting those spells —said Mirra, who hadn't stopped casting for nearly an hour.
At that moment, Mirra pulled a blue potion from her belt.
—Ahh… much better. Mana potions are truly essential for a mage.
Nim, as always, noticed her behavior from the side.
—Right, according to the map, we're already near one of the exits.
After spending so much time on this floor, they could finally leave. Mirra was happy to have fulfilled her goal of acquiring a class.
Nim was about to say something when, suddenly, she spotted a pair of figures in the distance. The figures also noticed them and began approaching.
—Adventurers… —said Mirra, seeing the figures heading toward them.
—Mirra, get behind me —said Nim. The adventurers had already seen them; backing away now would be suspicious.