"It seems your magical talent is even better than I imagined," Andni said, feeling slightly sour.

She couldn't help but recall her own past—how she had left her village, struggled tremendously as a clueless novice, gradually mastered cantrips as an apprentice, and finally, through numerous missions, accumulated enough experience and money to advance as a mage.

Even with her above-average talent and innate sensitivity to mana, it had taken her nearly two years.

"I should thank you, Senior, for recommending the Spellcaster Apprentice Mutual Aid Association in Absinthe Town. It truly is a great place and saved me a lot of time," Gauss said sincerely, placing a bag of fruits on the table.

"On my way here, I bought some fruits for you. I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I got a bit of everything."

Andni stared at Gauss’s face.

Though she had recommended Absinthe Town to him, she never expected him to advance from apprentice to professional in just one trip.

Originally, she had merely hoped he would interact with other spellcaster apprentices, slowly accumulate experience, and naturally condense his rank after a year or two of polishing.

If an apprentice association could truly be as effective as Gauss claimed, its doors would have been trampled long ago.

Suppressing her shock, she stepped to the table, stood on her toes, and rummaged through the bag.

"You didn’t have to bring gifts," she said, though she immediately added,

"By the way, my favorite fruit is blueberries."

"Got it. I’ll bring some next time," Gauss replied.

After washing and eating some fruits, Gauss took out two scrolls he had obtained from his mission.

"Senior, could you take a look at these? I found them in a monster camp during the mission." He had already mentioned his ongoing Bronze-rank adventurer assessment to Andni.

Wiping her lips with a handkerchief, Andni picked up the scrolls.

A surge of mana flickered across her hands before she placed them back on the table.

"You’ve got quite the luck."

"One of these is a Tier-3 Teleportation Scroll. Tearing it will instantly transport you to a safe location within 300 meters."

"The other is a Tier-3 Healing Scroll. It restores vitality and removes injuries, poison, and other negative conditions."

"Note that using them still consumes some mana."

"If you want to sell them, the teleportation scroll could fetch about 4 gold coins, while the healing one goes for around 3."

"But if you aren’t in urgent need of money, I’d recommend keeping them. For a new professional like you, these are life-saving items," Andni advised.

"Alright, I’ll keep them then," Gauss nodded obediently.

After learning their effects, he had no intention of selling them anyway.

Though single-use, the teleportation scroll’s 300-meter range was more than enough to escape most battles he currently faced.

The healing scroll was straightforward—emergency salvation.

Using them meant burning 3-4 gold coins, but in dire situations, they were worth it.

With these scrolls, he felt much more confident tackling future missions.

If things went south, he could always tear the teleportation scroll and flee.

Huh?

That sounded oddly familiar.

After a moment, Gauss recalled Aria’s resentful complaint yesterday about that white-haired mage’s despicable escape tactics.

But I’m different—if I had teammates, I’d definitely discuss it with them first.

Gauss prided himself on not being the type to abandon allies without warning.

Storing the scrolls away, he couldn’t help but swell with pride.

Over 5 gold coins in cash, a Life Magic Stone, Tier-3 teleportation and healing scrolls, plus various weapons and gear—his total assets now exceeded a dozen gold coins.

Nearly the value of a full set of plate armor.

The thought of carrying the equivalent of 10-20 houses on his back made his past months of effort feel worthwhile.

A few months ago, he was a lowly freelancer with only a few silver coins to his name. Now, his wealth had reached heights most commoners couldn’t fathom.

In this supernatural world, becoming an adventurer was indeed the fastest path to success.

Trapping and hunting would’ve taken centuries to match his current earnings.

Next, Gauss inquired extensively about professionals and Bronze-rank adventurers from Andni.

Perhaps his promotion made her take him more seriously, or maybe there were unspoken rules at play.

Regardless, topics she had previously avoided during his apprentice days were now openly discussed.

For instance, obtaining spellbooks.

Some cantrips could be bought from shops, though buyers had to verify authenticity themselves.

Alternatively, major cities’ Spellcaster Guilds offered access to higher-tier spells.

Once Gauss officially became a Bronze-rank adventurer, he could also purchase from the Adventurers Guild’s second-floor store, which stocked cantrip learning scrolls and even some low-tier spell scrolls.

However, spell scrolls were generally expensive.

Even with sufficient funds, a spellcaster had to choose carefully.

After advancing, one couldn’t freely learn all magic.

Upon mastering a certain number of spells, mental strain would set in. Without Forgetfulness Potions or similar items—or a rank breakthrough—no new spells could be learned.

The exact limit varied by individual mental strength.

Some Tier-1 mages could only handle two Tier-1 spells, while others managed three, and rare prodigies could master four.

That said, more spells didn’t necessarily mean greater combat strength—most relied on their most practiced spell for offense.

A broader repertoire simply allowed better adaptability to diverse situations.

Additionally, cantrips also imposed mental burden, though far less than spells. Thus, spellcasters had to judiciously balance their selections.

Many novices prioritized cantrips over Tier-1 spells to diversify their capabilities.

Andni advised the same: once he passed his Bronze-rank assessment, he should focus on purchasing cantrips first.

Many utility cantrips were incredibly potent and invaluable for wilderness survival.

Moreover, his current savings couldn’t sustain splurging on formal spells.

Cantrip scrolls, however, ranged from 70-80 silver coins to about 1 gold—affordable enough to selectively expand his arsenal.

Gauss agreed wholeheartedly.

For one, his current spell selection felt lacking, and he hadn’t experienced the mental strain Andni described, suggesting room for growth.

Secondly, his Adventurer’s Manual hadn’t rewarded new spells lately—he couldn’t rely solely on it.

Mastering the Light Cantrip proved he could learn through effort.

Beyond spells, the guild store also stocked professional-grade gear and magic items.

Including the storage-type magic item Gauss had long coveted.

With it, he could ditch his cumbersome backpack and travel light between town and wilderness, storing gear and loot effortlessly.

Now that would truly match a professional adventurer’s prestige.

The more he heard, the more eager he grew. He yearned to rush through his assessment, ascend to Bronze-rank, and raid the guild store.

A storage item—he must have it! His heart pounded at the thought.

How could a proper magician lack a dimensional storage tool?

But this also meant his funds would fall short again.

So, more goblins to slay, more coins to earn.