Ren Isana was utterly speechless at Yukino Yukinoshita. *Just what kind of Talent do you have? What do you mean the magic doesn't suit you? Develop it? With [Body Control], you can mold, shape, and tweak it however you want. Isn't it entirely up to you?*
*Are you kidding me? Is her brain just not processing this?* Ren didn't even know how to roast her right now.
Yukino froze at Ren's words, her face gradually flushing with embarrassment. It seemed... he was actually right. After all, as long as she cast the magic, she could manipulate it however she wanted...
Things instantly became awkward. Beside them, Megumi Kato and Asuna couldn't help but stifle their amusement, wanting to laugh but feeling too polite to do so. Yukino's reaction was just a bit too slow this time.
Stared at by the three of them, Yukino wished she could find a hole to crawl into. Fortunately, someone immediately came to her rescue. Sora ran out, her face brimming with excitement.
"Class Rep, Class Rep! I awakened magic, and it's lightning magic!" Sora was beyond thrilled. After breaking through, she had also acquired magic.
Considering the first few people hadn't awakened any magic, the fact that she did made her incredibly excited. Plus, it was lightning magic, which suited her perfectly.
"Congratulations!" Hearing her words, Ren smiled and offered his congratulations. Lightning magic really was a great fit for her.
After all, her Talent was Godspeed. This Talent allowed her to burst forth with unparalleled speed. If she combined it with lightning magic, that double burst of speed would be absolutely insane.
"But I have to develop it myself. Class Rep, let me teach you the magic, and then you can teach me how to develop it to match my Talent!" Sora looked at Ren with a face full of anticipation.
To be honest, having magic suddenly delivered to his doorstep to learn wasn't actually that enjoyable, because it meant he had to teach her how to develop it.
"Do you guys think I'm omnipotent or something? You all come to me to learn your magic and then ask me to help you develop it?" Ren was genuinely about to lose his mind.
Asuna and Yukino both wanted Ren to help them develop their abilities, though Yukino didn't actually need the help. And now, here came Sora.
Were the others going to ask for his help next too? Just thinking about it gave Ren a headache. *Seriously, becoming the Class Rep was baffling enough, but why am I suddenly acting as a teacher now?*
"Hehe, isn't it because our Class Rep's strength has deeply impressed everyone? I just know you can give me some great advice!" Sora chuckled. This was her honest thought.
In reality, many people in the class admired Ren. After all, his learning Talent was simply too overpowered, and he had helped everyone so much. There wasn't a single person in the class who didn't respect him.
Even though they had been beaten up miserably by Ren during training, it was all for their own good. Because of this, the first person Sora thought of after awakening her magic was Ren.
"Forget it. Tell me about it. Explain your magic's situation, and I'll think of a solution for you." Ren sighed, too lazy to overthink it. Since she was offering the magic up for him to learn, he might as well learn it. Why refuse?
Hearing Ren say this, Sora hurriedly explained her magic. Her magic was called [Lightning Descent], which allowed her to manipulate the power of lightning. Its current basic ability was using lightning to drastically increase her own speed.
After hearing her explanation, Ren asked her to demonstrate it. Sora didn't refuse; she cast the magic on herself.
As a Magic Circle formed, her body was wreathed in lightning. The next moment, she vanished from her spot, appearing on the other side like a bolt of lightning before darting right back.
Having done all this, Sora finally dispelled the magic on her body and looked at Ren with expectant eyes. "This magic pairs perfectly with my Talent. I just combined it with my Talent, and the speed boost was insanely fast."
That speed just now was already completely off the charts. Sora was clearly planning to go all-in on speed. Thinking of this, Ren said, "If you want to develop it in the future, just focus on this direction. Wrap the lightning around your weapon for attacks. Your main advantage is speed, but your damage output needs to keep up, otherwise you'll just be tickling your enemies."
Sora's situation was actually very easy to resolve. Her Talent and magic were simply too compatible. Extreme speed and extreme piercing output—lightning inherently possessed these qualities.
"That's what I thought too, but I have absolutely no clue when it comes to ranged magic." Sora completely agreed with Ren's words. While her close combat was sorted out, her ranged options were lacking.
She currently had no idea how to combine this magic with her Talent for ranged attacks.
Ren chuckled upon hearing this. He took his Tang Dao in hand, pondered for a moment, and said, "Like this, for example?"
As his voice fell, electric arcs flickered across Ren's body, entering the exact same state Sora had just been in. Seeing this, Sora immediately understood—Ren had learned her magic.
*What a freak, learning it that fast.* However, she didn't dwell on it and instead watched Ren's movements intently. She saw him swing his blade fiercely forward.
The next moment, everyone watched as three streaks of blue lightning were flung from the Tang Dao in Ren's hand. With a crack of thunder, the three blue lightning bolts shot out close to the ground. In the blink of an eye, the blue lightning flashed past, leaving three scorched marks on the ground.
The area ahead exploded directly, looking as if it had been struck by a natural lightning storm. Seeing this, Sora's eyes instantly lit up. *This is it!* Sora finally understood how she should develop her magic.
"That's amazing! I get it now, thank you, Class Rep!" Sora hurriedly thanked him. Inspiration was a funny thing—once the blockage was cleared, the ideas just wouldn't stop flowing. Right now, several ideas were already forming in Sora's mind.
"Lightning can also be used as magnetic force. Look, if you do it like this, you can toss your weapon around for fun." Ren glanced at Sora. A blue Magic Circle appeared in his hand. As wisps of electricity flashed, the Tang Dao in Ren's hand began to levitate.
Then, under Ren's control, the Tang Dao was drawn by the magnetic force and began to swing around continuously. This incredibly cool sight made Sora practically jump with excitement. *Isn't this freaking Flying Sword Technique?!*
"Teach me!! I'm begging you, Class Rep!!" Sora lunged forward and grabbed Ren's arm. She wanted to play around like this so badly. Could she even step on the sword and fly like this in the future?
Seeing Sora's actions, Asuna raised an eyebrow, then calmly stepped forward and said, "Alright, Sora, don't get too excited. He'll definitely teach you!"
Hearing Asuna say this, Sora chuckled and immediately nodded. "I'm just too excited! This is literally my dream magic!"
She absolutely loved the magic she had awakened. It was just too awesome, wasn't it? It felt like she could do so many things with this magic in the future. The magic in this world was simply fantastic.
Ren dispelled the Magic Circle in his hand and said, "I'll teach you tomorrow. It's getting late. Once everyone finishes updating their statuses, go back and rest."
He glanced at the sky outside. It was already afternoon when they returned, and after eating and showering, it was now getting dark. Teaching them would have to wait until tomorrow.
Hearing Ren's words, Sora nodded. She understood this as well, so she didn't push it, instead looking forward to tomorrow.
While they were chatting, the other classmates also ran out one after another, telling Ren about their magic. Out of the 42 students in the class, at least more than half had awakened magic this time.
This was a very pleasant surprise. Although a significant portion still hadn't awakened any, this outcome was already excellent.
Those who hadn't awakened any magic were a bit depressed. With more than half the class succeeding, being left out made them feel useless.
"Those who haven't awakened yet, don't panic. You'll probably awaken magic the next time you update your statuses," Ren couldn't help but comfort them after listening to everyone's reports.
The magic everyone awakened was quite impressive and provided a solid boost to their overall strength. Moreover, their spells were incredibly varied, all perfectly suited to synergize with their respective Talents.
Kumo's magic, in particular, surprised Ren a bit. This member of Sora's party—the one who had been bitten by a dog—had awakened a magic that functioned almost like a Talent.
[Instant Cast]. The effect of this magic was exactly as its name suggested—it allowed Kumo to instantly cast any magic she had mastered.
Although the power would be slightly reduced, it was still incredibly formidable. This meant that as long as Kumo had enough Magic Power, she could instantly bombard her enemies with every spell she had learned.
However, this magic had a slight limitation. It could only be cast on herself. Only after applying [Instant Cast] to herself could she actually cast spells instantly.
Entering the [Instant Cast] state gave her a thirty-minute buff. During this time, as long as her Magic Power held out, she could become an infinite firepower turret.
Most importantly, Kumo's Talent was Elemental Mastery, meaning she could master all natural elemental magic.
Paired with this [Instant Cast], she would be absolutely ridiculous in the future. Thirty minutes was enough time to accomplish a lot.
Barring any surprises, Kumo was destined to become chronically mana-depleted, because her Magic Power simply wouldn't be enough. No matter what, it would never be enough. But if this magic were in Ren's hands, it would be a completely different story!
Therefore, after understanding the details of this magic, Ren didn't hesitate to use [Jianjigu] to learn it. How could he miss out on such excellent magic?
However, when he learned this magic from Kumo, he discovered that once it reached his hands, it directly transformed into a Talent.
In other words, Ren could use it anytime and anywhere without any restrictions, just like a Talent. He didn't need to first activate [Instant Cast] on himself before releasing other spells like Kumo did.
She was applying a temporary status effect to herself, but Ren's state was permanent. Discovering this made Ren incredibly excited, though he kept it to himself. In the future, he would just pretend to buff himself like Kumo did before unleashing a barrage of firepower.
"Class Rep, please teach us magic and martial arts tomorrow! Since we didn't awaken any, can't we just learn them ourselves?!" a student who hadn't awakened any magic Talent couldn't help but call out to Ren.
"Don't worry, he won't need to teach you. We will be instructing you tomorrow." Right at that moment, Natsuki Minamiya's voice rang out.
The three teachers had already come downstairs. Hearing the student's words, Natsuki Minamiya couldn't hold back anymore. *Good grief, at this rate, Ren is going to steal all of our jobs as teachers.*
Hearing this, the others chuckled, feeling somewhat awkward. After all, the teachers were right there, and they had just been caught red-handed asking Ren to teach them instead.
Natsuki Minamiya didn't mind. Instead, she looked at Ren and said, "For the next period of time, none of you are to go to the Dungeon. We will be instructing you for a while, ensuring you learn more martial arts and magic first."
Since they were already Tier 4, they could start being taught [Intermediate Magic] and the like. In particular, Ren's [Piercing Magic Bullet] had already become a mandatory spell in Natsuki Minamiya's mind.
Hearing Natsuki Minamiya's words, Ren nodded and couldn't help but add, "I have no objections. It's a good time to rest and reorganize. Toss all your damaged armor into the workshop tomorrow; I'll repair and upgrade them for you."
When they would next visit the Dungeon would depend on everyone's learning progress. Ren wasn't in a hurry. It was the perfect opportunity for him to organize the many things he had recently learned.
Many of the spells and abilities were actually redundant. Ren planned to consolidate them, including all the Talents he had acquired. He would fuse whatever needed fusing. Only by doing so could he forge his own path.
"Got it, Class Rep! Sorry for the trouble again!" "We'll go back and wash our armor in a bit!" "Okay, Class Rep, we'll bring them over tomorrow." Hearing Ren's offer, everyone readily agreed.
Having settled these matters, everyone chatted for a while longer before returning to their respective rooms to rest. They needed a good night's sleep tonight.
Ren didn't linger downstairs either. He returned straight to his room, slipped under the covers, and began [Meditation] to enter a resting state.
Although he hadn't broken through to Tier 5, the Excelia from this expedition had significantly increased his strength. He was growing stronger every single moment, and the feeling was incredibly satisfying.
Now, even if he fought Shizuka Hiratsuka at full power, he probably wouldn't be at a disadvantage. Ren couldn't help but wonder if he should challenge Shizuka Hiratsuka to another spar. After all, their last battle had ended in a draw. This time, they should be able to determine a clear winner, right?
Pondering these questions, Ren quickly entered a deep [Meditation] state. Whatever needed doing could wait until tomorrow. Right now, he just wanted to get some proper rest.
The night passed silently. The students enjoyed a deep, restorative sleep. It wasn't until the next day that everyone woke up full of energy, ate breakfast, and began receiving instruction from Shizuka Hiratsuka and the other teachers.
After breakfast, Ren gathered the few students who possessed Spatial Backpacks and set off for the Guild to process their materials and purchase some supplies.
Accompanying them this time were Hestia, as well as the two newcomers, Bell Cranel and Haruhime Sanjouno. Bell, in particular, had been itching to explore. Upon learning that Ren was heading into Orario, he immediately asked to tag along.
After all, he hadn't even familiarized himself with Orario before being roped straight into the Hestia Familia. Knowing this, Ren decided to bring Haruhime along as well, since she had previously been confined to the Pleasure Quarter and had never really been out.
Today was the perfect opportunity to take the two newcomers out for a walk, have Hestia register them at the Guild, and buy whatever they needed all at once.
Walking beside Ren, Bell enthusiastically asked him about the Dungeon. The kid was simply too eager for an adventure, asking all sorts of questions along the way about the various conditions inside the Dungeon.
Ren didn't dampen his spirits, patiently answering his questions. Chatting as they walked, the group entered Orario's bustling commercial district. Upon arriving, Bell was instantly captivated by everything around him.
He looked around with immense curiosity, observing the shops and the diverse crowds. The sheer variety of people filled the inexperienced country boy with wonder.
Seeing all sorts of different Familias here, his heart brimmed with curiosity. Ren glanced at him and said, "Bell, keep up. We'll go to the Guild to get you registered first. After that, you can explore however you want."
Hearing Ren's words, Bell quickly snapped back to reality and replied, "Understood, Captain!!"
Reining in his curious gaze, he quietly followed behind Ren. The group continued toward the Guild. Along the way, Ren remembered something and asked Hestia, "Do we need to report our levels to the Guild as well?"
He recalled that Orario had such a regulation, right? The levels of Familia members needed to be reported. If so, they might as well get it all done today.
After all, Ren and his classmates were law-abiding citizens. Since they were in this world, they would follow its rules.
"Our Familia doesn't need to. The Guild already told me that your levels don't need to be registered because they're completely different. Only Bell and Haruhime need to register, and they'll have to update it when they break through, too." Hearing Ren's question, Hestia quickly clarified the matter.
Ren and the other otherworldly visitors didn't need to register their levels at the Guild. After all, Natsuki Minamiya and the teachers hadn't done so, nor did they need to. The Guild only needed to know their total headcount.
Ren was a bit surprised to hear this. They didn't need to register? Had their side already reached some sort of cooperative agreement with the Guild?
Ren couldn't help but speculate. Aside from them, there were probably other people from their world in this universe, right?