I returned to the inn and ate breakfast.
There was something truly special about being a Mage. It granted a sense of omnipotence, as if I had brought nature itself under my thumb. After all, I could now produce fire anywhere I pleased just by willing it into existence.
A smirk escaped my lips before I could stop it. From an outsider’s perspective, I probably looked like a complete creep. Roxanne was wise enough to remain silent, though.
I finished my meal quickly and headed back into the Labyrinth. Naturally, I started from the First Floor.
"I’m going to run a few experiments to see if fighting with magic is a viable strategy."
"An experiment? Understood."
When I had tested it earlier, the magic hadn't been able to finish off a monster in a single hit. Durandal could do it in one swing, which made the spells feel somewhat underwhelming in terms of raw power.
However, even underwhelming magic had its merits.
Summoning Durandal cost a staggering 63 Bonus Points. If I could fight effectively with magic, I could reallocate those points into other skills. Whether I put them into experience-boosting perks, crystallization-acceleration, or opening up more job slots, the benefits would be massive.
If I could make it work, it was better to stick with magic.
First, I needed to see if I could actually survive a fight using only spells. I decided to start on the First Floor, where the enemies were weakest.
With Roxanne leading the way, we found a Needle Wood Lv 1. I blasted it with a Fireball. Once I’d confirmed the monster’s location, I stood my ground and waited for it to approach, watching as it pushed through the flames to get to me.
One shot, then two. I kept firing, but the monster refused to go down.
The Needle Wood finally closed the distance. The wooden fiend swung its branch. Roxanne dodged with ease, and I barely managed to scramble out of the way myself.
Roxanne wasn't attacking, likely because I’d told her this was an experiment for my magic. Honestly, I wouldn't have minded if she chipped in with her Scimitar. I also had the option of switching to my Copper Sword if things got hairy.
For now, I kept Durandal in hand. If the magic failed to do the job, I’d have no choice but to use the sword.
The Needle Wood swung its branch again. I took a large step back, retreating to a safe distance before visualizing another Fireball.
A sphere of flame materialized above my head and hurtled toward the monster. The Needle Wood was engulfed. It collapsed into a heap.
"Three shots for a kill, huh? It’s not as powerful as I'd hoped."
"No, I think it’s wonderful that you can defeat one in a mere three hits. As expected of you, Master."
"Well, I suppose magic is usable, at least."
"I see no problem at all with fighting this way," Roxanne added.
She shared her opinion while leaning down to retrieve a Branch. With Roxanne, I never really knew how much weight to put on her "no problem."
"Let’s try one more. Roxanne, you’re free to use your Scimitar this time."
"Understood. This way."
I wanted to observe the situation once more. That was the essence of a good tactic. A man couldn't lead a team of battle-hardened veterans unless he was a genius tactician like myself.
I tucked Durandal into my belt just in case and proceeded through the cave with my Copper Sword drawn.
Deep in the shadows, something stirred. Another Needle Wood Lv 1. I immediately visualized a Fireball.
If it took time to kill them, the best strategy was to start the assault as early as possible. Immediate response upon detection—that was the plan.
The fireball zoomed through the air.
Suddenly, the Needle Wood sidestepped toward the wall, neatly dodging the projectile.
Clang. The ball of fire hit the stone behind it.
Well, I suppose it’s only natural for monsters to dodge. Shooting the moment I saw it had been a mistake. Unlike Fire Storm, Fireball didn't automatically lock onto a target; I had to aim it manually.
A complete miss. It seemed I needed to let them get closer before firing.
I immediately tried to visualize another Fireball.
Nothing happened.
Dammit. Another failure?
It seemed there was a slight Delay Time between spells. Even though I was skipping the verbal incantation, I couldn't fire them in rapid succession. It didn't take that long to reset if I stayed calm, but the pressure of the approaching monster made me feel rushed.
I finally managed to land a hit as the Needle Wood closed in. Because the fireball formed above my head before flying, there was an additional travel time to account for.
Just after I blasted the monster at point-blank range, Roxanne slashed it with her Scimitar. The monster swung a branch in retaliation, which Roxanne dodged effortlessly.
I stepped back and unleashed one more Fireball. That final shot was enough to finish the Needle Wood off.
It looked like magic was a viable path.
"I feel bad making you stand on the front line like this, Roxanne."
"Please, do not worry. It is only natural for the magic user to stay in the rear. Besides, my role is to protect you, Master."
I understood the logic of a Mage acting as a Rear Guard. Chanting spells usually required focus. Even though I only had to think the commands, the principle remained the same.
Furthermore, judging by her movements, Roxanne was far better suited for the Front Line than I was. I decided to leave the vanguard duties to her.
"I've confirmed I can handle the First Floor with magic, but I want to run one more test."
"Yes, Master."
Before moving to the Second Floor, there was a mechanic I wanted to verify: level-up speed. I had gone to the trouble of acquiring the Herbalist job, so I might as well use it.
When I raised my Monk level to Lv 2, I had defeated about ten Needle Woods while having three jobs equipped. What would happen if I only had a single job equipped?
If experience points were divided by the total number of jobs, then reducing three jobs to one should mean I’d level up in three or four kills. Even if the calculation included Roxanne’s jobs, the math went from four jobs down to two, which should still halve the requirement to five kills.
While different jobs might have different experience requirements, the gap shouldn't be that massive.
I tried to set my First Job to Herbalist... but it wouldn't let me.
Why?
I had plenty of Bonus Points to spare. I hadn't been careless. I knew that Bonus Points were tied to the level of the First Job, meaning you couldn't swap to a lower-level job if you’d already spent all your points. But I had a surplus. There should have been no issue.
Think. There had to be a reason.
Then it hit me: the Item Box.
My current First Job, Explorer, provided the Item Box skill. And that box was currently full of my gear. If I unequipped the Explorer job, what would happen to the items inside? To prevent a paradox or the loss of items, the system likely blocked job changes while the Item Box was in use.
I see. It was a well-designed system.
While I was lost in thought, we stumbled upon another Needle Wood. I hacked it apart with Durandal, and the monster vanished into smoke.
"I see. It turned out exactly as I suspected," I muttered, loud enough for Roxanne to hear as she picked up the drop.
In truth, I had just figured it out, but I played it cool. It was a good thing I hadn't explained my confusion earlier.
"Um, what should we do now?"
"The experiment continues. This part takes time."
I emptied the Item Box and stuffed everything into my Rucksack. Sure enough, with the box empty, I was able to set Herbalist as my First Job.
I challenged the next monster with only Herbalist Lv 1 equipped. I tried to take down the Needle Wood with one swing of Durandal... and failed.
"Eh?"
"Gack."
I had to use a second swing to finish it off.
"Um..." Roxanne looked concerned.
"This is also part of the experiment. Everything is going according to plan."
"I see. An experiment."
Until now, I’d been one-shotting everything. Roxanne definitely noticed the drop in power.
I decided to treat it as a secondary finding. It confirmed that having multiple jobs active provided a significant stat boost. From the moment I’d first entered this Labyrinth, I’d been able to one-shot Needle Woods. I’d assumed it was just my level, but I’d also one-shot a Slow Rabbit Lv 1 back when I was only a Villager Lv 2. The reason I was so strong was the cumulative effect of multiple jobs.
"Continuing the experiment. Which way?"
"This way, Master."
After defeating ten more Needle Woods, my Herbalist job reached Lv 2.
"That concludes this test. Let’s move to the Second Floor."
I made the announcement and we transitioned up. I could safely assume that the number of jobs didn't affect the speed of leveling a specific job. In that case, it was always better to have as many equipped as possible.
I restored my four jobs to their slots and moved my gear from the Rucksack back into the Item Box.
"There is a group consisting of a Needle Wood and a Green Caterpillar to the right. To the left, there is a Needle Wood closer to us, likely alone. Your orders?"
"Let's take the closer one."
"Understood."
We went left.
I still needed to confirm if Fire Storm hit everyone, but there were other things to test first. I had a handle on Beginner Fire Magic, but I still had Water, Wind, and Earth to try.
If fire was Fireball, then water was likely... Water Ball.
I visualized the name, and a sphere of water formed above my head before shooting forward.
Oh! So that was Water Magic.
I blasted the first Needle Wood Lv 2 we saw with the Water Ball. The monster flinched under the weight of the water, but it quickly recovered and resumed its charge. It didn't seem to have taken much damage.
I waited for it to get close and ended it with one swing of Durandal.
"That didn't seem very effective."
"Some monsters have resistances or weaknesses to certain elements. Needle Woods might be resistant to water. I am sorry; I have never traveled with a magic user, so my knowledge is limited."
"Don't worry about it. I'll figure it out as I go."
The next encounter was a pair of Green Caterpillars. This was the perfect chance for a Fire Storm.
Embers swirled around both monsters, engulfing them in a localized inferno. Both caterpillars were scorched red. Fire Storm was definitely an All-target Attack Magic.
As the flames died down, I hit the smoldering caterpillars with a Water Storm. A fine mist gathered around them, condensing into a crushing weight of water.
So the pattern held: Water Storm was the multi-target version.
The pair survived that as well. Considering a First Floor monster took three Fireballs, it made sense that Second Floor monsters wouldn't die in two hits. Unlike the Needle Wood, these two didn't seem particularly resistant to water.
I unleashed another Fire Storm. The caterpillars turned bright red but kept coming. There was something terrifying about seeing them crawl toward me while literally on fire. I felt a surge of doubt, but I forced myself to stay calm. If things went south, Durandal would end them instantly.
The caterpillars closed in. Since there were two, Roxanne and I each took one.
I dodged a caterpillar’s tackle by a hair's breadth. It was far too close for comfort. I couldn't keep this up forever.
I visualized Fire Storm again. More embers danced.
What if they never die?
A dark thought crossed my mind. I couldn't dodge forever. If I messed up once, I was dead. I had to get out of here.
Just as the urge to turn and run became overwhelming, the caterpillar collapsed. It crumbled into dust while still glowing red.
It took four hits.
Was it four hits because they were Lv 2, or because multi-target magic was weaker? Or was it just because I was incompetent?
N-no, this was bad. My MP was low, and it was making my thoughts turn negative again. I needed to be careful; Fire Storm clearly drained more MP than Fireball. I killed the next monster with Durandal to recover some energy.
After one more melee kill, I tried visualizing Water Wall.
A wall of water appeared in front of me, roughly the same size as the Fire Wall. It was clearly the water equivalent, though it didn't look like a raging torrent. I doubted it could actually stop a monster. Perhaps it was meant to block incoming fire attacks?
After a few moments, the wall lost its shape and collapsed, soaking the floor. My trousers were splashed in the process. Unlike the fire, the water didn't just vanish. I suppose that made sense.
"I wonder if the water from magic is drinkable?"
"I believe so, Master."
That was convenient. It meant I wouldn't need to carry a canteen anymore.
I defeated the next Needle Wood Lv 2 with four Fireballs. Four shots for a Lv 2. It was a chore, but necessary.
Now that I had a handle on Fire and Water, it was time for Wind.
If the naming convention held, it should be Wind Ball... but nothing happened.
I tried Wind Arrow, Wind Storm, Wind Cutter... nothing.
If Fire was Fireball and Water was Water Ball, Wind had to be "Something Ball."
Air Ball? Blast Ball? Gale Ball? Typhoon Ball? Tornado Ball?
Breeze Ball.
The moment I thought the name, something formed above my head and zipped forward.
I couldn't see it, but I could hear the whistle of the wind. A breeze, huh? Well, it was Beginner Wind Magic. Expecting a Tornado was probably asking too much.
Our next opponent was another Green Caterpillar. Thinking an invisible Breeze Ball would be perfect, I fired one off immediately.
The caterpillar sluggishly shuffled to the side. It had dodged. Could it sense it?
I tried again as it got closer, this time aiming to put a wall in its path.
Breeze Wall.
I heard the rush of wind. A transparent, invisible barrier had formed. I waited for the monster to ram into it.
Instead, the caterpillar stopped dead in its tracks. An orange magic circle appeared beneath its chest.
Dammit.
Even if it was invisible to me, the monster could clearly sense the Breeze Wall. In fact, since it could dodge the Breeze Ball, I should have expected this. If a monster sees an invisible barrier blocking its path, of course it's going to switch to a ranged skill.
Worse, the wind wall acted as a shield for the monster, preventing me from counterattacking.
The caterpillar timed it perfectly. The moment the Breeze Wall flickered out, it spat a glob of thread.
I’d messed up. I should have used the duration of the wall to reposition or escape.
Roxanne leapt out of the way, but the thread caught me. As I struggled to break free, the caterpillar slammed into me. I took the hit but managed to bring Durandal down on its head at the same time. The caterpillar died instantly, though I was still covered in silk.
Wall magic was tricky. I still hadn't figured out the best way to utilize it. Maybe I should have used a Fire Wall to burn the thread as it was being fired?
Another lesson learned. The walls were only about a meter and a half wide, so enemies could easily just walk around them in an open area. To truly block a tunnel, I’d probably need to cast two of them side-by-side.
The next encounter was a Needle Wood and a Green Caterpillar together. I visualized Breeze Storm.
The howling of wind filled the area, and the monsters were visibly buffeted. The Needle Wood’s branches swayed violently, like a palm tree in a hurricane.
So Breeze Storm was the multi-target wind spell.
Once the wind died down, I fired another. By the time I was ready for a third, they were on top of us. Roxanne engaged the caterpillar with her Scimitar. Since I had Durandal out, I couldn't cast as easily, so I simply stood my ground against the Needle Wood.
I tried to visualize one more Breeze Storm, but the monster swung a branch at me, forcing me to dodge.
"It's coming!" Roxanne called out.
I looked over. The orange magic circle was glowing under the caterpillar.
The thread.
Timing it with the monster's move, I threw up a Fire Wall. The glob of thread hit the wall and was incinerated with a crisp crackle.