"By Moradin’s Furnace..." Donkexes said, scratching his hair. "What else?"

Colin briefly described the withered, branch-like monsters he had encountered on his first outing. He remembered the map of Dragon’s Fang Castle mentioning such things around Silverpine Village.

After finishing, he asked, "Are those things called Blights?"

"Yep. Those things appear in forests with piled-up corpses, or they’re transplanted by folks who know how to cultivate them. I’ve heard some Blights have indeed appeared around Silverpine Village."

Colin recalled fighting the Blights, remembering the nimble little monsters that rushed him from all directions and their weakness to fire.

’Come to think of it, monsters from the Northern Lands, like Winter Wolves, don’t like fire either.’

’Thinking about it that way, the answer was obvious.’

’Wouldn’t a range-based Flame Attack have them dead to rights?’

Colin said, "I choose [Burning Hand]."

"You picked the most troublesome one... Come with me. I can’t teach you here," Donkexes grumbled, displeased.

With that, he hopped down from the chair behind the counter and led Colin out of the sewer.

It took them quite a while to walk to the coast outside the city.

Looking at the sparkling surface of the sea, Colin asked, "We’re practicing here?"

"You don’t want to lose your shirt because you set something on fire, do you? I know I don’t. And when you train, you’d better wear your Armor. Try to match your real combat conditions as much as possible."

Donkexes held out the Spellbook. "Now, first, study the principles."

Taking the Spellbook and flipping to the [Burning Hand] page, Colin carefully studied the contents while Donkexes occasionally explained what the Dwarven text meant.

He read for over ten minutes.

Under the Dwarf’s guidance, Colin learned many things he hadn’t understood before.

The so-called principle of Casting was simple.

It was really just about which hand gestures used in the Magic were effective, and which syllables in the Spell could cause the Magic Net to change. Combining the two would cause the Magic Net to form a knot.

The energy and phenomenon produced when a Magic Net Knot unraveled was the Magic itself. Different shapes of Magic Net tangles gave birth to different kinds of Magic.

Specifically, so-called Magic was nothing more than a form of empiricism.

Ancient Mages studied the effects of various actions on the Magic Net. Over time, they developed a systematic body of research, and based on these conclusions, they could systematically study Magic.

’If Colin had to describe it, it was a lot like the ancient medicine from his previous life.’

After they had studied it thoroughly, Donkexes patted his pants and stood up.

He said, "Alright, watch me."

Then, the Dwarf faced the sea and extended his hands, palms facing the water.

His thumbs touched, and his other fingers were spread open.

A Dwarven word with a plosive sound came from his mouth. As the syllable fell, scorching flames blossomed from the Dwarf’s palms, flying forward like a pair of fiery wings.

The flames eventually crashed into the waves, turning into a roiling, billowing white mist.

The range was about five meters, similar to a Winter Wolf’s breath.

"Did you get that?" Donkexes asked, hands on his hips.

"No... I mean, yes, I got it."

Colin thought for a moment and realized the Spell and motions the Dwarf had just used were already firmly etched in his mind. ’I guess that boost to my Intelligence is already paying off,’ he mused.

"First, a few key points. This Spell is Dwarven for ’Furnace Fire! Burn the enemy!’ Before you learn a Spell in a different language, you’d better understand its original meaning."

"Also, while this Tier One Magic doesn’t require materials, Casting Materials are necessary for other Magic. Of course, you can also use a Magical Artifact like a Magic Staff or a Crystal Ball to substitute for those materials."

"So in short, it costs money, right?"

"Learning Magic costs money. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to learn."

’Are all the Dwarves in this world so punchable?’

Muttering to himself, Colin looked at the sea and mimicked the Dwarf’s gestures.

Because of the Chain Armor Shirt he was wearing, the movement was a bit difficult. After all, there were quite a few Armor Plates hanging on his arms, and the Chain Armor under his armpits also restricted his arm movement.

’This is also something I’ll need to get used to with practice.’

Colin got into position.

The moment he chanted the Spell, he felt as if time itself had slowed down... or rather, he felt himself enter a strange state.

It was as if the air around him had turned into a kind of liquid. He could clearly feel this liquid shifting with his voice and movements, just as moving one’s hands can create currents in water, and speaking can create bubbles.

However, the feeling was fleeting and vanished in an instant.

The next moment, flames burst forth, but on a much smaller scale than what Donkexes had cast.

"Incomplete Casting, but I’d still call it a success."

Before Colin could even process what had happened, Donkexes’s voice sounded beside him.

’There are always mishaps the first time Casting. Almost had it,’ Colin thought, glancing at his palms.

The Dwarf crossed his arms. "Then keep going. In your current condition, you should be able to cast it one more time."

Colin glanced at the setting sun. "I still have things to do today. How about another time?"

"No ’another time.’ Later, I’ll copy the Magic for you, and you can practice however you want. Just don’t rat me out if you get caught by the Guards and hauled to the watch post. Arson is a pretty serious crime. Also, remember to have someone watch you when you practice, or you could have an accident."

Colin waved his hand. "I can just come to the beach next time."

With that, they returned the way they came, back to the sewer outlet.

After getting a backup copy of the [Burning Hand] Spell, Colin took Kase to the secondhand market.

The Armor they had acquired earlier wasn’t suitable for the Half-Orc, so he also planned to sell the Chain Armor Shirt and its accompanying Cotton Armor. Colin also had a pair of Wrist Guards he wanted to sell.

Not knowing when the next job from the City Watchers would come, the two of them found a merchant at the secondhand market to sell their things to directly. They might take a bit of a loss on the price, but the advantage was a quick transaction.

After haggling with the shopkeeper for a long time, Colin managed to secure a decent price.

By the time they finished, it was already evening.

The blood-red sun hung dying on the distant horizon, poised to sink completely beneath the sea in a matter of minutes.

"Forty-one Gold Coins. I feel so thirsty I could drink the Sea of Tracelessness."

As he spoke, Colin stuffed the single Gold Coin he got for the Wrist Guards into his coin purse.

"Thanks, little brother. My money’s enough for a boat ticket now, and I can take care of some other odds and ends too."

"When are you planning to leave?"

"I’ll help you with one more job. Anyway, I think you’re stronger than me now. Those Adventurer parties will be fighting over you."

"Still not as strong as you without the Curse," Colin shrugged. "Besides, even as I am now, I wouldn’t want to face a two-meter-tall Half-Orc brute."

"You’d better get that idea out of your head. There are plenty of big monsters in the wild, little brother," Kase said, stopping in his tracks. "Alright, I’ve got to head home and sleep. It’s been a long day."

Colin nodded, and the two parted ways.

「The sun sank completely below the horizon.」

The slums, which had no infrastructure to speak of, were pitch-black. The houses on either side were almost all unlit. Only a few of the more well-off families had their fireplaces going, with just a few slivers of light leaking through cracks in the windows to streak across the walls.

’I really did a lot today.’

Colin thought to himself as he struggled to find his way home, trying his best to stick to the main roads to avoid any trouble in the alleyways.

Just then, a voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Please wait, Mr. Colin. I assure you, you don’t want to make any sudden moves."