Chapter 29: The Elusive Light Magic and Questing Realities

“That’s because so few people can use Light Magic,” Tiffany explained, drawing me back towards the ‘Strength Assessment’ sign, elucidating the specific reasons.

“Compared to the other four magical elements, Light Magic is wielded by very few, which means there isn’t much demand for related items.”

‘Even so, why is it so expensive? If demand dictates price, shouldn’t it be cheaper?’

“However, those who possess Light Magic share a peculiar trait: they almost exclusively originate from a few established noble families, and they are all aristocrats…” Tiffany began her lecture, and after her intricate explanation, understanding finally dawned on me.

In essence, individuals talented in Light Magic are exceedingly rare among commoners, to the point of being a once-in-a-millennium phenomenon. Typically, those who can wield Light Magic emerge from various noble households—families whose lineage has been passed down through countless generations, with their earliest ancestors likely rising to prominence due to their innate talent for Light Magic. This historical pattern has led to a situation where most who seek these books are scions of nobility, individuals who neither lack funds nor care about such trivial expenses, hence the exorbitant prices.

Indeed, right beside the bookstore, several signs advertised enrollment for magic classes. Fire, Wind, Earth, and Water magic were all offered, yet classes for Light and Dark magic were conspicuously absent.

‘I’d never heard anyone mention Dark Magic before, nor did I recall seeing any Dark Magic books in the store. Perhaps Dark Magic is fundamentally shunned in the human world?’

However, I had no time to ponder Dark Magic; the issue of Light Magic alone was giving me enough of a headache.

“So, there’s no way for me to learn Light Magic then?” I asked Tiffany blankly. That price was practically inconceivable; I couldn’t possibly afford it. I doubted even Tiffany and her companions had the financial means.

“Actually, there’s another way…” Tiffany seemed to already have an answer for this, and she told me, “You could try asking Sally. She might be able to teach you.”

“Sally?” I could understand her suggestion. Sally already possessed Light Magic, and it was quite natural for her God’s Church to have books on Light Magic.

“But the Church would never allow outsiders to learn their magic, would they?” I voiced my opinion.

“But you’re an angel!” Tiffany directly highlighted the crucial point. “As long as you’re willing to join their Church, everything will be fine.”

“…Let’s discuss that later.”

While her words were true, I generally had no interest in matters involving religion. The thought of joining a church and reciting hymns daily was utterly unappealing, so upon hearing the requirement to join, I immediately dismissed the idea.

Seeing my reluctance, Tiffany said no more. In truth, she, like Brook, wasn’t particularly fond of the God’s Church either.

Just then, the door to the testing room opened, and Angelina emerged.

“How did it go?” We immediately gathered around her.

“Not bad!” Angelina, as usual, handed us the card in her hand.

“It looks like you performed well.”

Seeing her remarkably relaxed expression, I grumbled, lowering my gaze to the card.

“Fifth-tier?”

I was genuinely astonished by that score. It was simply outrageous! We were both four-winged angels, so why was there such a vast difference?

“It really is fifth-tier!”

Tiffany, who had also leaned in, was equally thrilled by the score. She had been estimating our strength based on the number of wings we possessed, expecting us all to be fourth-tier. Little did she know, one would be higher and one lower, missing both predictions.

Over the past few days, listening to everyone’s conversations on the road, I had already absorbed much common knowledge about this world.

For instance, regarding strength, the higher the rank, the greater the disparity between tiers. Beyond the sixth tier, the gap between each rank surpassed the cumulative difference from the first tier up to that point. Therefore, achieving a fifth-tier evaluation unequivocally demonstrated that Angelina’s strength had reached an exceptionally high standard.

“Honestly, did you use the Air-Condensing Sword?”

I stared at Angelina with suspicion, truly unable to fathom why, having transmigrated together, she was so much stronger than me.

“No way! How could I?” Angelina’s expression was one of genuine innocence.

“I only used the weapons they provided at the side of the arena. Besides, you warned me about this earlier; how would I dare to just pull it out in a place like this?”

She had a point. If she had indeed drawn it, regardless of whether the wind elemental aura would be sensed by the crowd, the sheer power of that sword alone would likely be something the chief examiner couldn’t withstand. A few casual swings might inflict serious injury, and then it certainly wouldn’t be just a fifth-tier evaluation.

“My apologies, I misjudged you.”

Having thought it through, though my heart remained unconvinced, I had to concede the truth that Angelina was far stronger than me.

In fact, I was beginning to understand the reason behind her immense power. I had overlooked a crucial detail: in the first few days after our transmigration, she had slaughtered countless high-tier magical beasts. While the Air-Condensing Sword played a significant role, the experience gained from innumerable battles was undeniably real. Coupled with her innate talent, there was no way her strength could be anything but formidable.

“It’s nothing! Between us, there’s no need for such formality,” she said, clearly in a good mood after her high score, readily dismissing my apology. Then, as if remembering something, she asked, “Speaking of which, what’s your rank? Let me see?”

She had been in a hurry to enter the testing room when I came out, so she didn’t know my test results yet.

“This…” This was the last thing I wanted to bring up right now, yet she had to poke at the sore spot. Was she deliberately trying to annoy me?

She was definitely seeking malicious revenge! I clutched the card in my hand, hesitating for a long time before finally giving it to her. In the end, Tiffany, unable to bear it any longer, spoke up for me.

“Hahaha, so you’re only third-tier!” Angelina exclaimed, patting my back and laughing triumphantly. “It’s fine; it’s normal to be a little weaker than me. From now on, I’ll protect you.”

“Well, thank you very much!” Seeing her smug expression, I wanted nothing more than to punch her. What a waste of such a beautiful face.

“So, Tiffany, what was your evaluation?” I suddenly realized that despite knowing Tiffany for so long, I didn’t know her exact strength, so I seized the opportunity to ask.

She retrieved her card and handed it to me. I saw ‘Fourth-tier, Magic Attribute: Fire’ written on it.

“That’s impressive, truly amazing!” I praised her sincerely.

“They say the highest-ranked adventurers in the Adventurer’s Guild are seventh-tier, so this is already above average.”

While she still couldn’t compare to Angelina, I had witnessed her in combat firsthand, and she was far more formidable than an angel like me. I readily admitted this.

“It’s far from it, honestly,” she said, a little embarrassed, snatching the card back and putting it away. “Amos and Brook are both stronger than me.”

“Then what tiers are they? Are they already fifth-tier?”

“No, they’re both still fourth-tier.”

It seemed the difference between fourth and fifth-tier was still quite significant. I recalled that during my test, Chief Examiner Wordsworth had even categorized a sub-tier within the fourth-tier.

“Well, now we can go see what quests are available,” I suggested, since our strength assessments were complete, proposing we check the notice board first.

The notice board was located on a massive wall at the edge of the hall, displaying countless quest details using magic, much like an electronic bulletin board on Earth.

“There doesn’t seem to be anything suitable,” we noted after a long search. The vast majority were low-level, first- and second-tier quests: helping find cats, buying items, searching for lost belongings, and so forth.

Then there were a few exceptionally high-level quests that few dared to accept, such as desperate exploration missions requiring at least fifth-tier, or even sixth-tier adventurers, to acquire precious magical materials, or assassination quests to investigate highly dangerous areas within dark faction territories and eliminate specific demons.

Conversely, the mid-tier quests, which were both most suitable and most needed for those of ranks 3-4, were nowhere to be found.

“There’s nothing to be done,” Tiffany explained, somewhat helplessly, sharing common knowledge about the Adventurer’s Guild. “Most adventurers in the Guild are mid-tier, so mid-level quests are hot commodities; they’re snatched up as soon as they’re posted.”

“There’s no way any would be left at this hour. If you want to get mid-tier quests, you have to come early and queue.”

It seemed that in any world, the average level of people was always the most numerous.

I decided I would simply come early tomorrow morning to check. After all, I woke up early anyway, and my routine was unshakeable. If that didn’t work out, there were still plenty of low-level quests waiting. While the rewards didn’t seem substantial—mostly only dozens of Silahs—’even a mosquito’s leg is still meat.’ Completing several of these would undoubtedly be more profitable than doing odd jobs back on Earth.