Is This Even a Proper Staff?!

Minari said, “I happen to have a staff that meets your needs, and this focus material is actually quite special.”

With that, she looked over at Gray.

Gray sighed. Condensing a Mage Hand, he retrieved a cloth pouch from beneath the table and tossed it into Minari's lap.

“Thank you, boss!”

Minari smiled gleefully. She untied the pouch to reveal dozens of glinting, golden coins nestled inside.

Lynn glanced over.

The coins in the pouch were indeed gold, but they didn't bear the profile of any king.

They weren't the standard gold coins commonly used within the Kingdom of Vallenia.

Their value was likely much higher than that of the kingdom's gold coins.

Otherwise, there would be no reason for Minari to smile so happily over just a few dozen coins.

Gray was incredibly generous...

Lynn was secretly astonished.

Was Gray being a little too good to him?

Looking at Gray's handsome face, Lynn felt a sudden chill run down his spine...

No way...

He wouldn't even let Betty support him as a kept man, let alone another man.

If Gray really had those kinds of intentions, Lynn would absolutely refuse to submit.

Meanwhile, the transaction continued. Minari opened a pouch, reached inside, and eventually pulled out a short metal rod that was far larger than the pouch itself.

Minari tossed the short staff directly to Lynn.

Lynn caught it with swift reflexes, but the weight of the short staff far exceeded his expectations.

Though only thirty to forty centimeters long, it weighed a solid four to five kilograms.

Any ordinary Mage apprentice probably wouldn't even be able to swing this staff focus material!

And...

Lynn stared at this so-called “staff focus material.”

Why did it feel like... this thing wasn't a staff at all...

The metal rod was nearly forty centimeters long, with an upper diameter of about two to three centimeters. However, the lower section extended into a curved grip, which even had two wooden grip panels attached to it.

This thing...

Why did it look so much like a flintlock pistol?!

Is this damn thing even a proper staff?!

Seeing Lynn's astonished reaction, Minari covered her mouth and giggled.

“This was crafted by an Artificer. The design was inspired by the firearms invented by the dwarves. It's made of mana-storing metal, so the manufacturing cost was extremely high.”

As she spoke, she jiggled the pouch in her hand, the gold coins clinking together with a pleasant ring.

“Your mentor got an absolute steal buying this focus material for this price.”

Lynn looked at Gray, who was giving him an encouraging nod, gesturing for him to try out the focus material.

“Place the magic stone here.”

Having received her payment, Minari's attitude became significantly warmer as she stood beside Lynn to guide him.

She pointed to a slot near the bottom of the staff that looked remarkably like a chamber.

Lynn pulled out the fiery-red magic stone he hadn't used since leaving the village and slotted it into the staff focus material.

An invisible energy surged from the magic stone.

The energy flowed into the runes on the barrel, lighting up the patterns.

Once the runes lit up, a gravitational pull formed, locking the magic stone firmly in place, suspended slightly above the focus material.

A simple staff was now fully assembled.

He wondered what kind of class an Artificer was. The things they created were certainly novel.

Minari's eyes lit up when she saw the magic stone Lynn had produced. “Such a high-grade reusable magic stone... Did Gray give that to you?”

Gray, who had been standing silently, finally spoke up, casting a warning glance at Minari.

“I didn't give it to him. It's Lynn's own possession.”

Minari pouted.

Why was he so untrusting?

Was she really the type of person who would rob a kid?!

Watching their interaction, Lynn realized that the magic stone he had looted from the goblin nest was likely quite valuable.

It was probably the most valuable thing he owned.

That was, if he didn't count his shortsword.

If he included that shortsword, which seemed to have some connection to a deity, the magic stone wouldn't even make the list.

Ignoring the two Mage mentors who were subtly squaring off, Lynn began testing the staff's performance.

While it might be too heavy for a typical Mage apprentice, it was just right for Lynn with his nine points of Strength.

When he channeled his mana into it, the flow was incredibly smooth. It felt far more comfortable than casting spells barehanded, eliminating that slight sense of resistance when mana dispersed into the air.

Lynn attempted to construct the spell model for Magic Missile.

As his mana circulated through the runes, a cyan bolt of light tinged with a faint red glow gradually emerged from the “muzzle”—the upper end of the staff.

Under the influence of the magic stone, the originally non-elemental Magic Missile now carried a slight fire-element effect.

Furthermore, the casting time was reduced from 2.5 seconds to around 2.1 seconds.

Additionally, there was what Lynn cared about most: the reduction in mana consumption.

With the staff's assistance, Lynn could clearly feel that the mana inside his body could more easily influence the external world, drawing upon the surrounding natural elements.

The circuit closed, and the light missile formed.

Lynn sensed the remaining mana in his body...

About forty percent was left.

The staff's amplification had reduced the cost of Magic Missile from 0.7 units to 0.6 units.

This was still not enough to allow Lynn to cast Magic Missile twice in rapid succession.

But just then, Minari pointed to the middle section of the staff. On the warm metal surface, the runes had not gone dark; instead, they seemed to be storing mana.

“This staff is made of mana-storing metal, which isn't much cheaper than a reusable magic stone of the same volume. Aside from saving mana, it naturally has other benefits.”

“Try casting the spell again.”

Lynn nodded. He focused his mind once more and channeled his internal mana.

He began constructing the spell model again. However, because his mana was insufficient, he struggled slightly during the final stages.

But just as the spell circuit was on the verge of collapsing, a surge of mana welled up from the staff, merging with Lynn's own mana to complete the circuit.

The spell was successfully cast!

Lynn opened his eyes, looking at the staff in his hand in surprise before turning his gaze to Minari.

Minari explained with a smile, “You should know that when you draw a spell circuit with mana, a portion of it is lost during the conduction process. Mana-storing metal can retain a fraction of that lost mana and release it the next time the Mage casts a spell.”

Lynn nodded.

He didn't really understand.

Since he had never received a formal education in magic, Lynn didn't actually understand the fundamental nature of spells.

For him, it was purely a matter of raw force and “I reckon it works” logic.

But in any case, his maximum capacity for Magic Missile had increased from one cast to two. It was cause for celebration; he was finally no longer a one-spell wonder.

Beside them, Minari also noticed Lynn's confusion and turned her head to look at Gray in surprise.

Her eyes seemed to say:

“How on earth did you teach this student of yours? How did someone of this level even become a spellcaster?”

Gray's face darkened.