Watching the [Magic Arrow] drill a standard little hole into the target, Ximo scratched her head. She really couldn’t see what made this thing an “improved version” or where exactly it had been improved.
It seemed that System’s crappy system wasn’t just unresponsive—it was also a shady merchant. But before settling the score, Ximo decided not to give up and try one more time.
She chanted the incantation softly under her breath, and the [Magic Arrow] condensed at the tip of her staff once again. She aimed at the target ten steps away and fired it off quickly! But this time, as soon as the magic left her staff, Ximo had a premonition that she’d missed.
There was no helping it. Although her magic aptitude was high now, proficiency was something talent couldn’t make up for. Operating the staff to launch a magic attack was still a bit unfamiliar to her. When she cast the spell earlier, the magic condensation point had been slightly off.
Ximo had originally thought the Magic Arrow would pass between the two targets, but the expected scene didn’t appear. She had been staring intently at the targets when suddenly she saw the [Magic Arrow]’s trajectory twist unnaturally in the air… and then hit the bullseye?
Holy crap, it had auto-aim!
Ximo blinked in a daze. She was absolutely certain that shot had gone wide, but why… She suddenly had a realization and understood why System had called this an improved version of the spell.
So it had auto-targeting added, huh?
The Magic Arrow was already a spell with concentrated attack points and fast flight speed. If you didn’t predict the trajectory well, it was easy to miss. It seemed System’s cheat perfectly compensated for that—the arrow could automatically track the target mid-flight.
“Huh? Did my eyes play tricks on me? I clearly saw Ximo’s magic miss…”
Leilie’s puzzled murmur came from beside her. Ximo suddenly felt touched—Leilie would rather suspect her own eyesight than doubt there was something wrong with her magic. That was perfectly normal.
After all, the [Magic Arrow] was a beginner basic spell that everyone had used to death. Its effects were common knowledge to people in this world, so no one would suspect the arrow could curve on its own.
In that case, wouldn’t this [Magic Arrow · Auto-Aim Version] be perfect for ambushing people? Heh heh heh… Ximo figured she couldn’t be blamed for being sneaky. She was an assassin, after all—being a little underhanded came with the territory.
In a great mood afterward, Ximo ended her trials and began paired practice with Leilie—and then her good mood soured because she discovered that magic was just like math problems: if you didn’t get it, you just didn’t get it.
The teacher had them pair up in twos today, with each pair needing to control their overflowing magic power to jointly form a relatively complex pattern. The challenge lay in precise magic control, fusing magic that wasn’t your own, and testing the pair’s rapport.
Class grades would be based on their results at the end, and Ximo didn’t want to hold Leilie back. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t control her magic that precisely.
Ximo was like a child who had just learned to use chopsticks—she could manage picking up food to eat on normal days, but this exercise was like asking her to pick up a quail egg with them. It was completely beyond her capabilities.
What puzzled Ximo even more was that, facing her brain-dead fumbling, Leilie didn’t get angry at all. She patiently accompanied her attempt after attempt.
“Leilie, whatever it is you want to say, just say it directly.”
Ximo couldn’t stand watching Leilie hesitate any longer. Every time she tried to manipulate the magic into the pattern, Leilie would sneak a glance at her, then quickly look away in panic.
“Huh? Did I seem too distracted and mess up the practice? S-Sorry…”
Leilie visibly panicked, looking like a startled little rabbit.
“…Fine, it’s not a big deal anyway. I just wanted to thank Ximo for what happened in the Mist Forest before.”
That was when Ximo finally figured out why Leilie had seemed so familiar—she was that timid girl from the Mist Forest who had always been pale-faced and hiding at the back of the crowd, with low presence. That’s why Ximo hadn’t recognized her right away.
“And… I also wanted to say sorry to Ximo.”
“I knew all those rumors about you lately were fake, but I didn’t have the courage to stand up and clear things for you. If Senior Melrose hadn’t come to me to ask about the situation…”
Ximo was stunned. “Melrose went to you specifically about this?”
Ximo hadn’t expected Melrose to care so much about her affairs. This unexpected kindness warmed her heart, improving her impression of Melrose by several degrees.
“Wait,” Ximo suddenly realized something. “You didn’t skip the morning class on purpose just to pair with me for the afternoon one, did you?”
Leilie bit her lip and didn’t answer, but that confirmed it for Ximo. This girl named Leilie might look timid, but her heart was exceptionally kind.
“It’s fine, it wasn’t your fault anyway. And…” Ximo glanced at Jackson in the distance. “And honestly, the current situation is actually good for me. A blessing in disguise… Oh, wait, you probably haven’t heard that saying.”
“I have,” Leilie nodded vigorously. “It’s a famous quote from Great Sage Gandalf, right? Seeing that Ximo wasn’t affected at all puts my mind at ease!”
Ximo: “…”
Ximo suddenly let out a light chuckle. She finally understood why people laughed when they were utterly speechless. Her dear fellow countryman had really stuffed every single cup he could!
