Chapter 114

Chapter 115: Riviria’s Concern (Four Updates Begging for Subscriptions!)

Treating the one-meter-long aquamarine staff as a weapon, Riviria deliberately avoided the magic gemstone at its tip and swung it around Izay’s head for a while before stopping.

Her pretty face turned pink due to some association with Izay’s words, even her pale pointed ears were slightly warm.

Riviria wasn’t a naive girl; with her rich experience, how could she not notice that Izay was teasing her just now?

This couldn’t be tolerated!

This student had serious issues! He dared to joke around with his teacher.

Totally disrespectful!

He deserved to be hit!

After a while, she couldn’t help but laugh when she saw Izay still holding his head and complaining about the pain.

It wasn’t clear if she was laughing out of anger or being amused by Izay. Her hand slid gently over the top of the staff and poked Izay with its end.

“Alright, get up already. What are you pretending? I didn’t use much force!”

Riviria had a good grasp of her strength, after all, it was honed through every session of training with Loki.

She barely used any real strength when striking, merely allowing the staff to tap against the head, causing only mild pain.

As for the exaggerated cries?

Anyone who didn’t know better would think she had done something terrible to him.

Upon hearing this, Izay couldn’t continue faking anymore, clearing his throat in a feigned manner, patting the edges of his clothes, and acting as if nothing happened.

“The magic wand the teacher wants to experiment with is this one, right? Hmm, I’ll try my best.”

A rather clumsy way to change the subject, but Riviria didn’t mind.

She was more curious whether Izay could enchant the staff.

Izay’s enchantments were different from those added by weaponsmiths to high-grade armaments.

There was a fundamental difference between the two.

When weaponsmiths add attributes during the creation of weapons, they merely append an innocuous “suffix,” such as enhancing attacks against specific monster races or increasing weapon durability… all mere embellishments.

But Izay’s enchantments were “sublimations,” directly elevating the quality of the weapon, strengthening it comprehensively.

The superiority was obvious at a glance.

In an instant, after Izay chanted the magical incantation, the workshop was bathed in a mysterious azure glow, and a powerful surge of magic energy arose. Accompanying it was a sound akin to boiling water when red-hot iron was plunged into cold water.

Smoke began to rise from the aquamarine staff in Izay’s hands, and luminous silver patterns gradually appeared.

Hearing the “hiss—” echoing around her, Riviria couldn’t help but feel a little worried; there hadn’t been such a situation when enchanting weapons before.

Would it hurt him?

What slightly reassured Riviria was that Izay’s expression didn’t change.

A few minutes passed, and the rising magical energy gradually calmed down, with the entire staff covered in glowing silver patterns.

The enchantment was complete.

“Let me see your hands!”

Before Izay could start rejoicing, Riviria had already snatched the staff, pulling his hands over to check them.

Relieved to see no wounds on his palms, she asked curiously,

“What was that sound just now? There wasn’t anything like that last time.”

Warming inside from her concerned actions, Izay smiled faintly.

“Teacher, the material of your staff seems to be ‘the branch of the Great Holy Tree,’ right? An excellent magical arts material. Due to its superior magical properties, some of my magical energy also infused into it, hence the sound.”

“But it hasn’t damaged its original performance. After accommodating my magical energy, its magical properties have become even more superior. Using it to cast spells should also carry some of my personal magical attributes.”

Izay patiently explained the condition of the staff.

His personal magic ‘Silver Starfall’ attribute was light-based, and this staff might inherit part of Izay’s magical effects.

Extra reinforcement of magical power or magical burning effect—without unexpected circumstances, it would be one of these two characteristics.

Specifics needed testing to confirm.

“Truly an unfair ability…”

Her delicate hand stroked the mysterious patterns on the aquamarine staff as Riviria whispered softly.

She could sense that this staff would suffice for an average Level 5 mage, perhaps even surpassing the standard equipment for Level 5.

She had only paid twenty million Valis originally, but twenty million Valis could never buy such a fine staff.

“You said, can you strengthen all the armaments of our core members within a month?”

Izay’s face turned sour.

As expected, he couldn’t escape this fate.

Taking a deep breath, Izay raised his hand and clenched his fist, putting on a reluctant act.

“It has to cost extra!”

After all, this was equivalent to wasting his own training time to strengthen everyone else’s gear. Others wouldn’t do it even if paid extra!

Upon hearing this, Riviria revealed a smile so captivating it could bewitch anyone, lightly gripping Izay’s raised hand.

“Sure thing, then let’s start with my staff.”

“…Okay.”

Never question the speed at which top-tier adventurers earn and spend money.

Hundreds of millions of Valis, for them, was an amount they could achieve with effort.

Similarly, it was also the amount they could scatter with a wave of their hand.

When the core members of the faction learned that their already excellent weapons could be further enhanced,

in just two days, Izay amassed nearly ten billion Valis.

Then, with a pile of armaments delivered to Izay’s temporary Magic Workshop, his merciless life as a worker began.

Apart from the indispensable three meals a day and some necessary exercises, most of Izay’s time was spent in his Magic Workshop.

Even dungeon exploration was limited to hovering around the thirteenth floor.

And it seemed that Riviria often took time out of concern for Izay’s solitary situation, visiting him along with Ais, Refia, and the Amazon sisters.

And Raul, that guy, actually came to negotiate strange things with Izay to save money.

Like, “If I treat you to a visit to the pleasure quarter, could you give me a discount based on brotherhood?”

Of course, Izay refused… No, refusal was impossible.

Only by agreeing could he barely sustain his livelihood.

During this period, he sneaked off to the Pleasure Quarter multiple times to check on the fox lady, of course, using Raul’s money.

Aisha did bring Izay some good news.

Since surrendering herself to Izay (in her own belief), Haruhi completely stopped appearing in the pleasure quarter. She mostly stayed quietly in Ishtar’s temple or her room, reading books or listening to Aisha recount interesting urban tales.

Unless Izay looked for her, Haruhi wouldn’t go to the pleasure quarter.

As for how Haruhi knew if Izay was looking for her… thanks to the kindness of a certain big sister.

Nearly a month passed like this, quietly slipping away.

…

Interlude Story

“Ah, I miss Izay~”

On the aerial corridor, Tiona looked toward the northeast direction of the city, gazing longingly.

Her eyes inadvertently swept over Riviria and Ais, who were the first within the faction to receive Izay’s perfectly enchanted weapons and were familiarizing themselves with the effects. Her gaze brimmed with longing.

Ais’s “Sword of Despair” was tried by Tiona after being enchanted, and she returned it with jealousy.

That look was exactly like a child seeing their neighbor’s playmate getting the latest gaming console while they still didn’t have one, filled with envy.

“Why does it feel like Mr. Izay is deceased in Miss Tiona’s mouth?”

Refia stood beside her, equally eyeing Alisia’s staff with yearning.

That was the staff Riviria had given Izay for experimentation. The trial enhancement was a great success, exceeding the standard of Level 5 armaments, becoming quasi-top-tier adventurer gear.

Then, Riviria gifted it to Alisia.

Because she was the second highest-level mage in the faction aside from herself.

Refia was still too young compared to her.

“Ah, don’t talk, I need silence.”

Tione sighed helplessly, no different from the other two.

As if this triggered something, moments later, the three exchanged glances—

“Ah—”