Chapter 189: Departure

The dwarf's anecdotes were, in a sense, just a joke.

Or, they could be seen as a profession-based joke from another world, similar to the grim, endless overtime and despairingly low pay of pediatric medicine, or the grim "anecdotes" of proctology.

Just as medical students and doctors often tell medical jokes, so too do spellcasters tell these wizard jokes.

There are subtle hierarchies of disdain, some self-mockery, and some helplessness.

"In truth, we're all much the same."

These compatibility anecdotes among mages are also akin to occupational diseases; sometimes, cause and effect are reversed.

Spellcraft demands caution and precision; spatial coordinates and pacts with otherworldly beings cannot tolerate the slightest error—not even a misused word, a flawed description, a misplaced punctuation mark, or a single digit wrong—mistakes mean death! Worse still, your soul is dragged into another world, eternally enslaved.

This system has an astonishingly high mortality rate; whether it's otherworldly beings or spatial teleportation, even the tiniest mistake means instant death.

Inside it, there are countless jokes about "apprentices miscounting a mark" or "high masters forgetting a character" and killing themselves.

Life is the price of error; spellcraft mages must be meticulous and cautious, even developing various obsessive-compulsive tendencies.

To ensure no mistakes, they often impose overly strict procedures, carrying all manner of measuring tools, spellbooks, and reference texts—though, if you're talented and cunning enough, you can bypass all rules and even delight in manipulating them.

This is why spellcraft mages are so often polarized: either obsessively rigid or wildly careless.

By the way, many law knights with spellcraft abilities are also obsessively rigid; in a sense, Larry is quite suited to it.

Evocation is the art of manipulating elements; they inevitably assimilate with the elements, their bodies and even souls merging with them. High-level evokers even possess the innate talent to transform into elements—they inevitably inherit the elements' tempers. Given the high prevalence of fire spells, a fiery temper naturally becomes the hallmark of evokers.

Uh, lightning elements aren't much better, and ice and water elements are quite cold-hearted too; in truth, elemental beings and elemental essences are profoundly inhuman.

They are the fundamental elements of the world; if they were truly too human, it might not be a good thing.

By the way, paladins who manifest as Holy Smite (evocation) are also quite short-tempered, since the "Radiant Element" not only despises negative energy and evil, but also contains a fiery component.

Alteration, especially alchemy, requires enduring time, years, and luck; after spending too long alone in the laboratory, one naturally goes mad.

In fact, all supernatural professions and bloodlines suffer from this problem.

The Hero profession grants heroes fearless courage, but also makes them enjoy the thrill of dancing with death—walk by the river long enough, you'll eventually fall in.

This is, in a sense, an occupational disease, or the cost of power; these things can even invade the soul, permanently altering an individual.

"To change something, to gain something, you must naturally pay something. It's fair, isn't it?"

The snake had slithered out sometime, watching with interest as Li En interacted with the little one.

Over these days, Li En's greatest gain was probably spending several good days with little Lana.

And the rather "clumsy" Li En naturally took little Lana to practice swordplay—or rather, rekindled his old bodily memories.

There was no help for it; she seemed to view sword practice as a hobby and play, often dragging Li En around (Lana: Dwarf Uncle is so clumsy, not fun). And with the revival of bodily instincts, the genuine excitement and joy she felt in combat could not be hidden.

She loved the sword, loved the killing between them, loved the taste of life and death hanging by a thread.

"Her progress is simply too fast."

Each practice session, though the little one exhausted her strength rapidly, still showed clear improvement.

Faster, more accurate, and far more cunning—Li En rarely used the phrase "cunning sword" to describe a swordsman's technique.

But this kind of sword art, where every strike carries multiple feints and transformations, constantly shifting to surround the opponent, was indeed exceedingly cunning.

She didn't need much strength; on the contrary, she needed quicker movements and sharper eyes.

"Greedy! Too greedy! Such an obvious opening, and you dare to charge right in…"

Li En forced Lana back with a single strike, watching as brute force shattered her balance—she was wide open for a follow-up thrust. He had intended to scold her for her greed.

He had deliberately left that opening, yet she not only seized it instantly, but tried to kill him on the spot.

But the next moment, he hesitated.

From Lana's perspective, this greed, this cunning, wasn't wrong at all; how else could a weakling defeat a strong opponent without taking risks?

Sometimes, even knowing it's a trap, you must step into it, wagering your life to gamble on a desperate reversal.

Or perhaps, this is courage. This is the Hero: even with vanishingly low odds, even when facing overwhelming strength, you still stake everything, grasping every possible chance of victory.

"You need more foundational training, and more physical conditioning." In the end, Li En did not stop Lana's fighting style—because he could not determine who was right, or rather, both were right.

Li En's own swordsmanship came from Sul, following the straightforward "knightly path": direct, head-on combat, seeing who dies first.

Thicker armor, heavier swords, even recovery abilities and battlefield ambush capabilities.

Straightforward, overwhelming pressure was Li En's path to victory.

But Lana had placed herself from the start as the weak one, instinctively avoiding the opponent's strength, then concentrating all her power to seize the enemy's mistakes and weaknesses, forcing a reversal—this was a sword art specifically designed from the outset against powerful foes and giants!

High risk, high reward? No—it was sacrificing everything, betting everything on a single strike to kill a mighty opponent.

This combat logic and sword instinct was far too abnormal; Li En thought she'd die young—though perhaps the Hero's equipment and class abilities could somewhat compensate for these flaws.

In the end, Li En did not stop her, did not teach her knightly swordsmanship, because he simply couldn't.

She had already made it her instinct; even if her memories and powers were erased, her body and soul still seemed to remember.

Even if she switched paths, she'd become a grotesque hybrid—and likely die faster.

"Perhaps I should find myself another sword."

Li En looked at the Hero's Sword and sighed—he even felt the sword's longing; perhaps its former owner suited it better.

It wasn't really a big deal; Li En's effectiveness with this sword was mediocre too—besides saving maintenance costs and not worrying about it breaking, it was just a plain weapon.

Perhaps a magic sword with radiant and fire-boosting properties would suit Li En better.

"My lord, I've nearly recovered."

The centaur knight of the adventuring party delivered good news to Li En.

This meant the first underground ruin exploration could begin; Li En could finally test his codex's main quest—facing the "Underground Demon God."

But he did not follow the adventuring party alone; this journey, he added several additional companions.

"Will leaving be a problem?"

"No, it shouldn't be within a week. I need to learn about the underground ruins, and I need to train myself." Demon was in high spirits—he could finally move again.

The improved Demon needed to understand the underground ruins to prepare for the Weaver Knight's training, and needed to verify his own progress.

"My side is going quite smoothly too; the shop is already open, and I was just about to go buy some materials." Victoria's words were half-true and half-false; she understood that her freedom relied on Li En and wanted to get to know him better.

"Real combat, I need it! Mere simulation is not enough." And the long-unseen robot Ophelia followed along as well.

Li En pondered for a moment and finally spoke up.

"Miss Lana, you come too; this will give you a chance to practice and also collect materials for your evolution."

Li En still took along the little one who had instantly become overjoyed.

A lion is never a cat; it needs a hunting ground to grow, or it will eventually waste away if kept at home.

But at this moment, the snake suddenly appeared on Li En's shoulder.

"Heh, I don't have many days left." Calculating the time, there should only be four or five days left; this time there was no record of a possession state, so Li En was not certain he would leave on schedule.

"That's great, I say; what a pity." Although he didn't know what the snake had been busy with these past days, since he was leaving, Li En felt genuinely happy.

If the snake left now, Li En would even be willing to spend money to host a farewell banquet!

"You must fulfill the promise you made to me before I leave; otherwise, heh-heh, do you need me to tell you the fates of those unlucky ones who violated their contracts with me?" The snake had never been an aggressive war faction; he preferred various contracts and agreements.

And between him and Li En, there was a contract about to expire; if the snake disappeared, the contract could naturally not be fulfilled. The true core of this agreement was for the snake to see the "fun" he desired.

In the snake's narrow eye slits, there was nothing but pleasure and anticipation.

He had never forgotten the agreement and knew that Li En was trying to delay; good wine needs time to mature, and the more someone rushes, the more thrilling the fun becomes.

"Hee-hee, stories of evil gods who eventually perished or went mad due to breach of contract and inability to fulfill obligations are amusing tales within the snake clan; do you need me to tell you one?"

(End of this chapter)