"So, you're saying it takes a month or more to create a ma?" Himmel asked Sophia with curiosity.

  "Of course, that's how it always is," Sophia said in a firm tone.

  "Oh, so that means I'm just a genius." Himmel puffed out his chest and held his hand up in the air with pride.

  "Bleeh, even though I 't see you, I'm pretty sure you're doing some weird poses," Sophia said with disgust in her voice.

  "Huh? Where did the shy and timid girl go? He succeeded ond thinks it'll wain, but people's hearts ge so fast. And after what she experienced, she must be traumatized," Himmel mused.

  "By the way, what did you mean when you said you would transform into a sword earlier?" Himmel asked, recalling her previous words.

  "Ah, that... None of my aors were born with magic aptitude. Some specialized in swordsmanship, so the staff ged its appearao a sword," Sophia expined.

  "Huh? Are you saying that this staff has its own thoughts? What's its in?" Himmel asked in surprise.

  "Although that may be a mystery to us too, many of my aors said it was an artifact made by the Goddess of Creation," Sophia said as she expined.

  'Ah, the Goddess of Creation? There were many mysteries around that character iory too. Her magic was s it could even cause time travel,' Himmel pondered as he recalled the manga he had read in his previous life. Suddenly, the image of a silver-haired loli came to his mind.

  "Frieren... What is she doing now?" Himmel pondered. She must be in the tral Lands. I hope I'll meet her soon. I don't know if it's me or the old Himmel, but every time I remember her, this strange feeling es to my heart."

  "So, genius, when are you signing the tract?" Sophia's voiterrupted Himmel's thoughts.

  "If you're to be my sve, why should I refuse?" Himmel said in a teasing tone.

  [+50 Anger WP from Sophia]

  [+50 Anger WP from Sophia]

  'hat a mae faining points,' Himmel thought, holding back his chuckle.

  Sophia, who had no choice but to calm down, said, "Spill some of your blood onto the staff so you bey master."

  "Wait, didn't you say only your bloodline could tract with the staff?" Himmel asked.

  "Are you an idiot or something? Is it the staff you're making a tract with or me? I have full trol over this staff, which means I'm the owner now, and it's my choiake a tract with you. Also, don't all mages use blood to tract with their staffs? Don't tell me you haven't made a tract with your staff yet," Sophia said in a sarcastie.

  [Host! You are truly worthy of your title.] The system's voice chimed inside Himmel's head.

  Himmel remembered that the system had given him a title called Dumb, and irritation fshed in his eyes as he heard the system’s teasing.

  "Whatever. All I o do is that, right?" Himmel asked Sophia. He bit his finger a a drop of blood fall onto the staff—now Sophia.

  A golden glow surrouhe staff and Himmel. After a while, the glow faded away.

  "Is that all?" Himmel asked.

  "Yes, that's all, Master," Sophia said in a seductive voice that sounded like the system.

  "WTF? Did the system ehe staff?" Himmel wondered.

  Meanwhile, the system, watg from a distant dimension shrouded in darkness, was surrounded by nothing but the glow of her translut body—the only source of light.

  She shook her head as she heard Himmel's thoughts.

  "How long will it take to meet the others?" she muttered, sorrow evident in her eyes.

  "It's been nearly three turies..." she whispered as she gazed at Himmel with deep thoughts.

  Oher hand, Himmel took Sophia—the staff—and walked back toward the dungeon.

  "By the way, how strong is a 1st-css mage, the one who created this dungeon?" Himmel asked, curious about their strength.

  (A/N: I'll be using the inal mage ranking system from now on—9th being the lowest and 1st being the highest.)

  "Well, he's strong enough to defeat a hundred 2nd-css mages, I think. Even though I've never seen it myself, that's what the rumors say," Sophia answered.

  "And what css were you?" Himmel asked.

  "I'm no longer a mage, but I was a 4th-css mage. I was so close to reag 3rd, but my mana wasn't enough," she said with a sorrowful tone.

  Himmel, who had watched the anime, khat mages needed more mana to advance. As they grew older, their mana also increased, but that was the human limitation—with only a hundred years of lifespan, they couldn't pare to elves and demons, who had long lifespans and became the most powerful races in the world.

  "By the way, is it just me, or am I fetting something?" Himmel halted and looked at Sophia, whom he was holding in his hand.

  "As promised, I'll give you all the spells inside my spatial bag," Sophia said as she ope, revealing many grimoires.

  What caught Himmel’s eye was an advanced fire spell.

  He quickly reached out and said, "Learn."

  [....]

  But the system didn't respond. He asked the system why he couldn't learn it.

  [Host! Just because you learhe basic grimoires from me doesn't mean I'll teach you every time. The reason why the grimoires from the system be learned instantly isn't because I want to teach you—it's because they're written in system nguage. You wouldn't uand them manually, so I have to imprint them in your mind.]

  The system's response left Himmel speechless. He already khat the system wouldn't teach him spells, as it had said when he first arrived in this world, but he had hoped he could learhe same way he learhe basic spells.

  Since he was about to enter a dungeon, he didn't have time to study, so he put the grimoires into his iory and tinued walking.

  "By the way, you transform intur sword? You're too eye-catg," Himmel asked Sophia.

  "Hmph! I know," Sophia snorted.

  She gathered mana from the crystal stone ihe staff, and a sudden glow engulfed it. The long and elegant staff shrank, transf intur sword.

  "That was amazing," Himmel praised.

  "Hmph!" Sophia snorted again, blushie her ent face.

  Himmel took the sword and put it into his iory, then pced Sophia into his sheath.

  "Let's go ahis dungeon," Himmel said with determination as he walked forward.

  ---

  To be tinue...

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