Chapter 14: Extraordinary Trait (Please Keep Reading!)

Chapter 14 Extraordinary Traits

Levi and young John stood conversing in a quiet corner.

A few figures drifted over, and seeing them approach, young John hurried to introduce them: "Levi, this is Rand. His father is Baron Kuller."

"And this is Neil; his father presides as the guildmaster of the Cornucopia Chamber of Commerce."

"This is Delice. Her mother is the sister of our Lord Governor."

In truth, all three were Levi’s classmates, though young John suspected the youth recognized none of them.

He had chosen to intercede with introductions beforehand, sparing them all from repeating the awkwardness of their previous encounter.

Anchoring a name to a family lineage was an unspoken decree of noble socializing.

Without a background of some renown, few would ever deign to pay any mind.

Rand cast a curious glance but, bound by caution, refrained from pressing further.

Neil, well-traveled and worldly from following his father, guessed the truth of the matter with a fair degree of accuracy.

Delice fixed her gaze upon Levi, her curiosity piqued. "I hear you can already cast magic. Is it true?"

Levi offered a faint, modest smile. "Mere luck, nothing more."

Delice countered, "Even so, it is marvelous! Could you perhaps teach me?"

"It is entirely due to my teacher's excellent instruction. I only possess a superficial understanding myself, so I fear I cannot teach you," Levi replied, declining with polite tact.

Delice smiled pleasantly. "No matter. We can simply exchange our insights on cultivation and aid one another."

Rand watched Levi with a twinge of envy; it was the first time he had ever seen Delice take such initiative with a man.

Levi chose not to pursue the topic, deftly shifting the conversation. "Are any of you hungry?"

Sensing the moment, young John eagerly chimed in, "My father spent a great deal of time preparing for this banquet. The delicacies were meticulously crafted by the finest chef in Maple Leaf City. Please, everyone, do have a taste."

With that, he took the lead and guided the group toward the dining tables.

The banquet had been underway for some time, and guests were gradually sampling the culinary treasures on display.

Yet most had gathered solely to forge connections, straining to maintain an air of aristocratic poise, and remained quite reserved.

They merely trifled with the food, taking dainty, superficial bites.

Save for one rather striking exception.

Reyna stood before the feast, consuming meat in great, hearty portions.

Her lifelong noble upbringing lent an elegance to her manner of eating, creating a stark, fascinating contrast with her sheer speed.

Though she appeared perfectly graceful, her appetite was unexpectedly fierce.

A large cut of roasted meat vanished in two or three bites, yet not a single drop of grease marred the corners of her mouth.

It left one wondering how on earth she managed such a feat.

"Levi, try this. It’s silverfish caught from a glacial lake hundreds of miles away. The flavor is exquisite!"

Young John lifted a platter of silverfish sashimi, presenting it to Levi with enthusiastic warmth.

Levi took a bite, found it entirely bland, and realized he had no palate for raw fish.

He reached out to claim a platter of roasted meat instead.

Suddenly, a slender yet powerful hand gripped the very same dish.

Levi followed the line of the well-toned arm upward to find Reyna, clad in a formal evening gown, confronting him.

Reyna looked him up and down. "So you are the genius mage my little brother spoke of?"

Aware of his sister's temperament, young John interjected hastily, "Sister, Levi is an honored guest whom I personally invited..."

Reyna waved a hand dismissively, never once looking his way. "Step aside, I wasn't speaking to you."

She relinquished her grip on the platter, crossed her arms over her chest, and stared intently at Levi. "I want to fight you."

Levi blinked in astonishment, and once he collected his thoughts, he shook his head in refusal.

"I do not know how to fight."

Reyna pressed on, "You are a mage, and I have never fought a mage before."

Levi was left speechless. Was that truly her reason for picking a fight? It was absurd beyond belief.

He explained, "I am neither a mage nor a novice mage. I am merely an apprentice."

Reyna countered, "It matters not. As long as you can manifest magic, that is enough. I shall stand perfectly still and let you strike me with your spells. It is as simple as that."

Levi retorted, "If you harbor a death wish, you might find a high place to leap from. There is no need to involve me in it."

It was no jest; the sheer force of a Lesser Fireball was enough to shatter solid rock.

Should he accidentally blast Reyna to death, the Gold Shield family would undoubtedly seek vengeance.

Reyna declared, "I am a First-Tier Knight. The extraordinary trait I awakened is Absolute Defense. You cannot kill me!"

"An extraordinary trait? Absolute Defense?"

Having read volumes such as *Legends of the Mages*, *Chronicles of the Dragon-Slaying Warrior*, and *Tales of the Knights*.

Levi understood well the vast chasm separating extraordinary professionals from mere novices.

The distinction lay entirely within these extraordinary traits.

For a novice mage to ascend to a true mage, aside from mastering first-tier spells and achieving a full well of mana, the most crucial step was awakening an extraordinary trait.

Different traits granted professionals immense enhancements in distinct aspects.

Reyna had awakened the trait of "Absolute Defense."

Her defensive capabilities were augmented drastically, far surpassing peers of her own rank.

A knight was already an extraordinary profession inherently geared toward fortifying physique and defense.

This reinforcement upon reinforcement rendered Reyna’s resilience truly astonishing.

Though he had read descriptions of these extraordinary traits in texts, he had never witnessed one firsthand.

A flicker of curiosity stirred within Levi’s heart.

Seeing Levi remain unyielding, Reyna deployed her ultimate inducement.

She murmured, "My master once acquired a magic tome that records a highly peculiar spell. Mage El from the Mage Tower begged my master numerous times to grant him a glimpse of that tome, yet he was repeatedly denied."

Levi’s interest was piqued. "If I agree to fight you, will you give me that magic tome?"

Reyna scoffed, "How could that be possible! The tome cannot be given to you, but I can secretly steal it away to let you steal a single glance."

Fearing the allure might still be insufficient.

She added, "To this very day, Mage El has never laid eyes upon that book."

Levi threw up his hands. "What earthly use is a single glance? Any spell model requires repeated readings to be properly committed to memory."

He glanced toward young John, giving him a meaningful look.

Young John hurried to nod in agreement. "Indeed, one must read it at least five times or more to memorize it completely."

Levi smiled inwardly. He cared little how many times others required; for him, a single glance was all it took to remember it forever.

Just to avoid drawing too much attention, this had to be said.

After a moment’s hesitation, Leina said, “Then I suppose I can arrange for you to watch a few more times?”

Upon hearing this, Livi felt a spark of interest.

Free access to a spell model—saving a small fortune!

Learning a zero-tier spell model at the Mage Tower cost about twenty merits.

Each merit was worth one gold coin—so that was twenty gold coins per session.

For an ordinary person to master even a single zero-tier spell model required at least one hundred gold coins.

Becoming a mage? Without money, it was simply impossible!

Spell models burned through coin, and daily cultivation devoured wealth just as fiercely.

Soul-soothing incense, ice crystals, magic potions… Livi had only just begun his training and hadn’t even used magic potions yet.

In just the month of December alone, he’d already consumed over seven gold coins’ worth of resources—

more than twenty sticks of soul-soothing incense, eleven ice crystals.

Without spending, all you could do was wait—either endure until success, or perish in the process.

Livi accepted Leina’s challenge.

They moved to an open patch in the courtyard, while Little John, Dailise, and others followed curiously to watch.

It wasn’t every day one saw a mage fight a knight.

Livi glanced at Leina, still dressed in her evening gown, and asked, “You’re not going to put on armor?”

Leina shook her head. “Unnecessary. Absolute Defense is stronger than any armor.”

“Wait a moment.”

Livi spent two minutes casting. A small fireball shot out over ten meters before slamming into the lawn.

Boom!

The grass erupted, leaving a crater over a meter wide.

Livi turned to Leina and asked again, “Are you really not putting on armor?”

Thank you to the generous patron “1210yang’s Friend”!

(End of Chapter)