After a wild ride, the carriage finally screeched to a halt by the roadside.

Sour bile rose in my throat.

Aerin tied the carriage to a tree and walked over.

"What was that?! You made me drop my waffle!" Phyllis stormed up, shouting at me.

"Husband, please control your Battle Aura next time. This is... troublesome for us," Tia added, her voice firm. I really hadn’t meant to...

"Never mind! Let’s rest here. Pupil, show me some spear techniques!" Aerin thrust the long spear into my hands.

The moment I gripped it, every skill of a Spear Fighter flooded my mind. I only had combat skills, not forms. Maybe I could chain them together?

I decided on the Flowing Cloud Technique—a basic Spear Fighter skill in the game. It had three stances: Wind (sweep), Swift (thrust), and Fall (lift). Its true power lay in retracting a move mid-execution to instantly shift stances, defying inertia and physical laws. Even interrupted strikes still damaged the target.

"...That’s... incredible." Aerin stared, dumbfounded, after I finished the sequence.

*"Told you he was the right teacher."*

"But I can’t *teach*! I just *use* them!" How could I explain a skill like this?!

"It’s fine! Just seeing it thrills me! Give me the spear—I’ll practice!" She snatched it back and began training alone.

"Husband, I need to speak with you." Tia approached me seriously.

"What is it?"

"Ever since you gave me that ring... I learn magic just by watching once. And..." She planted her Magic Staff upright. It floated up, drifting behind her like a loyal shadow. "It follows me now. Everywhere." She darted left, then right—the staff trailed her, not an inch away.

Just like a game mage! Could she cast spells while moving now?

"Magic feels different too. Spells used to manifest only at the staff’s tip. Now..." She chanted. Flames coiled around her bare hands. "I can cast with a gesture after chanting. Much faster."

Mobile casting. Free hands. This was game-breaking here. The ring’s power was reshaping her.

"No. I have another use for it." She slammed her flaming fist into the ground.

The earth shook. A jagged crack split the grassy field.

"... ..."

"You’re an *elemental mage*! Since when did you become a Dragon Slayer Mage?! Stick to your class!"

"There’s... a thrill in this kind of attack!" Tia grinned wickedly at her fist.

Hey! You’re a *mage*! Planning to charge enemies shouting ‘Fire Dragon’s Roar’ now?! And what terrifying power just awakened in her?!

"Pupil! What’s happening over there?!" Aerin yelled from under the tree, spear in hand.

"N-nothing... Tia just learned a new move."

"Come check my practice!" She waved me over.

*What could she have mastered in minutes?* Still, I walked toward her.

"Correct me again." She twirled the spear.

"Hurry up. We need to leave soon."

Aerin began her sequence.

To my shock, her Flowing Cloud Technique flowed as fluid as its name—crisp, precise, like she’d drilled it for years.

"Watch closely!" She swept low, then abruptly shifted mid-motion to a lift. No Battle Aura meant the interrupted strike wouldn’t land, but defying inertia to switch stances? That was extraordinary.

"...What... just happened?" I gaped at her.

*"Kid! This girl’s a prodigy with spears. She memorizes forms after one glance. Battle Aura’s still beyond her—but her skill? Unmatched."*

"Hehe~! Amazing, right?! Show me more techniques!" She tossed the spear back to me.

"Fine, fine... I’ll show you a few flashy ones."

And so, until I’d demonstrated every move, Aerin refused to leave.