On the small forest path, one large and one small figure walked together. Rather than walking together, it was more accurate to say Evelyn was diligently trying to keep pace with Mei.
That night, she had personally witnessed Mei obliterate a Tier 2 magical beast with a single strike. From that moment, she sensed that Mei held no malice toward her.
Otherwise, given Mei's strength, she would be utterly defenseless.
Compared to facing the dangers of the wilderness alone, following Mei was clearly the better choice.
Mei was mostly indifferent to Evelyn.
She could follow or not; most of her day was spent traveling on foot.
Only occasionally would she stop to admire the scenery or interesting events along the way.
When Mei paused, Evelyn would seize the time to train her mana.
Her mana capacity would slowly increase with repeated use.
The younger one started training, the more pronounced the effect.
Once puberty hit, the speed would become even more noticeable, then gradually decline from middle age to old age.
It seemed that the process of extracting mana damaged the body.
People in the Hero's World couldn't live long lives: although mana came from nature, entering the body would still affect it. The side effects were varied.
Unless one was a particularly high-level existence, most only lived for about a hundred or a thousand years. Tier 6 and Tier 7 beings were unheard of for Evelyn: such individuals only existed in legends for her.
These "chosen" people were powerful, but they were almost always given various missions and then died in countless battles. The Hero's power was undeniable. But from ancient times until now, no Hero had ever lived to see old age.
...
At night.
A faint blue luminescence flickered around Evelyn's small body. This was her drawing natural mana and storing it within, the concentration of mana creating this beautiful visual.
According to the power system's grading, Evelyn was currently nothing more than a small fish, of the lowest tier, barely stepping over the threshold of Tier 1.
Opening her eyes, Evelyn met Mei's gaze. She hoped for Mei's assessment and asked, "How is it?"
"Just average."
Mei evaluated.
Evelyn was surprised. "The magic teachers in my family said my talent was very good."
Mei's reply was still lukewarm.
"Just average."
"I want to learn magic from you, can I?"
"..."
At this, Mei stopped paying attention to Evelyn. She was too lazy to look after a small child. If Evelyn wanted to follow, she could; Mei didn't care.
Not getting a reply, Evelyn was a little disappointed, but having spent these past few days together, she already knew what kind of person Mei was and didn't take it too much to heart.
She was a person who was warm on the inside, cold on the outside. After all, Mei had never actually sent her away.
...
The next day.
Evelyn woke up early. She saw Mei take out a notebook and draw a vertical line on its blank cover. With this newly drawn line, there were now a total of six symbols.
Six? What did that mean? Evelyn couldn't understand its meaning.
Mei's pace wasn't fast. Even in the extremely dangerous forest, she walked as if on a leisurely stroll, treating it simply as if she were walking in a garden. Half a month later, they finally emerged from the forest.
Evelyn had many questions in her mind. She asked Mei: "Teacher, you're a mage, aren't you? Why have I never seen you draw mana from the vast nature around us?"
"I am not your teacher."
"Oh."
Evelyn nodded, obediently following behind Mei: "I understand, Teacher."
She believed Mei was at least a Tier 2 mage, perhaps even a Tier 3, otherwise how could she possess the power to instantly kill a Tier 2 magical beast?
With a faint blue mana aura flowing in her eyes, Evelyn quietly observed Mei's back. She was clearly a very powerful mage, yet Evelyn couldn't discern even a trace of mana flowing within Mei.
Magic Eye.
This was an eye that could directly perceive mana.
It was an extremely rare talent. Apart from her parents, no one knew Evelyn possessed this high-grade magical talent, and she wouldn't tell anyone else.
"Strange..."
With too many questions in her young mind, Evelyn found Mei increasingly mysterious. How could a mage have no signs of mana flow within them?
...
Another half month passed.
When Mei paused on the road with nothing to do, she boredly reminded Evelyn: "Your mana extraction efficiency is too low."
Evelyn was surprised. "Doesn't everyone extract it this way?"
For the next half year, Mei remained the same. Only when she was bored or struck by inspiration would she point out to Evelyn the reasons for her low mana extraction efficiency.
Based on this, Evelyn began to experiment with improving her mana extraction methods. To her surprise, the effect was significant—from an initial one to twenty percent, to ultimately nearly ten times the speed.
It was quite terrifying by comparison.
With ten times the mana extraction speed, she didn't even need to deliberately set aside time to extract mana. She could balance mana absorption and release simply by concentrating a little during breathing.
At this point, Evelyn realized that Mei was perhaps an incredibly formidable mage. At the very least, she had never heard of such a highly efficient mana extraction method.
"Teacher, are you a very famous mage?"
"No."
Few people in this world even knew her; how could she be famous? Mei was a ghost in this world, virtually unknown.
"Then you're a hermit." Evelyn understood.
From ancient times to the present, legends often featured enigmatic hermits and sages, some serving as mentors to heroes, some as heroes themselves, and some as wise kings who overthrew tyrannical regimes.
Mei took out that notebook again, adding another vertical line to it. Seven lines now stood neatly arranged. Evelyn still couldn't understand the meaning of these symbols. Mei never bothered to explain.
Evelyn mimicked her. When they passed a certain small town, she sold the monster materials she had accumulated from their travels, bought herself some traveling clothes, and a notebook.
From then on, she recorded her journey's knowledge—from daily events to encounters with monsters, or various strange things she had never seen before.
As time passed, Evelyn's mana grew rapidly. She hadn't learned any other magic; she still only had a few basic spells, such as Fireball and Waterball.
But inspired by the increased mana extraction efficiency, she spontaneously improved her techniques, enhancing her mana release efficiency and utilization rate.
The most intuitive manifestation was that her Fireball spell, though fundamentally the same, was many times more powerful than others' Fireball spells. Her Waterball spell directly transformed into a water cannon.
BANG!
The water orb, brewing in her hand, shot out like a cannonball, shattering a roadside rock. Evelyn's face was beaming: "Haha, Teacher, look! My Waterball spell's power has increased again!"
"Mm." Mei merely glanced at her, showing little reaction.
...
Two years passed in the blink of an eye. Evelyn's stature had grown considerably, and compared to before, her youthful face now bore a certain composure and tenacity.
She hadn't systematically studied much magic; her knowledge came only from Mei's occasional reminders and pointers along the way. Even so, her progress was astonishing.
As they traveled, Evelyn would go to great lengths to collect magic wherever they went, ravenously absorbing knowledge to grow quickly. Now, she possessed quite a vài spells.
She could barely be considered a qualified mage. She was very satisfied with her progress.
"Teacher, how is it?"
"Weak."
Such an assessment seemed to be within Evelyn's expectations. Her Teacher's standards were quite high: she had barely received any affirmation or praise.
"Very weak?"
Mei reiterated. "Very weak."
Evelyn now possessed entry-level Tier 2 strength. To an ordinary person, she was undoubtedly very powerful, but looking across the Hero's World, she was still pitifully weak.
Such was the cruel reality.
Ordinary people, even with a lifetime of effort, struggled to gain significant power, while those favored by destiny could reach the pinnacle without any bottlenecks.
Mei rated Evelyn as weak but acknowledged her efforts. This was the best she could do. Even a genius couldn't compare to a chosen one.
The legendary heroes and demon kings possessing world-destroying power, such descriptions were overly exaggerated, too distant for Evelyn to have any sense of reality.
At this thought, Evelyn's eyes lit up.
"Teacher, your knowledge must be very extensive, right? Have you ever seen a Hero? Are they very strong? Can they really destroy a mountain with one strike?"
As she spoke, Mei paused and looked up at the sky.
"Hmm?"
Evelyn was stunned.
Suddenly,
BOOM!
A massive figure, like a meteorite, fell, smashing a towering mountain before them. In an instant, the earth shook and mountains crumbled, the colossal impact startling Evelyn to the core.
"How's that?"
"ROAR!!!"
Accompanying the collapsed mountain was a clear, massive dragon's roar. Splashing rubble, carrying powerful impact force, rained down everywhere.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Each piece of rubble could create a large crater on the ground. It was merely the residual power from the mountain's collapse, yet the destructive force was even more terrifying. In an instant, the surrounding ground was riddled with holes.
"Teacher, watch out!"
Evelyn's small face was pale with fright. This was her first time encountering such a grand spectacle. In a panic, she rushed in front of Mei, casting a magical shield that blocked the scattering rubble.
CRACK!
A massive piece of rubble grazed overhead, directly smashing a corner of Evelyn's raised magical shield, scaring her out of her wits.
Mei's expression remained unchanged. She said, "Didn't you want to witness the power of a strong individual? Then open your eyes and watch carefully. Opportunities like this don't come often."
Evelyn heard this and widened her eyes.
"ROAR!"
A violent dragon's roar swept away the dust and debris. Evelyn finally clearly saw the colossal monster's true form: a black dragon several tens of meters tall.
Its level was unknown. However, Evelyn noticed the injuries on the black dragon's body.
"It's bleeding?"
Amidst the dragon's roar, a frantic whistling sound tore through the air. A figure streaked across the sky, and in the blink of an eye, it struck the black dragon with an unstoppable force.
Immense power penetrated the black dragon's body and transferred into the earth. In an instant, the ground beneath them cracked and fractured, spreading like a spiderweb.
In motion, it shattered mountains and destroyed peaks; the earth fractured. Evelyn watched, stunned.
"So... so strong!"
The residual shockwaves of the battle sent a rock several meters in diameter flying towards Evelyn. In the face of such terrifying power, Evelyn felt for the first time what it meant to be insignificant.
This might be a level she could never attain in her entire life.
Evelyn swallowed hard. "Teacher, who is that person?"
To be able to suppress a rampaging black dragon, this wasn't a question of being strong or not. Mei's answer confirmed Evelyn's guess.
"The 25th Great Hero, Sakar."
Indeed!
Evelyn was filled with longing for such power, her eyes shining brightly with anticipation. Even knowing it was highly unlikely, she still yearned to possess such strength.
"Teacher, will I be able to wield such power in the future?"
"..."
Mei did not answer. Without external intervention, it was fundamentally impossible. No matter how talented an ordinary person was, they could not compare to those favored by heaven: that was the reality.
Evelyn was in a rapid growth phase, not yet seeing the limits of her talent. In another ten or twenty years, she would likely reach her own ceiling.
The battle subsided.
The Hero Sakar stood beside the massive black dragon's corpse. He watched Mei, who appeared to be a traveler, pass by, and a flicker of a memory crossed his mind.
He furrowed his brow. "Excuse me, have we met before?"
"..."
Mei said nothing, simply passing by. Seeing this, Sakar did not press further, but he kept glancing at Mei's back, feeling that she looked very familiar.
Evelyn followed dutifully behind Mei, carrying a large backpack that was ill-matched for her small frame. As she passed, she took an extra look at Sakar.
The Hero! She had finally met one!
She took out her notebook and wrote down the day's experiences. She walked hurriedly, occasionally bending her head to write. She included her earlier question to Mei, and Mei's silence.
Evelyn wrote:
[I asked Teacher, and Teacher, as always, remained silent.]
Later, as their journey continued, Evelyn's notes grew more extensive.
[Teacher is a person of few words, but I know she is actually a very formidable individual. No matter what happens, she always appears completely unfazed.]
"..."
[Hehe, Teacher actually praised me today, I'm so happy.]
"..."
[Don't let Teacher's icy demeanor fool you; sometimes she has a mischievous streak. What surprised me today was that Teacher actually smiled, a rare occurrence. I wonder what interesting thing she saw.]
"..."
[I originally thought Teacher's journey had a goal, but now it seems I was overthinking. I often hear recent stories of the Hero and the Demon King, but they seem very distant from us. I don't feel much of a connection to the world's safety or demise.]
"..."
An unknown amount of time passed.
On a snow-capped mountain, where the cold wind was bone-chilling. Mei added another stroke to the notebook in her hand. Looking at it now, the notebook was densely filled with vertical lines, impossible to count.
"Huff—"
Evelyn, bundled in a padded jacket, panted as she followed behind Mei, treading step-by-step on the soft snow until they disappeared into the blizzard.
The wind howled, faintly carrying Evelyn's question.
"Teacher, what determines a person's upper limit?"
Mei replied: "Luck and talent."
"Luck?"
"Yes."
Luck even outranked Talent. Effort was barely worth mentioning. This was the cruelest Truth.
"Teacher, have you always been alone?"
"..."
"Don't you feel lonely?"
"..."
Although her Teacher didn't answer, Evelyn felt that her Teacher was probably very lonely. That was why she enjoyed the simple pleasure of traveling so much.
...
A gloomy day. A curtain of rain.
Mei walked through the torrential downpour, allowing the raindrops to beat down. A hazy, white mist kicked up around them, looking as if a veil had separated them from the world. By the lake, Evelyn squatted, holding a lotus leaf over her head.
"CROAK, CROAK!"
Frogs croaked in the lake.
...
Summer arrived.
[The world is more marvelous than I ever imagined.]
Evelyn wrote this down.
Previously, she had never known that there were giant turtles the size of islands in this world, nor had she known of magnificent waterfalls that poured from islands floating in the sky.
She hadn't known that stars would fall from the heavens. She hadn't known of the glorious aurora. She hadn't known this world was so exciting.
This journey wasn't long. Evelyn was twelve when they set out; if she remembered correctly, she was now fifteen.
After the rain, a town came into view.
Following her usual custom, after entering the town, Evelyn began to gather information. She wondered if there was any magic-related inheritance or remnant here.
Without a systematic understanding of Magic, ordinary people could only learn it this way. Many adventurers grew little by little like this. As for magic shops, such things simply did not exist.
Fortunately, this small town did possess an ancient magic book that had been passed down. Although the Magic recorded within seemed common, no one would ever dislike having too much power. It would surely come in handy sometime.
"Excuse me..."
As Evelyn inquired about the magic book, she coincidentally encountered two other people: one adult, one child. One was a beautiful woman with long, cascading black hair, and the other was a girl roughly the same age and height as Evelyn.
This combination looked very familiar. Evelyn immediately guessed that these two must be a teacher and student. Like her, they were Mages, also coming for the magic book.
The beautiful woman made no attempt to conceal her identity. Her eyes lit up the moment they fell on Evelyn, and she smiled with great interest: "You... are a Mage, right?"
"..."
Evelyn looked wary and did not reply.
The beautiful woman chuckled brightly, introducing herself casually: "My name is Agnes, and this is Tina, my apprentice. We are also Mages."
Having said that, Agnes went straight to the point, asking directly: "Little girl, do you have a teacher?"
Ultimately, Evelyn did not respond to Agnes and her apprentice. Her heightened vigilance made her abandon her search for the magic book entirely. She left immediately, even taking pains to erase her tracks along the way.
But there was no need.
Agnes leisurely walked through the small town's alleyways, tracing Evelyn's previous steps. Evelyn was but a novice; such simple tricks were transparent to an experienced Mage.
"Teacher."
"Hmm?" Tina asked Agnes: "Do you want to take her as an apprentice?"
"Of course." Agnes smiled and nodded. She hadn't expected to find such a rough gem in this place, which genuinely surprised her: "I cannot tolerate Talent being wasted."
No matter how she looked at it, Evelyn was absolutely a born genius for Magic. Rather than let her talent wither, it was better for Agnes to personally guide her.
Observing the traces of Evelyn's spellcasting, Agnes made her judgment: "No structured spellcasting traces, lacking the most basic instruction, no systematic training..."
In summary: "She's probably self-taught."
However.
That child's Mana capacity... At this thought, Agnes became even more determined to take her as an apprentice. The child's immense Mana capacity was extraordinary. With proper training, she would certainly achieve something significant.
"Hmm?"
Their footsteps halted. Agnes found Evelyn, her expression still showing a hint of surprise. Tina stated the truth with an impassive face: "It seems you guessed wrong, Teacher. She has a teacher."
Ahead.
Evelyn, now behind Mei, frowned. The moment she saw Agnes, she entered battle readiness, Mana surging and poised to strike.
Troublesome.
Facing this unexpected situation, Agnes muttered under her breath: "Even if she has a teacher, it must be an incredibly incompetent one!"
How could anyone teach an apprentice like this? It was simply an eyesore.
Evelyn had no intention of asking them anything further. Seeing her about to cast a spell and launch an attack, Agnes had no choice but to halt her approach.
"We mean no harm!"
Agnes hurriedly explained: "Little girl, I merely wanted to ask if you're interested in being trained at the Royal Academy of Magic. I would personally instruct you."
"You?" Evelyn was confused.
"Yes."
Agnes took out a gemstone ring from her right hand. Etched on the ring was the crest of the Royal Academy of Magic: "Allow me to introduce myself again. My name is Agnes, and I am the current Vice-Principal of the Royal Academy of Magic."
The Great Sage.
Agnes?!
Evelyn finally understood the identity of the woman before her. In legends, a thousand years ago, she was a certain Hero's Magic Teacher. Her magical achievements were immeasurable.
Struck by this sudden, unexpected boon, Evelyn felt somewhat bewildered. Her expression remained vigilant, not relaxing in the slightest.
Setting aside whether it was true or false, Evelyn glanced at Mei, who had shown no reaction whatsoever.
"I already have a teacher!"
"Alright." Agnes extended her goodwill, stating: "If you wish to study more advanced magical knowledge, the Royal Academy of Magic welcomes you at any time. You can come for training whenever you wish."
She knew Evelyn didn't believe her, so she only said that much. With someone else's magic teacher present, continuing to poach would be impolite.
Mei seemed to ignore them, walking directly past the two. Evelyn followed dutifully, her face wary of the pair.
Agnes subtly sensed Mei's aura. Not a single trace of Mana?
Just as she was pondering this, she quietly activated a detection spell called World Gravitas—a Tier 6 spell, and the highest-level detection magic she could cast. It could discern a person's "gravitas" in this world. The more powerful and deeply intertwined with the world a person was, the greater their gravitas; conversely, it would be small.
Sure enough, the detection result was as Agnes had guessed: Evelyn's teacher had absolutely no gravitas in this world, even more ordinary than a common person.
Tina said: "I just feel like she's a very weak Mage."
"More or less..." Agnes instinctively blurted out. However, before she finished speaking, her pupils contracted. She suddenly spun around, staring intently at Mei's retreating back.
It was impossible for someone with no Gravitas to exist in this world! Unless that person transcended the world itself!