"You have absolutely no idea how to use magic."
When these words came out of Riveria's mouth and entered Leon's ears, Leon froze completely.
"I——have absolutely no idea how to use magic?"
He never expected that he would receive such an evaluation from Riveria.
But as an elf, a race born with an innate affinity for magic, and moreover a member of their royal family and the strongest mage in Orario, Riveria naturally had a reason for saying this.
"The way you use magic is completely a matter of just throwing it out blindly. It's just like giving a sword to someone who has never learned swordsmanship; even if that sword is a divine weapon capable of slicing through iron like mud, he will only swing it around erratically."
Riveria spoke slowly, which made Leon understand her point somewhat.
"You mean——my proficiency in utilizing magic is very weak?"
Leon's words were met with a nod from Riveria.
"Magic is a type of power, but it is also a field of study. Just as people need corresponding techniques to use weapons, the same naturally applies to our use of magic."
"Even though magic obtained through the Grace is unique to each individual, most of the techniques used when manipulating magic are universal."
"When using magic, there are tricks to be found in how to more efficiently convert mind and load it into the spell, how to chant the incantation to better harness the magic, and how to unleash it more rapidly, among other things."
"Mages from ordinary small Familias naturally have no access to these tricks and can only figure them out slowly on their own, but we are different."
Riveria pointed to the collection of books in this archive as she spoke.
"Although our Loki Familia has only been established for a few decades, many predecessors have explored the path of magic. Including myself, everyone has summarized a great deal of experience through mutual exchange and study. This experience is a treasure left behind for rising stars like you."
"We left these accumulated experiences and techniques here precisely in the hope that you all can avoid unnecessary detours."
"Take Lefiya, for instance; she is still studying here even now. By combining the knowledge she acquired at the Education District with the knowledge she finds here, she continuously refines her magical capabilities."
"Although you only have one magic, and a super-short chant at that, the magical proficiency you displayed during your fight with the Goliath was simply too poor. Therefore, I hope you can study properly."
Acting like a strict teacher, Riveria began to dissect the problems that had arisen during his battle with the Goliath.
His conversion of mind into magical firepower was neither concise nor efficient. After activating the magic, he didn't choose to hold onto its reins either, instead allowing it to run rampant like a wild horse, which also caused a lot of waste during the process.
"In reality, with the magical firepower you displayed at the time, even a Lv.5 output would have been more than enough to deal a fatal blow to the Goliath. There was absolutely no need to increase the firepower further; doing so was a pure waste."
"Even if the Goliath is a floor boss specialized in Endurance, a Lv.5 tier of firepower is entirely sufficient to handle it. The reason you didn't inflict high damage on it was because you only knew how to hurl the magic out to cause a chaotic barrage. If you had held onto the reins of the magic the entire time, you could have completely concentrated its power, making it far more threatening."
"This caused your originally outstanding firepower to disperse too quickly and too widely, preventing it from dealing significant damage instead. This is currently your biggest problem."
Faced with Riveria's breakdown, Leon was left speechless.
At the time, he had constantly felt that his firepower was insufficient, believing that a Lv.5 output could not deal a fatal wound to a Goliath whose Endurance had similarly reached Lv.5. That was why he had been forced to go all out, pushing his output to the Lv.6 tier. But now that Riveria had pointed it out, Leon instantly realized how ridiculous that mindset was.
Magic was different from the ordinary swords and blades in the hands of adventurers. It was a trump card, a hidden asset, and a finishing move—an otherworldly power that could seal a victory the moment it was unleashed. That was precisely why so many people pursued it, yearned for it, and why its status in this world was so incredibly high.
It was common knowledge that as long as one mastered magic, their entire capability would become vastly different.
A magic output of the same tier being unable to deal a fatal wound to a defense of the same tier?
That was practically a joke.
Just like when Leon was initially still a Lv.2, his basic statuses were all at the I rank, meaning he could only adventure on the 1st to 4th floors of the Dungeon. Yet because he possessed a magic, it was deemed entirely sufficient even for the upper floors. This proved that even with an output at the Lv.1 tier, his magic could pierce through all the monsters of the upper floors.
As long as he didn't encounter a Lv.2 monster, even his magic from his Lv.1 days could deal a fatal blow to all monsters classified as Lv.1, even if the opponents were Killer Ants or Hard Armored whose entire bodies were as hard as rock. That was the sheer value of magic.
In fact, even if it were one tier lower, the power of magic could still inflict effective damage on an enemy; it just wouldn't be as fatal.
Precisely because of this, people raved about magic so intensely.
Yet, when Leon unleashed firepower at the Lv.5 tier, he hadn't even possessed the ability to deal a fatal blow to a monster whose Endurance alone had reached Lv.5. Even if that monster was an ultra-large scale floor boss, it was undoubtedly a bit underwhelming.
This was exactly why Riveria couldn't bear to watch any longer and had dragged him here to lecture him.
"Furthermore, you should also learn techniques like parallel processing and chanting, otherwise the convenience of your star-attribute magic is truly being wasted," Riveria added. "Although I have never seen star-attribute magic before, I can more or less tell that the structure of this attribute's magic is extremely stable, offering high freedom and strong controllability. After you acquire the Mage development ability and receive the assistance of a magic circle, you should even be able to freely adjust its direction and trajectory, right?"
It had to be said that as expected of elven royalty and the strongest mage in Orario, Riveria's insight and knowledge were unparalleled, seeing right through the essence of Leon's magic in an instant.
"If you can leave yourself some leeway during combat, you can entirely achieve many tactics or even set traps by freely manipulating your magic. This would greatly increase your chances of victory, and you wouldn't have to fight in such a miserable state."
Leon could relate to the problem Riveria pointed out this time.
He wasn't a reckless brute, and he understood perfectly well how difficult and life-threatening it was to face a floor boss while being two tiers lower. Therefore, before the battle began, he had actually devised many tactics, intending to execute them by relying on his freely controllable magic.
For example, when the Goliath charged over, he could first blast its legs or the ground beneath its feet to create obstacles. That way, he could comfortably stay behind to attack the opponent from a distance, gradually wearing it down to death by kiting it.
However, reality proved that while the imagination was beautiful, the truth was cruel.
The running speed of the Goliath was far faster than Leon had anticipated, forcing him to abandon chanting magic and first find a way to evade the opponent's charge and attacks. While the opponent was chasing and striking at him, the momentum of those giant fists crashing down and the resulting shockwaves also scattered his focus, leaving him with absolutely no composure to chant magic calmly, let alone manipulate the magic freely to achieve precise strikes.
He had been pushed to the point of abandoning his chants, not hesitating to reduce the power of his magic just to unleash it and halt the opponent's continuous charge and attacks. How could he possibly find the leeway to precisely control the direction and flight trajectory of the magic?
The result was exactly as Riveria said: he could only rely on a scattered barrage of magical firepower. Not only was the threat it posed significantly reduced, but his tactics and strategies could not be utilized at all.
At that time, his mind was entirely occupied with how to evade the Goliath's massive arms, how to position himself, and how to run. His eyes could only fixate on the opponent's fists without letting go, not daring to divert any attention whatsoever. How could he possibly multitask and consider so many things?
It could only be said that only by directly facing a floor boss and standing right across from it would one truly comprehend how powerful the pressure and oppression it brought could be.
"It can't be helped. You are only a Lv.2 after all, and your basic statuses lag too far behind a floor boss, making it very difficult to leave yourself more leeway," Riveria concluded.
"But for a mage, leaving yourself some leeway so that you can utilize magic calmly is an exceptionally vital matter."
"Even if you position yourself as a magic swordsman, you must learn this point."
"That is why I brought you here."
Riveria pushed the books she had gathered from the shelves one by one in front of Leon.
"These are all books I selected based on your current situation. I believe the contents recorded inside are the most useful for you at this stage."
"Before the expedition begins, try your best to finish reading them. After that, study with me for a day or two to fully master the knowledge inside."
"By doing so, I can guarantee you that your capability in magic will undergo an earth-shattering change."
As she spoke these words, Riveria made no effort to hide the expectation in her tone.
She hadn't told Leon that precisely because of his battle with the Goliath, she now thought very highly of him.
She felt that Leon's talent in magic was perhaps even higher than her own and Lefiya's.
Although the number of spells he possessed fell far short of hers and Lefiya's, those could always be compensated for. His magic, which could be adjusted at will, along with his raw firepower, were the most precious assets.
As long as a solid foundation in magic was laid for him, allowing him to fully unleash his magical capabilities, then even if he didn't charge into the fray as a magic swordsman and merely acted as a rear-guard mage, he would still be a precious asset and talent not much inferior to herself and Lefiya.
In order not to waste this ability and talent, she, a member of elven royalty, couldn't help but step in to guide him.
It could be said that with her actions today, describing Leon as her student, just like Lefiya, wouldn't be an exaggeration in the slightest.
Unaware of what Riveria was thinking, Leon merely stared at the books before him, his eyes shining.
"Alright."
Without any hesitation, Leon nodded his head.
"I will study hard."