"Super-tier Lightning-element magic?"
When Kurose Akira saw the Epic-quality magic scroll, joy surged through him instantly.
Had his exclusive skill finally arrived?
Ye Lingxi's face bloomed with a radiant smile, gratitude overflowing from her expression. "Brother Akira, thank you so much this time! Thanks to you, I can finally accept the special commission to advance to E-rank!"
"It was nothing," Akira replied with a calm smile. "Since everything's settled, I'll head back first. If anything comes up, get in touch."
"Mhm!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Akira took Marei Rhine and returned to the guild.
When he arrived, Ivsha and the others still hadn't come back. However, sitting leisurely in the guild hall, sipping tea, was a saintess.
"You're back~"
Lucia lightly pressed her red lips together. Through the white veil, her gold-and-crimson eyes settled on Akira as he walked in.
"Mm." Akira nodded, then asked, "Are the Light Church's matters all taken care of?"
"Mm~" Lucia set down her teacup and slowly stood up, her voice soft and unhurried. "Those insignificant vermin… I've dealt with all of them."
"Dealt with?" Akira froze for a moment.
From Lucia's cool tone, he could clearly tell that her definition of "dealt with" meant sending them straight to meet their god.
"Your body…"
Lucia suddenly stepped forward briskly. Her slender left hand pressed lightly against Akira's chest, forcing him back into a corner.
Seeing her serious expression, Akira asked, "What's wrong?"
"I sense a trace of dark aura on you. Did you encounter Dark Elves?" Lucia asked.
"You can tell that too?" Akira looked at her in surprise.
"I've encountered Dark Elves before," Lucia explained. "The darkness they carry is different from that of demons. It's purer—just raw, untainted magic. A kind of power that draws people in."
"I see."
Akira nodded, sinking into thought.
He understood. Just as there were many types of fire elements, darkness also came in many forms.
Fuli's pure flame. Ivsha's dark fire. Marei Rhine's destructive blaze.
All of them were fire—but fundamentally different.
Darkness was the same.
"Still," Lucia continued, her fingertips lightly tracing across Akira's chest, "the dark aura on you is extremely pure. Did you encounter a Dark Elf close to demigod-level?"
That delicate touch made Akira raise an eyebrow slightly.
He noticed a faint golden glow lingering at Lucia's fingertips, as if she were helping him disperse the residual dark aura.
"Although Dark Elves remain kind at their core, it's best if you keep your distance," Lucia warned calmly. "The darkness they carry may influence you. Of course, if you don't mind falling into darkness, you can ignore my advice."
With that, she withdrew her hand and returned to her seat.
"I'll remember it," Akira said seriously, engraving her warning deep into his mind.
Then, with a thought, he opened the light screen.
Loserine and the others were currently delivering quest items to their destination. They would likely be back soon.
"It's five in the afternoon…"
Akira glanced at the time. He had an appointment with Elina tonight, but there was still plenty of time.
As for the Elven Queen's commission, he needed to report his investigation results to her before formally submitting the quest.
Which meant—
He had free time now.
Time to open that magic scroll.
[Do you want to open the Lightning-element Magic Scroll (Epic)?]
"Yes!"
[Congratulations! You have obtained the super-tier Lightning magic — Phantom Thunder Bird!]
[Do you want to learn this magic?]
This was the advantage of being a player. With a skill scroll, a spell could be learned instantly.
Of course, merely learning a super-tier spell was far from enough to unleash its true power.
It required massive mana reserves, as well as deep understanding and mastery.
"Learn it," Akira decided without hesitation.
[Congratulations! You have learned Phantom Thunder Bird (Super-tier)!]
"Lucia, I just learned a new spell," Akira said with a smile.
"What kind of spell?" Lucia asked casually as she lifted her teacup.
"A Lightning-element spell," Akira replied, smiling.
Her response instantly froze that smile.
"Is it a proper spell?"
"…Are there improper spells?" Akira asked reflexively.
"Hehe~" Lucia covered her mouth with a soft laugh. "Come to the practice room. Let me see it."
"..."
Akira was momentarily speechless. His image in Lucia's eyes seemed to be getting worse and worse.
The two of them went to the practice room. Akira initially planned to test the damage on a training dummy, but Lucia stopped him.
"Cast it directly on me," she said calmly. "I'll tell you where it needs improvement. And remember—use all your strength."
"Lucia~ you said it yourself~" Akira pulled out his Thunderfire Rod. This time, he was determined to let the saintess taste his power.
"Mm." Lucia simply nodded calmly, not taking it too seriously.
What she didn't know—
Akira's elemental amplification was terrifying.
Just the [Super Fan] trait alone granted a 140% increase to Lightning and Fire damage. Add to that the 50% boost to elemental magic power from the World Tree's blessing, plus various other bonuses—
His elemental magic damage amplification easily exceeded 300%!
"Hah…"
Akira took a deep breath, his gaze fixed firmly on Lucia, who stood quietly in the distance.
Lucia paused slightly. This was the first time she had seen such seriousness in Akira's eyes—and it caught her off guard.
But before she could react further, Akira had already completed the chant for Phantom Thunder Bird.
In an instant—
Vast mana surged, lightning gathering above Akira's head, forming a thunderbird crackling with blue arcs of electricity.
Lucia's eyes sharpened immediately. She deployed a magical barrier without hesitation, golden light enveloping her body.
The thunderbird dove toward her at Akira's command.
Accompanied by a clear, piercing cry, Phantom Thunder Bird slammed into Lucia's barrier.
Boom!
The thunderbird detonated, terrifying lightning erupting outward and transforming the area into a sea of electricity.
Violent lightning relentlessly battered Lucia's pale-gold barrier. Though it hadn't yet injured her, her situation was rapidly deteriorating.
Lucia frowned slightly and glanced around.
She hadn't expected Akira's Lightning magic to be this powerful—stronger even than the elemental magic wielded by the elf sisters!
And—
Lightning magic excelled in speed.
From formation to impact, Phantom Thunder Bird had taken barely a second.
That meant this spell could strike an enemy completely off guard.
And like fire magic, lightning carried immense destructive power and lingering damage. Once it hit, it posed a tremendous threat.
Just like—
Her current situation.
Crack.
Lucia's pupils trembled as she noticed a fracture appear on her light barrier.
Thankfully, it was only a single crack.
"This spell is quite good," Lucia said with a faint smile. "But its power is still lacking. You need more practice."
"It's not over yet," Akira reminded her.
"Mm?" Lucia was about to speak when suddenly—
The lightning pool left behind by Phantom Thunder Bird flashed again.
With another clear cry, even more violent lightning surged toward her—stronger than before!
This time, under the continuous assault, Lucia's light barrier finally shattered, breaking into golden fragments that scattered through the air.
Her slender body was completely exposed to the lightning.
"Ahh—!"
Lucia let out a soft cry, her body trembling as she nearly lost her balance.
"Lucia!" Akira rushed forward instinctively, reaching out to support her.
But Lucia waved him off lightly, biting her lower lip as she said stubbornly, "I'm fine."
Akira stopped, surprised by her resilience.
Lucia slowly straightened herself. With a gentle movement of her fingers, golden light rippled outward.
In the next moment, the lightning created by Phantom Thunder Bird dissipated under her power.
As calm returned, Akira noticed her body was trembling faintly—
She had clearly been numbed by the electricity.
Lucia immediately commented, "This move is no joke. I underestimated it."
Her voice trembled slightly, her steps unsteady. She hadn't expected Akira's newly learned Lightning spell to exceed her expectations by such a margin.
"Don't push yourself," Akira said.
He walked over and gently lifted her into his arms.
The instant he picked her up, residual current surged into him. If he hadn't immediately covered his arms with dragon scales, he might not have withstood Phantom Thunder Bird's lingering power.
Even Akira himself hadn't anticipated its strength—it was actually capable of threatening Lucia.
"I said I'm fine," Lucia muttered softly, glancing at him. Still, she obediently leaned her face against his chest, allowing him to carry her.
Akira gently placed Lucia onto the bed in his room, letting her rest.
Though Phantom Thunder Bird was powerful, it still wasn't enough to truly injure Lucia—at most, it caused temporary discomfort.
Even lying down, Lucia didn't forget to evaluate Akira's new spell.
"In terms of raw power, your Lightning magic is impressive," she said softly. "If you can further shorten the casting time—or make your chant undetectable—its lethality will rise dramatically."
"You're right," Akira nodded. Although Phantom Thunder Bird formed and struck within one second, his chanting alone had taken three seconds.
That three-second gap was extremely dangerous.
Completely eliminating chanting was something only Grand Archmages could do—like the Elven Queen or Lucia herself.
That required reaching at least level eighty, or mastering a spell to the point of instinctual use.
He was far from that.
All he could do was practice relentlessly and shorten the chant as much as possible.
At that moment, Lucia began explaining patiently.
"Actually, chanting has never been the most crucial part. Its main purpose is to help mages better mobilize elemental mana particles."
She then took Akira's right hand and said gently, "Close your eyes. Try to feel the elemental mana particles in the world, and then shape them."
"Alright, I'll try," Akira said, nodding as he closed his eyes.
At the same time, Lucia guided her own mana into his body, making it easier for him to sense the ambient elemental particles.
Before long, Akira felt intense Lightning-element particles dancing across his skin—like tiny sprites waiting for his command.
However, his control was still crude. He could barely gather them together, with no clear sense of where they were forming—only that the Lightning particles were roaming across his skin.
And just then—
Lucia, who had been watching him closely, frowned.
Because she noticed—
Akira's holy light was rising.
And even stranger…
It seemed to be… leaking electricity?