[You made it.]
“Aren't I an expert when it comes to Secret Rooms? I found it in one go.”
Lilith said proudly. The Ghost chuckled.
[Then you must have seen the old man. What did he say?]
Lilith's expression turned sour.
“Well… he hasn't changed a bit, even after all this time. Goodness. People live their lives in different ways, I don't know why he's like that.”
Lilith grumbled.
It seemed the Dwarf despised her as well. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Taesan.
“Wow. But it looks like you really did kill it… It looked ridiculously strong from the side.”
She was probably talking about the Boss of the 5th Floor. As expected, she had passed by without fighting it. It wasn't surprising, since she had Invisibility Magic.
Lee Tae-yeon had also descended through floors she deemed impossible to clear in a similar fashion. However, it was not a good method.
In terms of clearing, it was the worst choice, as you would miss out on the 5th Floor Clear Reward and even earn the contempt of a god, but since Lilith wasn't focused on clearing, she could probably do it without any burden. Taesan's gaze fell on the Treasure Chest behind her. Noticing this, Lilith clapped her hands.
“Oh, right. You can take that. I found it first, but I wouldn't have even gotten here without you.”
“Then I'll gladly take it.”
The reward from the Secret Rooms. It would have been a shame to miss it, so this was good.
“Well then.”
She dusted off a chair and plopped down. She crossed her legs and lifted her chin. She looked down at Taesan as if she were a Great Magician.
But knowing she lacked such power, it just looked comical. The Ghost seemed to think so too, asking with a slight laugh.
[What are you doing?]
“Posing. Ahem. Shall we start right away?”
Taesan nodded.
The reason he came here was to learn Magic. Lilith smiled brightly.
“Then, shall I start with an explanation? What Magic is.”
"What's your name?"
"Kang Taesan."
"Kang Taesan. Then I'll call you Taesan. Taesan. You have Skills, right? How did you get them?"
"By drawing out a similar effect."
"That's right."
Lilith nodded.
"That's how you get a Skill. You use the effect without the Skill. It's a kind of paradox. Magic is different. It's something you receive or obtain. That's why Magic has things that Skills don't." To get a Skill, you had to draw out its effect.
In other words, you couldn't obtain a Skill that was physically impossible. That was the common understanding. She waved her hand.
A flame swayed gently.
"Creating flames, cutting space, or twisting time. Magic makes possible what is impossible with Skills. It might sound funny coming from me, who hasn't even passed the 10th Floor, but its value here isn't small. Take the Invisibility Magic I use. You can't get that with a Skill, you know?"
He knew.
Even the Robe of Shadowy Maneuvers, which only granted one second of stealth, could only be obtained deep inside. Just being able to use invisibility without any particular restrictions proved the effectiveness of Magic. The Hero chimed in.
[Buffs or enchantment magic, not just active spells, are also quite helpful. It's a power similar to Skills, but from a different direction. Its value is more than enough.]
"Right. That's Magic! And I'm the one who's going to teach you this."
"What are you trying to say?"
"It's nothing else."
She fidgeted with her fingers.
"Well, I know you're much stronger than me, but I'm the one teaching you, right? So... that means you're my disciple, right? Right?"
Seeing her desperately seeking his agreement, Taesan nodded.
"If you say so."
Taesan wasn't concerned with such titles. As he readily agreed, Lilith smiled with satisfaction. She said cautiously.
“In that case. Since you're my disciple, a disciple shouldn't treat their master disrespectfully, right? Uh, um. You should use honorifics and all that, right?”
"You want me to speak formally to you?"
"... It would be nice if you did!"
She looked like she was desperately pleading. Taesan let out a faint laugh. He was willing to speak formally if she asked.
He didn't care about such titles or honorifics. If he could learn Magic just by speaking formally, it was a great bargain. The silent Ghost opened his mouth.
[I don't even get formal address, and you're asking for it?]
"Huh, huh?"
Lilith froze for a moment.
"W-well. Sir Hero, you're not in a position to teach..."
[I decided to teach this guy Swordsmanship too, you know?]
Lilith's pupils widened.
"Really? You've refused everyone until now."
[It's my decision. Why should you receive it when I don't?]
"Why. Should I do it for you?"
[I don't need it.]
The Ghost refused. Lilith's pupils trembled violently before she seemed to give up, slumping.
"Fine. You don't have to speak formally... It was my first chance to be addressed with respect. Why did he have to refuse for himself too..."
[What are you mumbling about?]
"No. It's nothing."
The grumbling woman quickly composed herself and continued her explanation.
"Then, let's start with the concept. What do you think Magic is?"
"Something divine, and a Skill."
To Taesan's answer, Lilith nodded as if it were correct.
"That's right. It's literally a mystery. But here, it exists as a concept called a Skill. That's why even someone like me can learn it. Look."
She opened her palm. A flame burst into existence.
"What do you see here?"
After observing for a moment, Taesan shook his head. To him, it was just a Fireball.
"Nothing."
"That's how someone without Talent sees Magic. It just looks like a natural phenomenon."
"Do I not have Talent either?"
"It's probably a bit different for you."
Lilith clenched her fist and extinguished the flame.
"You came from a place without Magic, right? Everyone who came from there didn't know. It's natural for those without it to be unaware, isn't it?"
"I see."
It wasn't a particularly curious story. Lilith got to the main point.
"So, about learning Magic. The method is simple. You just have to make a contract with a god of Magic."
"A contract?"
"Yep. I was just messing around here for a few months after I entered, and then a god of Magic suddenly appeared. And they gifted Magic to me. I've been able to use Magic ever since."
"... Do I have to make a contract to learn it too?"
For Taesan, who had refused all the Apostle's Contracts, this was an unsettling proposition. Fortunately, Lilith refuted Taesan's words.
"No. You don't have to. Because you have me."
She said, puffing out her chest.
"Those who have Magic can teach those who don't. That's the advantage of the Labyrinth. Besides, the gods rarely teach anyone directly, right? Even the Hero was very surprised when he saw me, you know?"
[They only take interest in the strong, or the mad. Your interest in Magic is a Madness, so the gods of Magic would naturally be interested.]
"Heehee."
[That wasn't a compliment, you know?]
With a gentle expression, Lilith placed her hand on Taesan's shoulder.
"I'll teach you right now."
A power flowed into Taesan.
[You have received Magic from The Lowly One Who Desires Magic. You have acquired [Magic].]
[You have acquired [Magic Enchantment].]
[You have acquired [Magic Extraction].]
"Check if you learned it properly."
Taesan opened his Skill Window.
[Magic] [Proficiency: 1%] [You can use Magic. For now, it seems you can only create an ember.]
[Magic Enchantment] [Proficiency: 1%] [You can enchant with Magic.]
[Magic Extraction] [Proficiency: 1%] [You can extract Magic.]
The explanations were simple. Lilith waved her hand and created a flame again.
"How is it?"
"... It's different."
He could see something within the flame. A sensation he had never felt, even in his past life, was now newly perceived. This was Magic.
He had tried many things, but Magic was the one thing he could never learn, and now he had learned it so easily.
"Actually, it's not that important here. You learn it as a Skill anyway. Now, I should explain how to learn spells."
Simply having the Magic Skill wasn't enough. You needed to have spells to go with it.
"There are a few ways, but the easiest is to learn by extracting from an object imbued with magical power. Like a Magic Staff or a Magical Tool. Extracting from those is the easiest, right?"
"This?"
Taesan took out the Staff of Flame. Lilith was slightly surprised.
"You already have one? You can extract from that. Give it a try."
Taesan placed his hand on the Staff of Flame.
[You have activated Magic Extraction.]
The power contained within the staff settled into Taesan's hand. It slowly seeped into his entire body.
[You have acquired the Basic Magic [Fireball].]
[Staff of Flame] [A staff used by beginner magicians. The magical power contained within has been drained.]
The Fireball description that was on the staff disappeared.
"Skill Window."
[Basic Magic: Fireball] [Mana Cost: 3] [Proficiency: 9%] [Fires a Fireball. Deals greater Damage to enemies without immunity. Attempts a [Burn] Status abnormality Judgment on the target.]
The description was the same as when he used the Staff of Flame. Taesan put away the staff and opened his palm.
[You have activated Fireball.]
Poof.
A flame ignited in the empty air.
"So this is the concept."
"That's the gist of it. You catch on fast, huh?"
Lilith watched with a pleased expression. Taesan also extracted the Magic from the Random Staff of the Mind.
[You have acquired the Basic Magic [Random Mental Attack].]
[Basic Magic: Random Mental Attack] [Mana Cost: 5] [Uses a random, unbeneficial Mental Magic on the target. Attempts a Status abnormality Judgment on the target.]
He had learned two types of Magic.
"This is good."
He could use Magic without having to switch to a staff. This was a significant advantage. It meant he could freely use Magic during combat, creating variables as he wished.
Simply put, even just using Random Mental Attack consecutively after closing in would create an opening. The disappearance of the delay meant that. But he couldn't be satisfied yet.
"How do you learn the rest?"
There were still many truly good spells remaining.
"One. Being taught by someone who has learned Magic. And the other is learning by offering a price to a god of Magic. That's why I haven't been able to learn many other spells. I went through all sorts of hell just to learn Invisibility Magic, you know?"
She grumbled, glancing at Taesan.
"So, since you're my disciple, if you get something while you go down, come back to me and..."
"I plan to."
The more Magic Lilith learned, the more new Magic he could also obtain. It was a good deal for both of them. Lilith shot up to her feet.
"Alright! I can finally learn new Magic! This god-awful 10th Floor is finally over!"
Overcome with excitement, she spun around as if dancing. To her, who was showing a joy bordering on Madness, Taesan asked.
"Then are there any spells I can learn now?"
"The spells you have. I want to learn them."
She used Invisibility Magic. It wouldn't be just that one. He could probably learn quite a few useful spells.
But Lilith had an ambiguous expression.
"Um... this is a bit different. Didn't I say a price was needed?"
"Isn't it the price for you to learn Magic?"
"It's a little different. The only thing I can teach without a price is the Skill called Magic. But teaching the specific Basic Magic or types of spells is a different story."
Lilith twirled a strand of her hair.
"If you had contracted with a god, that would be right. You could just learn it. But this is a situation where you have to receive it from me, who hasn't. I can teach you Magic itself... but the specific spells are things I received as well, so I can't just teach them carelessly."
"So a price is needed for that?"
"Yep. I have to offer a tribute and get permission to teach you. Only then can you learn the Magic."
Taesan summarized.
"So, for you to learn a spell you don't know, a tribute from you to the god is needed, and for me to learn it, another tribute is needed, is that right?"
Lilith answered reluctantly.
"Uh... I guess so?"
"They're greedy."
Still, Magic was worth that much.
"What counts as a tribute? Do Materials count?"
"No, Materials won't do. Special arms. Weapons with a unique value. Things like that are the subjects of tribute."
"Weapons or Equipment?"
"You could say that? The more valuable it is, the better the Magic you get."
In that case, it wasn't a bad deal. In terms of simple value, Materials were more expensive. You couldn't get a fair price for Equipment if you sold it at the Shop.
He had been selling them because there were no blacksmiths and he lacked space in his Inventory, but it felt like a waste to get rid of them for cheap, so this was a good thing.