(7) Choosing a Mission

Chapter 7: Choosing a Mission

Time flew by, and Silver successfully advanced to the rank of C-Class mage.

Over the past few months, apart from honing his new magical abilities, he also took the time to absorb the vast amount of knowledge transferred into his mind from his "cheat" system.

The knowledge was meticulously categorized and stored within the system.

Whenever Silver needed specific information, the cheat would directly transfer the relevant knowledge to his mind.

If the volume of information was too overwhelming, it would be delivered in multiple installments.

After fully digesting the first portion, the next would follow, continuing until Silver mastered the chosen topic.

Now, with his magic skills proficient and the foundational knowledge fully digested, Silver felt an eager urge to test his newfound capabilities.

Entering the guild, he saw most of the members chatting and drinking merrily.

Among the younger members, only Elfman, Levy, and Cana were present today.

Levy and Cana were engaged in a game of magical chess, with Elfman crouched beside them, watching intently.

Elfman was no longer the timid boy Silver had first met. His once cowardly nature had greatly improved.

Now, he was just a bit shy and reserved but was capable of joining in with other children his age.

According to Mira and Lisanna, this current version of Elfman was his true self.

In the past, the rough treatment and attempts by the villagers to drive the siblings away had caused Elfman to develop his timid persona.

However, with time to heal and Silver's constant encouragement, Elfman not only regained his usual temperament but also aspired to become a strong and noble man like the heroes in the stories Silver often shared.

Seeing the trio, Silver walked over to Elfman, glanced at the chessboard where Levy and Cana were playing, and greeted them casually, "Hey, Elfman, Levy, Cana."

The three of them turned their attention to Silver at his call. Cana, curiously eyeing him, remarked, "Huh, you look full of energy today, unlike the dazed, sleepwalking look you had these past few days."

"What do you mean by sleepwalking? I was just focusing on some important thoughts," Silver quickly explained, slightly annoyed by Cana's comment.

"What kind of thoughts? If it's something difficult, you could ask Levy. She loves reading and might be able to help," Elfman suggested cheerfully, happy to see Silver back to his usual self.

"Sure, if I ever need help, I'll definitely ask Levy," Silver nodded, patting Elfman on the shoulder. "But what I was pondering wasn't a difficult problem; it just took a lot of time to figure out."

Levy's interest was piqued. Known for her love of reading and learning, she looked at Silver with curiosity. "What were you thinking about? I noticed you were lost in thought for days. I'm really curious about what could have stumped you."

"It's nothing too secretive," Silver said, seeing Levy's intrigued expression. He casually shared the topic he'd been wrestling with: "I was thinking about the composition of weapons like swords and knives."

"Swords and knives are made of metal, right? What's so complicated about that?" Cana asked, puzzled by Silver's seemingly simple focus.

Elfman, showing a hint of concern, looked at Silver with pity. "Yeah, Silver. Why were you thinking so hard about something so basic?"

Seeing the pity in Elfman's eyes, Silver felt irritated. "Stop looking at me like that. I'm not as clueless as you think."

"I get it," Levy chimed in, offering a plausible explanation. "Silver was probably considering something far more intricate about the weapons, right?"

"Exactly," Silver confirmed with a nod. "Going into the details would be too complicated, so I'll spare you the lecture."

"By the way, I've officially advanced to a C-Class mage," Silver announced with a smile. "I'm planning to take on a suitable mission now. Elfman, would you like to come along?"

Elfman's face lit up with excitement at Silver's invitation. "Yes, I'd love to!"

With that settled, the two of them headed to the mission board together. Silver began scanning the available quests.

"Taking down a bandit group, hunting down a terrifying forest monster, defeating a snow mountain beast... Finding a lost item?"

"Finding a lost item?" Silver leaned closer to read the details of one of the mission postings. "Looking for a mage skilled in locating objects to help find a misplaced ring? Hmm, this one seems like a good fit."

Intrigued, Silver decided this mission would be a suitable test of his current abilities.

Silver took the request form off the mission board and walked back to where Elfman, Levy, and Cana were playing magical chess.

"Hey, Cana, are you using magic?" Levy asked, feeling suspicious. Ever since Silver left to pick a mission, Cana's chess skills seemed to have improved dramatically.

"No way, I haven't used any magic," Cana quickly denied with a straight face, discreetly stopping her magical enhancement.

"Really?" Levy, being quite naive, didn't suspect that Cana might be lying. She simply muttered in confusion, "How strange. How did your chess skills suddenly get so much better?"

"It's just inspiration, that's all. A sudden burst of creativity," Cana laughed it off, trying to downplay it.

Though Levy still seemed a bit puzzled, she soon refocused her attention on the chessboard in front of her. Similarly, Elfman, trusting Cana's words without much thought, even praised her skills enthusiastically.

As the game continued, the outcome quickly became clear.

Levy and Cana were evenly matched at first, but with the advantage Cana gained using her brief magic boost, she soon widened the gap.

Before long, Levy found herself at a disadvantage and had no choice but to concede defeat.

"I've picked our mission. Let's get going," Silver said as he pulled Elfman along.

The two headed to the counter, where they handed the request form to the guild master, who was casually sipping his drink.

In this guild, regardless of whether it was Mira, Erza, Natsu, Gray, or any of the younger members, every mission request needed the guild master's personal approval before being accepted.

The reason was simple: it was to protect the younger members of the guild.

The guild master wanted to ensure that the missions they took on were within their skill level, minimizing the risk of encountering dangerous situations.

Guild master Makarov took the request form from Silver and carefully reviewed it.

After a moment, he nodded and said, "The mission location is close by, and it's just a simple task of finding a lost item. I approve. However, in case you encounter any problems…"

Makarov then proceeded to give Silver and Elfman a detailed rundown of the important things to keep in mind, including how to handle unexpected situations.

Only after making sure they understood did he hand the request form back to Silver.