Chapter 1: The Heirloom Treasure Chest Monster

"This magical aura... Without a doubt, there's a rare grimoire from the Mythical Era inside!"

A mature woman with orange hair braided into a single plait cascading down her back crouched in front of a treasure chest. Clad in a simple white dress, she scrutinized the chest with the utmost seriousness, speaking with the conviction of a seasoned detective uncovering a long-hidden truth.

Beside her, a plain-looking boy with black hair and eyes sighed. "Flamme, that's the thirteenth time I've heard you say that. But seriously, a treasure chest like this in the middle of a forest? Doesn't that seem way too suspicious?"

"You doubt me again." Flamme's expression grew slightly sterner. "Ivan, how long have we known each other?"

"Over a year. Why ask now?"

"Despite spending all this time together, you still won't trust me or even call me 'teacher.' That hurts my feelings. But fine, let me show you the impeccable judgment of an experienced mage."

With that, Flamme reached for the treasure chest.

And then...

"Ahhhh! It's dark! So scary! Ivan, save me!"

Half her body was engulfed by the treasure chest monster. Only her well-shaped hips and two toned legs flailed helplessly outside its gaping maw.

"..."

Ivan's face twitched as he sighed deeply.

As a lifelong single man who had consumed his fair share of fantasy content, he admitted that the first time he witnessed such a classic trope in real life, he had been... slightly moved.

But after experiencing this scenario over a dozen times, that initial excitement had been replaced with nothing but exasperation.

Why? Why did someone who looked like a mature, reliable big sister keep falling into these ridiculous traps?

If she wanted to earn the title of "teacher," she should at least act like one!

No matter. Scolding her could wait; first, he had to save her. Sure, Flamme could blow up the treasure chest monster herself using magic, but the resulting explosion would leave her hair in a frizzy mess—a hairstyle she absolutely despised. That meant it was up to Ivan to step in.

"Yare yare, what a troublesome woman."

Ivan approached Flamme, placing his hands on her slender waist. Soft yet resilient, her waist was a fragile bridge between the dramatic curves of her chest and hips, feeling almost designed to fit perfectly in someone's grasp.

"Stop squirming. I'm going to pull you out now."

With a sharp tug—no, he didn't pull her out. Instead, Ivan pushed her further into the treasure chest monster's mouth.

This maneuver triggered the creature's gag reflex, forcing it to spit her out entirely. It was a technique Ivan had perfected after numerous encounters with treasure chest monsters.

"Thank you. I'm saved~" Flamme casually waved her hand, obliterating the creature in an instant. While it posed no real threat to her, such a monster could prove deadly if stumbled upon by a curious child. Watching as the creature's remains dissolved into magical embers and returned to the earth, Flamme began cleaning the sticky residue off her dress, sighing wistfully.

"As you said, Ivan, history truly is an endless cycle of repetition. The only lesson humanity learns from history is that humanity never learns from history."

"Using that famous quote to reflect on your encounters with treasure chest monsters feels like an insult to philosophers everywhere," Ivan retorted.

"Ah... hahaha..." Flamme let out an awkward laugh, clearly embarrassed. "You're quite the sharp-tongued one, aren't you, Ivan? Keep talking to women like that, and you'll never get a girlfriend."

"Hmph, women only slow down my mana flow."

Ivan crossed his arms, mimicking the iconic pose of a certain fallen king. "Back in my homeland, there's a legend that says if you're still a virgin at 30, you can become a grand magician..."

At this point, Ivan minds trailed off, thinking about his old friends on Earth who used to joke around with him about these kinds of things. Now, those familiar faces were forever out of reach. A wave of melancholy washed over him as he realized he'd never see them again.

Flamme, sharp as ever, noticed the sudden shift in his mood. Her emerald eyes softened with a gentle maternal glow, but instead of offering empty words of comfort, she silently pulled Ivan into her embrace.

Flamme had also experienced the loss of her homeland to the demon race when she was a child, so she deeply empathized with his pain. (Though, it seemed she might have misunderstood his situation just a little.)

"Flamme," Ivan murmured softly.

"What is it?" The mature beauty's lips curved into a kind smile. "If you're going to thank me, make sure to call me 'Teacher' afterward. Yes, that's right—say it: 'Thank you, Teacher Flamme.' Come on, practice a bit."

"No, no, no."

Ivan's expression flattened into a deadpan. "While I'll admit your hug made me appreciate the wonders of marshmallow-like softness, there's something much more urgent I need to say—couldn't you have washed off the treasure chest slime first? The smell is absolutely foul."

"…Heh, you little—"

Flamme's face instantly darkened as a terrifying aura radiated from her. A magic staff materialized in her hand, radiating dangerous energy.

And so, on this day, Ewan finally understood what it meant to be at the mercy of a great mage's wrath.

Status Screen:

Name: Ivan, Male, Age 16 (Physical age)

Profession: Novice Mage

Talent: Mildly amusing (to some degree)

Equipment: Ordinary clothes, ordinary staff

Combat Rating: Trash-tier

Short-term Goal: Defeat the Demon King

Ivan dismissed the system window visible only to him and tossed another branch into the campfire.

He used to be a regular unemployed university graduate. But after transmigrating, not only had he de-aged by a decade, but his innocent smile had also unlocked an unbelievably amazing system called the Eye of Truth System.

This system could display his current status with no limits—cool, right?

Even better, through Ivan's relentless experimentation, he discovered a second, incredible function: he could also view the status of his teammates! Truly invincible! So invincible, in fact, that he didn't even know how to approach defeating the Demon King.

System: Go slay the Demon King!

Ivan (Combat rating: trash): Huh? Me???

Thankfully, he met Flamme shortly after. Under her guidance, he learned to wield magic, and its miraculous nature gave him hope for victory.

The system clearly wasn't reliable, so Ivan knew he had to rely on his creative imagination and the unique magic of this world to grow stronger.

"Magic is the power of imagination. If you can't even envision it, you'll never achieve it."

That was what Flamme had said when teaching Ivan to harness magic. Her words had left such an impression on him that he couldn't help but show her a bit of 21st-century innovation. And as a result, she'd forcibly taken him in as her disciple.