With just a couple more questions, like the quest payment since I forgot to ask last time, I find that we'll make two gold a piece, and we finish up at the guild. All set, we head out. As soon as we're back in the city streets, the students swamp me again.

“Wow, I never would have thought you're older than us.”

“That lady said you have a unique backstory, can you tell us about it?”

“How many quests have you been on?”

“How well do you know that guild hand? She was all over you!”

“What's up with your Status? Lirushik freaked!”

They're even more excitable than before, and the barrage of questions makes me panic instantly. Flailing for any help, I end up grabbing the blond Enchanter, named Hrinth according to the debrief earlier, and hide behind her, trying to use her as a shield.

“Come on guys, you're freaking her out,” Ruwi chides them, and they do look kind of guilty.

“Oi, keep up the pace!” Lirushik suddenly shouts, getting everyone to move more quickly. While their attention is off me, I pull on Hrinth's sleeve, getting her to lean down for me to speak to her quietly.

“Umm, I have social anxiety...” I tell her, just sort of hoping she'll tell everyone else. Then maybe they won't pressure me so much...

Instead... “Aww, I'm sorry. It's cute though,” she giggles, and pulls me close to her side, one of her long, thin arms snaking all the way around my side to rest on my abdomen. It makes me go stiff, especially when a few of the guys ogle us, and even more when it trails up, stopping barely shy of my breasts, the tips of her fingers slipping under the edge of my ripped up shirt.

What's with her? Is she just this touchy-feely, or, or... what? She isn't flirting or something, is she?

“Alright, you've had your fun.” Ruwi grabs us and forces herself in between, so Hrinth has to withdraw her probing hand. “As much as I'm sure you'd love to eat up a shy older woman, now really isn't the time, Hrinth.”

Eat me up? She isn't... like, one of those girls who go around seducing people all the time, is she? There were definitely a few of those back in high school.

And she's goes after other girls? Only girls, or anyone, or...?

Gulping and looking up when I realize what she was after, Hrinth shows a thin smile and runs a hand through her long, blond hair, the look in her eyes making my heart do flips and my cheeks light up.

Oh my god!

Immediately averting my gaze, I stare at the ground. There are a few laughs, a few sighs, and at least one 'that's hot.'

We pass out of the gate, Ruwi sticking close to my side the whole way. A little way from town, I try again, telling Ruwi about my social anxiety so she can tell the others and thankfully, it works this time. I get a lot of looks of pity, and it doesn't stop all the questions, but at least everyone backs off a bit so they don't overwhelm me anymore.

Once we're a good distance away from the city, I remember how I was always casting spells while traveling, so I do that again. I still haven't decided if I'll continue being an adventurer, but if I do, I still need to increase my magic power, a lot.

I don't throw any of the spells out, just casting over and over, and letting them fizzle out. Of course, it draws a lot of notice from the students. It makes me seriously consider stopping, just to avoid the attention, but practicality wins out in the end.

I end up having to field questions from them for a while, anxiously explaining that I'm doing casting practice to train my stats.

That gets a few laughs from the mages and healers, almost all saying that they were told to do that when they were kids. Mostly Wizards and Menders, so they only had a few spells and they all agree vehemently that it was incredibly boring and they're glad they don't need to do it anymore. There are a couple Enchanters though, who just shrug and say their magic doesn't work like that.

At least a few of them are fascinated when I get into the details of folding my magic together. The Enchanters tell me how they focus on manipulating their own mana to affect other things, so the spells are more like mine - more fluid, with other complications thrown in like mana efficiency and enchantment time.

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I also note again that the flirty blond girl is an Enchanter, not a healer like her robes initially suggested.

The Wizards are completely different, all focused around using their mana control to better channel ambient mana and shape their spells more efficiently. Apparently, there's a lot of depth to it, with one of the wizards boasting a fireball spell almost twice the strength of the others, despite having similar magic power.

When I ask about that, how much Magic they all have, they inevitably list ratings upward of four hundred points. Some are as high as six hundred. So when they ask in response, and I tell them I'm at eighty four, it draws a mixture of laughter and sympathy.

This trip is a lot further than the last, taking us two days' walk away from the city. With everything I've been through, walking is nowhere near as tiring as I remember it being. Despite having poor stamina compared to them, I feel so at home endlessly placing one foot in front of another, that I don't get tired any faster than they do.

As the second day is drawing to an end and we're about to make camp, I straighten up, the whole world snapping into focus as a feeling of power washes through me.

Did I just Rank up?! All I've been doing is casting spells!

I check my Status, and sure enough, I'm Rank five now. How the hell? I don't get it!

“Yumi?” asks Ruwi, noticing the change in my demeanor.

“I... I just Ranked up.”

“Oh? W-well, uh, cool?” She cocks her head, clearly not getting it.

“I don't understand, all I did was cast some spells...”

I guess she doesn't understand either, because she calls, “Instructor Lirushik!” He turns back at her call and asks what it is, so she says, “Yumi has a question,” and pushes me forward.

I stumble a few steps closer, panicking for a moment, before I realize... right. I'm dumb, he's literally a teacher for stuff like this.

I never went to school in this world...

But the scary, scarred instructor is staring at me now, and I get stuck between freezing up and babbling out my question, until he wacks me on the head.

“Ow ow ow...” I mumble, rubbing my head, but it calms me down enough to speak properly. “Sorry, I'm confused about increasing my Rank. I just reached Rank five, but all I did was cast spells. That's never happened before.”

He rolls his eyes. “No wonder why you're so low Rank, don't even know how to increase it... Think about how you can grow stronger, and you'll get a window for it.”

“I will?” I mutter. With just a thought, it turns out to be true.

Growth Spell Casting – Minimal

Spell Weaving – Small

Defeating Enemies – Moderate

Looking at the window, I'm reminded of all the way back when I first selected the Synergist Class. Right, these were the ways to grow stronger, weren't they? So... why? I turn my attention to Lirushik, pushing the window over to him.

He takes a moment to read it, then says, “Yup, right here. Casting spells will attract a minimal amount of favor from Pannatir. At low Rank like you are now, that will eventually be enough to Rank up. As for why it never worked before...” He glances around, the students clearly listening in. So he leans in a little closer, and whispers, “For slaves, Pannatir will ignore actions that normally give minimal favor.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

I have no idea how to respond to that. All that time, all those spells, I could have leveled so much more, if only I hadn't had a slave crest.

Besides that, there's one more thing that catches my attention. My best way of gaining favor is by defeating enemies. Defeating enemies. Does that mean I don't get experience without kills? Does it not count for things I hurt, but don't kill? With my low magic power, I've always been wearing down enemies for others to finish off, I hardly land any kills myself.

I don't know, maybe I got a little for assists, but then my crest cut it by seventy five percent anyway...

Falling back, I sigh dejectedly.

“So?” Ruwi prompts, coming closer.

“Yeah, I gain favor by casting spells now...”

“What, you didn't before?” she laughs.

“Pretty much...” That cuts her laughter a bit short.

“Ooh, that's rough.” She gives me a pat on the back. “Don't worry, it'll be fine. Things are better now, yeah?”

“Y-yeah...” I answer, but I'm not sure. I'm leveling so much faster, and I'm free now, but... I don't know.

I'm not afraid. Anxious about social interactions sure, but I'm not afraid anymore.

No one is coming after me, no one trying to kidnap or enslave me, so even if I'm not strong enough to protect myself and have no one to protect me, I don't have anyone I need to be protected from.

But without Master, I still feel so, so alone...