I Just Awakened My Sharingan, and You're Telling Me This Is DanMachi?

Before long, the two of them retraced their familiar route back from the tenth floor and started heading for the surface.

When the starlight of the first floor filtered down through Babel Tower, Lefiya's face had regained some color, and her Mind had clearly recovered quite a bit.

The elf girl was practically bursting with energy, as if on a sugar high, chattering non-stop while they walked.

"Ryota, do you control your 'magic' with your thoughts?"

"And what about controlling its range—do you judge that visually?"

The corners of Ryota's mouth twitched. This magic-obsessed airhead sure has a lot of questions.

The problem was, he really didn't know how to answer them!

Still, Ryota didn't seem annoyed, and did his best to condense all the experience he'd built up through countless battles in the Trial Space into simpler, easier-to-understand language for her.

"Controlling magic and its range... it's not so much about willpower or just aiming with your eyes, as it is about understanding and familiarity."

"?"

Lefiya tilted her head, her face a mask of confusion.

"It's like your Elf Ring. You can use elven magic with it, but only because you fully understand the effects and chant of the target spell, right? You have to be really familiar with it."

"Right…"

The elf girl nodded, agreeing without hesitation.

She didn't even realize how Ryota knew about her magic.

Truly a magic-obsessed airhead…

"So that's the point. It's not about thinking really hard, or just eyeballing distance, but how deeply you understand the magic itself."

Ryota smiled.

"Like the old saying goes: practice makes perfect."

"Oh, come on! So what you're really saying is I just need to practice more!"

Lefiya hugged her staff with a sigh.

"Not everyone is a freakish genius like you, Ryota!"

Ryota just shrugged with a wry grin, saying nothing.

Yep. 'Innate talent' is still the simplest and most convenient excuse.

They climbed the spiral staircase and returned from the first basement floor to the surface.

Night had fallen. Starlight bathed the two of them, chasing away the chill and blood-scent of the Dungeon that clung to their bodies.

At the magic stone exchange counter, Ryota shoved his heavy pack across the counter, and the magic stones clattered into the tray.

The staff there quickly tallied everything up, and before long pushed a bulging pouch of valis back across.

"100,000 even."

The clerk glanced up to confirm, and Ryota nodded, slinging the backpack back onto his shoulder as he turned to Lefiya.

"Not bad, huh? We pulled in 100,000 valis today."

"You sure you don't want to take half? That's fifty thousand, you know."

Lefiya didn't even hesitate, waving her hand.

"What I learned from you today is worth way more than that."

Her tone was sincere, no exaggeration at all.

That insight into magic and combat was priceless—no amount of money could replace it.

Ryota didn't insist, and just teased,

"Fine then. But if you ever go broke, remember you can come back and sign on as my 'apprentice.'"

"Who's going broke, you idiot?!"

"Haha, all right, all right. I need to swing by the Guild and turn in this commission first."

Lefiya nodded.

"Then… I'll head back for now."

After saying that, she gave a small bow to Ryota.

"Thank you again for today, Ryota."

"Hey, no need to thank me—we're from the same Familia, no need to be so polite."

Lefiya straightened up, nodded gently, then turned to head toward Twilight Manor.

Ryota watched the elf girl disappear into the bustling crowds, standing there until she vanished completely, before stretching his shoulders.

"All right, time to hand this in."

"Wait—crap, I forgot to treat her to that big dinner…"

…

Inside the Adventurer's Guild.

Misha stared at the submission slip on the counter, then at the entire roll of pristine Orc Hide stacked next to it. Her mouth practically twitched into a new dimension.

She raised her head to look at Ryota, who was grinning back at her with that innocent look, and her eyes practically screamed, What is this?!

"You… only accepted this commission this morning, didn't you?"

"Yes, Miss Misha."

Ryota nodded as if that were the most normal thing in the world.

"Pretty efficient, right?"

"Efficient?!"

Misha took a deep breath, forcing herself to keep up her professional receptionist smile.

"Mr. Ryota, do you know what the average completion cycle is for a commission on floors 10 through 12?"

"Hmm… about a week?"

Ryota hazarded a guess.

"It's a month!!"

Misha nearly gnashed her teeth.

"These are monsters from floors 10 to 12! Even a seasoned party would need to scout, confirm, surround, hunt—back and forth at least a couple times, you… you…"

"Just lucky, I guess."

Misha fell silent for a couple seconds, then stared at Ryota with an oddly dark glint in her eyes.

"You're still Level 1, right?"

"Of course. Though probably not for much longer."

Misha: "…"

She suddenly realized that maybe, from a certain perspective, this smiling, harmless-looking rookie in front of her… was a monster.

So she quietly tore up all those mental labels she'd given him before—one by one.

Only one label remained, growing clearer and clearer: terrifying monster.

"Congratulations, Mr. Ryota. The commission is officially complete."

"You can pick up your reward at the payout counter. Oh, and—"

As she handed him the commission slip, she added,

"Since this was a designated commission, we'll be marking it on file. If another one like this comes up, you'll be given priority."

Ryota raised an eyebrow.

"That's a thing?"

"Of course. I mean, efficiency like yours is pretty rare."

Ryota nodded lightly, then thanked her, and as if remembering something, looked back over the counter at Misha.

"By the way, Miss Misha—if I wanted to buy a weapon in Orario, where's the best place to go?"