NOVEL WEB Chapter 9 : Lili
Day by day, I become more familiar with the system. I just found out that the stats have no limit. As long as I gain experience by collecting souls—or as the system refers to them, EXP—I can allocate it infinitely to any of my stats.
The system also has its own achievement system, like first-time kills. For example, when I killed the goblin for the first time, it gave me bonus EXP.
While checking through the system, I also noticed a quest tab, so I assume it has a quest system. But there are no quests yet, so I don’t know how it works.
And finally, there's a storage system. I tried to put some objects, like books, inside the system, and it works perfectly, just as I imagined. It’s like the items are teleported into a different dimension, and I can pull them out anytime I want.
meanwhile after that day when we exterminated the goblins, Gustav found out that I completed an extermination job with Dio. He showed how proud he was of me, unlike my mother, who cried, worrying while beating me up.
While we were eating breakfast, someone knocked on the door. Stella opened it, and a woman in a white robe, holding a huge staff, appeared. Her ears were pointy—an elf, I guessed.
-- Good day, my name is Lili, -- she introduced herself, her voice soft and quiet.
She looked like an introvert forced by someone to knock on a stranger's house. Her eyes scanned every detail of the surroundings.
-- I assume you are the Demon Slayer Stella, the author of Defluxit Stella. It's an honor to meet you. I love your book—the hero's adventures, how you exterminated demons, and your point of view regarding magic. I'm one of your biggest fans, -- she said, her eyes sparkling as she touched Stella's hand.
-- Your book is almost perfect, except the last part, -- Lili added bluntly.
Though she was direct, I agreed—the last part, where Stella and Gustav became lovers, felt forced.
-- That's nice, -- Stella responded awkwardly. -- I heard you're quite the magus yourself, Lili. Uncle Enchu referred you as a potential teacher for my son. --
-- Yes, Master Stella, where's your son? -- Lili asked, her tone expectant.
-- My son is right here. This is Leo, -- Stella gestured toward me as I walked over to the door.
-- Excuse me, I mean the one I'll be teaching magic to, -- Lili clarified, confused.
-- Yes, this is Leo. He's five years old, but he already knows some basic magic, -- Stella responded with pride.
Basic magic? I could wipe out an entire army with what I knew, I thought sarcastically.
Lili's face showed pure shock. -- Five years old!? -- she exclaimed before suddenly laughing. -- Okay, I get it. HAHAHAHA. -- She patted my head. -- Hey, kiddo, maybe we’ll start with reading and writing before the magic lessons! --
This bitch… I bet I can read faster than you.
-- So, Master Stella, where's the one I'll actually be teaching magic to? -- Lili pressed on, clearly still thinking it was a joke.
We all exchanged awkward looks.
-- Wait… is this a joke? You expect me to teach this kid magic? That’s impossible! Five-year-olds don’t have enough mana to cast even basic spells, -- Lili argued, clearly in disbelief.
-- Well, Leon has already cast magic several times, so I think his mana pool is much larger than what you'd expect from a five-year-old, -- Stella said calmly.
Lili still seemed skeptical.
-- I understand, Master Stella, but we have laws. According to the Universal Law of Magic, Article 2, Section 5, Clauses 9-11: For the safety of child magicians, the proper age range for the instruction and practice of magic is twelve (12) to sixteen (16) years old. Children younger than eleven (11) are prohibited from engaging in magical practices to protect them from the risk of mana exhaustion, which could result in fatal harm, -- Lili recited, sticking to her point.
-- Did you forget Article 4: Safety and Hazards of Magic, Section 1, Clauses 6-8? In the interest of public safety, any individual, regardless of race or species, who demonstrates an inability to control their magical abilities or poses a hazard due to lack of control must undergo mandatory magic training. This is to prevent harm to both the individual and the public, -- Stella countered, not missing a beat.
Yes! Go “Attorney Stella”! Tell this witch my rights!
you should have your own series' "Better CALL Stella"
-- That doesn’t make sense, -- Lili retorted. -- Even if your son can cast basic magic, the risk threshold is too high. I don’t believe he could cast spells powerful enough to fall under that clause. --
-- Leon, would you like to show Master Lili your magic? -- Stella asked, smiling sweetly. But her eyes said something else entirely—Show this witch your capabilities—and I was too scared to disobey.
I nodded and walked outside into the garden. Stella and Lili followed. Stella gave me another look—yeah, no need to go all out, just show enough to prove my point, her eyes seemed to say. But it still gave me goosebumps.
My INT is 171, giving me a mana pool of 855. Using 100 mana should be more than enough to impress them, while still pretending to be weak in front of Lili. I’ll just compress the spell so the fireball looks small and inconsequential.
I raised my finger and cast Fireball.
Lili looked surprised. She hadn’t expected me to even manage a basic spell.
The fireball appeared, and I carefully poured 20 mana into it. Slowly, I compressed it while adding more mana, making sure the fireball stayed small despite the increasing power.
The fireball turned from red to blue. I compressed it further, pouring another 20 mana, watching as it shifted from blue to white. It was small, but dense. I glanced at Stella and Lili—both looked shocked. Stella seemed even more surprised than Lili. Had I overdone it?
*/System: ....T... -- Did the system just say something? I had no time to check. I released the fireball into the sky.
The tiny, glowing orb shot upward and touched the clouds. There was a brief silence, and then—
BOOM!
The sky erupted with a deafening explosion. A shockwave rippled out, shoving the clouds aside and leaving a hollow void at the center. For a moment, everything seemed to hang in the air, frozen in that vacuum. Then, the air rushed back in, dragging the clouds together in a chaotic swirl. They collided, thickening into a heavy, dark mass. And, as if on cue, the rain began to fall.
-- What the hell was that?! -- Lili broke the silence, while Stella remained speechless.
Oh no. I definitely overdid it.
*/System: Yes. You just cast a fireball with 100 pure mana.
Was that… too much?
*/System: Consider this: the average adult mage has around 20 to 25 INT, giving them only 100 to 125 mana. Doing what you just did would have killed them. Look at Stella and Lili.
The system screen popped into view. Lili had 520 mana, while Stella had 985.
*/System: Lili and Stella are among the top 1% of mages in this world, especially Stella, who ranks in the top 0.1%. The fireball you used could easily destroy a small village.
*/System: Additionally, most people in this world are born with 0 INT, which slowly increases as they age. A non-mage human might only have 5-10 INT by old age. However, you were born with 100 INT, and your INT has grown due to your extensive study and use of magic as an infant. That’s why your INT is now 171, giving you 855 mana.
Stella walked over to Lili, smirking. Lili smiled back, clearly embarrassed.
-- Well, it makes sense since your mother is Master Stella, -- Lili admitted, trying to hide her discomfort. -- Okay, I’ll teach you magic. --
Even after all that, they still don’t seem to understand I don’t need a teacher. Oh well.
-- Magic isn’t all about firepower, -- Lili continued. -- A great magician must possess four skills: power, control, efficiency, and creativity. --
Suddenly, we heard someone shouting.
-- Hey, Stella, are you okay?! --
Gustav came running toward us, looking panicked.
-- There was a huge explosion in the sky! Everyone in the main street and the guild is in a panic. I already sent Sting to the nearby village to ask for help. I think we’re under demon attack! -- Gustav exclaimed.
Stella, Lili, and I looked at each other. Stella smiled.
-- Yes, Gustav, this little demon is responsible, -- she said, lifting me up.
Gustav looked confused. -- Huh? --
We went inside, and Stella explained everything to him. Gustav's smile never faded, and he lifted me into the air several times until my head bumped the ceiling. Stella scolded him, as usual, while Lili sat back and laughed.
Gustav rushed back to the village to reassure everyone that things were okay.
Meanwhile, Lili wasn’t so bad after all. She was kind and cute, surprisingly. After the earlier events, she became much more relaxed, even reading me a book before I fell asleep. She ended up sleeping beside me that night.
The next morning, Stella prepared breakfast earlier than usual. Lili and I ate together, and after breakfast, we headed out to the grass field.
and My First magic lesson with lili was about to begin...