My Magic Has No Upper Limit

"Thousand-Teeth Rock Worm...?"

Hearing the name, Zelir paused, his silver spoon hovering over his soup.

"Yes, the Thousand-Teeth Rock Worm."

Bev nodded with certainty.

"And a swarm of its vassal Demons, Stone Maggots."

"This morning, this swarm of Demons suddenly appeared deep in the mine tunnels. A team of miners working there was nearly wiped out. Out of thirty-five people, only three escaped."

"The No. 13 Mine Area has completely shut down because of it. My father is currently gathering people to head into the tunnels and exterminate the Thousand-Teeth Rock Worm."

At this, Bev paused.

"I heard you at the library today saying the Adventurer’s Association didn’t have any quests, so I thought of you..."

Zelir’s mind raced, quickly calculating.

’A Thousand-Teeth Rock Worm... a Tier Sixty-Five Demon in the Adventurer’s Association Universal Monster Atlas.’

’While not as dangerous as a One-Eyed Giant, it’s still a highly challenging mission.’

’But with high risk comes a handsome reward and a ton of Experience Points.’

’Last time, taking down the One-Eyed Giant in a group got me two whole levels. How many will I get this time?’

Seeing Zelir looking down in thought, Bev thought he was struggling with the decision and lowered her voice tentatively.

"Zelir... will you take it?"

"It’s okay, don’t force yourself if you can’t... After all, the Thousand-Teeth Rock Worm is a Challenge-rated Demon. It’s quite..."

"No, I’ll take it," Zelir said crisply, looking up at Bev.

"Really?" Bev blinked.

"Really." Zelir nodded seriously.

’There are no good quests at the Adventurer’s Association right now. It’ll only get worse once winter sets in.’

’I absolutely can’t miss this opportunity.’

"Great. I’ll go back and tell my father right away."

Seeing Zelir’s determined attitude, Bev felt relieved.

"You have all of tomorrow to gather your people and prepare. We’ll assemble the day after tomorrow at the No. 13 Mine Area outside Black Stone Town."

"Got it." Zelir agreed solemnly.

"Pardon me, beautiful miss, may I get you anything?" Aurora came over to serve them.

Her gaze shifted quietly from Bev to Zelir, and she couldn’t help but wonder about their relationship.

’They seem pretty close... To think Zelir knows such a beautiful young lady from the Nobility.’

"No, that’s alright."

Bev waved her hand dismissively and stood up to leave.

Before she left, she gave Zelir a special reminder, "Remember, the day after tomorrow."

After Bev left, Zelir was alone at the table.

He let out a breath.

He propped his elbows on the table, his hands clasped just below his nose.

’One day to prepare...’

’That should be enough.’

’I’ll go find Marcus and the others in a bit to discuss this. I need to let them know first.’

’Then we can figure out the rest.’

Sensing someone was calling him, Zelir turned his head and realized Aurora had been saying his name several times.

"Zelir... who was that girl just now?" Aurora asked curiously.

"A friend of mine."

Zelir’s reply was concise.

He couldn’t be bothered to slowly enjoy his meal anymore.

He hastily stuffed the last piece of meat into his mouth, took a gulp of soup from his bowl, and then got up and left the Night Flower Inn.

Aurora stood where she was, frowning slightly at Zelir’s departing back with a puzzled expression.

’He probably... got another important mission, huh?’

「The Drunk Wild Boar Tavern.」

As Gray hummed a little tune and contentedly pushed open the tavern doors, he found he was the last to arrive.

A smile touched his lips when he saw the other three members of the squad already waiting for him at their usual table.

"Well, this is a rare sight. Zelir’s actually treating?"

Gray casually pulled out a chair and sat down, pouring himself a mug of ale. "Did the sun rise in the west?"

"We didn’t call you here just to drink. Zelir found us a new quest," Marcus said.

"A new quest?" Valles looked at Zelir. He had also just arrived.

"Yes. There’s been an incident at the Alberti Clan’s mine. A Thousand-Teeth Rock Worm has appeared in a newly dug tunnel, and many people have died."

Zelir gave a concise summary. "The Alberti Family is now gathering Adventurer Squads to exterminate it."

"Alberti..."

Gray narrowed his eyes in thought. "Is that the family of Bev from the Monster Hunting quest?"

He had some recollection of it.

"Yes, that’s her. She was the one who came to ask if I was willing to take the quest. I didn’t want to miss the opportunity, so I accepted it on the spot," Zelir said.

"A Challenge-rated Thousand-Teeth Rock Worm, huh..."

Marcus stroked his chin.

"Back when I was a Junior Warrior, I was part of a team that surrounded and killed a Demon called a Giant Rock Worm. It was Difficulty Rating, so you could consider it a weaker version of the Thousand-Teeth Rock Worm."

"How was it?" Zelir asked.

"Tough, but manageable. The Thousand-Teeth Rock Worm is Challenge-rated, so the threat shouldn’t be as great as the One-Eyed Giant’s."

Marcus thought for a moment. "But it’s still not something our squad can handle alone. There are only four of us, and..."

Marcus’s gaze flickered over to Gray.

"I understand. Of course I’m not going to be that reckless. We have a day to prepare; we don’t assemble until the day after tomorrow."

Zelir said, "We can go to the Adventurer’s Association tomorrow and find some help."

"Another Vanguard? Or an Assassin?" Valles said.

"Hmm..."

Zelir thought for a moment. "A Swordsman. Let’s find a Middle Level Swordsman."

"Marcus will still hold the front line, while Valles and I provide fire support."

"An extra Middle Level Swordsman can provide support and help draw its attention. The pressure will be much less."

"That should be enough," Marcus agreed with Zelir’s assessment.

"Sounds like a great plan. So, what, I’ll be in charge of cheering for you guys from outside the mine?"

Gray raised an eyebrow.

"It’s not that I’m a coward... but you’re all powerhouses. A Middle Level Warrior, a Middle Level Ranger, and a ridiculously strong Junior Mage."

"While I’d love to get a piece of the pie from this mission, what could I even do in there?"

"According to the survivors, the Thousand-Teeth Rock Worm also summons a lot of Stone Maggots. Those are just Simple-rated Demons; you can handle them,"

Zelir said.

"So your job is to guard our flank and rear, making sure the Stone Maggots don’t interfere with the main battle. Otherwise, it’ll be a huge pain."

"Hiring another Middle Level Swordsman to do it would be a bit of a waste, and they’d take a bigger cut of the reward."

"If we were going to hire another Junior Swordsman, why wouldn’t we just ask you... or are you scared?" Zelir looked at Gray.

"Are you kidding me? If there’s a place for me, I’m in."

Gray downed the ale in his mug. "Count me in!"