Mira, now in high spirits and pleased with Zhou Xin's choice, smiled with satisfaction.
Turning to Lisanna, she said, "Lisanna, go grab that boar subjugation mission you saw earlier."
"Huh? We're going on a mission today? Doesn't that mean we're taking the newbie with us?" Lisanna blinked in surprise, looking slightly uneasy.
"Of course. Now that he's joined the Mira Faction, it's our job to guide him on his first mission." Mira folded her arms, winking one eye playfully as she explained.
"Got it!" Brightening up at the thought of helping someone on their first mission, Lisanna happily ran off to fetch the request from the task board.
Zhou Xin, still unsure what was going on, turned to Elfman and asked, "What do they mean by taking me on my first mission?"
"It's a guild tradition," Elfman replied in a hushed voice, almost as if he were sharing a secret. "New members are always accompanied by seniors on their first task, to help them get familiar with the process. After that, you can take on missions solo."
"Oh, I see." Zhou Xin nodded in understanding, then patted Elfman's shoulder and said, "You don't have to whisper, you know. It's not a secret or anything."
"S-Sorry," Elfman mumbled, looking slightly hurt, fidgeting with his fingers.
Zhou Xin let out a small sigh. "I'm not saying you did anything wrong. I just meant you don't need to be so cautious."
"Right! Got it!" Elfman perked up again, relieved that Zhou Xin wasn't scolding him. Seeing this, Zhou Xin decided not to say anything further.
Just then, Lisanna returned with the request and handed it to Mira. After confirming the details, Mira called out, "Hey, you two! Hurry up, we're heading out!"
"Coming, Sis!" Elfman responded, grabbing Zhou Xin and running over to Mira and Lisanna.
Once they regrouped, Mira led the way to Guild Master Makarov and said, "Old man, I want to accept this mission."
Makarov, swaying slightly with a drink in hand, took the request from Mira. He glanced at Zhou Xin behind her and asked, "So you're taking Zhou Xin on his first mission?"
"Yep!" Mira nodded proudly.
"Alright, I approve." Makarov handed the request back to Mira, then looked at Zhou Xin. "Originally, I planned to assign someone else to accompany you on your first mission. But if Mira's taking you, then I have no worries."
Though Mira's personality could be rough, she was a member of the guild and a powerful B-rank mage. Zhou Xin would be safe with her, and Makarov was confident she could handle the task with ease.
With the approval given, Mira handed the request to Lisanna and cheerfully waved to the others as they left the guild.
On the way, Zhou Xin asked Lisanna to see the mission request. Only then did he understand the details: the mission was in a small farming village near Magnolia. Recently, a large herd of wild boars had emerged from the forest and ruined the villagers' crops.
If they were normal boars, the villagers might have been able to handle it. But this herd was unusually large and aggressive. Several villagers had already been injured trying to fend them off. With no other choice, they turned to the Mage Guild for help.
Zhou Xin studied the request intently, noting every detail—until Mira, walking in front, suddenly turned her head.
"Oh, right. You're in the Mira Faction now, but I still don't know what kind of magic you use," she said.
"Magic…" Zhou Xin, who had been engrossed in the request, deflated like a popped balloon at the mention of it. His expression darkened.
Startled by the sudden change, Mira turned to Lisanna and Elfman. "What's wrong with him?"
The two siblings shook their heads, just as confused. But before they could say more, Zhou Xin let out a long sigh and spoke.
"I'm fine. I just got a little depressed thinking about my magic."
"Why?" Lisanna asked curiously.
Elfman looked intrigued too, while Mira crossed her arms and feigned disinterest—but her twitching ears betrayed her curiosity.
Seeing their reactions, Zhou Xin gave a wry smile. "My magic is painting magic… but it has no combat abilities. In fact, I still don't even know what it's actually good for."
"Painting magic? Like Lidas's?" Lisanna tilted her head. "It's not the strongest, sure, but it's not totally useless either."
She looked to Mira for clarification, but Mira remained silent, unsure what to say.
Zhou Xin gathered his resolve. "It's different from Lidas's. His drawings become physical objects. Mine… only move. That's all. I can't make them solid. I can't fight. I don't even know if it has any real use. Right now, all I can do is try to strengthen it and hope it's not totally worthless…"