The progress afterward was quite impressive, and Li Ke finally understood how this tavern operated.
It wasn't about collecting money, but about buying alcohol. After you bought enough alcohol, the girls would accompany you to a room with sofas and chairs, and then you could do whatever you wanted.
But unfortunately…
"Only five points of energy. It seems pointless to come back."
Sitting on the bed, looking at the disheveled Miss Yellow Rose lying beside him, Li Ke sighed.
He had tried five times, but only gained five points of energy. Incomparable to Erina, it wasn't even as good as Lux's mouth!
"Although the service and skill level were indeed quite good…"
Stroking Miss Yellow Rose's smooth, silky skin on her back, Li Ke sighed. She was only at an ordinary level, so after draining him, she was already exhausted.
Taking a deep breath, Li Ke placed ten gold coins in her bosom, put on his clothes, and walked out of the pink tavern.
Since accumulating energy was so difficult, it was only natural that he would spend this time finding something to make himself stronger.
"Speaking of which, swordsmanship is very popular in the world of Dungeon Fighter Online."
Looking at the swordsmen wielding blades around him, Li Ke pondered which technique he should learn.
Firearms techniques were a given; he absolutely had to learn them and couldn't give them up.
They were much faster than swordsmanship.
But strengthening his physical body was also essential. He hadn't forgotten that the same amplification would be dozens of times greater for Rias, while he would still be considered weak in their eyes.
Therefore, he needed to train and cultivate his physical body.
So, he headed straight for the Mage's Guild.
Just kidding, magic is much cooler, okay?!
Upon entering the Mage's Guild, Li Ke was surprised to find that Sharan wasn't alone. The guild wasn't the dilapidated little house in the game, but a vast academy.
As he entered, he saw many people carrying books and wearing long robes moving about, each with a long cane beside them.
Sharan, who had made a special trip earlier, stood before a large door, holding a star-shaped magic wand only about the length of her arm, instructing two children who appeared to be only eight or nine years old.
Li Ke stood at a distance, quietly waiting for Sharan to finish.
This time, the cold expression on Sharan's face had almost completely disappeared. She looked at the children, explained magic to them, and when she saw the children successfully cast two spells, her expression became beautiful.
Her figure remained captivatingly curvaceous, and when she bent over, her already full breasts appeared even more voluptuous. But what Li Ke was more drawn to was the maternal and earnest aura emanating from her face, perfectly complemented by her undeniably sexy evening gown, making Sharan appear like a noblewoman—though she already was.
After seeing the children off, Sharan's gaze fell upon Li Ke. Although she had seen many humans, Li Ke was one who truly captured her attention. While her face remained somewhat expressionless, the air of someone who had faced death multiple times was undeniable.
Moreover, the closer she got to Li Ke, the stranger she felt.
She sensed that Li Ke possessed some powerful force, yet the truth was, Li Ke wielded no magic whatsoever.
"Oh, Miss Sharan, good morning. I've come to thank you for this."
Li Ke pointed to the brooch on his person, casually taking out half of the remaining gold coins he carried, intending to hand them to Sharan. "No need for money. I came here to help those in need, but you're probably not just here to repay a favor, are you?"
Sharan looked at Li Ke with interest. She had noticed that when Li Ke watched her instruct the children earlier, while some of her gaze was on her legs and chest, the majority was focused on the spells she was teaching.
The longing in his eyes was undeniable, and it couldn't be mistaken.
That was the gaze of someone yearning for power; she wouldn't mistake it.
And magic is power.
"Yes, I'm quite interested in magic."
Li Ke nodded in agreement.
Swordsmanship was cool, and necessary to learn, but if he could learn magic—
"Then come with me. It's one of my duties."
Sharan smiled, opened the door behind her, and went inside first.
Li Ke hadn't expected it to be so easy, so he followed and looked at Sharan.
Sharan casually waved her hand, and several crystals of different colors lit up. The next moment, Sharan spoke again, pointing to a pentagram magic circle in the room.
"Stand inside, then close your eyes and try to capture the energy around you. You can also imagine it. Try to capture energy with your own colors and emotions. If you can capture it, then you can learn magic; if you can't, then there's no way."
Li Ke nodded, saying nothing, and stepped inside.
Sharan nodded at his decisiveness, then snapped her fingers again. This time, even Li Ke sensed a fluctuation of energy. He tried to sense the energy around him, but couldn't detect anything. So, following Sharan's instructions, he imagined colors in his mind and tried to capture them.
He imagined four different colors, the closest one to him being black.
He felt a chill and unease in the blackness, and longed for warmth, subconsciously imagining a red ball in his mind.
He tentatively tried to grasp the red ball of energy. The moment Li Ke's consciousness entertained the idea of 'capturing,' he immediately felt a surge of intense warmth, followed by Sharan's voice.
"It's successful. Congratulations, Mr. Li Ke. You possess the aptitude to learn magic, albeit weakly. But can you feel the surrounding magic gathering around you?"
Li Ke opened his eyes. He discovered that the warmth he felt wasn't fake; it was real—a ball of flame hovered in his hand, radiating warmth.
He could also feel a strange power slowly seeping into his body from all directions, gathering in his hand and combining with other forces in the air to form the fireball before him.
Sharan gently waved her hand, and the fire element gathered in Li Ke's hand vanished. Li Ke then gathered the energy within his body, causing his hand to emit a faint glow.
Looking at this light, he still couldn't quite believe that he had so easily obtained the extraordinary power he had always dreamed of. "This is… magic?"
Sharan was also happy, but it was the kind of happiness that comes from seeing another person gain magic and embark on the path of a magician.
"That's right, this is magic. After you get used to its existence, you'll be able to generate magic on your own."
Li Ke examined his hands. He could feel that this magic was somewhat difficult to control, but he could still manipulate it if he wanted to, though it was quite mentally taxing.
Looking at the glowing magic, he still couldn't believe that he, an Earthling, could use magic so easily.
If it wasn't the system's power, then the magic of this world was simply that wondrous.
So he looked at Sharan.
"So, what's the principle? I shouldn't have had magic before, so why can I generate it on my own?"
But Sharan's answer was quite decisive.
"I don't know."
"Huh?"
Seeing Li Ke's surprised expression, a smile returned to Sharan's face.
"Although there are many speculations, some saying it's the soul, others saying it's a combination of spirit and vitality, I want to say that everyone has their own answer, Mr. Li Ke. But I can only tell you that they are all wrong."
"But, they are also all right."