I Am Not Goblin Slayer
Chapter 22: Spell Selection

The Coral Tavern had private rooms available at higher prices with better service.

However, Gauss was just here to eat, so he didn't need such extravagance.

Finding an empty table, he took a seat and placed his travel bag and sword beside him.

Soon, a female attendant approached with a menu.

Gauss waved his hand and ordered several meat dishes along with a pitcher of fruit juice.

For some reason, he had an unusually strong craving for meat lately.

This meat craving had started a few days ago.

To be precise, it began after that battle.

He speculated that just like his growth spurt, this increased appetite might also be a result of his 6-point Constitution stat.

The body's development requires substantial nutrients, which sounded perfectly reasonable.

While waiting for his food, he focused his mind to open the Adventurer's Manual in his consciousness and checked its information.

Name: Gauss

Strength: 5 (Physical power, carrying capacity, explosive force, etc.)

Agility: 5 (Bodily flexibility, dynamic coordination)

Constitution: 6 (Endurance, physical stamina, wound recovery, cardiopulmonary metabolism)

Intelligence: 7 (Memory, thinking, mental power)

Perception: 5 (Senses, intuition, judgment)

Charisma: 5 (Presence, appearance, physique)

Skills:

Cantrip: Mage Hand lv2 (15/20)

1st Ring Spell: Magic Missile lv1 (3/10)

His attributes were clearly displayed numerically on the panel, making everything immediately understandable.

Regarding skills, Mage Hand had improved by 5 points during that battle.

It went from 10/20 to 15/20.

This confirmed Gauss's earlier speculation that actual combat was more effective for improving skill proficiency.

As for Magic Missile, it remained at lv1 (3/10).

These three proficiency points came from that exceptional performance when he used Magic Missile to kill the large goblin.

On his way back, he hadn't dared to casually use this 1st Ring spell.

Currently, this 1st Ring spell seemed too demanding on his magic power.

He feared that practicing on the road might accidentally drain his magic completely, leaving him in that mentally exhausted, immobile state again, so he had avoided practicing it.

Currently, he possessed two spells.

Combined with the knowledge about mages that shop owner Grom had recently shared with him, Gauss found himself in a dilemma.

To embark on the path of becoming a professional and officially become a mage, the first step was to practice one spell to an extremely proficient level.

Yet now he had two spells.

Actually, either Mage Hand or Magic Missile could serve as the foundation for his professional path.

His dilemma was which spell to choose.

In terms of difficulty, Mage Hand was undoubtedly much easier than Magic Missile.

In fact, according to Grom, most mages used a cantrip as their first spell to break through to the professional realm.

The advantage of cantrips was that they were relatively easier to access, simpler to learn, and consumed less magic power during practice, allowing more practice sessions within the same timeframe and increasing the chances of professional advancement.

However, this "easiness" was only in comparison to 1st Ring spells.

In reality, magic was a skill with a very high threshold, extremely difficult for those without talent to master.

Unlike sword techniques, combat skills, or archery—where investing time could at least grant some combat ability regardless of whether one became a professional—magic was different.

Those without talent would often leave disappointed.

This was why mages were highly valued in many adventurer teams—scarcity itself was a resource.

But after listing all these advantages of cantrips, what were the benefits of using a 1st Ring spell as the breakthrough skill?

There was only one.

The 1st Ring spell would become permanently solidified as a core skill, possessing greater growth potential and lower magic consumption in the future.

Yes, the skill used to break through to the professional path would become permanently solidified as a core skill within one's body upon successfully condensing a Rank.

Professionals could learn many skills later—for mages, cantrips and 1st-9th Ring spells, as long as one had sufficient talent and strength.

But core skills were different—they had better growth potential and would continuously increase in power as the professional's Rank improved.

Moreover, being permanently solidified made core skills easier to cast with less consumption.

So between Mage Hand (cantrip) and Magic Missile (1st Ring), which had better potential and effects as a core skill?

Naturally, Magic Missile.

Mage Hand was merely an auxiliary spell, even among cantrips it was particularly lacking in combat capability.

Magic Missile, on the other hand, represented the opposite extreme—as a pure magical offensive spell, its destructive power ranked among the top of 1st Ring spells.

Finally, core skills would also influence the type of innate talent awakened upon achieving professional status.

For example, an archer choosing the Ranger profession would awaken talents like [Precision], [Eagle Eye], [Divine Strength], or others upon becoming a professional—some good, some bad.

Different talents would provide different bonuses to professionals.

If Gauss chose Magic Missile as his core skill, when he eventually became a professional, the power of his skill would far surpass that of ordinary mages.

More crucially, a brutal offensive spell like Magic Missile would likely awaken an exceptionally powerful innate talent.

Gulping, after much deliberation, Gauss decided to use Magic Missile to break through to the mage profession.

The influence of core skills was too significant—not only would the core skill itself accompany one throughout their entire career, but the connected talent would also have lasting effects.

Ordinary people found it extremely difficult to master a 1st Ring spell before officially condensing a Rank—1st Ring spells were several times harder than cantrips, and reaching the level required for professional advancement was even more challenging.

Only a few geniuses and enlightened individuals would choose a 1st Ring spell as their core skill, and there were even cases where someone who comprehended a higher-level spell ultimately chose a cantrip instead.

Ultimately, no matter how strong the potential, if one couldn't become a professional, it would remain an unattainable dream.

But Gauss was different—he had a panel that clearly displayed his skill proficiency, and the numerical format ensured his skills wouldn't regress. As long as he practiced, he would improve.

In summary, cantrips had the highest compatibility, 1st Ring spells were extremely difficult but had high potential, while 2nd Ring or higher spells couldn't serve as core skills.

Without a condensed Rank, it was impossible to use 2nd Ring or higher spells—even if one somehow learned them, their magic power would be insufficient.

Therefore, Gauss didn't entertain unrealistic fantasies about obtaining higher-level spells.

"If no more suitable skills appear later, I'll temporarily designate Magic Missile! At most, it'll just take more time than Mage Hand, but in exchange for a stronger core skill and talent, it'll all be worth it."

After pondering for a while, Gauss finally made his decision.

"So my top priority now is to acquire a magic wand—even the most basic wand could reduce my spellcasting magic consumption while increasing my practice efficiency."

"Which would accelerate my mastery of Magic Missile and my advancement to professional status."