I Am Not Goblin Slayer
Chapter 6: Mage Hand

Early next morning, before the first bell tolled in the town, Gauss had already woken up. Sitting cross-legged on his bed with a serious expression, he focused intently.

"Mage Hand!"

The newly learned 0-tier cantrip wasn't easy to master. After over an hour of continuous attempts since waking, he'd faced nothing but repeated failures.

Perhaps through accumulated experience from persistent practice, or maybe just a stroke of luck, Gauss finally succeeded in casting the spell after numerous failed attempts. 

The moment of successful spellcasting felt miraculous - as if his consciousness had input the correct command sequence. The mana within his body began flowing along specific pathways, intertwining and releasing peculiar magical vibrations. These strange oscillations extended beyond his body, rapidly weaving together before him until they solidified into an intangible spectral arm.

Success!

Sitting on his straw bed, Gauss felt the presence of the invisible ghostly hand before him, his lips curling upward. With focused will, he guided the Mage Hand to float around the room. The intangible arm grasped a dagger on the table, making it wobble unsteadily as it slowly levitated.

A surge of excitement and indescribable accomplishment flooded Gauss's heart. He had actually succeeded in casting real magic! This was genuine sorcery - the kind of fantastical power that in his previous life existed only in fiction and movies. The revelation shocked him no less than when he first discovered he'd transmigrated to another world.

Unfortunately, before he could further experiment with the Mage Hand, the spectral arm in the air abruptly dissipated with a "pop!" The cloth-wrapped dagger fell back onto the table with a thud.

"Obviously not skilled enough yet," Gauss muttered. "More practice needed!"

Mage Hand lv1 (2/10)

Noticing the skill proficiency had increased by one point, Gauss felt motivated by this tangible progress. He spent the entire morning practicing in his room without stepping outside. Most attempts still ended in failure - hardly surprising, as successful casting every time would have been impossible given his newly awakened mana reserves couldn't sustain continuous spellcasting for so long, even with 0-tier cantrips being the least mana-intensive of all spells.

Fortunately, his practice proved effective, possibly aided by his 7 Intelligence points. By nearly noon, just before completely exhausting his mana, he could cast Mage Hand with relative proficiency. 

Having gone from complete novice to capable spellcaster in half a day without any reference points from other practitioners, Gauss couldn't gauge whether his progress was fast or slow. Regardless, simply being able to cast spells satisfied him.

As he pulled on his boots, his stomach emitted a hollow growl. He was hungry.

"Clunk, clunk—"

His wooden-soled boots creaked on the stairs. Sophia, who was wiping down the front desk, instinctively looked up at the sound. Her expression showed clear surprise upon seeing who descended.

The lean figure with black hair and emerald-green eyes that seemed particularly bright today - brighter and more spirited than usual - was Gauss, one of the most diligent long-term guests she knew. He seemed... different somehow. Sophia studied him but couldn't pinpoint exactly what had changed.

'Did something happen?' she wondered privately. This marked the first time she'd seen Gauss at noon - normally he'd be gone before dawn. However, adhering to her principle of not prying into guests' affairs, she suppressed her curiosity and didn't inquire.

"Sophia, lunch please. Actually... make that two portions."

Though unaccustomed to the inn's fare, his limited funds left Gauss little choice but to make do. He was genuinely hungry now, likely because his body needed to replenish the expended magical energy.

"Two portions? Well, we're nearly out of lunch servings anyway. I'll bring you everything left - consider the extra my treat."

"Much appreciated."

Sophia waved off his thanks and soon emerged from the kitchen with a tray. Today's lunch consisted of oatmeal porridge, stewed beans, and pickled beetroot. Perhaps yesterday's brick-like black bread embedded with wood shavings had set his expectations low, because this meal tasted surprisingly decent. The beetroot, cold-pickled in a tangy sauce, offered a unique fruity flavor and texture.

Several days passed in this manner.

During this period, Gauss practiced his Mage Hand spell near town, switching to weapon drills when his mana depleted. The frequent training rapidly improved his spell proficiency.

Mage Hand lv2 (10/20)

Surveying his status panel, Gauss nodded approvingly. Several days of practice had brought his Mage Hand proficiency to mid-level 2. He'd actually reached level 2 on the first day, but afterward, mere mechanical repetition slowed his progress considerably. Only after grinding for days did he barely reach 10/20.

'Does proficiency grow faster through practical application?' he wondered as he headed back toward town.

Now at level 2, he could manipulate Mage Hand quite fluidly. His current traveling pack, for instance, floated alongside him, carried by the spectral hand. 

Beyond spell proficiency, these days of training had significantly increased his mana reserves. If previously it had been mere wisps, now it could be likened to a twisted rope - though admittedly an imperfect analogy, as mana wasn't a tangible substance like liquid or gas but rather an intangible existence.

Besides his personal mana reserves, magical energy permeated the entire world, saturating every corner like invisible ley lines. Spellcasting, as Gauss understood it, represented a special magical phenomenon - using one's own mana and spells imprinted in consciousness to reshape the omnipresent ambient magical energy, ultimately manifesting specific effects in designated areas.

The scale of magical effects depended on both the quality and quantity of his mana as well as the spell type. As a 0-tier cantrip, Mage Hand consumed minimal mana.

Its effective range extended about ten meters - beyond this distance, the spell would naturally dissipate. Mage Hand wasn't combat-oriented but rather served auxiliary purposes: reaching through doors to undo locks, quietly retrieving objects, etc.

For combat applications, Gauss currently envisioned using its approximate 10-pound (4.5kg) capacity to unexpectedly disrupt enemies' movements while he seized opportunities to attack. Alternatively, he could stealthily position a dagger above foes using Mage Hand, then let gravity accelerate it downward - though such attacks would likely prove limited given range restrictions and requiring opponents to remain unaware.

In battles, he believed the most effective use would be assisting his own movements - tripping enemies by their ankles, giving strategic pushes or pulls. Even with modest force, well-timed interventions could prove lethal, as combat often hinged on split-second advantages rather than prolonged exchanges.