A soft chime echoed in Ron's mind.
"Another achievement, huh…"
He glanced at Nami, who was in the middle of absorbing the magic imprint, and smiled quietly. Without drawing attention to himself, he placed the newly earned achievement point into Spirit.
The fusion process didn't last long. After only a few seconds, Nami opened her eyes. Her large, amber pupils shimmered with a brightness that hadn't been there before.
"How do you feel?" Ron asked.
Nami tilted her head, cheeks faintly flushed. "It feels… really good."
Ron almost blurted out how good, but quickly realized that was a dangerous direction. He stopped himself and smoothly redirected:
"Try the spell I taught you before. Open the porthole and cast it outside."
Nami's mind finally caught up, and excitement replaced her confusion. She hurried to the window, pushed open the round hatch, closed her eyes, and entered the meditative posture Ron had instructed her on so many times.
Two seconds passed.
Swish!
A Wind Blade materialized from thin air and shot cleanly toward the sea.
"…She succeeded on the first try."
Ron's lips twitched. He remembered struggling for ages before he first got it right. And Nami? Two seconds. Two.
Her talent was… No. She had practiced before. She had him guiding her. Of course she couldn't be more talented than the great predecessor himself.
Yes. That must be it.
"I did it!"
Nami stared at the fading arc of the spell, stunned for a heartbeat, then launched herself straight at Ron. She wrapped her arms around him, laughing brightly.
"Thanks, Captain!"
Ron steadied himself. She was fifteen, light as a feather, so catching her wasn't hard. Smiling, he slipped into a mock thoughtful tone.
"…Nami, how much do you think that magic imprint might be worth?"
Nami froze instantly.
Then she hopped off him and flashed the sweetest, most innocent smile she could manufacture.
"I'm your only crew member. If enemies show up, I can help fight now. So strengthening your crew is a mutual benefit… right, Captain?"
Ron was about to fire back with a joke, but suddenly his expression shifted.
His gaze landed on Nami, filled with something complicated.
He could feel it.
Ever since the imprint sank into her, something subtle now linked them. A thread. A whisper. A spiritual connection, faint yet unmistakable.
This feeling…
Ron immediately summoned the Achievement System.
On the profession panel, a new section had appeared.
At the top, a golden four-sided magic sigil representing him.
A green line extended downward from it, connecting to a three-sided golden sigil.
Below that second sigil was a name.
Nami.
And beside her name, a few small characters.
Resonance: 0 points.
As he stared, new text appeared beside the graphic.
[When holding a mid-tier magic imprint, you may bestow up to two beginner imprints. When holding a high-tier imprint, you may bestow two mid-tier and four beginner imprints. This continues progressively.]
[Those who receive a magic imprint form a hierarchy with the highest bearer. When a lower bearer increases their magic proficiency, the imprint produces resonance, granting the highest bearer a small increase in Spirit.]
The text slowly faded.
Ron blinked.
"So there's an effect like this… Is this faith energy? Or am I building an elite guard corps?"
Unexpected. Very unexpected.
If Nami grew stronger, if her magic improved, he would gain Spirit from the resonance.
A pyramid structure.
A chain that extended downward forever.
Excellent.
A grin spread across Ron's face. This was essentially a new way to grow stronger. But it also meant magic imprints couldn't be given out casually. To maximize the feedback, he needed to give imprints only to people with high spiritual talent.
The more gifted they were, the more Spirit he would receive.
But how high did magic imprints go?
The description mentioned high-tier imprints and used suggestive wording that implied there were levels beyond that.
He would have to figure it out later.
Thanks to his enhanced mental speed, all this thinking took less than a second in real time.
Ron snapped back to reality.
Nami was still smiling, trying desperately to steer the topic away from the imprint's value. Ron stifled a laugh and instead spoke seriously.
"I was joking earlier. The imprint is yours. But it's made from my magician bloodline, and I can't create many of them. Use it well."
Nami lifted her chin, confidence shining across her young face.
"Relax. I'll show you what real genius looks like."
"…Where does she get this confidence from?"
Ron stared, baffled.
Then, a traitorous thought crossed his mind.
If I didn't have the Achievement System… would she actually surpass me?
He crushed the thought immediately.
Impossible.
He was the pioneer. The trailblazer. No successor could surpass someone who carved the path.
"The basic wind rune, I've already taught you," Ron said. "Now I'll teach you the eight derivative runes. After that, focus entirely on wind magic."
Wind was perfect for her. And if he ever got his hands on lightning magic? Even better. Wind, water, lightning Nami had an intuitive affinity for all three. Her natural talent for reading the weather was proof of that.
Nami's eyes lit up.
Wind magic meant total control over a ship, even in the worst storms. For a navigator, it was a dream come true.
Ron taught her the remaining eight runes, then the two wind spells he had mastered, including his enhanced version.
Only after that did he leave her room.
He returned to his own cabin and immediately resumed training.
…
Five days later.
The warship finally reached Marine Headquarters.
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