System's POV
chapter-457-2

"You suck in fast-speed casting huh?" Thirteen commented as he looked at Erica, who was unable to cast a spell fast enough to hit the flying metallic Frisbee, which was meant to train archers.

"I'm just not built for speed," Erica replied. "I specialize in hard-hitting spells that will destroy the enemy with one shot."

"Yeah… we can't have that." Thirteen shook his head. "Even if you do manage to cast, I've noticed that your accuracy is very bad when you're aiming for moving targets. Be honest, you can only hit stationary targets, right?"

Erica averted her gaze and pretended that she didn't hear the teenage boy's statement.

Thirteen had finished training the other members of the Hero Party individually.

He had saved the Sorceress for last because, among all of them, Erica was the one who needed dire improvements to her fighting prowess.

Just like the teenage boy had stated, Erica had been too used to only fighting at the back, raining spells on targets that were being restrained by Roland, Derek, and Diana.

She was very bad at hitting moving targets because she had a poor aim and couldn't predict where they would be moving next.

This was one of her many weaknesses, and for a trainer like Thirteen, the holes in Erica's fighting prowess were as clear as day.

"How much money do you have in your savings?" Thirteen suddenly asked a question, which made Erica arch an eyebrow.

"I don't have a lot of savings because I am planning to move my family to a better residential house with good amenities," Erica replied. "Why did you ask?"

"Because you need a spell that you can cast quickly," Thirteen replied. "All of your spells require anywhere between ten to thirty seconds to cast, which is not really ideal for fast-paced battles. Since that is the case, there is only one way to overcome this weakness, and that is to buy a spell book."

Just like how weapons, armor, accessories, and avatars could be traded between Wanderers, spell books were the same.

They were rewards that could be obtained from The One, and some could be found in other places like ruins or mystic places that had been left behind by Ancient Mages.

"But those skill books are expensive," Erica frowned.

"Then just think of it as a reward from me for doing your best in completing the mountain lap earlier," Thirteen replied. "I will purchase the spell book later. For now, we should practice how you can cast your spells faster."

Erica, who heard that she was going to get a spell book for free, felt motivated and listened to Thirteen's advice on how to cast her spells faster.

Although the spell activation time decreased by only a second or two, it was more than enough to confirm Thirteen's suspicion that Erica was a very talented person.

'As expected of a first-rate Cannon Fodder,' Thirteen thought while sighing in his heart.

Yes, the reason why the teenage boy was close to Erica was due to the fact that even in his current form, he could tell if someone was a Cannon Fodder or not.

Despite being in the Hero Party, Erica was the sole cannon fodder among them, which was why he was focusing on training her well.

He wasn't lying when he said that the first one who would die when monsters managed to get past Diana was Erica.

When it came to Fate's plan, Erica was the one meant to die in order to make the members of the Hero Party understand their weakness.

Because of that, they would make a vow to ensure that another friend of theirs wouldn't be dying under their watch.

At least, that was how the script works for the Hero Party.

It was also possible that there would be more than one party member who would die. Presumably, this would force Roland to have a shift in mindset and kickstart his Hero Character Progression.

But Thirteen was sick and tired of this setup.

Now that he knew that a Cannon Fodder was part of the Hero Party, he couldn't turn a blind eye and just watch her life be snuffed out due to Fate's ordained destiny.

"Hey, Zion, why are you being nice to me?" Erica asked. "Are you after my body?"

The Sorceress asked this in a teasing tone, which made Tiona look at her while pondering if she should bite the Sorceress or not.

"I'm not interested in love or any romantic relationships," Thirteen replied. "If you ask me to tell you the real reason why I am helping you, the answer is because I hate to see you fade in the background while you're supposed to be a star in the sky.

"A star that will shine brightly and illuminate this god-forsaken world. You'll also be forced to go to Solterra in a month and a half, so you better get serious in your training.

"When I return from my mission, I don't want to hear any news of you kicking the bucket. If that happens, I swear I'll find your bones and piss on them."

"Wow, thank you for giving me that disgusting image in my head," Erica scoffed. "If I get nightmares tonight, it will be your fault."

"Enough talking and start casting," Thirteen ordered. "I'll reduce the flight speed of the Frisbee, so make sure to hit at least one of them, okay?"

True to his words, the teenage boy changed the setting of the machine that was ejecting the Frisbees.

But just like he expected, Erica was still unable to cast her spells fast enough to hit them or predict where they would be flying next.

Even so, Erica was now starting to feel motivated in the training.

She didn't know if it was because of the rewards or because Zion's words felt sincere and genuine.

However, she still felt that she couldn't help but feel admiration for the teenage boy, and this feeling did not only stem from his accomplishments.

She admired and even felt respect for him on an instinctual level as if she had known him for a very long time.

Of course, Erica was sure that she had only met Zion personally a few days ago, but there was something about him that made her feel at ease.

It made her feel like he was a giant tree that would make sure she was protected from the strong winds and the rain.

For a brief moment, Erica saw not only herself but many others under the shelter of that giant tree.

People whom she hadn't seen or met in her lifetime.

And yet, she felt that all of them shared something in common that tied them to him.

"Oi, did your brain overheat after casting so many spells?" Thirteen asked because Erica was looking at his face in a daze. "Should we stop now?"

"Sorry, I just got distracted," Erica replied. "Although you're not as handsome as Roland, you're pretty cute yourself, Zion."

Thirteen blinked once and twice before glancing at Tiona.

The Black Snake firmly shook her head left and right and told her Master that he was a hundred times more good-looking than Roland.

Since Thirteen believed Tiona with his life, he suspected that the Sorceress not only needed to learn a new spell but also get an appointment with an eye specialist.

'This is bad, Tiona,' Thirteen said through telepathy. 'Now I understand why Erica isn't good at aiming. She has bad eyesight.'

Tiona nodded her head in agreement with her Master's words.

In the end, the two looked at the Sorceress with pitiful gazes, thinking that they finally found the root cause of her problem.