Artus spent his days training and hunting at the edge of the forest. His prey consisted mainly of one-horned rabbits, but occasionally, he would encounter a savage beast.
Then, he would head to the city to sell most of the monsters' valuable parts, leaving only some for later use.
He would sometimes head to the fighting area to watch worriers and mages, analyzing their techniques and strategies and improving his own.
Even though he was much more interested in magic, he did not neglect his physical training. He would assign certain days for physical exercise to improve his strength and stamina while keeping his body in good shape.
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He trained with the object levitation spell in the evening, and his skills significantly improved.
He could already move a specific amount of rice by adjusting the mana input in the spell. His accuracy reached the level where he could control the object levitation spell to affect and move the exact number of rice grains he wanted.
Although he now had sufficient skills for his future, since he can't move to the next part of the plan right now and has to wait until he passes the promotion exam, he decided to improve his skills further in the meantime.
He has moved to the next level and started training the sand. The sand has finer and smaller grains than rice, so it was much harder to control.
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"Aunt, I want to take the upcoming promotion exam."
In the office, Artus sat with Seers, discussing current matters and the plans.
"Around four months of the preliminary course had already passed. You have already set your mind on taking the next exam a long time ago, isn't that right?".
Seers said while she was flipping through the pages of a document on her desk.
"That's right."
"In the past month, even though I spent all the time training and hunting, I felt my progress had slowed. My knowledge and understanding of magic far surpass what the instructor teaches in the preliminary course. In fact, I stopped attending the classes since they are now nothing but a waste of time."
"I feel it is time to move to the main classes. Even more. Sometimes I feel that I should have already taken the third promotion exam, that I should not have waited for now".
"What about the plans to keep a low profile and lay down?".
"I don't think that is a huge problem now. Around twenty percent of the trainees in the preliminary course had already passed the promotion test. To be in the best top twenty percent, even though it is an outstanding feat, it is not too eye-catching."
Seers raised her head and looked at Artus. In his eyes, she saw nothing but determination. Even though she prefers to postpone taking the test until around the sixth month, things would be safer. She knew nothing would change his mind now.
"Hmmmmm…. ok then. You have more than enough magic power and skill to pass the promotion test. I have nothing to tell you about the test. You have more than enough magic power and skill to pass the test, so I am not concerned about the possibility of you failing the test."
"The test will be held in three days; meet me afterward to discuss things again."
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Artus was walking around the academy city, strolling through the streets. Even though it was night, the city was bustling with life. Vendors selling all types of goods were everywhere. The smell of roasted meats and wine lingered in the night.
"Tomorrow is the promotion test day. Finally, I will move to the main classes of the Royal Arcanum Academy magic division and be an official student."
"I am not worried because with my current power, passing the test is a given."
"I can't wait to join the main classes; I have many plans for that."
"Roasted meat!"
"Roasted tender meat!"
"Come here to get a piece; it is cheap and delicious!"
Artus stopped by one of the small stalls in the street.
"Hey, mister, how much is a piece?"
Artus walked with two pieces for a low price when the vendor saw him; he gave one for free.
"I sometimes forget that I have yet to reach 10 years of age, so it is not strange for people who don't know me to treat me as a child."
"Even though since I entered the academy, my body has improved a lot, in the past, I was somewhat malnourished, so I looked even younger, but with the increase in my magical power and the physical training in addition to the available food and supplements I improved a lot."
Artus suddenly stopped walking; he kept taking bites of meat from the wooden skewer while staring at a particular object, a stone.
An elderly man in worn-out clothes was sitting cross-legged on the ground. He did not even have a stall, so he displayed his goods on an old mat in front of him.
There were various colorful fruits, some pieces of wood, different monster parts, some strange-looking stones, and different herbs. What drew Artus's attention was the stones.
To be precise, it was not a stone; rather, it was an ore. Its coarse and uneven surface was filled with shiny metal veins.
"Hey, mister. Where did you get these goods from?"
Artus fished, ate the meat, and crouched down, inspecting the ore carefully.
"I acquired them from the deep parts of the forest. These goods are uncommon and used as ingredients and materials for various potions and equipment."
"How much for the stone?"
"This is not a stone; it is valuable ore. Rare metals are usually extracted from it and used in making weapons and equipment."
"Then how much for this so-called ore?"
"As I said before, it is rare and expensive. I will make a special offer just for you: If you give me ten coins, you can take it."
"Old man, are you kidding me? For ten coins, I can buy a low-level spell book. I will not pay this amount of coin for a stone."
"If it is as valuable as you said, why are you having difficulty selling it on the streets? You should sell it to one of the stores easily."
"You said you had acquired it from the deep parts of the forest; how did you do that in the first place? With your strength, you cannot pass the outer layer, let alone reach the deep parts."
"I think you acquired these goods through shabby means. It may even be stolen."
"Considering how poor you are, I will give you four coins for it."
Artus attacked the old man ruthlessly; he was not able to reply. He paid four coins and took the ore with him home.
A strange green light was shining through his eyes.