*I'm not helpless anymore.*
Zhang Wei stood freely on the small hill, wind flowing through his sleeves and hair like gentle water.
"I... can feel it!"
Zhang Wei smiled with pure joy.
He could clearly see it now!
The flow of the wind moved like invisible rivers in the air. The currents bent around his body the same way water flows around a rock in a stream.
*The world is truly amazing!*
He looked up at the bright sky above.
Warm sunlight fell across the vast grassland, and large unknown bird species flew high overhead. Their wings caught the light as they soared in graceful circles.
Then something else caught his attention.
He could see faint traces of massive wind currents passing through the scattered white clouds, flowing toward the distant horizon.
*Is this the flow... of a coming storm?*
Zhang Wei followed the wind patterns with his new sight. Although the details were blurry and he couldn't make out the smaller currents, he could clearly see the main direction of the flow.
The winds were moving toward the horizon, where dark clouds loomed like a huge mountain range.
*It looks like rain is coming in the next few days.*
Meanwhile, down below, the huge wolf was still licking its wounded claw. It had gone completely silent.
The beast began crawling forward slowly, trying not to make any noise or sudden movements.
It stared at Zhang Wei with evil, hungry eyes. The wolf had noticed that the human who had hurt it was now completely distracted by something in the sky.
The wind currents around the human had become strangely calm, which puzzled the wolf. But it didn't care about understanding - it only wanted revenge.
*I won't let this chance slip away. Not after feeling the pain of having my claw cut off.*
The wolf had been ready to retreat when it first felt that terrible pain. But seeing Zhang Wei distracted like this changed everything.
*Today I will never leave. Not until I get my revenge.*
Slowly...
Slowly...
Suddenly, the wolf saw the human turning his head in its direction.
The beast didn't hesitate. It stopped trying to hide!
In an instant, its powerful leg muscles exploded like a released spring.
Its huge paws pounded against the ground, kicking up dirt and small stones. The force of its leap carried it directly toward Zhang Wei's position.
The wolf opened its massive jaws wide, aiming straight for Zhang Wei's throat.
Then...
*Whoosh!*
"It's a pity."
The words fell into the air. They sounded ordinary and plain, but hearing them made every instinct in the beast's body scream warnings of terrible danger.
*Howl!*
But even though fear filled its mind, the wolf didn't back down. It continued its attack with everything it had.
It was a mistake. A fatal one.
The next second, a gust of natural wind passed through the area around the wolf's head.
Then a flash of silver light followed.
*Puff!*
The beast's eyes went wide with shock. Its body suddenly stopped moving completely.
In front of it stood Zhang Wei, slowly putting his sword back into its sheath.
"I thought it was strong, but in the end it was just a newly awakened magical beast."
Zhang Wei spoke quietly to himself. He had just realized that this wind wolf hadn't been able to use any more wind magic during their entire fight.
*So its mana capacity is probably quite small. It can only support one attack of that size.*
"Made me scared for nothing!" He smiled as the wolf's head slowly fell to the ground. Bright red blood poured from the clean cut across its neck.
Just moments earlier, he had completely ignored the wolf below even though his senses had noticed it sneaking closer.
He had been able to do this because of how powerful and perfectly matched this magic was for him.
Azure Wind Magic.
The entry level technique "Seeing the Wind" allowed him to see the flow of wind currents for a limited time while using up his magical energy.
During that time, he could faintly sense his surroundings by watching how the wind reacted to different objects. It was like seeing ripples spread across the surface of a calm pond.
But this didn't fully explain how he had been able to cut off the head of a wolf that had been beating him so badly just minutes before.
The real secret was that he had seen the flow of the wind, and his sword had followed that flow perfectly. Like water rushing downstream, his sword slash had become faster and sharper than ever before.
Sharp and fast enough to kill this magical beast - which had the destructive power of a grenade - in a single cut.
Even though he had aimed for the part of the neck that was already wounded to make the cut easier, it was still an incredible achievement.
*I'm getting stronger...*
Zhang Wei looked at his clean, uninjured hands and clenched them into fists.
*But this is not my limit.*
He raised his head and stared into the empty sky above.
*Ding!*
**[Status Window]**
**Name:** Zhang Wei / Ethan Vale
**Age:** 14
**Techniques/Skills:** Intermediate Swordsmanship (3/10) [+], Language Expert
**Magic Affinities:** Wind (Weak), Earth (Weak)
**Magic:** Azure Wind (Entry Level: Seeing the Wind) [+]
**Points:** 2 (Points may be used to enhance skills, magic, and knowledge.)
**Missions:**
- Sole Journey [?]
- Road to Extraordinary Strength [?]
Zhang Wei looked directly at the Azure Wind magic entry.
Seeing the plus sign next to it, he didn't hesitate for even a second and clicked on it!
"With my amazing wisdom, unmatched talent, and hard work..."
"Dark blue! Show me your limits!"
With a single click, the entire world in his eyes began to change.