Leon woke up early, feeling great—amazing, even. His arm was no longer in pain, and he quickly removed the bandages to confirm that it had indeed fully healed. There wasn't even a single scar remaining.
There was still much he didn't understand about his Magic, but damn if it wasn't incredible. Those injuries should have crippled someone for life, yet he had healed in just two days. Maybe other Mages healed just as fast, but he barely knew anything about Magic to begin with. Soon, however, he would change that. Once he dealt with the monsters in the forest, that is.
That didn't mean he couldn't start broadening his knowledge immediately. He noticed an additional Skill on his Status while checking his current Health. Magic Theory was yet to be fully unlocked, just like the One-Handed Skill, but it showed he was on the right path. He could only assume he gained it due to his accomplishments yesterday.
His eyes lingered on the now slightly bigger ghostly wolf, which was still guarding the door, standing motionless like a statue. A grin stretched across Leon's face. He had gained a Spell and even improved on it. He did that.
That got him thinking. If he managed to improve a Spell, then… why couldn't he create one of his own? It seemed easy enough, right?
It turned out he was so, so wrong. Mostly because he had no real idea what he was doing. He wanted to create some type of Fire Magic, just so he could burn down the entire forest if he had to, but he had no clue where to begin.
While absent-mindedly eating breakfast, he thought back to how he made the Conjure Wolf better. He had directed the Mana to its body, making it tougher, stronger, and slightly bigger. Why couldn't he do that for himself? Why couldn't he use his Mana to make himself stronger? He surely needed it, especially after the encounter with the Grass Wolf. If he had been just a bit stronger, he would have walked away from that fight without injury.
With a goal in mind, Leon began working on it. Despite his determination, he had very little success at the start. In fact, he nearly did something incredibly dangerous by trying to direct Mana toward his heart, but managed to stop before he killed himself—or worse.
That was obviously a big no-no, so he tried spreading the Mana all around his body instead. It worked. He felt better than ever as the energy coursed through him. However, he encountered a small issue: his Mana ran out quite quickly while the Spell was active. He would have to figure out a way to reduce the cost, increase his total Mana, or increase his regeneration rate.
Feeling great about his success, he decided to seek out the hunters for training. He had fixed one weakness with Body Enhancement—even if he couldn't use it for long yet—so he figured he should work on another.
He had tried to sneak up on the Grass Wolf before and failed miserably. Maybe if he actually knew what he was doing, he could have attacked it without it even realizing he was there. Surely, the fight would have ended differently had he succeeded.
With that in mind, Leon made his way to Rorak's house. The man wasn't there, but his wife directed Leon to his location with a small stutter. Most villagers used to ignore him or treat him with hostility, but now… now they feared him.
It was weird how quickly everything changed, just from them knowing he had Magic. While pondering how different his life was now, he found the hunters.
"Leon?" Chapa was the first to spot him.
The other two looked up, pausing their equipment check.
"Um, hi." Leon wasn't sure how to approach this. It had been a long time since he bothered asking someone to teach him anything, mostly because he knew they would refuse.
"Do you need something?" Rorak asked, scanning him up and down.
"I was wondering if you can help me with sneaking around? I feel like I wouldn't have gotten so hurt if I knew what I was doing," Leon said, trying his best to maintain eye contact and not look away in shame.
"Are you all healed up already?" Rorak questioned in surprise.
"Yes." Leon moved his left arm to show him, enjoying the looks on their faces.
"Wait! Did you try sneaking up on the Grass Wolf? That's… why did you think that was a good idea?" Chapa asked, looking at Leon as if he were an idiot. "Should've just sent your own wolf to attack it."
While that was true, Leon didn't really have a better option back then. He could have just charged it, as dumb as that sounded, but it might have worked better considering how badly his sneaking attempt failed.
"I… don't want to talk about it," Leon said, looking away in embarrassment. He could have mentioned that he didn't have his Spell back then, but he figured he should keep quiet about that part of his Magic for now.
"Hmm. Alright then. We can show you a thing or two, teach you how to move around properly while keeping an eye on your surroundings," Rorak said, looking at the other two, who nodded in return.
"That would be great," Leon said, keeping his enthusiasm in check. Someone was actually going to teach him something.
----------
"Not bad, kid," Juro complimented after a couple of hours of walking around and finding hiding spots. "You might be a total beginner, but you're learning real fast."
"Really?" Leon asked.
"Yes," Chapa confirmed. "You have a talent for this. A few more sessions like this, and we won't have anything else to teach you."
Huh. Leon thought he was learning slowly. He wasn't sure if they were lying or if he really had a talent for this. On second thought, perhaps it was his Magic assisting him? He did notice that the Sneaking Skill had popped up in his status. It wouldn't take long before he fully learned it.
After Rorak provided him with some food—meat and bread that nearly made him drool—Leon returned to his shack. He was tired from the walking, so he decided to take it easy and rest.
However, that didn't mean he couldn't do anything else. In fact, he could easily train his Magic without moving from his bed. Now that his arm was healed, he could lay on his left side, which made all the difference.
His work with the Spell went amazingly well; he managed to make the ghostly wolf even better. If he could get a few more upgrades like that, he could direct his conjured creature to fight a Grass Wolf on its own without lifting a finger.
Today would be a productive day. He wasn't sure if he could do this every single day, but he was eager to improve as much as possible. He never wanted to feel as weak as he did when he nearly died against the Grass Wolf, so he had to work his ass off to guarantee that never happened again.
That was why he sought out the hunters for the second time that day. This time, it wasn't to improve his Sneaking Skill. He wanted a way to deal with his enemies without getting near them.
He had the ability to summon a wolf to fight for him while he stayed back. If it died, he could always resummon it as long as he had Mana.
"Oh? Back for some more training?" Chapa asked with a smirk. "We might have to bring you to the outskirts of the forest to further improve your sneaking."
"I wanted to learn how to use a bow this time," Leon answered.
"Makes perfect sense." Juro grinned and looked at Rorak, who sighed and threw a small fang at him. "Told ya he'd want to learn how to use a bow and not a knife."
Rorak rolled his eyes and waved Leon over. "Come then. It's getting kind of dark, let's see how quickly you can pick this up. We have a bow prepared for you."
Leon felt nervous when they handed him the weapon; he had no idea how to even hold it correctly. However, they quickly fixed his mistakes and showed him how to aim and fire.
They set up a few targets—boards with paint on them. Most of his shots flew right past, but he actually landed a few near the center.
"You… you're pretty good at this." They stared at him in wonder.
"I am?" Leon asked with a raised eyebrow. He watched them shoot, hitting the center nine out of ten times, while he hadn't landed a single bullseye.
"If you keep learning so quickly, you'll catch up to us in a month at most!" Juro said, throwing his hands in the air.
That didn't sound good to Leon. A month wasn't a short amount of time. His thoughts must have shown on his face, because Rorak spoke up.
"It took us years to get this good. A month is nothing compared to that."
Leon returned to his shack with a lot to think about. Was he this talented to begin with? Had he just never figured it out because no one ever taught him anything? Or was this due to his Magic?
Did it even matter? Even if it was due to Magic, the Magic was his. That meant he was indeed that talented.
------------
Leon woke up feeling better than yesterday, which he didn't understand. He had spent the entire day training hard, yet he felt no fatigue. His Magic was truly wonderful.
He ate the leftover meat and bread for breakfast, knowing he'd get more later. While eating, he wondered what to do with his day. He could spend more time working on himself—it was obviously working—but he also had that Boss Battle ability. He could only use it twice a day, and he wasn't making use of it. Maybe he could scout the forest for an hour or two to see if he could get an easy mark? More loot would surely be helpful.
The forest it was. He had the bow and arrows stored in his Inventory, and he had two new Spells. He would have to decide which one to use since his current Mana wasn't enough to sustain both simultaneously while using Boss Battle, but that was fine.
He left the village and made his way to the forest. Taking a deep breath, he convinced himself that this time would be different. He wouldn't lose to some lousy elk humper. Plus, he couldn't resist the chance to earn more rewards. He could get a better Spell or another Book like the one that taught him Allspeak.
He was far more careful this time, moving slowly from tree to tree. His steps were measured, ensuring no breaking branches alerted the creatures. His heart thumped in his chest—a mix of fear and anticipation.
The last time he entered, he nearly died, but he vowed this would be different. He had Magic, Spells, and training.
Slowly, he moved deeper into the forest until he saw it. His first target: a boar carefully eating from a bush, checking its surroundings every few moments.
Leon hid behind a tree and considered his approach. Quietly, he took his bow and an arrow from his Inventory. He paused before taking the shot, deciding to summon his wolf first. If he missed, conjuring it later might cost him precious seconds, allowing the boar to charge him.
"Conjure Wolf," he intoned as quietly as possible.
That turned out to be a mistake. The boar was instantly alerted. Whether it heard him, saw the ghostly wolf, or felt the Mana, it knew he was there. It turned to escape, but Leon had a trump card.
He activated Boss Battle. The boar was forced into the fight.
"Attack!" Leon commanded his wolf while aiming. He released an arrow, hitting the boar in the shoulder.
The beast shrieked and thrashed. The wolf attacked, but due to the boar's frantic movements, it only scratched the animal. The boar zeroed in on the conjured creation and slammed its tusk hard into the wolf. Thankfully, the ghostly companion wasn't real, so it wasn't hurt much.
Leon didn't stay idle. He notched another arrow and fired, hitting the boar right in the head. He wasn't sure how it was still alive, but he knew it wouldn't take many more shots.
The boar shrieked again, swinging its head to hit the summon. The wolf danced around the animal before jumping onto its back and biting its neck, pinning it for a moment.
Leon used the chance to fire again, but the arrow went wide. Fuck! That was the perfect opportunity.
The boar flung the wolf off its back, but the companion landed on its feet and dashed back in, relentlessly attacking with its claws. Leon fired another arrow, this time hitting the beast, which only served to enrage it. It charged the conjured wolf, stabbing it with its tusks.
If it were a normal wolf, it would have died, but the summon was hardier. It held its ground, keeping the boar in place for Leon to land one final arrow right in its sturdy head.
The beast stopped moving and dropped to the ground. Leon commanded his wolf to "Hold."
A flash of light formed next to the dead beast, turning into a round object. Leon ran over and found a pink-reddish fruit.
"That's my reward?" He was confused. He expected a Spell. A fruit was definitely not what he imagined.
He threw the fruit into his Inventory and noticed its name: Peach of Strength. He wasn't the smartest person, but that name implied it would make him stronger. If true, this was big.
He grabbed the usable arrows, then looked at the boar. It was meat—valuable meat. But he couldn't lift it. Maybe the fruit would help?
He took out the peach and bit into it. It was tasty. Then, it happened. He gasped as energy coursed through his body. He dropped to his knees, barely able to stand from the sudden assault of pain.
He was drenched in sweat. He didn't know how long he lay panting on the ground, but when the pain ended and he stood up, he felt stronger than ever.
Immediately, he went to the boar corpse. With barely any effort, he lifted the entire thing and shoved it into his Inventory.
Damn! He was at least twice as strong as before. He needed more of those fruits. If he ate a few more, he would probably be strong enough to beat the Grass Wolves without even relying on Magic.
He dispelled his wolf to recover Mana and waited. Then, he began searching for more targets. It didn't take long to find another boar.
This time, he tried to be sneakier. He summoned the wolf quietly. The boar didn't hear him. Perfect. He aimed, but the beast suddenly turned toward him as if it sensed him.
Still, his arrow landed right in its thick skull. It wasn't a kill shot, but the beast was disoriented.
"Attack!"
Leon used Boss Battle simultaneously. The wolf leaped, slashing with claws, while Leon peppered the beast with arrows. The creature just stood there, confused. For a brief moment, Leon felt bad, but then he remembered the rewards.
With a final arrow to the head, the beast died. This fight was far easier. Maybe his improved strength made his arrows more dangerous?
He rushed over to the rewards. There were two peaches! Two of them! Why? This boar felt weaker than the previous one.
He decided to ponder that later. He ate the fruits immediately, feeling the surge of energy. He was strong now. Really strong. His Status said his Physique was at seventeen. It used to be four.
On the way back to Loya, he decided to test his strength. He found a nice tree, pulled his fist back, and punched it hard.
"Aw, aw, aw!" He pulled his arm out of the hole he'd made and shook his hand. It hurt. Lesson learned: just because he was stronger didn't mean he was invincible to pain.
Or maybe the lesson wasn't learned, because he tried it again—this time with Body Enhancement.
"Oh fuck! Shit! Fuck!" He cursed, running away as the tree actually toppled over.
He had brought it down with his fists alone!
----------
Unfortunately, training his Magic further yielded little success.
He tried to copy the Conjure Wolf improvements but failed. Tired from the hunt, he took a short nap.
When he woke, he felt restless. He had given his word to deal with the Grass Wolves. To do that effectively, he needed a better way to track them and move among the trees.
"You want to learn how to track the creatures of the forest?" Rorak asked when Leon approached the hunters.
"Yes." Leon nodded confidently.
"How ready are you?" Rorak asked suddenly. "Saw you going to the forest earlier before returning perfectly fine."
"Another day or two at most, and I'll feel confident attacking them on my own," Leon lied. Honestly, he felt he could take them down now. He did topple a tree with his fists.
Rorak grunted. "We still have a few hours of daytime left. Let's go."
They returned to the forest. The atmosphere changed; the hunters lowered their postures, arrows notched.
"Only whisper to communicate," Juro whispered.
Leon tried mimicking their movement but was too busy listening.
"See that bush? Green berries. Boars love them," Rorak pointed out.
"See that hole? Rabbit burrow."
"See how weirdly that grass grows there?" Chapa pointed to small patches of grass growing at intervals. "When we see that, we get the fuck away. It means one of the big bads of the Grass Wolves was walking here."
That was news to Leon. It meant the monsters had Magic.
"And see those scratches on the trees?" They looked like they were made by a massive knife. "Never go past them. That's the territory of the Beast. Anyone who entered never returned."
They returned to the village without issues. Leon absorbed all their knowledge. He felt he could find any creature now, though the information about "The Beast" was worrying.
"Good one, kid. You really learn fast," Chapa said. "At the end there, I noticed you were scanning the forest almost like one of us."
"It wasn't that hard," Leon said, then frowned. "Could've done it before if someone actually bothered to teach me."
The hunters looked away awkwardly.
"Anyway," Leon shook his head. "I wanted to continue with some knife practice."
"You bet," Juro said, recovering. "I saw the wounds on the Grass Wolf. Plenty you could've done better."
Juro taught him grip and control. Leon mimicked the movements perfectly.
"What the hell, kid…" Juro stared in astonishment.
Leon snorted and swiped his knife left and right in a display of skill—and ended up slashing his pants right off. Thankfully, he didn't hurt himself, but his face heated up in embarrassment. Juro laughed and gave him an old pair of pants.
----------
Leon was out of the village moments after waking up the next day, heading straight for the forest to use Boss Battle. It was too valuable to waste.
He encountered two Grass Wolves fairly quickly. Ideally, he would have hesitated, remembering his last fight. But he was no longer that weakling.
He took out his knife and charged, using Boss Battle on both of them at the same time. This left him with no Mana to Conjure his wolf, but he didn't need it.
The wolves were surprised by the charge and the invisible barrier of the skill. One jumped away, but the other tried to attack. Leon was too fast; he dodged and struck it with his knife.
I could do better than this, he thought.
"Ughh!" He felt pain in his leg. The other wolf had scratched him. It stung, but it was just a scratch.
Shaking off the pain, he pushed the attacker back and focused on the injured one. A slash into a stab was all it took. His improved physical abilities were too much for it.
The second wolf tried to leap and bite his neck, but he avoided it with ease. He ignored the loot drop from the first kill and activated Body Enhancement.
The remaining wolf stood no chance. Leon was faster, stronger, and bigger. With two powerful slashes, it fell.
Leon stood there, staring at the corpses. He chuckled, then laughed. He did that! He took down two Magical creatures on his own!
He decided to leave the forest immediately since he was out of Mana. He grabbed the rewards: a pair of Grass Gloves and an Apple of Peace.
The apple likely functioned like the peach. The gloves? He played with them on the way back. They felt like leather but had a connection to the forest grass. He would figure them out soon enough.