After a month had passed, both Haru and Leon were working tirelessly on the training grounds.
Leon had learned just how difficult it was to become an excellent swordsman—but he never gave up. Every day was harsher than the one before, yet he kept pushing forward.
On the other side, Haru was still struggling even with basic spells. He was now more frustrated than ever. All the other students under Luna's guidance had already mastered the basics, and many had begun learning intermediate spells.
Watching them progress, Haru felt like he was being left behind. He didn't even have the physical strength to keep up with Leon. Even though Leon was human, the training had made him unbelievably strong.
And elves were never known for physical power—they were slightly weaker than humans, but gifted in magic.
Yet Haru showed no signs of magical talent either.
"GOOD MORNING!!"
Someone shouted behind him. When Haru turned around, it was none other than Sirius.
After a month of training together, the two of them had grown closer—at least from Haru's point of view. Sirius had mastered every basic spell Luna taught, while Haru could only use healing magic.
He had attempted offensive spells using only his hands, but nothing worked.
If only he could use a wand… everything would probably be different.
But he wasn't depressed. He didn't even want to join the Lycanthra Mage School.
He only wanted a peaceful life—just like before he enrolled in the camp.
(Haru) "Did something good happen?"
(Sirius) "Yeah. I got a gift from my mother this morning."
Sirius lived with his sister and aunt in the village, while his mother worked at the Lycanthra Grand Healing Institute as one of the Grand Healers—something Haru learned only after they became closer.
(Haru) "A gift?"
(Sirius) "A custom-made wand! I mentioned wanting it once, but I never expected her to send it to me on my birthday."
(Haru) "Birthday?"
(Sirius) "Yeah, today's my birthday. Sorry, I never told you about it."
(Haru) "Why are you apologizing? And—happy birthday."
(Sirius) "Thanks."
When all students gathered, their mage lesson began.
(Luna) "Today, you will learn how to fight and defeat a monster using only basic spells."
Everyone became instantly energetic. Luna led them to an open ground with no trees and clear sky overhead.
(Luna) "I will summon a centipede-type monster. It's one of the weakest monsters known. It won't attack, so don't worry."
Without chanting any spell, she summoned a disgusting centipede about the length of Haru's arm. Haru wondered what kind of magic required no chant.
(Luna) "First, let me teach you how to kill it with basic spells.
Centipedes have hard scales—you must break them first."
(Unknown Student) "Teacher, can't we kill it with an electric shock?"
(Luna) "A good thought, but electricity doesn't work well on scaled monsters. Watch carefully."
She stepped forward.
(Luna) "First, use the basic fire spell: FLARE SHOT!
Then immediately cast the water–ice combination spell: AQUA FREEZE!
This breaks the scales. Weak monsters like this die instantly.
If you want confirmation, finish with thunder magic followed by fire."
Just as she said, the monster froze, cracked apart, and turned to ash under her final spells.
(Luna) "Now, all of you will enter the forest. Find and kill a similar scaled monster, then bring back one of its parts as proof."
(Unknown Student) "We have to do it alone? Find it and kill it—by ourselves?"
(Luna) "Yes. All of you are capable of defeating at least an F-rank monster. Some of you can even handle E-rank."
Haru hesitated.
(Haru) "What should I do, Teacher? I can only use healing magic with my hands."
Luna thought for a moment.
(Luna) "You may team up with someone. But if a group is formed, you must kill at least an E-rank monster, not F-rank."
She handed each student a small green stone.
(Luna) "These stones glow when you get closer to a scaled monster. The closer you are, the brighter they shine."
Haru looked around, hoping someone would join him.
But anyone who met his eyes quickly looked away.
Absolute rejection! He sighed.
He never tried to make friends, nor did he care to.
But in this situation, he had no choice.
Then someone slapped his back.
It was Sirius—the raccoon boy.
(Sirius) "Want to team up?"
If Haru could use a single offensive spell, he would've rejected him instantly.
But today was Sirius's birthday, so he decided to be polite and accept his offer and also he actually don't know how to use offensive spells.
(Haru) "Fine. If you insist."
(Sirius) "You damn elf! Don't worry, I'll handle the monster. You just cheer for me."
(Haru) "Sure. I just hope you don't get injured. And wait… you are a raccoon, right?"
(Sirius) "I AM NOT A RACCOON! I'm a demi-human with raccoon-like ears—okay, and a tail. But don't you dare say raccoons eat centipedes! I'm not a wild animal!"
Haru nodded slowly.
(Haru) "Alright then… let's go, Raccoon-boy."
(Sirius) "Let's move, you long-eared elf-looking human-aged MORON!"
Haru exhaled deeply.
Really… that nickname pissed him off.
Though, the words Sirius used for him were equally annoying.
After that, we walked deeper into the forest, while the other students also spread out across the woods. Sirius and I separated from the rest of our group to increase our chances of finding a scaled monster.
I was holding the magic stone—it wasn't shining at all—so we continued deeper into the forest.
A few hours passed. Half of the students had already completed their tasks and returned to the base. But Sirius and I were still wandering. We did find a monster earlier, but it was only F-rank. Sirius killed it instantly, but our task was to defeat an E-rank scaled monster, so we kept searching.
(Sirius) "Any signs of glowing?" he asked while I checked the stone again.
(Haru) "Nope."
After hearing my answer, he stopped and sat down on a fallen tree trunk lying across the ground.
(Sirius) "I'm tired… and more than that, I think I've lost track of where we came from."
(Haru) "I'm not tired though, and I mostly remember the path we took."
(Sirius) "Tsk… so you mean we're lost."
(Haru) "Yeah, kind of."
Then, I noticed the stone in my hand begin to shine—much brighter than before. It had reacted earlier when we found the F-rank monster, but this was different. This was intense.
(Haru) "There's a monster nearby. Judging from the brightness… it's definitely stronger than that F-rank you killed."
(Sirius) "Then let's head toward it."
(Haru) "Wait. I think it's heading toward us. The stone's glowing even brighter."
Almost immediately, we heard a crawling sound coming from somewhere close. Slowly, we moved toward the noise and hid behind a fallen tree. We peeked over—and froze instantly.
A massive centipede-like monster, over two meters tall and eight meters long, covered in rock-like scales, with strange green liquid dripping from its body—definitely poisonous—was devouring a venomous red spider easily three meters in size.
We exchanged one look and understood everything without speaking.
This wasn't F-rank.
This wasn't E-rank.
This wasn't even D-rank.
This thing was far beyond what first-year students could handle.
We silently retreated, step by careful step, increasing the distance between us and that monster. After a few minutes, we reached an open area where the sky was visible. We sat down on the ground, exhausted from tension. Realizing we were completely lost, we stared at each other, then at the dirt below.
(Sirius) "It's going to be dark in a few hours… What do we do now?"
(Haru) "I'm not sure either. Wait—we can signal them with smoke."
Sirius immediately stood up.
(Sirius) "That's a great idea! Let's gather some dry branches and burn them."
I nodded.
We collected dry wood, old planks, and both green and dry leaves—enough to create thick, visible smoke. We placed everything in a pile, and Sirius used his flare magic to ignite the planks. Once the fire was stable, we covered it with leaves, and a huge column of smoke rose into the sky.
Darkness began to fall over the forest. We sat across from the crackling fire, silence hanging between us. Almost two hours had passed since we last saw that monster, and with every inch the night crept in, the fear of a surprise attack only grew sharper.
(Haru) "What do you think… when will our teachers find us?"
Sirius lifted his head, staring first at the sky swallowed by shadows, then at the treeline. After a heavy sigh, he answered—
(Sirius) "Pray that they don't find us as dead bodies."
As night settled, small lights began drifting through the trees—tiny glowing orbs moving like wandering stars.
Fireflies.
(Haru) "Damn… I'm starving. Hey, do you have any food?"
(Sirius) "Nuh."
We hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. We never expected things to turn out like this, so we brought nothing with us.
My stomach growled loudly. Sirius smirked.
(Haru) "Really? I'm dissolving from hunger and you're laughing?"
Sirius coughed, trying—and failing—to hide his smile.
(Sirius) "Sorry. It… escaped."
(Haru) "Huh?"
Before I could complain more, a strange sound echoed from deep in the forest.
(Haru) "What was that?"
(Sirius) "No idea."
We both stood and turned toward the noise.
(Sirius) "Something's coming."
Panic rose instantly. Sirius gripped his wand, aiming it toward the darkness. I grabbed a burning branch, holding it from the unburned end like a makeshift torch.
The sound grew louder. Closer. Both of us tensed—
Then the creature stepped into the firelight.
A beetle the size of a cat.
(Haru) "A… bug?"
(Sirius) "Seriously? We were scared of this? That's embarrassing. I'll take care of it—"
But before he cast anything, another sound boomed from the woods. Heavier. Hungrier.
And then—
A gigantic monster burst out and clamped its jaws around the beetle, ripping its head clean off. It began eating right in front of us.
We froze.
A rat monster—twice the size of the beetle, with long fangs and jagged teeth with long sharp nails.
(Haru) "What now?"
(Sirius) "Stay still. It's having dinner."
But then two more rat monsters crawled out from the bushes, joining the feast.
(Sirius) "Great. Now we're at a huge disadvantage."
(Haru) "I don't want to die to these filthy things."
(Sirius) "Me neither."
The rats devoured the beetle in seconds. They had already noticed us—eyes glowing in the dark—but the fire kept them hesitant.
Sirius acted first.
(Sirius) "THUNDER CHAIN!"
Electric arcs burst from his wand, splitting into several lightning strikes. One rat was hit head-on, collapsing instantly. The other two leapt aside with incredible speed.
(Haru) "Their reflexes are insane! And hey, I've never heard this spell before. Teacher never taught us that."
(Sirius) "That's because it's an intermediate thunder spell. Teacher Erin taught me personally."
So that was it. Some students had already begun intermediate training. His affinity was fire and thunder, so he picked up new spells faster. I wondered if I'd ever reach that level.
The surviving rats crouched low, their movements changing—like predators finally recognizing their prey.
Then they rushed us.
Sirius fired a Fireball, but again the rat dodged with a blur of motion, sprinting straight at him—
(Haru) "Sirius!—" I screamed.
The monster rat's fangs were just about to sink into Sirius's hand—the one holding his wand—when I rammed the burning wooden plank straight into its open mouth. It bit down on the glowing red wood, and I shoved it deeper. Because of its curved fangs, the scorching plank got stuck inside its mouth.
The monster squealed violently, thrashing as flames scorched its throat. It ran in circles before crashing into a tree, forcing the burning wood even deeper. A horrible crack sounded inside its throat. Then it collapsed, dead.
(Haru) "One down…"
(Sirius) "Thanks for the help."
(Haru) "Funny. Someone told me earlier today that I didn't need to do anything—just watch. Huh?"
He froze for a moment, remembering exactly what he told me before the mission started.
(Sirius) "I still stand by that… but thanks."
Before I could reply, a sharp, crushing pain exploded in my left shoulder, right near my neck. It was unlike anything I had ever felt—like the bones inside were being ground to dust. Blood filled my mouth instantly.
Another monster rat had lunged from our blind spot. Its jaws clamped on my shoulder from behind.
(Sirius) "HAAARRU!!"
I collapsed, the shock overwhelming my body. Sirius grabbed another burning piece of wood and struck the monster repeatedly. After a hard blow to its head, it released its bite and scurried into the darkness.
I lay trembling on the ground. I tried to cast a healing spell on myself, but my vision blurred. My mana slipped out of control. Then everything went dark.
(Sirius) "Stay awake! Stay awake—I'll heal you!!"
He pointed his wand at my wound. A faint glow appeared… then vanished.
(Sirius) "Why? Why isn't it working?!" His voice cracked with helpless anger.
He tore pieces of his shirt, pressing them hard against my bleeding shoulder. Then he fired fireballs into the sky—again and again—using every bit of mana he had left.
(Sirius) "Somebody—PLEASE! Come help us!!"
Almost an hour passed. Sirius had nearly drained all his mana. His breaths turned shallow as he tried one more time to heal me… nothing. With the last drop of his strength, he ignited the surrounding trees, hoping the fire would attract rescuers. Then he collapsed too.
The flames grew, crawling up the forest.
More than thirty minutes later, the rescue team finally spotted the smoke.
(Luna) "There! That must be them!" She exhaled in relief.
Teacher Luna, Erin, and three trainers rushed in. They extinguished the fire as they searched.
(Erin) "Something's wrong!" she shouted, spotting us lying unconscious.
She knelt beside us. Haru—bloody and unmoving. Sirius—breathing but completely drained.
(Luna) "His shoulder… it's badly damaged." She raised her staff. "Heal!"
A bright green glow enveloped my wound—then flickered out immediately.
(Luna) "What—? Why isn't it working?! This is my strongest healing spell!"
Shock spread across every teacher's face.
Erin sent a mana wave into the sky—an emergency signal to the headquarters.
(Erin) "Keep the cloth on the wound. Gagra, use the teleportation stone. Get them to the infirmary immediately."
(Teacher Gagra) "Right!"
He held the GateStone close to our hands and chanted:
(Gagra) "GateStone—Activate!"
A flash of light engulfed us, and we vanished.
The rest of the teachers began extinguishing the remaining fire.
After ten to fifteen minutes, they finally brought the blaze under control and began searching the area for the monster that attacked me.
They expected to find only two—because they already saw the bodies of two that Sirius and I killed.
But then—
(Luna) "Teacher Erin, I think there were only those two. Our students must've taken care of them."
Erin frowned, unconvinced. They walked a few hundred meters away… and stopped cold.
Another rat monster, lying dead.
(Erin) "Another one? This forest needs pest control."
They approached it. No wounds. No burns. Nothing.
(Luna) "There's… no injury mark at all."
Erin crouched down, opening its mouth and immediately pulling back.
(Erin) "Ugh. Its breath smells like death. There's blood in its mouth, but… no injury inside either."
(Luna) "Then how did it die?"
Erin stared at the corpse, her expression turning serious.
(Erin) "We're taking this one with us. I have a suspicion… maybe it died because it consumed elf blood."
(Luna) "Huh? …No way."
(Erin) "Is anyone against bringing it for research?"
(Teacher Ike) "Uh… how exactly are we carrying this thing?"
Erin grinned mischievously.
(Erin) "Teacher Ike, didn't you make a friend in the village? That woman you were 'shopping' with in the market? I'd hate for your fiancée to hear about that… unless you refuse to help."
Teacher Ike instantly froze, sweat pouring down his face.
(Ike) "H-Hey! It's not what it looks like! Please don't tell her—she'll treat me like a pet!"
(Erin) "Then follow orders and you'll be fine."
(Luna) "How did you even learn that?"
(Erin) "Secret."