As soon as the strange vines entered his range, Shelly waved his hand and jagged ice shot out of the rain-soaked ground. Although the magical construct was mostly a mix of Water and Earth element, it was vulnerable to cold. The vines that touched the ice writhed in pain, and the others carefully avoided it.
Julian also took aim, and fired dozens of bolts in quick succession. The vines were very thin, making it difficult to score a direct hit; still, several vines were successfully pinned.
Seeing that the vines were still approaching, Julian clumsily began to reload. Rosanna could hold twice as many bolts as the average crossbow, but by the time he’d finished reloading and looked up, the battle was already over. The burned vines lay dead on a patch of dry ground.
“Well done,” Rowenna patted Shelly’s head. “Although your innate Fire element is weak, it’s powerful enough to deal with opponents of this level.”
With the obstacle removed, the team slowly began to advance. Julian hurried to retrieve the bolts that could still be reused.
“You did well,” Ellen placed a hand on Julian’s shoulder. “Weapons like ours are better suited to larger targets. If we run into a creature like this again, you can let someone else handle it.”
“Thank you,” the dwarf mumbled, wiping mud off one of the bolts.
However, Julian stubbornly continued to attack every time they encountered another magical construct. Unfortunately, they were still in the outer area of the forest, where even the biggest monster, the Mud Turtle, could be held in one hand. Rosanna was considerably powerful, piercing the shell of the Mud Turtle easily, which cheered Julian up a little. However, with a flick of his hand, Shelly sent a wave of mud over the Mud Turtle, trapping it.
In order to reach the center of the forest, the group was running without taking any breaks. When Julian paused to catch his breath again, Ellen hardened his heart.
“Julian,” he said. “You’ve being doing well so far, but you need to take a break now. You’re pushing yourself too hard.”
“But, I …”
“Take a break. That’s an order.” Despite his harsh words, Ellen spoke gently. “We’re about to enter the mid-level area of the forest; there’s bound to opponents better suited to you there.”
“… Yes, sir.” Julian answered after a long pause.
Ellen could see that Julian’s mood wasn’t any better, and sighed quietly.
Still, Julian didn’t stop trying, and the team’s speed didn’t decrease. Shelly handled the stronger opponents with ease, becoming more and more confident.
Finally, they came upon a sign marked, “Apprentice Mages and Mid-Level Mages are Not Allowed Beyond This Point.”
“Ha!” Shelly grinned. “I might not be a real mage, but now I’m as strong as a mid-level mage, right?”
“Don’t get cocky. You’re only one third of the way through the forest.” Rowenna scolded him, but her voice sounded fond. “Besides, this is only the practical exam. There is also a personal examination and a theoretical exam.”
“Personal? Theoretical?”
“They’re written exams. You need to have a solid grasp on magical theory to pass the theoretical exam.”
“Uh-oh,” Shelly gulped. “Then … the personal exam?”
“To pass the personal exam you need proper form while casting spells, clear and precise incantations, and accurate aim with long distance spells. There is also a physical portion, to measure your running speed, your dexterity, your flexibility, and your skill in dodging oncoming attacks. They also measure your skill in melee, both hand-to-hand and with various weapons.”
“Mages also undergo a physical examination?” Cain interrupted, curious.
“… Of course.” Rowenna frowned. “What, did you think mages were fragile? How else are we supposed to fight when we’re alone or have no warriors in our party?”
“Ah, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that …”
“It’s fine,” Rowenna turned away. “I’m used to such questions. Let’s go.”
She adjusted her robes and strode forward into the Mid-Level area of the forest. Cain grimaced at Ellen, and reluctantly followed her.
“Shelly, Julian, stay close to Cain and Rowenna. Don’t wander off.” Ellen instructed, then fell into place at the back of the group.
At first glance, except for heavier vegetation and less light, this area of the forest was no different than the outer area. However, the path began to twist confusingly, branching off into the dark forest as though it were trying to lead them astray. At the mouth of each new pathway was a colored will-o’-wisp.
“Usually, you would choose your route according to your preferred field of magic,” Rowenna explained. “But since we aren’t taking the exam, we’re taking the shortest route. In the past, there was a student who was lost for more than a week in this part of the forest. If you don’t want to repeat his mistake, be sure to follow me closely.”
After traveling for a while, the scenery began to change. The surrounding trees were no longer green, becoming withered and blackened. They grew further apart, the spaces between them wide and empty. There was a chill in the air, giving off the feeling of an unforgiving winter. The spring of the outside world had not reached this place.
“… This isn’t right.” Rowenna stopped, frowning. “Be careful, everyone.”
“If this is the work of a magical creature, it must’ve lived here for months,” said Ellen.
“It’s possible. There’s not many mid-level mages, so it was only discovered recently.”
As they went on, the path began to slope upwards. When it became so steep that they struggled to stay on their feet, an enormous snowball suddenly appeared and began to roll down the slope. Rowenna waved her hand and blasted it with Fire element. However, instead of melting, the snowball continued to roll towards them.
“Fall back; we just need to get out of its way!” At Ellen’s words, everyone threw themselves backwards, but they were too late, and the snowball was upon them in seconds.
Rowenna didn’t hesitate to fire off a few petrification spells to slow it down, but there was still no effect. She couldn’t bring herself to leave the safety of the path, knowing she wouldn’t be able to find her way back; however, without warning, the snowball bounced off the path. Cain reached out to yank Rowenna to the ground just in time; the snowball soared over their heads and hit a nearby tree. When it fell to the ground, the snow fell apart to reveal a vicious-looking bear with glowing blue eyes and ice-like fangs. Looking at them, it roared threateningly.
“Is that thing immune to magic?”
“… Yes,” Rowenna grit her teeth, pulling Shelly behind her.
“You might wanna let us handle this one, then,” Cain drew his sword and stepped forward.
“Use the trees to avoid it! Julian, don’t fire if it runs towards you, focus on getting away.”
As he spoke, Ellen fired an arrow that buried itself into the chest fur of the Ice Bear. Cain took advantage of the hit and swung his sword at the wound created by the arrow, scattering chunks of ice across the clearing.
The Ice Bear groaned in pain, but shook it off and rushed towards Cain.
“The hide’s pretty thick,” Cain commented, leaping out of the way. “That’s not good.”
He was right; this way, they couldn’t be sure their attacks would even connect.
The Ice Bear was actually quite agile, dodging their blows with ease and changing direction quickly. Running on the snow left behind by the snowball was difficult, but it obviously wasn’t a problem for the Ice Bear.
Considering the Ice Bear’s incredible defensive abilities, and the fact that they were confined to the path, this could prove to be a troublesome opponent.
As soon as the strange vines entered his range, Shelly waved his hand and jagged ice shot out of the rain-soaked ground. Although the magical construct was mostly a mix of Water and Earth element, it was vulnerable to cold. The vines that touched the ice writhed in pain, and the others carefully avoided it.
Julian also took aim, and fired dozens of bolts in quick succession. The vines were very thin, making it difficult to score a direct hit; still, several vines were successfully pinned.
Seeing that the vines were still approaching, Julian clumsily began to reload. Rosanna could hold twice as many bolts as the average crossbow, but by the time he’d finished reloading and looked up, the battle was already over. The burned vines lay dead on a patch of dry ground.
“Well done,” Rowenna patted Shelly’s head. “Although your innate Fire element is weak, it’s powerful enough to deal with opponents of this level.”
With the obstacle removed, the team slowly began to advance. Julian hurried to retrieve the bolts that could still be reused.
“You did well,” Ellen placed a hand on Julian’s shoulder. “Weapons like ours are better suited to larger targets. If we run into a creature like this again, you can let someone else handle it.”
“Thank you,” the dwarf mumbled, wiping mud off one of the bolts.
However, Julian stubbornly continued to attack every time they encountered another magical construct. Unfortunately, they were still in the outer area of the forest, where even the biggest monster, the Mud Turtle, could be held in one hand. Rosanna was considerably powerful, piercing the shell of the Mud Turtle easily, which cheered Julian up a little. However, with a flick of his hand, Shelly sent a wave of mud over the Mud Turtle, trapping it.
In order to reach the center of the forest, the group was running without taking any breaks. When Julian paused to catch his breath again, Ellen hardened his heart.
“Julian,” he said. “You’ve being doing well so far, but you need to take a break now. You’re pushing yourself too hard.”
“But, I …”
“Take a break. That’s an order.” Despite his harsh words, Ellen spoke gently. “We’re about to enter the mid-level area of the forest; there’s bound to opponents better suited to you there.”
“… Yes, sir.” Julian answered after a long pause.
Ellen could see that Julian’s mood wasn’t any better, and sighed quietly.
Still, Julian didn’t stop trying, and the team’s speed didn’t decrease. Shelly handled the stronger opponents with ease, becoming more and more confident.
Finally, they came upon a sign marked, “Apprentice Mages and Mid-Level Mages are Not Allowed Beyond This Point.”
“Ha!” Shelly grinned. “I might not be a real mage, but now I’m as strong as a mid-level mage, right?”
“Don’t get cocky. You’re only one third of the way through the forest.” Rowenna scolded him, but her voice sounded fond. “Besides, this is only the practical exam. There is also a personal examination and a theoretical exam.”
“Personal? Theoretical?”
“They’re written exams. You need to have a solid grasp on magical theory to pass the theoretical exam.”
“Uh-oh,” Shelly gulped. “Then … the personal exam?”
“To pass the personal exam you need proper form while casting spells, clear and precise incantations, and accurate aim with long distance spells. There is also a physical portion, to measure your running speed, your dexterity, your flexibility, and your skill in dodging oncoming attacks. They also measure your skill in melee, both hand-to-hand and with various weapons.”
“Mages also undergo a physical examination?” Cain interrupted, curious.
“… Of course.” Rowenna frowned. “What, did you think mages were fragile? How else are we supposed to fight when we’re alone or have no warriors in our party?”
“Ah, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that …”
“It’s fine,” Rowenna turned away. “I’m used to such questions. Let’s go.”
She adjusted her robes and strode forward into the Mid-Level area of the forest. Cain grimaced at Ellen, and reluctantly followed her.
“Shelly, Julian, stay close to Cain and Rowenna. Don’t wander off.” Ellen instructed, then fell into place at the back of the group.
At first glance, except for heavier vegetation and less light, this area of the forest was no different than the outer area. However, the path began to twist confusingly, branching off into the dark forest as though it were trying to lead them astray. At the mouth of each new pathway was a colored will-o’-wisp.
“Usually, you would choose your route according to your preferred field of magic,” Rowenna explained. “But since we aren’t taking the exam, we’re taking the shortest route. In the past, there was a student who was lost for more than a week in this part of the forest. If you don’t want to repeat his mistake, be sure to follow me closely.”
After traveling for a while, the scenery began to change. The surrounding trees were no longer green, becoming withered and blackened. They grew further apart, the spaces between them wide and empty. There was a chill in the air, giving off the feeling of an unforgiving winter. The spring of the outside world had not reached this place.
“… This isn’t right.” Rowenna stopped, frowning. “Be careful, everyone.”
“If this is the work of a magical creature, it must’ve lived here for months,” said Ellen.
“It’s possible. There’s not many mid-level mages, so it was only discovered recently.”
As they went on, the path began to slope upwards. When it became so steep that they struggled to stay on their feet, an enormous snowball suddenly appeared and began to roll down the slope. Rowenna waved her hand and blasted it with Fire element. However, instead of melting, the snowball continued to roll towards them.
“Fall back; we just need to get out of its way!” At Ellen’s words, everyone threw themselves backwards, but they were too late, and the snowball was upon them in seconds.
Rowenna didn’t hesitate to fire off a few petrification spells to slow it down, but there was still no effect. She couldn’t bring herself to leave the safety of the path, knowing she wouldn’t be able to find her way back; however, without warning, the snowball bounced off the path. Cain reached out to yank Rowenna to the ground just in time; the snowball soared over their heads and hit a nearby tree. When it fell to the ground, the snow fell apart to reveal a vicious-looking bear with glowing blue eyes and ice-like fangs. Looking at them, it roared threateningly.
“Is that thing immune to magic?”
“… Yes,” Rowenna grit her teeth, pulling Shelly behind her.
“You might wanna let us handle this one, then,” Cain drew his sword and stepped forward.
“Use the trees to avoid it! Julian, don’t fire if it runs towards you, focus on getting away.”
As he spoke, Ellen fired an arrow that buried itself into the chest fur of the Ice Bear. Cain took advantage of the hit and swung his sword at the wound created by the arrow, scattering chunks of ice across the clearing.
The Ice Bear groaned in pain, but shook it off and rushed towards Cain.
“The hide’s pretty thick,” Cain commented, leaping out of the way. “That’s not good.”
He was right; this way, they couldn’t be sure their attacks would even connect.
The Ice Bear was actually quite agile, dodging their blows with ease and changing direction quickly. Running on the snow left behind by the snowball was difficult, but it obviously wasn’t a problem for the Ice Bear.
Considering the Ice Bear’s incredible defensive abilities, and the fact that they were confined to the path, this could prove to be a troublesome opponent.
