Chapter 9

Surrounded by soldiers, the demon tree fiercely resisted, using its large branches like whips to strike at them. The soldiers used the handles of their spears as shields to protect themselves, but they were knocked back and could not stand their ground. The soldiers who clung on desperately had fulfilled their role, buying time until the magicians and apprentices were ready.

Flavio gave the order for the soldiers to retreat. As the soldiers hurriedly fell back, he shouted, "Apprentices, attack now!"

Upon hearing this, Ricardo aimed at the demon tree's knot and released a [Flying Spear]. At the same moment, Marcello and Benito cast [Wind Slash], Ivan cast [Flowing Blade], and Patrick also cast [Flying Spear]. Patrick chose [Flying Spear] instead of his usual [Flowing Blade] because he had seen it damage the demon tree in the previous attack.

[Wind Slash] and [Flowing Blade] were deflected by the thick branches and failed to damage the trunk. The two [Flying Spears] penetrated the trunk, missing the knot but still causing damage.

The demon tree, wounded in the trunk, began to thrash its branches violently. Flavio then cast [Storm Fang Array], slicing the trunk like leaves blown by a storm. One of the wind blades cut into the knot.

As the tree sap oozed from the knot, the demon tree went into a frenzy, thrashing about. Ricardo and the others observed from a distance.

Once everyone was ready, Flavio gave the order to cast their spells. Ricardo cast his spell twice at the thrashing demon tree, dealing damage and increasing the flow of tree sap when he hit the knot the second time. The other apprentices and magicians also cast their spells, dealing damage to the demon tree.

The knot was hard, and the holes made by [Flying Spear] were small, like nails. Nevertheless, the sap continued to leak, gradually accumulating damage. Flavio cast [Storm Fang Array] again, inflicting a deep wound on the knot, which proved to be the decisive blow.

The demon tree's movements gradually slowed and eventually stopped. Jacobo cautiously approached and thrust his sword into the demon tree, but it did not move. The soldiers erupted in victory cries.

As the excitement died down, the wounded were tended to. Several soldiers had broken bones or lacerations. Some soldiers with basic medical knowledge reset broken bones and splinted them, while others cleaned lacerations, applied hemostatic powder, and bandaged them. Jacobo administered healing potions to the wounded, which, while not immediately curing broken bones, halved the recovery time.

The wounded rested while the others began to dismantle the demon tree, cutting it into manageable pieces and loading it onto carriers. After preparing to transport it, they took a break. Everyone's faces were bright, even the wounded. The soldiers discussed the bonus rewards they would receive and planned to celebrate upon their return.

When Patrick was asked, he said that the apprentice magicians would also receive rewards, which made him happy. Ricardo, sitting in a circle with Patrick and the others, talked about what they would do with their rewards after receiving them.

At that moment, everyone's guard was down, and their vigilance was lax. When the sound of branches and leaves rustling from the depths of the forest was heard, their response was fatally slow.

Suddenly, a massive bear appeared. It was a bison-horned armored bear, covered in matted, coarse fur and with two short horns on its forehead. It was about three meters long and weighed over 500 kilograms. The bear was called an armored bear because its matted fur was so tough that it could deflect steel blades, making it seem as if it were wearing armor.

"Prepare for battle!" Jacobo shouted.

Ricardo hurriedly stood up and took a wooden cylinder containing catalysts from his bag. In his haste, he picked the catalyst for [Molten Flame Bullet].

The bison-horned armored bear approached on all fours, glaring at the soldiers and opening its mouth wide in a threatening manner. Although the demon tree was longer, the massive, muscular, and armored bear was more intimidating. One of the soldiers thrust a spear at it, but the bear swatted it away with one hand, breaking the spear and sending it flying.

"Roarrrr!"

The bear's growl sent shivers down their spines. Ricardo looked around and saw the apprentices frozen in place. Only the magician Flavio was preparing to counterattack, raising his rod to cast a spell. Flavio cast [Storm Fang Array], and the wind blades that had cut the demon tree struck the bear's armored fur, cutting a few hairs and causing shallow wounds.

The spell that had been devastating against the demon tree seemed ineffective against the bison-horned armored bear. Nevertheless, the bear, feeling pain, turned its gaze to Flavio, stood on its hind legs, and roared in anger. The bear's front paws, equipped with sharp claws, could easily kill a human with one strike.

The bear was about to attack Flavio. Ricardo, despite his anxiety, released his magic and scattered the catalyst for [Molten Flame Bullet]. Confirming that the catalyst was swirling around his magic, he began to chant the spell. It was the [Molten Flame Bullet] spell he had tested by the river. He struggled to keep his hands from trembling as he chanted the incantation.

"Fana Ganubador Sperogoma"

An orange, glowing magma sphere formed and exploded towards the bear. The [Molten Flame Bullet] struck the bear's chest, burning its fur and exploding. The blast reached Ricardo, flapping his clothes. Blood spurted from the bear's mouth, indicating significant damage.

"Grrooarrr!"

The bear growled in pain, its bloodshot eyes fixed on Ricardo. Ricardo, sensing death, became calm. He took out the remaining catalyst for [Molten Flame Bullet] and prepared to cast the spell again.

The bear lunged at Ricardo, swiping with its thick arm. Ricardo threw himself to the ground, narrowly avoiding the attack, and rolled away, struggling to stand up.

At that moment, one of the soldiers fired an arrow, which struck the bear's cheek, momentarily diverting its attention from Ricardo. The bear growled at the soldier with the bow.

During this time, Ricardo prepared his spell. When the bear's attention returned to him, Flavio cast another spell. The wind blades struck the bear's chest, which had been burned by the [Molten Flame Bullet], causing more damage. The bear growled in pain again.

Ricardo aimed another [Molten Flame Bullet] at the bear's chest. The bear, unexpectedly, turned and fled, showing its back to avoid being hit. The [Molten Flame Bullet] struck the bear's back, causing more damage, but the bison-horned armored bear did not look back and disappeared into the forest.

Flavio, shaking to release the tension in his muscles, turned to Ricardo. He realized that the spell cast by the young apprentice of Alessandro was similar to [Flame Soaring Bullet] but different. He wondered if it was a new spell and thought of Alessandro. He had always thought of Alessandro as a man who spent his time teaching the viscount's sons, but now he felt deceived. Flavio mistakenly believed that Alessandro had developed a new spell and taught it to his apprentice.

Ricardo, staring at where the bear had fled, felt relieved when he was sure it would not return. He plopped down on the ground, saying, "Phew, we're safe."

Everyone, including the soldiers, sighed in relief. Patrick walked over to Ricardo and patted his shoulder. "Thank you. We're safe."

Flavio also approached, looking at Ricardo with sharp eyes. "The spell you used just now... never mind."

Magicians are proud, and Flavio hesitated to inquire about the spell an apprentice had used, considering it a matter of honor.

The [Molten Flame Bullet] spell had caused smoke to rise in various places in the mountains, as the magma that struck the bear had scattered and burned the leaves. The apprentices, following Flavio's orders, extinguished the fires with water. Using fire-based spells in the mountains was indeed risky.

The group hurried down the mountain, fearing the return of the bison-horned armored bear, urged on by Jacobo. They stopped to rest overnight and returned to the town in the evening.

The castle, worried about the outcome of the demon tree hunt, welcomed them warmly when they returned with the demon tree's materials. A dinner was prepared in the castle's dining hall, and wine was served to the adults. The menu included white bread made from wheat, soup, and wild boar steak. The soup had a bouillon flavor, and the steak was seasoned with something like pepper. It felt like the first proper meal he had eaten since coming to this world.

Although it was unfair to the cook, Olta, at Alessandro's house, the lack of seasoning other than salt was getting boring. It was impressive that Massimo could gain weight on such a diet.

After the meal, a butler-like man informed them that the viscount was grateful and distributed the reward money. Ricardo received eight silver coins. While it seemed cheap for a life-threatening job, it was probably the standard rate for apprentice magicians. Seeing the soldiers, who had fought at the front, happy with one gold coin each, made it seem more acceptable.

Walking back to the house through the dark night, they found Alessandro had returned.

"I'm back."

Alessandro, looking at Ricardo's face, asked, "You successfully hunted the demon tree Elbir, right?"

Before confirming Ricardo's safety, he asked if the hunt was successful. "Yes, Flavio finished it off."

Alessandro's face darkened. Flavio's success would relatively lower his own evaluation. "What spell did he use?"

"[Storm Fang Array]."

"It's his specialty. A lower intermediate spell but powerful."

Alessandro's face showed regret. If he had felt this way, he should have participated himself.

It was a quiet night. Massimo was already asleep, and only Alessandro and Ricardo were in the living room. Alessandro, looking at Ricardo seriously, said, "Ricardo, you were supposed to focus on practical training for the demon tree hunt. However, as a beginner, you should be studying the basics of magic thoroughly."

That made sense. "What should I study?"

"Read the three textbooks, 'Basic Concepts of Magic,' 'Catalyst Theory in Magic,' and 'Fundamentals of Magic Language,' until you understand them. Got it?"

Ricardo nodded, but he was already familiar with the three textbooks and wondered what to do.

"Also, I hired a new servant while you were gone. You don't need to do cleaning or chores anymore."

The servant was a twelve-year-old boy from the neighborhood, named Pietro, who would come to work every day.

Ricardo went to the attic and fell asleep immediately, exhausted.

The next morning, after getting ready, he thought about what to do. "I want to read other books too."

If Massimo, who was like the study's master, were not there, he would have taken out other books to read, but Alessandro had instructed him to study the three textbooks, and when he went to the study first thing in the morning, he was forbidden from taking out other books.

Reluctantly, he took out the three textbooks and started reading from the beginning. He noticed two points while rereading.

One was that the role of catalysts was different from his initial understanding. He had thought that catalysts added power to different types of magic, but they actually gave direction to magic. This effect of catalysts is called 'attribute excitation.'

In theory, magic could be used without catalysts, but it required powerful and delicate magic control. Magicians use catalysts because they lack the powerful and delicate magic control needed to achieve attribute excitation.

Catalysts are expensive. It would be more cost-effective to train in magic control and use magic without catalysts. Ricardo wondered why magicians did not strive to master magic control.

There must be magicians who strive to master magic control. He was just unaware of their existence due to a lack of knowledge, but such magicians would surely be famous as top-tier practitioners. In reality, few magicians tried to master magic control. It required strong mental and concentration skills to achieve attribute excitation without catalysts, and it took several times longer than using catalysts. Magic based solely on magic control was considered unsuitable for practical use.

Unaware of this, Ricardo decided to challenge magic based on magic control. In a sense, it was a foolish decision. "I'll try it a little. I was planning to train in basic magic control anyway."

The other point he noticed was about spell incantation. He had thought that spells had to be spoken aloud, but it seemed that they could be cast silently in the mind. However, 'silent incantation' required practice, and it took twice as long to master a spell. Magicians often worked with soldiers, who disliked 'silent incantation' because it left no time to evade sudden spells and made them fear being caught in the crossfire.

Ricardo started with magic control training. The method involved moving magic from his right palm to his left palm, then expanding to various parts of his body. He started by moving magic from his left palm to his right palm, which was easy. Next, he tried moving magic from his right elbow to his left elbow, which took some effort but succeeded after half a day. He continued this practice and, after about two months, could release and absorb magic from any part of his body.

He soon faced the problem of magic depletion. Often, he could release magic but not absorb it. When this happened, he practiced probe meditation to recover magic, doing it multiple times a day. He focused his consciousness deep into his mental structure, approaching what he called the 'source gate.' He didn't know why he called it a 'gate,' but the name just came to him.

The 'source gate' was created when he chose the sixth option during the 'blessing selection.' When he focused on the source gate, he felt his physical strength recover and magic overflow. He experimented with magic control while in a meditative state.

After two months, he could perform magic control while meditating from a position seven steps away from the source gate. Of course, 'seven steps' was a mental distance, a feeling of being a few steps away. While meditating, he thought he could use infinite magic because power flowed from the source gate, but the amount of power decreased with distance. From seven steps away, he could only use basic spells continuously.

The power flowing from the source gate seemed different from magic. It converted into magic as it passed through his body, giving him the impression that he had a conversion function inside.

His magic control skills improved significantly, and he could release and absorb magic from any part of his body. He could even release magic into the air, form shapes like circles, triangles, and squares, and return it to his body.

Ordinary magicians could only practice magic control once or twice a day because it took a long time for depleted magic to recover. Ricardo, however, could practice unlimitedly as long as he had time. He mastered advanced magic control in a short period, which would normally take years or decades.

Ricardo decided to test if he could use magic without catalysts. He went to the river on the east side of the town and tried to cast the most basic spell, [Ignition], without a catalyst. He released magic and chanted the spell, but the dry branch did not catch fire. He realized he did not know how catalysts affected magic.

Ricardo decided to use cheap charcoal to observe how magic changed when [Ignition] was cast. He released magic and scattered the catalyst, focusing intently. At first, he noticed a slight change but could not understand it. However, after several attempts, he felt the magic begin to vibrate with a regular frequency and wavelength, turning red.