Chapter 4

In the capital of the Kingdom of Ramza, a minor commotion was taking place at the institution for training magicians.

The reason was that three magician candidates had died of exhaustion in the Dim Forest. Since the Dim Forest was home only to low-level and hybrid monsters, this was a significant issue. It was unclear whether a powerful monster, which should not have existed there, was involved, or if enemy magicians were behind it.

"Headmaster Sodium, let's first investigate with our school's teachers. Reporting to the military would be premature."

"No, there are already casualties. We can't afford to be complacent."

"However, when students enroll in this school, they all sign a waiver stating that any deaths due to accidents are their own responsibility. Since they sometimes face monsters during field training, this case should fall under that category, right? Even if it was voluntary training, it was still field training in the Dim Forest."

It's not uncommon for candidates to die during field training, about once a year. So, this incident didn't necessarily warrant a major response.

However, what Headmaster Sodium was worried about was that the three candidates had died in the Dim Forest. Since only weak monsters appeared there, the candidates often ventured into the forest. If a very powerful monster had appeared, the same incident could happen again. The worst-case scenario would be if enemy magicians were involved.

"Understood. We'll start with an investigation by the teachers. But the forest will be closed for a while. We'll also inform the candidates not to enter under any circumstances."

"I think that's necessary. I'll make the announcement."

"Thank you, Vice-Headmaster Algar."

"Yes, sir."

All the teachers at the school are magicians. Magicians have ranks, and candidates are uniformly ranked F. After graduation, they are assigned ranks based on their abilities. The basic ranks are A to E, and only those with extraordinary magical power and potential are recognized as S-rank. In the small country of Ramza, there is only one S-rank magician, which shows how rare such potential is.

The school's teachers are D-rank magicians. D-rank is a lower rank, and even in the military, they are treated as lower-level personnel, essentially the same as regular soldiers. To join the official magician units, one must be C-rank or higher. D-rank and E-rank magicians are treated as regular soldiers.

Therefore, many D-rank magicians return to the school as educators. The school mainly teaches how to handle magical power, magic, and knowledge about magical equipment, so combat skills are not as necessary. Practical training involves battles between students of similar abilities or monster hunts in the field. This is why there are quite a few D-rank magicians at the school.

Incidentally, E-rank magicians are not qualified to be teachers, so they either continue to improve as regular soldiers and aim for a rank-up or fade out and give up on the path of a magician.

"I hope nothing else happens..."

The headmaster, Sodium, a former A-rank magician who retired due to his age, muttered this. His instincts, honed from years of experience, were often accurate. All he could do was hope that his bad feeling was wrong.

Vice-Headmaster Algar nodded in agreement.

◆◆◆

Shu Arklight, drifting in the Dim Forest, was hunting goblins and wolf-like monsters whose names he didn't know, absorbing their magical power. He felt he was close to evolving, so he was actively hunting monsters.

(The monsters around here don't have much magical power. Thinking about it, those humans were actually pretty good opponents.)

However, he didn't intend to hunt humans. Humans are dangerous creatures that fight with all their might when they sense danger. He didn't want to provoke them.

Moreover, Shu didn't think he was that strong. The humans he had encountered before had a considerable amount of magical power. Since they were children, adults would likely have even more. If he initiated a fight, he expected to be defeated.

(But, are there any monsters with more magical power around here...)

It was understandable that Shu would think this. Most of the monsters in the Dim Forest were hybrid-level. For Shu, who was one rank higher at low-level, they were unsatisfying opponents. He hadn't encountered any low-level monsters yet, so he was the highest-class monster in the Dim Forest.

No matter how many hybrids he hunted, it wasn't enough for him to evolve. If he didn't absorb magical power from humans, it would take decades to accumulate as much as he had now.

(I want to be a bit greedy... but I have to be patient.)

Magic is indeed convenient, but Shu's magical power was too low. Even basic magic could only be used ten times before he was out. Moreover, the magical power he used couldn't recover naturally. While 'Life Absorption' could absorb magical power, it was slow and not decisive against strong humans.

Impatience was a bad idea, but he couldn't help feeling it. To become stronger, he needed to absorb a lot of magical power, but moving too much risked being hunted by humans. He also lacked information about human capabilities and numbers, which was scary.

(Things aren't going well.)

For now, the best approach was to absorb magical power from hybrids and accumulate it gradually. It would serve as a reserve for emergencies.

There's a saying, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step," and "Rome wasn't built in a day."

(Well, I need to find some goblins or wolves.)

Occasionally, he would encounter spirit-type monsters, his kind, but he let them be. He had some sense of camaraderie. Being part of a community was important, as isolation left one with no one to rely on in emergencies.

While it was unclear if they had consciousness, Shu avoided hunting spirit-type monsters.

Suddenly, a sense of unease came from a nearby ghost. At the same time, a large number of ghosts appeared around Shu, exuding a restless atmosphere.

(What's wrong?)

To ghosts, higher spirits were superior beings. When a crisis approached, they would turn to Shu for help.

While on guard, he noticed something approaching with a rustling sound.

(The sound is slightly off. There are multiple opponents.)

There was no need to wait. He sent a telepathic message to the ghosts, instructing them to hide in the trees. Shu himself hid in a nearby tree. Being a spirit, he could float, which was convenient. He could simply rise and hide among the branches.

A few seconds later, two men appeared with footsteps.

"Here it is."

"Yeah, they're definitely here."

The men exchanged a few words, and one of them whistled with his fingers.

In the next instant, a shockwave hit the tree Shu was hiding in. Reacting instinctively, Shu flew out, and the tree fell with a loud crash.

Shu was surprised, not knowing what had happened.

The men were also slightly surprised to see Shu.

"So, it's a higher spirit. The magical power detection suggested it had a lot of magical power."

"Looks like a miss. But it might be about to evolve due to its high magical power. Either way, we need to take it down."

"Understood."

The man who whistled raised his hand, and something approached Shu at high speed. Considering it impossible to avoid, Shu cast a magic circle as a shield.

The high-speed object was given negative acceleration and bounced back. This was a reflection spell. The more momentum the reflected object had, the more magical power it consumed.

(I used quite a bit of magical power.)

It must have been quite powerful. The reflection spell could only be used once more.

The men were very surprised to see this.

"A low-level monster using magic!? It must be an intelligent unique individual!"

"Bad. This might be our target!"

The men were alarmed. They were teachers at the Ramza Kingdom's magician candidate training institution, sent to the Dim Forest to investigate the cause of the three candidates' deaths. They had discovered a monster using magic.

Using magic implied a certain level of intelligence. Humans called such beings unique individuals, knowing they could eventually become powerful monsters if left alone.

"This monster's high magical power might be from absorbing the candidates' magical power."

"Right, we need to change our plan. We must take it down!"

Shu thought this was a bad situation. However, the men acted faster.

Something flew at high speed again, cutting into Shu's spirit body. Caught off guard, he couldn't deploy a magic circle and took damage. The object then slowed down, describing an arc, and landed on the shoulder of the man who whistled.

It was a bird-type magical creature, a type of magical equipment called a familiar.

(That's faster than me. I can't avoid it.)

Unfortunately, higher spirits were slow. He couldn't avoid that magical equipment.

Moreover, Shu didn't know that the men were D-rank magicians. D-rank magicians could even take down mid-level monsters alone. With two of them, Shu was at a disadvantage.

This was a desperate situation.

(Magic can only be used once more, and my 'Life Absorption' is too slow.)

The men's magical equipment was faster than Shu's 'Life Absorption.' He also didn't know what magical equipment the other man had. He was at a significant disadvantage.

At least, Shu couldn't repel them.

If so, his options were limited.

(It's a gamble.)

Shu quickly gathered his thoughts and used his limited intelligence to draw a magic circle. By visualizing the phenomenon and using magical power, a magic circle would automatically form. However, it was also possible to activate magic by visualizing the circle and then channeling magical power.

The circle was drawn with thought, not magical power.

So, deploying the circle didn't require magical power.

Shu demonstrated a vast array of magic circles covering the area.

"Wh-what is this!"

"Impossible, this can't be!"

As a final move, Shu drew a massive magic circle in the sky. It was complex and incomprehensible, and no one could understand what spell it would cast.

This only heightened the men's fear.

"A magic circle like this... it exceeds the tenth tier!"

"That's... a forbidden spell!?"

"Yes, it's definitely a strategic-level spell that doesn't fit within the tenth tier. For a low-level monster to deploy it alone..."

The men exchanged such words, but Shu didn't have that kind of power.

Moreover, the deployed magic circles were meaningless patterns. He had combined basic magic circles for acceleration, weight, vibration, decomposition, combination, and movement in a random way.

While impossible to visualize the pattern alone, understanding the pattern and its effect allowed him to draw the circle.

However, activation depended on magical power, which Shu lacked.

Furthermore, the random combination meant that even if it activated, the effect was unknown.

In the end, it was just a bluff.

"We need to retreat!"

Ideally, they should have taken Shu down before the spell activated. However, seeing the countless small magic circles deployed around Shu, they deemed it impossible.

Moreover, the fear of a forbidden spell drove them to flee.

The men used magical power to strengthen their bodies and fled without looking back. Shu didn't chase them.

(Thankfully, they didn't come at me with the resolve to die.)

If the men had fled, that was fine.

He had won the gamble.

(From their conversation, it seems they were after me.)

Moreover, by deploying such magic circles, he might be seen as a threat, leading to the dispatch of stronger magicians. Shu decided to leave the forest.