"Well done, Artus. You proved your strength".
Seers said as she approached the Steel stag's burnt body. Artus kneeled beside the body, examining it; he wanted to see the extent of the damage caused by the fireball spell to the beast's body. He used the knife to cut the body; he collected the steel antlers and hooves. He also collected intact pieces of meat, which had minimal damage, and other valuable parts.
Seers watched Artus silently. She looked at this young child skillfully using a knife to cut down the beast.
It had been only a short time since she had known him, but in that short time, she watched how this child grew rapidly. He was smart, talented, and hard-working. For someone who entered the path of magic a few weeks ago, learning and mastering spells to this degree was a truly unbelievable feat.
After he finished with the beast's body, Artus made a small fire. He then cut pieces of the meat into small cubes, skewered them with wooden sticks, and grilled them on the fire.
"So, Aunit, what do you think? Can I hunt in the forest by myself?"
Artus said with a smile on his face while eating the grilled meat.
"Yes, you can. You proved yourself. I will give you permission to hunt freely in the outer layer of the forest. Through this fight, you not only proved your strength, as I said before, but you also showed good judgment and battle tactics, planning every step carefully.
"I am now confident in your overall ability to deal with various threats and dangers. Even if you cannot win, I am sure that you will at least escape safely."
"Thank you. Aunt. I will try to live up to year expectations."
"But you are only allowed to roam the outer layer of the forest; you are not allowed to go deeper, at least for now."
"I will keep that in mind."
They finished eating and then went to Academy City. Artus sold everything he had except for the steel antlers and hooves.
He then went directly to his room in the dorm. When he entered the room, he threw himself on the bed directly. His body was hunting all over, and he was exhausted. He kept holding on in front of Seers; he did not want to show her any weakness, so she went back on her decision to allow him to hunt alone.
His tense nerves and body finally had the time to relax; he fell asleep almost immediately.
********************************
It has been a few days since his battle with the Steel stag. He took a break and stayed in the dorm. He kept training with the object levitation spell; he is now able to carry individual grains of rice. Using the NuroFusion system, he performed several calculations after experimenting with the object levitation spell and the rice.
He put a pile of rice on his desk and cast the object levitation spell on it. Around a dozen or so grains of rice rose in the air. He put a bowl between them and dispelled the spell, causing the grains to fall into the bowl.
He counted the grains of rice, finding them to be seventeen. He kept repeating the process, decreasing or increasing the amount of mana used in casting the spell each time.
Through this process, he could accurately estimate the amount of mana needed to lift a grain of rice.
He kept experimenting with object levitation spell.
************************************
Artus was walking alone at the forest's edge; he carried a sack filled with the one-horned rabbits he had hunted.
It was the first time he had come to the forest alone after obtaining Seer's permission. The last time was when he fought the Steel stag around one week ago.
Over the last period, his magical power grew both in quantity and quality. Paired with his unparalleled control, his power now is that of a level three Apprentice mage, according to NuroFusion estimations.
He can now hunt the One-horned rabbits with ease; they no longer pose any threat to him. Even in close-range combat, he can easily control their movement with the object levitation spell and slash them with the dagger. As for rang battles, he could quickly blast them with the fireball spell.
"Honestly, there is nothing much to gain more by traveling at the edge of the forest."
"I promised Seers not to go to the deep parts of the forest, so I will have to stay here for now. In the first place, I did not make a deal with her to travel to the edge of the forest; my true aim was to travel alone."
"Without Seers being her, I can finally use my power fully."
"let's see, walk around for a bit more."
Artus slowly walked to the deep part of the forest. He was very close to the middle layer but did not cross the border from the edge. He stayed close to the transitional area between the two zones.
"Technically, I am still at the edge of the forest area. So, it can be said that I kept my promise to Seers."
*GRRRRRRRRRRR*
Artus heard a low growling sound in the distance. He searched around carefully and spotted a beast several meters away.
His huge body was covered with coarse fur stained with mud, especially over its hindlimbs. Yellow jagged tusks curl upward from his snarling maw. Various scars covered his body all over. Two narrow yellow eyes glared furiously around, searching for an opponent to fight.
"It is a savage boar."
"Although he is weaker than the Steel stag, as a level two monster, his strength should not be underestimated."
"Especially since it's known for its violent nature."
"It is the first time I have seen one in person. It seems I should continue roaming around this area in the future. I've had enough of fighting the one-horned rabbits."
"Hmmmmm…...should I fight him head-on?".
"let's leave that for later. Since it's the first savage boar I've encountered, I will test my magic power on it."
Artus looked around, searching for a tall tree. He then proceeded to climb it. When he reached enough height, he found a thick branch to cling to tightly to avoid falling.
*THUD*
The sudden impact of the stone hitting the ground awoke the savage boar. He raised his head, looked around, and started walking slowly toward where he had heard the sound.
*BOOM*
A fireball hit him on his head, setting his fur on fire. Before it had time to react, another fireball had already reached him.
*BOOM*
*GRAAAAAAAAR*
He screamed in pain. He started running towards the source of the fireballs, spotting Artus on the tree.
Artus kept casting fireballs, hitting him. The savage boar roared, ignoring the pain and heading straight towards the tree.
*BOOM*
He hit the tree with his truck, shaking it violently, causing the leaves to fall. Before the boar hit the tree, Artus had already clung to it with his hands and legs to avoid falling so he could withstand the savage boar attack successfully.
The savage boar kept hitting the tree with his tusks shaking it. Artus slowly and carefully removed his arms from the tree but kept clinging to it with his legs.
"Since I could withstand his first hit, where he was running fast before he hit the tree, I have nothing to fear now as he lost his momentum."
Artus then resumed casting fireballs, hitting the beast from above. If Seers were to see him now, she would be surprised as Artus cast fireballs much faster and stronger than when he fought the Steel stag.
"No one is around; I can finally use my full power."
In no time, Artus rendered the savage beast motionless. He jumped down from the tree, examining the dead body of the savage beast or, more accurately, what was left of it.
If anyone were to see it, he could no longer recognize it as the body of a savage boar.
On the ground, there was what could be called a lump of charred meat with two tusks protruding from it.
"If Seers knew the extent of my full power, she would definitely allow me to enter the middle zone of the forest."
"Let's keep that to later, after I pass the promotion test and enter the main classes."
"We are approaching the end of the third month of the preliminary course, and according to my plan, I have one more month."
Artus took the tusks and put them in his sack; he then returned to the academy city.