(08-21-1241)
My senses stretched.
Far and wide.
The forest unfolded within my mind. Every tree standing still, every leaf falling, every creature moving through the undergrowth. Life pulsed in quiet layers.
I slammed my feet against the soil, launching myself backward just as a sound of tearing reached me.
My eyes snapped open to see plumes of dirt and shredded roots erupting where I had stood only a second ago.
A shape moved within it.
I caught a glimpse of its back. Jagged, bone-colored armor running along its spine and down a long whip-like tail.
I touched down lightly and immediately leapt back again, putting as much space between us as possible. The creature turned. Those curved saber fangs jutting from its jaws caught the light, long enough to skewer a man through the chest. The tail lashed behind it, carving through the air with a threatening whistle.
The beast lashed its arm out, and stone spikes came tearing through the ground toward me. I dove sideways, catching the glint of the beast's eyes as it lunged in the wake of its own attack.
"O wind."
A burst of air erupted from my palm and my feet, forcing me back. The beast landed where I had been and then…
It sank.
Its body slipped beneath the earth like water swallowing stone.
What kind of magic beast is this?
I could still feel its mana. It was moving beneath the surface, and accelerating directly toward me.
"O wind!"
I kicked off the ground, forcing myself upward.
But something serrated tightened around my ankle piercing deep into my skin, dragging through muscle and bone.
A groan tore out of me as I was dragged down unable to resist unbelievable strength.
The ground rushed up to meet me, my vision darkening.
Pressure closed in from every side.
"Ugh."
My lungs burned
Can't... breathe...
My body slammed from side to side, everything whipping past me as the beast refuse to let go.
Something was buried deep in my leg, grinding against bone with every violent pull.
Each jolt sent the jaws deeper into my bone, a grinding agony that threatened to snap my leg like a twig.
I bit down hard, the taste of iron filling my mouth.
Stay conscious… don't lose it…
"O... unseen threads... of the world..." I gathered every scrap of air left in my lungs, the pressure of the earth nearly crushing my ribs. "REPULSION!"
The ground exploded. Dirt and rock turned into a violent shockwave exploding in all directions as light tore through the suffocating darkness around me.
I dragged in a breath, sharp and desperate, lungs screaming as air finally rushed back in.
Above me, a roar split the air.
The beast started falling back down.
"O earth, listen to my call… Earth Spike!"
A massive, jagged pillar of stone shot upward beside me.
I caught the flicker of fear in the beast's eyes.
Then the spike drove straight through its body.
A wet, sickening sound followed.
Finally…
Warmth gathered around my leg as I called upon flower magic, the torn flesh slowly knitting together, dulling the pain just enough.
Then I heard unfamiliar scraping sounds coming from above.
I gulped and looked up to see the beast thrashing and its limbs clawing weakly against the spike.
Not deep enough…?
The tip cracked.
A sharp snap echoed as the spike gave way.
The creature slid down, dark blood trailing along the stone.
Before I could react, it planted all four limbs into the ground and launched itself at me again.
I twisted sideways, forcing my body to move despite the lingering pain, mana gathering in my palm as a blade formed over my hand.
[Swordmaster: Sword Aura]
The beast's claws dipped back into the dirt, its body already beginning to submerge. I swung with everything I had left. A spray of dark blood scattering into the air as its form sank into the ground.
Damn it. That armor is strong.
I pushed myself into motion, sprinting across the uneven ground, forcing distance between us.
"O earth, bearer of all that treads upon you,
Lend me your sight… reveal every step above and below…"
Closing my eyes, shifting my focus from the world above to the vibrations beneath my boots.
"Earth Sense."
The world of color vanished, replaced by a grayscale map of vibrations. I could feel the roots of the trees, the skittering of… large insects, and most importantly, the predator moving toward me from below.
I slowed my steps, letting my breathing settle just enough to steady my thoughts. I could feel the monster's hunger rising through the soles of my boots.
"O Aethelhum."
The ground whispered beneath me.
The moment it reached under my feet, I moved.
"Haste!"
The beast's upper body erupted from the soil like a breaching shark, its massive jaws snapping shut on the empty air where my torso had been a millisecond prior.
I twisted with the momentum, letting my body flow with the motion as the blade over my hand carved upward.
The edge caught the soft, pale flesh beneath its armored neck.
A roar of agony ripped through the air as blood poured out in thick streams, its body twisting in shock.
I did not stop.
"O unseen threads of the world… Anti-gravity." I thrust my palm upward.
The force gripped it and wrenched it upward.
Its massive body was dragged out of the ground and held suspended in the air, limbs thrashing wildly as it struggled against something it could not fight while blood continued to pour from the gash in its throat.
Blood kept spilling.
It twisted.
Clawed.
Roared.
Then the strength behind it began to fade.
The movements grew weaker.
Slower.
Until there was nothing left.
Silence followed.
I held it there for a moment longer.
Make sure…
When it did not move again, I released the hold, lowering the carcass back to the dirt.
I stared at the heap of scales and fur. My hands were shaking, and the metallic scent of the kill hung heavy in the air.
Sometimes it still doesn't... feel good. The logic of the world says I won, but my heart feels heavy.
I walked over and knelt beside the beast. Its eyes were fixed in a glassy, pained stare. I reached out and gently slid my fingers over its eyelids, closing them for the last time.
This is our life. It was either me or you.
I stood up, wiping the grime from my forehead. I moved toward the creature's rear, grabbing the thick tail and heaving it over my shoulder. I leaned forward, digging my boots into the blood, and began the long trek of dragging the body back toward the camp.
Each step felt heavier than the last.
Not from the body.
But from what it meant.
"I am back."
The words slipped from my lips in a tired rasp as the roar of the waterfall finally came into view. My grip loosened and the beast's tail slid off my shoulder, its body hitting the ground with a dull thud.
"You sure took your sweet time."
Miss Serena… my teacher turned toward me. Her gaze was analytical, sweeping over my frame before narrowing on my leg, which was covered in torn clothes and dried crimson.
"So a C+ rank Magic Beast is still too much for you," she said, her voice carrying an edge of disappointment that stung worse than the injuries.
I couldn't help but let out a frustrated groan, my shoulders sagging. "It took me by surprise. I would have handled it better if I had known about its abilities before I stepped into its territory."
"All I hear are excuses," she replied, throwing her hands up in an exaggerated gesture of dismissal.
…Of course you would say that.
"Cause of death: Hemorrhagic failure, primary site, cervical region."
The blue orb drifted over the carcass, a thin beam of azure light tracing the wound I had carved into the creature's neck.
Teacher moved closer, leaning down to inspect the wound with an unreadable expression.
A sharp crashing sound pulled my attention away.
I turned.
In the distance, Blake moved.
His face flushed with exertion, swinging his sword in a desperate arc at the red orb. The sphere was practically dancing, bouncing happily through the air and dodging every strike with a taunting, effortless agility.
He still hasn't landed a single hit?
Blake had been desperate to accompany me on the hunt, but Teacher had set a simple condition: he could go only if he managed to touch the red.
The sphere dove suddenly, evading a wide slash before slamming down onto the top of Blake's head.
Blake's body gave out, his knees hitting the ground hard.
A dull thud followed as his fist struck the earth.
His teeth clenched.
Frustration poured out of him in silence.
It doesn't look like he's going to get that hit in anytime soon.
"What are you gawking at?"
Teacher's voice cut through my thoughts, pulling me back.
"Come. We are starting."
I gave a small nod and stepped toward the corpse.
Teacher and the blue orb moved back, giving me space.
"First Analysis." She said.
I knelt down and pressed my palms against the armored hide. The warmth had already started fading.
I closed my eyes.
[Master Alchemist: Analysis IV]
The physical body beneath my fingers dissolved into a complex blueprint of biological data. Information flooded my mind, revealing the inner clockwork of the predator, from the way its heart had pumped to the specific density of its skeletal frame.
"Dermal Layer," I began, my voice calm despite the fatigue. "It is a hybrid structure. There is a dense, leathery hide hidden beneath a layer of coarse, insulating fur. The hide itself contains interlocked fiber bundles similar to tendon strands, which is why my blade struggled; it is both flexible and incredibly resistant to tearing."
I moved my hands along the spine, feeling the phantom heat of the data.
"The subdermal armor plates are not just surface growths. They root deep into the skin, anchored to a lattice of hardened cartilage. These plates are designed to shift slightly upon impact, distributing force across the body instead of cracking under pressure. Then there is the muscle structure. The fibers are tightly packed and braided, built more like coiled steel cables than simple flesh. This allows for those explosive lunges and the sudden, violent directional changes I felt, especially when the tail acts as a counterweight."
Everything about it is built to kill quickly…
More details kept coming.
One by one, I mapped out the beast's biology, stripping away its mysteries.
"... tip formed from fused bone and keratin, designed for both balance and crushing strikes… That is all." I said detailing everything I could.
"Good. Now, Butchering."
Teacher's voice carried no weight of hesitation.
Only expectation.
I drew in a slow breath and pressed my palms more firmly against the body.
[Master Alchemist: Butchering II]
My mana responded, a warm golden glow seeping from my skin and enveloping the beast's corpse in a shroud.
The golden light acted as my scalpel, guided by the blueprint I had just etched into my mind. I focused on the specific nodes and joints the Analysis had revealed, visualizing the separation of the valuable materials from the waste.
"Saber Fangs."
The ivory teeth groaned against the jawbone before the connective tissue simply dissolved under my magic. The long, curved blades slowly loosened and drifted through the air, settling gently on the grass.
"Eyes."
I reached into my magic pouch, pulling out a glass jar filled with clear preservation liquid. I held it steady as the golden mana delved into the beast's sockets. The pupils were still fixed in that final, glazed stare as they were plucked out, moving with a steady glide until they dipped into the jar. I tightened the lid with a satisfying click.
"Dorsal Plates."
This part required more precision. I felt the mana slide beneath the hardened lattice of the back, prying the armor from the cartilage anchors. One by one, in a slow and methodical movement, the jagged plates detached. They rose into the air and stacked themselves into a neat, heavy pile next to the carcass.
I worked with a careful focus, making sure not to nick or damage a single resource.
Slowly and carefully, I continued the harvest, the golden light of my magic slowly stripping the predator down to its core until only the useless remains were left behind.
I opened my eyes.
The body in front of me no longer felt like the same creature I had fought.
It looked nothing like the predator that had nearly dragged me into the dark of the earth. It was a hollowed out husk, an empty shell stripped of its purpose and its power.
It was alive not long ago…
"Now," Teacher's voice pulled me away from the thought, "Transmutation."
I turned toward her.
The air rippled as she spoke, and a massive cube of dark, grayish metal materialized from nothingness. It hit the ground with a metallic thud that sent a small tremor through the soles of my boots.
I stepped closer, interlocking my fingers before extending my hands forward. A faint crack ran through my knuckles as I steadied myself.
"Go ahead."
I placed my palms against the surface.
[Master Alchemist: Transmutation II]
My awareness sank into the metal.
Deeper.
Layer by layer.
See it… understand it…
The structure revealed itself.
A rigid lattice.
Perfectly arranged.
Every atom locked into place, bound by invisible forces holding it together.
I followed those bonds.
Traced them.
Felt the tension within them.
So this is what holds it…
My mind pushed further.
Not breaking.
Not forcing.
Just… loosening.
The connections weakened.
The order began to collapse.
And in the next instant—
The cube lost its shape.
It gave way.
The solid form melted into motion, the metal collapsing into itself before splashing onto the ground as liquid.
A dull, heavy sound spread as it pooled at my feet.
I pulled my hands back slowly, watching it settle.
Now the next part.
I stepped back and lowered myself to a knee, my fingers brushing against the liquid metal.
[Master Alchemist: Transmutation II]
I reached into it again.
Not just touching the surface this time.
Controlling it.
Guiding it.
The flow responded to my will, rising slowly from the ground. The liquid stretched upward, trembling for a moment before stabilizing.
I focused on every line, every curve, every detail.
The image in my mind sharpened, clearer than anything else.
Piece by piece, it came together.
Alive in a way the liquid never was.
"Oho."
Teacher's voice carried a note I hadn't heard before.
She stepped closer.
"Now this… is what one might call a work of art."
She circled the metal statue, her eyes scanning the replica of herself.
Truthfully, I am impressed with myself. It came out better than I expected. To transmute with such precision, one must have a strong image in their mind…Is her image really that clear in my head?
"My nose is hardly that exaggerated, but I suppose the craftsmanship is… acceptable." Her lips curved into a small smile. "In your perception, I must present a rather captivating figure."
"N-not true."
The words came out too quickly.
Heat crept up my face before I could stop it.
Damn it…
I looked away for a second.
…I am never admitting that to her.
Especially not while she was looking at me with that knowing glint in her eyes.
"More importantly, this brings you to a level deemed sufficient for the practical segment of the Master Alchemist examination."
Teacher snapped her fingers.
The statue vanished without a trace.
She was right. The practical exam was a grueling gauntlet where examiners scrutinized the four pillars: Mana Alchemy, Analysis, Butchering, and Transmutation. These are the four basic skills expected of a Master Alchemist, and they are possessed by everyone with the talent/Arcana of the 'Master Alchemist'.
So anyone bearing the Arcana should be able to do them.
At least… in theory.
However, beyond the basics, every master possesses unique abilities. The ones I hold are... different. It wouldn't be wrong to say they are geared more toward battle than the Alchemy.
"Now, all that remains is—" Teacher began.
I nodded before she could finish.
"My Original Invention."
"You are truly content going with that?" Her head tilted, studying me. "We still have four months. Ample time to create something far more compelling… and considerably more explosive."
Explosive… sounds tempting…
But I shook my head.
"No. It is related to a project I intend to work on in the future, so I will stick with my current plan," I said, my voice firm with resolve.
"Tsk… how disappointingly tedious."
She clicked her tongue, a faint look of dissatisfaction crossing her face.
"You do remind me of your grandmother."
I am not sure if that's praise or an insult…
"So," she continued, folding her arms, "enlighten me. What exactly is this 'future work' you intend to pursue?"
I studied her for a long second, gauging her mood.
"I will tell you if you tell me what a Paradeus is."
"Hmm." She looked up toward the waterfall, her expression shifting into one of genuine consideration. My heart skipped a beat as hope flared in my chest. "Let us do it like this: pass the Master Alchemist exam, and I will tell you everything. How does that sound?"
A surge of energy rushed through me, the fatigue of the hunt momentarily forgotten.
"Really? Now that's motivating."
She nodded, a small, knowing smirk playing on her lips.
"Yes, do try to hold onto that attitude, it almost suits you." She waved her hand dismissively, the moment of seriousness passing. "Now, be useful and store those materials."
I turned and knelt by the remains, carefully sliding the harvested materials into my magic pouch. Despite the grueling hunt, a strange rush of energy pulsed through my body.
"Excuse me."
The red orb drifted in without waiting, its tone almost polite as it hovered over the remains.
Then, without ceremony, it swallowed the empty husk whole in a single, efficient gulp.
I turned my head toward the treeline to find Blake. He was leaning heavily against a tree, his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath, his sword hanging limp in his hand.
…He didn't land a single hit.
A faint unease settled in my chest.
I hope his confidence hasn't shattered. The last thing we need is another dejected knight. Tavian has been looking disheartened enough lately, walking like a ghost.
I pushed myself up to stand.
The moment I put weight on my leg, a sting ran through it.
"…Tch."
Did I mess up the healing…?
I looked down at the blood-stained fabric of my trousers. Flower magic was soothing, but it lacked the structural reinforcement I needed for deep puncture wounds. Aethel magic would have been a far better choice for internal knitting, but mastering Aethel based high-tier healing was proving to be a nightmare.
I really could have used some pointers from father Calem. But of course, the guy vanished on a spiritual journey without a single word to anyone.
I felt a twinge of annoyance mixed with disappointment. I had truly expected him to share what he discovered about White magic, especially since he seemed so intent on investigating it back then.
I exhaled softly.
Guess I'll have to figure it out myself.
"…He is learning faster than Ellie."
Red's voice came from behind me.
I glanced over my shoulder.
"Must be the result of entering the state of Confluence," Teacher replied.
"State of Confluence?"