Shadow watched the young man leave, noticing how he immediately headed toward a nearby shop that sold magical potions. The boy seemed particularly interested in healing potions, carefully examining them as if this wasn't his first time.
"Prepared. Smart… or just unlucky enough to need it often." Shadow concluded.
Shadow didn't bother observing any longer and simply went his own way.
"Let's go test how magic actually feels," he said with a faint smile.
He exited the city and made his way toward the edges of the Graveveil Forest. The deeper areas were known to be dangerous, but the outer edges were manageable—perfect for experimentation.
Once he confirmed that no one was around, he raised his right hand.
A small sphere of water formed above his palm. At first it wavered slightly, but as his control stabilized, the sphere began to rotate smoothly, swirling in place as if alive.
"So this is magic…" he murmured, watching it with interest.
Then he raised his left hand.
A second sphere appeared—this time made of fire.
Now both his hands held power, the water gently spinning while the fire flickered with heat and intensity.
Without hesitation, Shadow thrust both hands forward, launching the two spheres at a nearby tree.
The moment they collided, steam and smoke burst outward. The trunk was left scorched and damp at the same time, marked clearly by the impact.
"So this is magic… yeah, I can get used to this." Shadow said quietly.
But his expression soon shifted.
"…Still too weak."
Before he could continue thinking, a notification appeared.
[Feeling the host's desire for power, a quest has been issued]
[Kill one magical beast of any kind using magic]
[Reward: 5 system points]
A small smile formed on his face.
"This is exactly what I needed."
Without wasting time, Shadow sprinted deeper into the forest's edge, searching for a suitable target.
It didn't take long before he found one.
A rabbit—except it was far from normal. Nearly a meter in size, it was currently engaged in a fight with a slightly smaller mouse-like creature. Despite the injuries it had already taken, it was clear that the rabbit was winning.
"Finally, fate's on my side," Shadow muttered.
He intended to steal the kill, but before he could act, the mouse collapsed and died.
"…Never mind."
With no hesitation, he conjured a ball of water and fired it slightly to the left of the rabbit.
The sudden impact startled the injured beast, causing it to instinctively dash in the opposite direction—straight toward where Shadow was hiding.
"Run where I want you to run."
Just as it got within three meters of him, a fireball shot out from the bushes and struck it directly in the face.
The rabbit let out a distorted cry as it flipped across the ground for a few seconds before going completely still.
"Messy… but efficient." Shadow concluded.
Ding~
[Magical rabbit rank F was killed: +3 EXP]
[Kill one magical beast 1/1]
[+5 SYSTEM points]
Seeing the notification, Shadow's curiosity was piqued.
What would happen when he leveled up?
"System, I need more quests."
[Based on the host's current magical power, the host is advised not to push himself into dangerous situations]
"Don't worry," Shadow replied calmly. "I'll only go after the weak ones."
After a brief pause—
[A new quest is issued]
[Kill 5 magical beasts]
[Reward: +15 system points]
Seeing that the system cooperated, Shadow picked up the rabbit and continued forward.
As he walked, he thought to himself:
'I could use rune magic to set traps and weaken the beasts before finishing them… but that's not practical right now. The system didn't specify the type of beast, so going after stronger ones would just waste time.'
A faint smirk appeared.
'Besides… I kind of like using magic directly. I need the experience.'
Not long after, he spotted his next target.
A bird, roughly the same size as the rabbit, pecking at worms on the ground.
Without much thought, Shadow conjured a fireball and launched it.
This time, it was slightly larger—and faster.
"So it scales with familiarity." Shadow smirked as he watched his fireball move towards its target
"Still ugly though." he added.
The bird barely had time to react before it was hit. Flames engulfed its body, burning through its feathers until it dropped motionless to the ground.
Ding~
[Wandering parrot rank F was killed]
[+2 EXP]
[Kill 5 magical beasts: 1/5]
"I guess we're having a feast tonight," Shadow said as he picked it up.
After walking a bit further, he frowned slightly.
Carrying both the rabbit and the bird was starting to slow him down.
"I can't keep doing this," he muttered. "But this should be enough for now. Power is great. Carrying things? Not so much."
A short while later, he came across a group of slimes grazing lazily in an open area.
There were around ten of them.
"System, issue me another quest."
Ding~
[New quest: kill all the slimes in front of you]
[Reward: +20 system points]
A grin spread across Shadow's face.
Now this was efficient.
Without holding back, he began firing fireballs one after another.
Unlike before, there was no precision—just overwhelming output.
Fireballs rained down continuously, crashing into the slimes like falling meteors.
"At this point, I'm just bullying them. Don't blame me. Blame the system." he muttered
The creatures, slow and mindless, barely reacted. Some didn't even attempt to move, continuing to graze as if nothing was happening—until they were struck and reduced to splattering remains.
"Yeah… this is definitely overkill." Shadow concluded.
One after another, they were eliminated.
Ding~
[Eight slimes rank F were killed]
[+12 EXP]
[Two slimes rank E were killed]
[+6 EXP]
[Kill five magical beasts 5/5]
[Reward: +15 system points]
Ding~
[Kill all the slimes in front of you]
[+20 system points]
Ding~
[Lvl 1 → Lvl 2]
[A new feature is unlocked]
[All stats increased by 1]
[Status window is now available]
"That was too easy…" Shadow exhaled slowly, feeling a subtle change in his body.
"Status."
---
[[ SYSTEM STATUS ]]
Name: Shadow
Age: 16
Level: 2 (13/16 EXP)
Strength: 10
Agility: 10
Endurance: 10
Rank: F
Mana: ∞ (Unregulated)
Class: Mage
System Points: 40
---
Skills:
- Ultimate Rune Master
Spells:
- Fireball (Low Rank)
- Water Ball (Low Rank)
Affinity: Water, Fire
---
After reviewing everything, Shadow nodded slightly, satisfied with his progress.
The sky had already begun to darken.
"…That's enough for today."
"This was only the beginning."
Carrying what he could, he turned and made his way back toward the tavern.