Chapter 11
Grey collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud, his chest rising and falling rapidly as exhaustion washed over him. His eyelids fluttered, struggling to stay open, while he gazed up at the vast sky above.
"That... was hard and dangerous," he muttered, reflecting on the short but intense battle.
A wry smile tugged at his lips. "If I hadn't unlocked the wind affinity, I'd be dead by now. All I had to do was be exposed to it long enough, and Clark unknowingly helped me achieve that due to his daily and constant bullying. What a moron." He chuckled silently.
With great effort, Grey pushed himself into a sitting position, still panting heavily. He took a deep breath, steadying himself, then glanced toward the fallen beast a few feet away.
"I can't believe I actually defeated a level 4 beast with two affinities on my own. Not even in my wildest dreams did I think I could pull that off." He chuckled weakly before rising to his feet and staggering toward the carcass.
Picking up a broken shrapnel from the ground, he got to work. "Just by unlocking wind affinity, I managed to survive this fight. Imagine if I unlocked more affinities... That would be insane!" Grey laughed, the sound echoing through the forest as he began extracting the beast's crystal cores.
He worked meticulously, first carving into the beast's abdomen and retrieving a gleaming crystal core. Holding it up, his eyes gleamed with excitement.
"This is... the fire core! With this, I'll finally gain the fire affinity too!" he exclaimed, setting the core aside before moving to the beast's chest to extract the second crystal.
"Three elements soon..." He trailed off, his excitement momentarily replaced with contemplation. "No... I shouldn't rush things. It's better to master one before moving on. I'll focus on the fire core for now since I've already started cultivating it."
With that decision, Grey tucked the earth crystal core into his pocket and grasped the fiery core. The moment he held it, he felt its warmth pulsing through his hands. Without hesitation, he made his way to the foot of the volcano, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes.
Grey slowed his breathing, drawing in mana to replenish his depleted core while simultaneously absorbing the fire energy from the crystal. As he continued, the core's glow began to dim, and soon, it turned dull and lifeless. Tossing it aside, Grey stood up, a triumphant smile on his face.
"Finally! The fire attribute!" He lifted his hand, twirling his fingers, and a small flame ignited at his fingertip. With a flick, a thin stream of fire shot forward, slightly scorching the beast's body.
He chuckled. "Wouldn't want to damage my prized possession now, would I?"
Kneeling beside the beast, he carefully began skinning it. In this world, beast hides were valuable, selling for seven silver coins per gram. This beast had at least fifteen grams of usable pelt, meaning he could earn fourteen silver coins.
Silver was a common currency, with bronze being the lowest and gold the highest. For many, owning a single gold coin was a privilege, but silver could be earned with effort. Grey's thoughts drifted to his mother as he worked.
"With this, I can finally provide for my mom," he whispered before suddenly pausing.
Realization struck him. "Wait... What am I going to tell her? How do I explain these injuries? And what about the trader? He won't believe that a fifteen-year-old with no magical affinity took down a level 4 beast. Even seasoned adults would struggle against it."
Grey paced, contemplating his options. Then, an idea struck him like a lightning bolt.
"Yes! I'll tell them this..." he muttered, quickly resuming his work. Once finished, he packed up the skins and prepared to leave the forest, eager to see his mother's reaction when he returned with a pouch full of silver coins.
Despite his injuries, excitement carried him forward as he embarked on the arduous journey back to town.
---
Not long after Grey left, the air in the forest warped and whooshed, an eerie phenomenon unfolding. A white space appeared, and two men materialized in the very spot Grey had just vacated.
One of them, a brown-haired man, approached the fallen beast, his gaze assessing the skinned carcass and the gaping hole in its head.
"He's adapting quickly," the man observed.
The other man, with striking white hair, nodded. "Yes... He surprises me too. A boy his age, with only wind affinity, managing to kill a level 4 beast—it's remarkable."
"Quite the achievement," the brown-haired man agreed as he straightened. "But what you did was dangerous, you know?"
"What did I do?" The white haired man asked with a cheeky smirk on his face when the brown haired man glared hard at him.
"Firstly, you whispered the thoughts of him absorbing the beast cores making it seem like it was his own decision. Then you sent a level 4 beast his way? What if something bad had happened?"
"And that's why we are here, dumbass. I would have stepped in if I noticed that he was about to lose. I'm not going to kill our prized possession." The first mage replied with a silent chuckle.
"Tch! Your magic is really a menace. Poor boy didn't even realise that he wasn't the one who decided to absorb the cores on his own. How did you even know he can do that?" The brown haired man asked with a raised brow.
"I just know." The first mage replied with a nonchalant shrug and a causal smirk. "Even I, can't actually absorb cores. But I have sensed so many things from him just from the first time we met hence I did what I did."
"And now, he's unlocked fire affinity," the first mage added with a smirk on his face. "A rare and devastating power."
The brown-haired man folded his arms. "We need to keep watching him. If he continues to grow at this rate, we may have to decide whether to aid him in the upcoming war."
The First Mage nodded. "Agreed. Let's see what he becomes."
____________
{A/N}
For more updates on MSS, MS and future works, please remember to follow me up on my social media accounts below.
Instagram: KBKayboy.
Facebook: KBKayboy.
When news on MS or any other series comes out, you will be able to see it there first.