The immense creature in the clearing, the source of the dread-inducing silence, suddenly let out a low, challenging snarl. It wasn't the sound of a simple beast; it was the sound of a hunter allowing its prey to get one last look.
"Elwin, fall back fifty paces. Set up a defensive perimeter. Use the terrain," Richard ordered, his voice steady despite the adrenaline spiking in his veins. He didn't wait for Elwin to protest.
Gareth, immediately drew his greatsword. "Young Master, that thing is massive. We must retreat together."
"No. It's too late to run," Richard countered, his eyes calculating the distance and speed of the colossal shadow. "If we flee, we lose cohesion, and the beast will pick us off one by one."
Richard drew the small, sturdy dagger Lucien had packed for him. He channeled mana, not for an attack, but for pure speed and strength augmentation. The familiar ache in his young body was immediate and sharp, but he ignored it. This was why he trained.
"Gareth, you hold the center line. Engage, but don't commit," Richard commanded, stepping out from the cover of the trees, dagger held low. "I'll draw its attention to the flanks. Elwin's barrier will cover our retreat."
"You'll draw it? Young Master, that's suicide!" Gareth exclaimed, horrified.
"No, Commander," Richard said, his gaze locked on the clearing. "It's the only chance to wound it and pull back together."
Richard ignored the Commander's panic and sprinted toward the perimeter of the clearing, his Haste-enhanced legs eating up the ground. The creature finally charged, revealing itself to be a monstrously large Gorefang Bear, its hide thick and covered in jagged, bone-white protrusions.
The Gorefang bear, after revealing its position, immediately launched itself at Richard's position.
The air pressure from the beast's charge was immense. Richard sidestepped the attack with unnatural speed, the bear's massive claws tearing through the air where he had stood moments before. He didn't have the strength to fight, so he fought smart. As the beast turned its massive head, Richard drove his dagger, now coated in wind mana for penetration, straight into the Gorefang's eye.
The dagger sank deep. The Gorefang Bear shrieked, an ear-splitting sound of pain and raw fury. It thrashed blindly, tearing up the earth with its massive paws.
"Now, Gareth!" Richard yelled, scrambling back to avoid the flailing claws.
Gareth, impressed and terrified by the boy's precise, audacious attack, didn't hesitate and striked the Gorefang bear's tough hide with his greatsword
CLANG!
The sound was a dull, metallic shock. The greatsword, meant to cleave steel, only bit a few inches deep into the bear's jagged, bone-white hide before grating to a halt. The strike drew blood, but it was shallow--a painful scratch to the colossal beast.
The wounded Gorefang, now partially blind and enraged, barely registered the blow. It instantly spun, its ruined eye leaking black ichor, and swiped at Gareth. The knight threw up his sword in defense, but the sheer momentum of the attack was too much. Gareth was lifted off his feet and slammed into a thick pine tree. He slumped to the ground, his armor ringing, momentarily stunned.
"Gareth!" Richard screamed, his voice strained. He was fighting the debilitating exhaustion from the collapsing Haste Spell, but he knew the fight was about to end badly.
The Gorefang Bear ignored the downed knight and turned its fury entirely on Elwin, the easier, softer target retreating toward the defensive perimeter. The mage was desperately trying to gather mana to cast an attack spell but his hands were shaking too violently due to the recoil of the immense mana usage that was required for the defensive perimeter.
Richard knew he couldn't let the bear reach Elwin, or the mage would be crushed. He channeled his last, absolute reserves into a desperate spell: Repulsion.
A massive, invisible wall of force erupted from Richard's hands, slamming into the Gorefang's already wounded side. The spell required the energy of a Fifth-Circle Mage, and Richard's fourteen-year-old body was not ready for it.
K-RAK!
The Gorefang's massive bulk was slammed sideways, interrupting its charge, but the recoil nearly shattered Richard's arms and shoulders. He staggered back, feeling a blinding, agonizing flash of pain shoot through his chest—the clear sign of mana exhaustion and physical strain tearing at his core.
The bear bellowed, shaking off the blow, but the interruption gave Elwin the precious seconds he needed. The mage's eyes snapped open, blazing with a sudden, desperate light.
"GLORY TO FROSTPEAK!" Elwin roared, abandoning his defensive spell. He gathered all his power and launched a scorching, unstable Volcanic Burst-a spell that could turn a man to ash.
The massive, shimmering globe of fire and rock slammed into the Gorefang's chest. The impact wasn't clean, but the intense heat was devastating. The beast's hide sizzled and smoked, and it stumbled backward, its strength visibly failing.
Gareth, recovering from the blow, rolled onto his knees and saw his chance. He ignored the pain in his body, grabbed his greatsword, and launched himself into a low sprint. He knew exactly where to strike.
Richard, leaning against a tree and fighting the waves of agonizing exhaustion, raised a trembling hand and whispered a final, faint spell: Wind Augmentation. He focused the minimal mana not on Gareth's sword, but on the space between the Gorefang's ribs, creating a brief, tiny vacuum.
Gareth's greatsword, empowered by the knight's desperate will, plunged into the Gorefang's side. The blade passed through the fire-softened hide and, guided by Richard's unseen gap, drove deep into the beast's vital organs.
The colossal Gorefang Bear let out one final, mournful, shuddering gasp. Its legs buckled, and it collapsed onto the frozen earth with a bone-jarring thud.
Silence returned to the clearing.
Richard slid down the pine tree, landing on his rear, shaking uncontrollably, his vision swimming. They had won, but the cost was near-total. He had pushed his young body far past its limits, and the raw, burning pain in his body due to complete mana exhaustion was a price he hadn't fully paid in his previous life.
Gareth limped over, his helmet askew, and planted his bloodied greatsword in the snow. He looked at the fallen behemoth, then at the exhausted mage, and finally, at Richard, lying pale and spent against the tree trunk.
"Young Master," Gareth said, his voice thick with reverence. "You... you were magnificent."
Richard didn't move. He simply stared at the sky. He had survived his first true test.
With a smile in his face, richard collapsed.
Gareth immediately checked Richard's pulse—weak and erratic. "Elwin! Forget the monster! Get over here!"
Elwin, dragging himself forward, placed a trembling hand over the boy's chest. "His core...it's completely damaged. He used a spell only a Fifth-Circle mage could handle and therefore, he's suffering from a catastrophic Mana Shock. Mages suffer from Mana Shock when they force their underdeveloped bodies to release more mana than they can handle."
"Can you fix it?" Gareth demanded.
"I can stabilize the flow, but the damage is severe. We must get him back to the Duchy's healers," Elwin said grimly. "We can't linger. The Gorefang's scent will draw predators."
They spent the next hour working in strained silence. Gareth, despite his injuries, managed to partially butcher the massive carcass, securing the head and several large samples of hide as proof. Then, they fashioned a sturdy stretcher from the thick, fresh pine logs, placing Richard on the stretcher, they started their journey back home.
it took nearly three agonizing days because they were forced to take a longer, safer route that skirted the mountain passes. Gareth hauled the stretcher and the Gorefang samples, while Elwin maintained a constant, minimal healing charm on Richard, keeping the boy's vital signs stable.
As they finally neared the outer walls of the Frostpeak Manor late on the third night, they encountered a border patrol making their routine rounds. The two knights who met them froze, staring first at the massive, bloody Gorefang head strapped to the carriage, and then at the sight of the Young Master unconscious on a stretcher.
The patrol immediately sent a rider ahead to inform the Duke.
Within the hour, Richard was moved into the sterile, high-walled Healing Chamber.
Gareth and Elwin, refusing any aid for their own injuries, were immediately summoned to Duke Voltair Serdin's study. The Duke sat behind his oak desk, his expression unreadable as he stared at the Gorefang's enormous head mounted temporarily in the courtyard below.
"The reports were accurate," Voltair said, his voice low. "Now, give me the truth. Every detail."
Gareth and Elwin recounted the entire battle: Richard's calm command, his suicidal flank attack, the devastating dagger strike to the eye, his desperate use of Fifth-Circle magic, and the resulting Mana Shock. They held nothing back.
Voltair listened without interruption. When they finished, he finally looked up, his eyes sharp. "You said he fought like a veteran. And then he pushed his body to destruction. What is the consequence, Elwin?"
"Your Grace, the damage is severe. He will live, but for the next three months, his core will be unable to access anything beyond basic, First-Circle mana. Any forced exertion, even physical, could risk permanent damage to his mana core. He needs specialized, non-magical care and time for complete recovery." Elwin replied with guilt all over his face.
Voltair stood, his power thrumming faintly in the air. He did not look angry, but immensely focused. He looked at Gareth and Elwin. "You may rest until your own wounds are tended. You are excused."
Gareth and Elwin bowed deeply, sharing a look of profound relief and concern, before turning and leaving the study.
"I know exactly who must oversee his recovery and training during this time. It's about time he made his return" Voltair thought to himself with a smirk in his face.