Hanmar Village was slowly returning to a peaceful life.
Although some monsters occasionally wandered toward the village, their numbers were small enough for the villagers to deal with them without much trouble.
Aside from that, the villagers who had previously been injured had already recovered. With about twenty able-bodied villagers now capable of fighting, they had enough people to both defend and maintain the village.
Everything was being managed smoothly.
As for supplies, some villagers occasionally went into the forest to hunt animals. However, they never ventured too deep into the woods. They only gathered enough food for the village to survive.
On the other hand, Kalin was completely focused on practicing his Creation Magic.
He had already grasped the basics of maintaining mana throughout his body. His current challenge was channeling it to a specific location.
He could move the mana slightly, but it would eventually disperse, like a string that had suddenly snapped.
Kalin sat quietly for a few minutes, thinking about what he might have done wrong when trying to channel his mana to his hands.
"Maintaining the mana for two minutes isn't a problem," he muttered to himself. "But when I try to move it, it feels like something is blocking the flow."
Nearby, Herin was watching him with curiosity. At the same time, she felt a little excited to see what Kalin might accomplish next.
Herin gently rubbed her chin as she observed him.
"Are you rushing it, young master?" she asked, avoiding direct eye contact.
Kalin frowned slightly and glanced at her.
"What do you mean by rushing it? Can you explain?"
In truth, Kalin knew Herin didn't have any formal knowledge of magic. Still, he decided to consider her opinion.
"From what I can see, you are forcing your mana to move toward your hands," Herin said hesitantly. "But from what I've heard, other mages treat mana as if it is a natural part of their body. They simply send the signal, and the mana moves on its own... I think."
Kalin paused.
He suddenly realized that Herin might actually be right.
Whenever he tried to channel his mana, his body would stiffen, and the veins on his skin would bulge as if he were forcing something unnaturally.
Of course, he was curious about where Herin had learned that information. However, he pushed that thought aside for now and focused on the task in front of him.
"Activate Creation Magic."
Once again, a blue-white light covered his body.
This time, however, Kalin relaxed his body and cleared his mind of unnecessary thoughts.
When his mana stabilized, he simply imagined guiding it toward his hands.
Suddenly, Kalin felt a warm sensation crawling down his arms.
When the mana finally reached his hands, the light grew brighter, dazzling Herin for a moment.
The piece of wood in his hands became coated with his mana.
Slowly, the wood began to change shape, forming into the object Kalin had imagined in his mind.
Pop!
As soon as the light disappeared, the item Kalin had created fell to the ground.
"Did I succeed?"
Kalin muttered to himself as he wiped his eyes to clear his vision.
When he looked down, he saw a metallic knife lying on the ground, exactly like the one he had imagined.
A broad smile spread across his face. His Creation Magic had actually worked.
Everything seemed perfect.
Until he picked up the knife.
"Hahahaha!"
Herin burst into laughter but quickly covered her mouth after Kalin shot her a glare.
The problem became obvious the moment Kalin held the knife.
The blade bent like jelly.
When he tried to move it, the knife wiggled from side to side like a soft twig. With a weapon like that, even slicing a fruit would probably be impossible.
Still, the result didn't discourage Kalin.
He knew very well that creating a perfect item on the first try was unrealistic. In fact, he was already satisfied with the outcome. At the very least, he had successfully used his Creation Magic.
With enough practice, he was confident that he could improve.
The main reason the knife had such poor quality was because of his mana.
Kalin had been training for several hours without rest, and by the time he cast the spell, his mana was nearly depleted. The material itself wasn't the problem. After all, he had successfully transformed a piece of wood into a knife.
The issue was the quality he could produce with his remaining mana.
Kalin stood up but nearly lost his footing as a wave of dizziness hit him.
Exhausting one's mana often resulted in that kind of reaction. If a mage completely depleted their mana, they could even collapse.
There were several ways for mages to recover their mana.
The first was drinking a mana potion. The second was using magical items that helped restore mana. The third was simply resting, allowing the body to recover naturally.
Kalin only had the third option.
So he decided to call it a day.
Before heading back inside, however, he looked at Herin.
"How did you know what I was missing?"
Herin seemed ready for the question.
"After watching you for several days, it was easy to notice," she replied calmly. "As for the information, I heard it from the mages in the mansion when they were training."
The Cyrion household did have mages, so her explanation sounded reasonable.
Still, something about it bothered Kalin.
It almost felt as if Herin had practiced that answer beforehand.
I feel like she's hiding something, Kalin thought.
However, he couldn't force Herin to tell him the truth.
Just like him, everyone had their own secrets. Perhaps this was simply one of hers.
With that thought, Kalin returned to his room.
Meanwhile, far away in the Cyrion mansion...
Cyrion sat calmly in his chair. Suddenly, he glanced toward the side of the room as he sensed a presence.
"Give me your report," Cyrion said in a firm tone.
A shadow slowly formed into the shape of a human figure, revealing Geron.
Geron immediately knelt and bowed his head in respect.
Without wasting time, he began explaining everything that had happened in Hanmar Village, including Kalin's encounter with the witch.
"Hmm... how interesting," Cyrion murmured while rubbing his chin. "That boy was actually helping the villagers deal with monsters and even gathering supplies."
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"But knowing Kalin, he would never enter the forest alone. Not when he knows how dangerous it is."
Cyrion narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Did he figure out that you were following him?"
Geron shook his head.
"I don't believe so, Viscount Cyrion. When I saved him from the witch, the look on his face clearly showed that he thought he had made a terrible mistake and that no one could save him."
"So you're telling me that helping the village was truly his intention?" Cyrion asked.
Geron hesitated for a moment before nodding.
"That may be the case, Viscount Cyrion. Even I couldn't believe what I witnessed."
He paused again, as if unsure whether he should continue.
"And also..."
Geron trailed off, lacking solid proof for the information he was about to share.
"Just tell me."
Geron nodded slightly.
"Something feels off about the young master," he said carefully. "The reason the villagers managed to survive the undead attack was because he provided them with information on how to deal with them."
Cyrion narrowed his eyes.
"What do you mean by that?"
"When we fought the undead before, we simply destroyed their bodies. We crushed them until they could no longer move," Geron explained. "But the villagers and the young master don't have the same strength as we do. Because of that, they could only behead the undead."
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"And that turned out to be the most effective way to stop them."
Geron lowered his head slightly as he added more.
"Not only that, when I was watching him in the forest, it felt like he was searching for something. At first, I thought it was just a coincidence."
He glanced up briefly.
"But later I heard him telling the villagers that if they wanted the undead attacks to stop, they needed to eliminate the witch first."
Cyrion remained silent, listening.
"At first, I assumed he simply made it up," Geron continued. "However, after observing the village for several days, I noticed something strange."
"There hasn't been a single undead attack since the witch died."
Cyrion leaned back slightly in his chair, deep in thought.
"Interesting..."
After a moment, he spoke again.
"Continue observing him, Geron. Let's see if he's worth sending to the Academy."
Geron immediately nodded.
"As you wish, Viscount Cyrion."
With that, his figure dissolved into the shadows and disappeared in the blink of an eye.