Turning their heads towards the sound of the Crack, LacX and Mana stare at the Dragon Slime Egg.
The egg lays motionless, but another crack is heard.
Looking past the egg, eyes could be seen in the distance. Not just one pair, but around 10 Pairs of eyes were shown in the shadows.
Staying still, they both wait for the figures to make a move.
In nearly an instant, many Blades of Wind were launched all at once.
Quickly putting the the Egg into his Storage, and taking the Silvertooth Dagger out, he begins to try out his weapon, gathering Wind by putting all of his Mana into it.
Slashing in a Horizontal Arc, a Large Blade of Wind was released, nearly hitting the Figures, and instead hitting the Trees.
"They must be Silverwind Wolves if they can release Wind Magic to that degree. Should we run or take them on?" LacX and Mana hide behind a nearby Tree.
'With their numbers, it would be difficult. I believe we could do it if you had more MP, seeing how you used it all in an instant.'
Trying to think of a Plan, LacX remembered the Effects of the Mana Pool.
"Mana, can you make an Ice Wall? If I could get into the Water, then my MP will recover quicker."
Nodding, Mana begins to use her "Frost Mist" Skill to create some Ice Magic. Making a few Ice Blocks, she runs to the Pool, and creates a Wall, managing to dodge one Wind Blade, and Block another with the Ice.
Using the chance, LacX bolts to the Pool, and dives in, while also having an Idea.
Taking a few Bottles and Canisters from his Storage, he begins to fill them with the Water, then put them back into his Storage.
'I was gonna try my hand at Alchemy and Potion Making, but with the Water, I could sit in it later to increase my MP cap. And maybe I can use it for something else.'
After a few seconds, his MP was half restored.
"Ok, Mana, probably not the best time, but teach me Water Magic."
'This really isn't the best time, but very well. First, gather your Mana in front of your Palm, not coming into contact with it, and imagine either the Nearby Water or the Vapor in the Air gathering into one place.'
Doing as she said, LacX attempt to gather the Mana from his body.
'Wait, I've used MP before, but I didn't feel anything then. So what exactly does Mana feel like?'
Testing a random Method, he succeeded in gathering Mana, and starts to gather the Water from the Air, since the Water in the Mana Pool was more valuable.
After a few seconds, a Ball of Water was formed.
'You are doing well. Now shape an Image in your mind, turning it into a Spear, a Blade, or some form of Weapon.'
Imagining a Blade, he gathers the Water into his hands, and creates Daggers made of Water.
"With this, I can use my Agility instead of the Magics Launch Speed."
Doubling his Agility with "Booster", LacX bursts forth into the direction of the Enemies.
Getting close, he spotted 11 Silverwind Wolves.
'Time to Hunt.'
With incredible speeds, LacX finishes the job in 2 Minutes.
[Rewards]
[Exp +204]
[Drops : Wolf Fang x4, Wolf Pelt x5, Wolf Tail x1]
[Rare Drops : Wind Crystal (Tiny)]
Releasing his Magic, the Water dissipates into Vapor once more.
"So, how did I do? It was surprisingly easy, despite it being my first time using Magic."
Stunned, Mana barely finds the words to answer.
'May I ask, how much MP do you have?'
"Well I should have a little le-" Opening his Status, it was his turn to be stunned.
{MP : 50/50}
"... Shouldn't I have less?" LacX doesn't know what else to say.
'Answer this question, did you use the Mana within your body?'
"I should have. I haven't felt Mana before, despite having used MP, so I tried something, and it worked. Did I do it wrong?"
'You did not. However, what you did was not use Mana from your Body, but instead used Mana from your Surroundings. That would normally take someone many years to perfect, but you pulled it off on your first attempt. Not only that, but I even tested your capabilities by not giving you an Incantation. You also used Chantless Magic. With enough practice, you could even use Formless Magic, which is the Most Difficult.'
Trying to take it all in, LacX sits on a nearby rock.
"So, I did something incredible without even knowing? Was I supposed to use an Incantation? How did I accidentally use the Mana in the air?"
In an attempt to figure out what was happening, he managed to gain another Skill, "Mental Resistance (Small)".
To his surprise, it seemed to slightly calm him, allowing him to think more clearly.
"Okay, so I did something great, big deal. Let's just say that I did it because of a Skill. And while we're at it, teach me the Incantations as well, so that I don't freak anybody else out."
Mana was worried, but agreed anyways.
With that ordeal finished, they continue to Mardeal.
. . .
To their surprise, nothing else happened on their way.
"I almost forgot, since I was worrying about everything, I got another Rare Drop. I think it was some sort of Crystal."
Taking the small Crystal out of his Storage, he uses "Appraisal".
[Appraisal]
[Name : Wind Crystal (Tiny)]
[Rank : C]
'So there were things like this. I wonder if I could learn how to make Charms or Accessories. That could come in handy.'
Putting the Crystal back into his Storage, his "Storage" Skill leveled up.
'I wonder how much I could hold.'
To test his limits, he continuously put random Plants, Rocks and Sticks into it until it was full.
'So it can fit around Ten Times the Storage Bag could. That's quite the amount of Space. I wonder how much it can hold if it Ranks Up.'
With that thought, they finally made it out of the Forest.
"Finally, that took forever! Mana, are you okay to keep going?"
Walking towards Mana, they both stand at the edge of the Cliff, looking at the magnificent view ahead of them.
Taking in the view, he stands there for a few moments until he remembers what they were doing, and taps Mana on her head, causing her to slightly jump.
'Sorry. I have never seen this sort of view from my homelands. I did not know anything but Snow and Hunting. Exploration was considered something that only the weak could do, so we let the weakest of the pack do the scouting, and the weakest of the Clan do the exploring, in search for new Bodies of Water or Empty Caves.'
"It's fine. We'll be able to go to many different locations to eat many different foods and see many different sights. We'll even eventually go back to your Homeland, or even your Clan."
They both take one last look, then take the path that lead back to the Main Road.
. . .
Walking along the Main Road had a weird vibe to it.
There would be the occasional Cart or Carriage, but even then the people did not seem to want to interact with any other person.
'This place feels tense. I wonder why that is.' Mana sticks close to LacX, being wary of the others around them.
"I think there's a reason behind the tension, but I don't know what it is. We should ask the guild after we get to Town."
Suddenly, Mana's head perks up.
'Master, I smell blood, and it seems pretty close by. It is off road, to the right.'
"Blood? Might be a problem. Let's go check it out."
Mana leads the way, with LacX close by.
As they get closer, he could smell the blood as well.
Arriving to the location of the smell, there was a destroyed carriage, along with 3 things.
A Human Corpse, a Cage, and some Green Creatures.
"What are those?"
[Appraisal]
[Name : None]
[Race : Dog Goblin]
[Rank : C]
[Clan Unique Skill]
[Daily Skills Copied : 3/3]
[Can no longer Copy Skills for Today]
'Master, there is another scent amongst them.'
Using his new Skill, he locates a Smell inside of the Cage.
"Mana, let's take care of them quickly. Ready?"
'Of course.'
Using his newfound Water Daggers, LacX charges forward, while Mana begins to Slash and Bite at them.
To his surprise, there was a Goblin that used a different Skill than the others.
The Skill allowed the Goblin's Skin to Harden, making most of LacX's attacks be rendered nearly useless.
Appraising the Skill, LacX found out that it wasn't hardening.
[Appraisal]
[Cannot Copy]
'So this Goblin has just been timing his attacks? How much SP does he have?'
Before LacX could continue, he heard a sound coming from the Cage.
There was a figure wearing chains.
. . .