Fifteen rabbits was enough to let Elgin level up once.
The rabbits got increasingly harder and harder to find with each kill, but he ended up finishing the task in about an hour. He didn't miss a single shot.
This made him gain more bravery. He no longer hesitated when he came across a monster. The Rudis Forest was nothing to him.
Aside from killing monsters, he also picked up several magic herbs that he recognized. Surprisingly, when he excavated each plant carefully and preserved its condition, the System recognized that as an achievement and gave him some experience points.
It was a nice touch.
Not only the wolves and the rabbits, Elgin ended up terrorizing other creatures as well. There were a total of ten different species that lived in this forest. Elgin charged through each terrain, turning the Rudis Forest inside out for his growth.
His inventory was slowly filling up with all sorts of items he couldn't wait to take to the monster butcher for. The thought of keeping those bloodied corpses inside his item box didn't sit well with him.
Elgin ended up spending one more day to hunt in Rudis Forest. He killed everything he saw and kept feeding his experience bar.
Hours upon hours of slaughtering.
He realized that he began to get used to fighting and grew to enjoy it as well.
Now at Level 15, both Cecily and him agreed that it would be enough to breeze through the first levels of Yggdrasil.
It was time to get started.
Elgin was heavily curious on how different the challenges inside Yggdrasil could be.
So far, everything was going well for him.
They walked out of the forest and made their way back to Ulya. There were a total of three major cities that they had to go by in order to reach Yggdrasil if they came from Ulya.
Yggdrasil was the center of everything. There were many other cities and towns scattered throughout the world that Elgin wanted to pay a visit to one day, but his main goal now was Yggdrasil.
[You might want to try learning magic anytime soon. There are creatures that can only be attacked with magic and is resistant to physical attacks. The same goes for the other way.] Cecily mentioned.
So far, Elgin had fought with nothing but a cheap sword and a bow.
He bought a magic staff, but that ended up not being used at all since the two other weapons were more practical.
[Normally, you could just form a party with someone else that can cover those fields for you, but if it's you.. Well, let's see how it turns out later.] She added.
Cecily debated. People who were adept in both magic and physical strength were not scarce, but there were only a select few that could master both fields to the highest level. In her eyes, Elgin had the potential to become one of those people.
She imagined how proud she would be if this young man finally broke through all the limits and utilized the full extent of his power. A smile blossomed on her face.
"Huh? Right now?"
[I'm just saying it as a precaution. The first few levels shouldn't contain anything fancy if it's out of a hundred. You can breeze through it with your current strength. I'm just saying it might not hurt to learn a couple magic spells here and there.]
'Magic spells..' Elgin seriously thought about it.
The idea did interest him. Magic was powerful and had many uses. It had a versatile attack pattern according to each element.
If it was possible, aside than magic, he also wanted to branch out to his past alchemist skills once again.
He enjoyed concocting potions, but he was always limited by a set standard. But now, he wanted to see if he could break through his previous chains.
"How do you learn offensive magic?"
The only magic he has ever used was related to brewing potions.
[Oh, so you're interested? Simple. Two things. You need to be able to sense mana, which you already can do perfectly well. Second, you need to be blessed by the element you wish to learn.] Cecily put up two of her fingers and said.
In the past, magic came as something natural to him. He was bestowed with skills that suited a lower class alchemist right from the start. He never had to learn it.
"Do I have those blessings?"
[You can just try it out right here. You know what each element represents, right? If you have the blessing, it will come to you as easy as breathing. Just try connecting your mana to that element. Use your imagination and make it appear.]
"Alright." Elgin was out of the forest, so he sat down, closed his eyes and followed Cecily's instructions.
The first element he thought of was Water. In the past, he used a mixture of both fire and water for his job. Water was his preferred element out of the two.
He spread out his palm and directed his mana. Just like that, in a few seconds, a blob of water showed up. It danced around on his palms, molding into different shapes before being thrown away by Elgin.
"I did it!" Elgin was satisfied.
The small water ball drained away only 5 points from his mana bar. Granted, it wasn't worth much, but it still made him happy.
[Hmm.. Good. Next. Fire, please.]
Elgin was a bit disappointed by Cecily's lack of reaction, but continued. Magic like this should be extremely normal to her. He focused on his mana once again.
Elgin did the same for fire, and a small fireball appeared above his palms. This time, he didn't throw it away, but instead retracted it back into his body.
[Try wind now.]
A gust of wind was summoned. It was sharp enough to cut a few strands of grass when Elgin threw it away.
[E-Earth.]
Elgin placed his hand against the ground, and channeled his mana. As a result, the ground was ruptured and formed a crack. A protruding stump was created.
[...Light?]
In a casual manner, Elgin created a blinding flash of light that hurt both of them.
[Dark...]
Cecily became increasingly mortified with each success. Dark was the last element, and the rarest out of the six.
If he succeeded in this too.. With such ease, as well...
In a few seconds, there it was. Cecily's order was fulfilled in the form of a shadow mist that spread around the air.
Cecily massaged her temples. Elgin used all six elements.
And most importantly.. He was able to cast both Light and Dark magic. Those two were complete opposites, meant to not coexist with each other because of their contrasting elements.
Elgin used both of them. How is this kid's existence even possible?
Cecily had never seen such bullshit before.
[..Okay, that's enough. Child, we have to talk about your condition for a bit.]
Cecily could feel it. This would someday grow to become a headache inducing matter if she didn't teach this man properly. It was a recipe for disaster.
After all, he was one to be pitied as well.
He didn't have a high amount of common sense because of how long he had suffered under those grueling conditions. She worried for his mental state at first, but he didn't look particularly off. He even joked around with her at times.
Elgin was a good child. Which made her even sadder.
She made a resolution inside her mind that she would do her utmost best in teaching and guiding this child.
[Elgin, I wouldn't recommend you using more than three elements in a fight. At least not when there are people watching. It's better to keep it under wraps unless you are in a pinch.]
Cecily went ahead and explained information regarding magic that Elgin lacked. In the end, Elgin finally understood the gravity of his earlier showcase.
Six elements. All of them were within his range of abilities.
He gulped his saliva. Indeed, he still had a lot to learn.
There was no one to come and teach him about all of these things since the Players didn't return to visit Ulya after reaching the higher cities.
He was fueled with the desire to obtain more knowledge. Luckily, he had Cecily by his side to fill in his inadequate brain.