The suffocating hush of the woods enveloped everything once again, broken only by the steady patter of thawing ice and Adonis' erratic gasps for air.
''Huff! Huff!"
He glanced over the aftermath of his triumph – the formerly mischievous goblins now frozen in icy stillness. A contented grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. His mastery of both magic and combat had proven invaluable.
But the triumph was short-lived. Nine magic stones still resided within the bellies of living goblins, and the D-rank test wasn't complete. His eyes flickered to his outstretched hand, the faint tingling a testament to his depleted mana reserves. More than half his magical energy had been expended in the fight, leaving him vulnerable in this unforgiving environment.
Adonis knew pushing forward recklessly would be a fool's errand. He needed to replenish his mana, to strategize his next move. Scanning the area, his gaze fell upon a particularly large oak, its branches twisting skyward like gnarled fingers. Beneath its broad canopy lay a patch of soft, moss-covered earth, a small oasis of comfort within the tangled wilderness.
''Ugh!"
With a grunt, Adonis lowered himself onto the mossy bed, his body protesting with a chorus of aches.
The oppressive silence of the forest deepened as Adonis settled into a meditative pose. His ragged breaths gradually calmed, replaced by a measured rhythm as he focused on his core. He wasn't just meditating; he was a conduit, willing the latent magical energy within him to rise and replenish his depleted reserves.
With a flick of his wrist, a silent command was issued. Two shimmering white circles, the unmistakable mark of a two-circle mage, materialized around his left wrist. These weren't mere circles; they pulsed with a cool, ethereal glow, the very essence of his magical affinity – ice. The other circles, representative of different elemental disciplines – fire's fiery red, wind's verdant green, lightning's crackling purple – remained dormant, testaments to talents yet unexplored.
For now, Adonis channeled his entire being into the icy magic that coursed through him. The two white circles on his wrist intensified, their glow a beacon in the dim forest light. It was a slow process, like coaxing a frozen stream back to life. But with each passing minute, he could feel a trickle of power rejoin his reserves, a growing current within his core.
As he sat there, bathed in the cool luminescence of his magic, his mind wasn't idle. He replayed the fight with the goblins, dissecting his strategies, searching for a way to exploit his remaining mana more efficiently. Nine goblins remained to be slain in order to complete the test. He needed a different approach, a more cunning strategy that tapped not just into his magic, but his skills as a seasoned hunter who participated in numerous hunting festival back in his hometown.
The forest itself might hold the key. He vaguely recalled his herbalism studies, a flicker of memory about certain mushrooms – ones that could enhance senses or grant temporary bursts of speed. Perhaps those could tip the scales in his favor.
''I will search for them later, for now let's rest to replenish my mana.'' he closed his eyes again after shortly opening them.
A mage's core, the wellspring of their power, grew in size and complexity with each circle they achieved. For a 1st circle mage, their core was a fledgling thing, no bigger than a volleyball with a mere 22.5-liter capacity. Adonis, a 2nd circle mage, boasted a core roughly the size of a football, capable of holding around 36 liters of mana.
The higher the circle, the more vast the reservoir. 3rd circle mages wielded cores the size of basketballs, brimming with 78 liters of magical potential. Beyond that, the comparisons shifted. A 4th circle core resembled a 25-liter bucket, while a 5th circle core ballooned to the size of a 100-liter drum. 6th circle mages boasted cores the size of 200-liter barrels, and by the time a mage reached the 7th circle, their core rivaled a small lake in its capacity.
The 8th circle was akin to a vast lake, and the coveted 9th circle, a realm only whispered about in hushed tones, granted a core as limitless as the ocean itself. Adonis, with his modest 2nd circle core, felt a surge of respect for the immense power wielded by the higher circles.
But raw power wasn't everything. He closed his eyes, focusing on the slow, steady regeneration of his mana. His ice magic pulsed faintly around his wrist, a constant reminder of the path he'd chosen. While he might not possess the ocean-like reserves of a 9th circle mage, he had something else – cunning, determination, and the will to adapt. These were the tools he would use to navigate the forest, to find the remaining goblins, and ultimately, to claim his D-rank.
Half an hour bled into the forest floor, the silence broken only by the rustle of unseen creatures and Adonis's frustrated breaths. His mana pool still felt sluggish, a far cry from its usual vibrancy but with the remaining Mana Recovery potion he had there wouldn't be any problem. He was more concerned about his stamina. He needed that edge, that extra boost to help him navigate the remaining challenges.
''Hah!"
With a sigh, he rose, his muscles protesting slightly.
Time to hunt for the elusive mushrooms.
Following a faint memory from his herbalism studies, Adonis delved deeper into the forest's undergrowth. Sunlight, already filtered thin by the dense canopy, struggled to reach the forest floor here, casting long, distorted shadows that danced eerily in the twilight. His eyes scanned the damp earth, searching for anything that resembled the illustrations in his old textbooks.
Twenty minutes ticked by, each passing moment chipping away at his dwindling patience. Just as he was about to give up, a glimmer of hope caught his eye. Nestled amongst the gnarled roots of a towering oak, a cluster of mushrooms unlike any he'd ever seen sprouted defiantly. They were about the size of a man's fist, a vibrant crimson hue that seemed to glow faintly in the dim light. Tiny, white speckles dotted their surface, like constellations trapped in miniature.
Adonis crouched low, his heart hammering in his chest. These had to be them – the Crimson Stamina Caps. According to his studies, these rare mushrooms held the power to temporarily enhance a person's physical capabilities. Increased strength, speed, and even heightened senses were all listed amongst their effects.
He reached out a hand, his fingers hovering just above the pulsating red caps.
With a deep breath, Adonis plucked one of the Crimson Stamina Caps, its surface cool and surprisingly smooth to the touch. He held it up to the faint light, scrutinizing its strange beauty.