"There are so many spirits hovering around you."
"They're interested in having a contract with you."
Hearing that from Jerusha…
"What?"
Shock and confusion overwhelmed me.
"Can't you see them?"
She asked.
"No, I have a small mana pool and low spirit sensitivity."
And I replied immediately.
"Oh."
Jerusha looked at me and nodded.
"Hmmm..."
Then, after a brief pause…
"Then here, look."
She said.
"What do you mean, look?"
I asked.
But instead of answering, Jerusha closed her eyes.
Swoosh—
The air around her changed.
"?!"
I can't see it, but I can feel a lot of mana gathering around her!
'That's a crazy amount of mana...'
Feeling the thickening mana in my surroundings sent shivers down my spine, and drops of sweat started pouring down my face.
But still, I stayed quiet and let Jerusha do her thing.
"..."
Then, after a while…
"..."
Jerusha opened her eyes.
SWAAHHH—
Just by doing so, a strong gust of wind was produced!
I felt it... The mana she was gathering exploded and scattered through the surroundings. Even I, with low mana sensitivity, could feel it, which tells how crazy the amount of mana here is right now!
"Ugh..."
Dirt and debris went flying along with the wind, and I raised my arm to shield my eyes.
"..."
When everything calmed down, I opened my eyes again...
"Huh?"
And the sight that greeted me was truly magical.
"See? There are a lot of them."
Jerusha said, but I ignored her. Instead, I looked around.
-Hello there!
-Ohhh, you can finally see us.
-Hi Raye!
There were a lot of weird-ass animals around me, circling me as if they'd seen something interesting.
There was a flaming sparrow flying above me, a bluish hamster climbing up my pants…
'They're cute.'
I thought.
And there are some that didn't even take the form of animals. I could see a gray slime hopping around with a small mud golem beside it.
'That's cute too.'
They looked like monstermons from a game that I played before.
Anyway, I know what these are…
'They're spirits.'
I was in awe. I never thought I'd see them in person.
"I amplified the mana around us so the spirits could materialize for you to see,"
Jerusha said. This time, I looked at her.
"Though, only the low-rank spirits were able to manifest."
She explained, but my attention wasn't on her anymore…
Around her, I could see orbs of different colors and sizes. I instinctively knew they were mid-rank spirits.
But that wasn't what caught my attention. Behind Jerusha...
'Holy fuck...'
There was a tiny white orb, but despite its size, it was radiating an immense aura!
"Oh, so you noticed Phobos behind me,"
Jerusha said, noticing where I was looking.
"Who's that?"
I asked.
"He's the one who told me about you, saying there's someone new hunting animals in the northern forest."
Hearing the last part, my body flinched.
"Ah, don't worry, hunting is natural in nature. They don't hate you for that."
Once Jerusha explained, I was able to breathe properly.
"Anyway, it's draining my mana too much, so I'll end it now."
After saying that, the spirits started talking quickly.
-Bye!
-See you later, Raye!
-Just remember, we're everywhere.
The last one sounded like a threat.
Then, after that…
Fwooop—
The concentrated mana around us dispersed, and the spirits disappeared.
"Well then, I'll get going now. It's getting late, and I'm already sleepy."
Jerusha said, finally leaving. She stood up from the tree stump she was sitting on, yawning.
Tap- tap- tap—
She started walking away.
"Gugh..."
But I was still curious about the spirits, they might be a big help for me to survive in this world.
'No.'
I knew they would be!
So, realizing that, I stopped hesitating.
I knew this would be a big gamble, but I'd probably regret it if I didn't do it.
"Wait!"
I exclaimed.
"Hmm? What?"
Jerusha stopped in her tracks and looked back at me.
With a slight frown on my face…
"I want to learn about spirit magic. Can you teach me?"
I asked her.
Looking at Jerusha's face, a smile appeared on it.
And proudly…
"I can teach you!"
She declared.
"...!"
I was relieved too. I thought she would refuse because of my reputation.
But before I could thank her…
"But not tomorrow. I have to prepare for the upcoming sparring sessions, after all."
She added.
"Ah..."
I was reminded that my fight with Leon was approaching.
I froze in place.
And as I stood there…
"Well then, see you later!"
Jerusha left, flying away.
Must be a wind spirit's power.
Anyway, moving on…
"Ugh, I should get ready too."
I continued my training.
Now, knowing that the spirits are watching me, I don't want to mess up.
'I don't know why, but they're interested in me. I don't want that to disappear by showing them a pathetic sight.'
I thought.
And so, I proceeded with much concentration.
...
*****
The next day, after finishing my normal routine…
I immediately started planning for the duel that was about to happen tomorrow.
'I can't get injured too much. The old man would be worried, and I wouldn't be able to help him.'
I thought.
I already had a vague plan on how to achieve that.
So I racked my brain and tried my best to expand on that plan…
...
It took me almost three hours, but now I have a pretty solid plan for tomorrow.
I still had a lot of time, and because I was nervous as hell…
"[Wind Blast]!"
I started training, even though it was only early afternoon.
I especially trained in attack spells from elements I'm proficient with.
...
...
I trained all the way until late at night, around 10 P.M.
And when I was exhausted, I went to bed and slept.
Just like that, the day came to an end.
******
It's the day of the sparring sessions…
I'm currently in front of Xapham Hall, readying myself for what's coming.
"He's here."
"I thought he would hide and run away."
"So he's really gonna fight Leon, huh."
"Is he insane?"
Students passing by looked at me and gossiped with each other.
I wanted to run away too, but I couldn't.
My fight with Leon…
'It'll be the end of the filler act, and the main story will finally begin.'
That's right, the main story hasn't started yet!
This whole thing with Leon and Raye is just an early stage scenario to help players get used to the controls and stuff!
Anyway, moving on…
I stepped inside the building.
I received a lot of attention, but I just continued walking.
Navigating my way to the indoor training grounds where the practical test took place.
That will be the location of the sparring sessions this time as well…
...
Before long, I arrived at the room, standing outside, looking at its doors.
"Fuuu..."
I took a deep breath.
And with that…
CREAK—
I opened the double doors and entered.