In the middle of the night, a beast-like boy leaped from tree to tree in a remote area far from the tribe. As he ran through the forest under the moonlight, Rygar found Verdia. The mage was sitting on a log, surrounded by small fireflies that softly glowed, casting a special charm on her golden hair.
"Shall we?" she said, not even looking at him.
"Yes, I'm ready."
We then traveled deeper into the Great Forest. The night brought some beasts, but we didn't venture into any dangerous territory.
"This will be safe," she declared, her voice calm and serene. "Now, little Rygar, I will demonstrate once, so pay close attention."
The young Doldia nodded reverently, his pointed ears leaning forward, showing his full attention to the moment.
She closed her eyes, holding her staff firmly, and began chanting. The air around them became dense, as though the earth itself was waiting in anticipation. The stones beneath their feet began to vibrate, and a golden aura surrounded Verdia, radiating an ancient power.
"Ancient earth, guardian of the ages and foundation of the world, hear my call! Rise from your eternal depth, rise like mountains that challenge the skies and manifest your unshakable glory. Cloak me with the unbreakable strength of your domains, make me the bastion that faces the infinite! Divine manifestation of eternal firmness, Fortress of the Colossus!"
The ground trembled deeply as the magic took shape. Rocks and minerals began to spiral upward, molding into towers and walls that grew taller than the trees. Massive pillars held up a colossal stone roof, reinforced with golden cracks that ran through the structure like veins pulsing with magical energy. The Fortress of the Colossus stood imposing, with impregnable walls and powerful bastions, radiating the essence of unshakable earth, as though it had emerged from the depths to protect everything within its reach.
Rygar watched in awe, the complexities of creating this magic clearly visible to his magical eye.
Verdia finished the conjuring, and though the occasional fortress was no longer as strong as it had been while being reinforced by magic, the stones now revealed their true nature. It was still very impressive.
Rygar nodded, his eyes shining with determination. Then he stepped forward, while Verdia watched him closely.
He began: "Ancient earth, guardian of the ages and foundation of the world, hear my call! Rise from your eternal depth, rise like mountains that challenge the skies and manifest your unshakable glory. Cloak me with the unbreakable strength of your domains, divine manifestation of eternal firmness, Fortress of the Colossus!"
As the magic began to take form, the ground trembled. From the earth, green stone pillars began to rise, connecting as though sculpted by an invisible artist. He noticed how different minerals were used, minerals he hadn't recognized before—an extremely resistant brown mineral, another that seemed resistant to heat. As he channeled his mana through the structure, everything held together, emanating a pulsating energy. He recognized the complexity of Saint-level magics.
As he watched the fortress grow, he realized that it wasn't just a physical barrier; the way the minerals interacted created points to absorb impact and dissipate magical energy, making the structure nearly impossible to collapse. When it finished, a formidable stronghold stood before him, as resilient as it was functional. Rygar nodded, satisfied, realizing that he had created not just a defense, but a marker of his evolution as a mage.
"Congratulations, little Rygar, you can now be considered the youngest Saint-level mage, a true Saint of Earth," said his master, smiling joyfully, looking proud.
---
The next day, Rygar called one of the tribe's warriors, a member of the Iron Legion who patrolled the outskirts of the Great Forest. He was someone Rygar trusted absolutely, someone he had observed for a while.
"I have a mission for you, Oigar," began Rygar, his tone serious, making him sound twice his actual age. "I want you to find an instructor in the God Style of Water in the human cities. Advanced level, if possible, but there's a higher priority: trust."
The warrior furrowed his brow, absorbing Rygar's words.
"I understand, Chief. But the Great Forest attracts adventurers of dubious interests. How can I be sure the right person will be willing to teach here?"
Rygar took a deep breath. This was his concern.
"That's why I trust this mission to you. You've always been good at judging people. Find someone who poses no threat, even if they're not advanced level. The priority is ensuring that anyone who comes here doesn't jeopardize our security. They must be trustworthy above all."
The warrior nodded and gave a respectful salute before departing to prepare for the journey.
---
In the following weeks, Rygar delved even deeper into his magical experiments. His focus on learning from Verdia included Barrier magic and Saint-level Wind magic, and recently she had begun teaching him about magic circles. His small workshop, situated at the edge of the village, had become almost a sacred space. There, surrounded by stones and minerals, study scrolls, and makeshift tools, he explored the infinite possibilities of magic.
That afternoon, as he manipulated a Stone Cannon shaped like a cone, made from heat-resistant rock, Rygar tried spinning it as fast as possible, creating intense friction, almost setting it on fire, eventually making the spell lethally powerful.
"Seems good, I need to test wind spells to create vacuum magic, like Shimura Danzo in Naruto. This could be dangerous; I have to take precautions to ensure nothing goes wrong. But if I succeed, it will be deadly."
He jotted down notes in a notebook, his mind teeming with ideas. Traditional magic was effective, but also limited. He wanted more.
"Summoning magic of the Armored Dragon King's spirits, Arumanfi's light, the Brilliant, even gravity control from the Dragon King Sword Kajakut, according to my master, all of these are real... If these kinds of spells truly exist, learning them would elevate my combat power to another level. But it's not something I can create out of nowhere without references on how they work. This isn't like creating magma or steam."
"I need a place to learn high-level magics when I leave here. My master already knows Wind and Earth King's magic. I hope these two will give me new ideas like the Fortress of the Colossus."
Rygar then felt the need to test his combat skills. He needed to surpass his own limits, both in magic and hand-to-hand combat.
He left the village alone, running lightly and quickly through the dense vegetation. The forest became more alive at night, with predators ready to ambush at every step. Rygar held his sword at his side, his eyes glowing with determination.
His mind, however, was restless. He had already learned all Garu could teach him in the God Style of the North, and there was no teacher to show him how to go further. In the God Sword Style, he was close to Saint-level, but something was still missing—a connection between technique and speed. He was agile, yes, but not as fast as he imagined he could be.
"I need to think outside the box..."
As he moved, he remembered his past life. There were characters in anime who were incredibly fast, moving almost as if they vanished from sight. Techniques like Shunpo from Bleach and Soru from One Piece came to mind. He could try replicating those with Touki and wind magic.
"I already know how to fly with magic. Why can't I use the same logic for the ground? If I manipulate the wind and the momentum, maybe I can create something similar."
The forest opened into a clearing, and Rygar paused for a moment. He would test his theories here. Summoning his earth magic, he shaped the ground beneath his feet, creating a perfect circle of durable earth.
"To begin, you need a solid foundation."
He took a deep breath, channeling mana into his feet. The idea was to use wind and earth magic simultaneously to amplify his movements, along with using Touki in a burst of speed. With wind magic, he reduced friction on the ground and around his body; with earth magic, he created small bursts that would propel him forward at high speed.
"If it works, I'll have something close to what I've seen in anime."
He started slow, first reducing the friction around him. He felt the air lighten, almost as if he were about to float. Then, he bent his knees and focused energy into his feet.
The first leap was short and awkward, but he could already feel the difference. The movement was faster than anything he had ever experienced.
"Not enough."
He tried again, this time adjusting the flow of mana. The earth magic pulses had to be more controlled, synchronized with the moment his feet touched the ground. The next movement was a success: he moved almost as fast as Fendrel with the Longsword of Light!
His heart raced with adrenaline.
"Almost there, still not usable in combat yet, though. It requires too much concentration, and my control is awful. I could fly straight into a monster's mouth, but it's feasible!"
Rygar spent some time trying to repeat the movement but realized his control over earth magic still wasn't good enough. He had excellent control over wind magic due to his flight training. He reinforced once again that gaining greater control over the elements would only bring good things and allow him to create many new techniques.
"If this works in combat, I'll be able to face much stronger enemies."
The technique still lacked a name—something that represented the concept of fast and precise movement. He thought for a moment before smiling.
"Flash Step."
It sounded simple. But Rygar knew that this skill was just the beginning of many techniques he planned to create.
The moon lit the forest as Rygar walked, attentive to every sound around him. He was looking for a worthy opponent, something that would truly test his newly developed skills. It didn't take long for the opportunity to arise: a deep roar echoed through the forest, followed by the sound of trees crashing down.
He approached, climbing a tall tree to assess the terrain. There it was: a colossal creature about 15 meters long, covered in scales as hard as steel—the Scaled Tyrant, a monstrous crocodile of rank A, known for its immense strength and almost perfect camouflage in swampy terrains.
"This is it. A perfect challenge."
The Tyrant detected his presence, turning its massive head toward Rygar. Without hesitation, he jumped from the tree, sword in hand, and cast an offensive spell before hitting the ground.
'Stone Cannon!'
A cone-shaped stone projectile was launched at high speed directly toward the creature. The impact resounded loudly, lifting a cloud of dust and forcing the monster to retreat a few meters. However, when the dust settled, Rygar saw that the monster had barely been scratched.
"These scales are really tough…"
The monster roared, charging with surprising speed for its size. Rygar propelled himself into the air with a jump and wind magic, watching the Tyrant smash the trees around it.
In mid-air, he cast another spell. His sword glowed red, fire gathering on the blade—another one he would have to discard after the battle, as none of them could withstand this magic.
'Flame Slice!'
His sword blazed with fiery light before releasing a fiery arc that sliced through the air toward the monster. The flame hit the Tyrant's flank, exploding in fire around it, causing a roar of pain, but not enough to bring it down.
Rygar landed quickly and began to alter the terrain to his advantage. He channeled mana into his feet and struck the ground with force.
'Rising Wall!'
Stone barriers rose around the monster, limiting its movement and creating an improvised maze. The Tyrant, furious, began to blindly attack the walls, creating openings. Rygar took advantage of the distraction and advanced, strengthening his legs with Touki, clearly seeing the monster's movements with his magic eye, even behind the walls.
As the crocodile destroyed another wall, Rygar ran through the broken walls, reaching a spot out of the monster's sight, and used the characteristic move from the Sword God style.
'Longsword of Silence!' He slid along the monster's flank, leaving a long cut. This provoked a wild roar from the creature, which narrowly missed him with its tail.
He cast another spell, this time focusing on restricting the monster's movements. Channeling mana into the ground, a mud field emerged, wrapping around the monster's legs.
'Mud Trap!'
The Scaled Tyrant struggled violently to free itself, but every second trapped was an opportunity for Rygar to strike. He ran forward, charging his sword with even stronger flames, and delivered a horizontal strike to the same wound as before. The flames engulfed the battlefield. This time, the cut was deeper, breaking scales and exposing half-burned flesh.
The monster finally broke free and launched a sudden attack, swinging its massive body and slamming its tail like a battering ram. The impact was devastating, destroying the remaining stone walls and hitting Rygar, who was sent flying.
He spun a few times before skidding across the ground, jumping to the side to avoid the beast chasing him, grateful that he had used wind magic at the last second to throw himself back, reducing the impact.
Rygar landed on the ground and began to channel mana on a large scale. He pressed both hands to the earth, channeling his mana.
'Icicle Field!'
The ice quickly reached the Tyrant charging toward him like a bull, freezing the lower half of its body. Seizing the opening, Rygar ran at high speed, channeling mana into his legs and arms. He jumped directly over the monster's head and prepared his most powerful spell.
Blue flames began to flow along his sword as it reached extraordinary temperatures. "Explosion!"
His sword was enveloped in a concentrated fire mantle. With a shout, Rygar brought the blade down directly onto the monster's right eye, focusing all his strength and mana into the attack. The sword pierced through, and the resulting explosion illuminated the forest, as the Scaled Tyrant let out one last roar before falling.
---
As Rygar looked at the shattered blade of his sword and analyzed the creature's body, he felt the weight of the battle in his muscles and the disturbed mana flow. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt tired or low on mana in battle—his body, extremely strong and resilient from constant training, had reached levels of endurance he couldn't measure, and his mana reserves were already far greater than his Master's. He speculated that he was at the Emperor level.
"This monster was really formidable. I need to improve my magical efficiency. Every technique has its value, but fighting something this resistant requires more refined strategies."
As Rygar returned to the tribe, he reflected on many things. Everywhere he went, whether among warriors or villagers, they greeted him.
It was impressive how his presence had already become a figure of respect in the tribe. It wasn't just his strength, but also the way he treated others—he inspired confidence, as if trusting him was the right decision.
"How far will my natural strength grow?"
That question echoed in his mind, especially after the fight with the Scaled Tyrant. No warrior in the tribe could match him in pure physical strength. Some of the strongest warriors were still superior in combat due to their vast experience and refined techniques over the years—of course, only if he didn't use magic—but Rygar felt that was only temporary. He had been improving so quickly that the gap seemed to shrink day by day.
Moreover, his mana reserves continued to grow. It was almost intoxicating: he could feel the vastness of his capacity gradually increasing. But this made him think about something recently mentioned.
"Taes said his mana reserves stopped growing recently, two months after he turned 10. Maybe that's true for all of us..."
He didn't know if it was the same for everyone, as he no longer had any references. If there was a natural limit to mana reserves, he had just over three years before reaching his peak. This only strengthened his resolve to use every day to get even stronger.
He thought about the children of the Iron Legion and the future of the tribe. Training them would be crucial, but he also needed to seek knowledge beyond the forest.
When he entered his cabin, he found his parents eating.
"Son, are you hungry?" Selene asked, serving him before he even answered.
"Yes, mom... I am." He replied with a smile as he sat at the table.