The old man tossed me a pouch. I barely caught it, but when I opened it, I was surprised to see it was filled with eretes. They emanated a faint blue light.
"This is for the echo," he told me.
"What do I do now?" I asked.
The old man looked at me. "Well, for now, you have to undergo an echo bestowment. The next one is... let's see... a few months from now."
I stared at him, hinting at my curiosity. He gave me an amused look. "Generally, mages aren't allowed to know what an echo bestowment ritual is until they actually undergo one, nor about the process itself. However, I advise you to attend a magic-specialized school that could prepare you. I think the application period starts... in a few days."
I gave him a look that clearly expressed my dissatisfaction.
"You can try attending Chorus School in the town near the forest. I think you can be accepted there."
As Master Xela said that, he turned around and disappeared.
I was left in the middle of the forest, alone with all sorts of monsters lurking everywhere. 'damn that guy, just dissapearing like that.' Taking a moment to calm down, I looked around.
The wolf I fought was pretty strong, but I knew for a fact there were monsters with abilities far beyond that of the wolf's.
I decided to spend a week in the forest. "If I am able to survive without losing any limbs, then I will be ready to apply to a good school, to help me undergo echo bestowment faster... whatever that is."
For most of that day, I rested, and until nighttime, I gathered more logs and set up a tent using some thick sticks, covering it with leaves supported by thinner sticks. Not too cozy, but it felt safe—even though, realistically, it wasn't.
That night, I was visited by three other shadow wolves, as I started to call them. I dealt with them the same way as the first one. They were pretty far from each other because of their long-ranged attack, but for some reason, they came closer when I was in the tree, which meant they couldn't cut the tree without killing each other. 'Are they idiots or something'?
I also figured that my magical output was most likely linked to my emotions.
Since I was calmer than the previous night, when I did the fall-and-hit attack, I didn't set all my surroundings on fire. I also discovered I could cancel the spell and the fire would disappear, just like what Master Xela did with the waterfall.
The third day and night were uneventful. Nothing showed up. No shadow wolves, nothing.
The next morning wasn't as peaceful. Just as I was preparing to go to sleep—the sun already rising—the earth started trembling. I immediately got prepared. Not long after, I saw a giant creature approaching me.
I could see it only because of all the trees that had disappeared after the first encounter with the shadow wolf. Its steps were what caused the trembling. It was very thin, considering how it was making the earth shake. It looked like it was made out of... Wood?
I locked eyes with it. The monster raised a long blue sword and swung it. It cast a kind of ranged slash that was aimed at me, cutting every tree in its path. However, I had enough time to dodge.
As it came close to me, I started to panic. It was so big and thin, with a sword as long as two whole trees, and it had four red eyes staring straight into my soul. Despite this, I dashed at it and hit its leg with my punch, infused with all the mana I could gather from my spirit.
No effect.
The wooden abomination looked down at me for a second before swinging its sword at me. I barely dodged again, but the impact from the sword hitting the ground blew me away.
I wanted to try using outer mana to create a sword or something, but my mind wasn't working properly. My instincts took over, and I used mana to make a powerful dash.
I didn't look back.
I kept dashing and dashing until eventually, I realized I was out of the forest. I was exhausted, but luckily, the monster couldn't be seen.
'I failed.' I thought simply.
Slowly, I made my way to the nearest town. I managed to find an inn and paid for a room for two days. I planned to rest that day and spend the next asking people about nearby schools.
Having survived that situation, I was sure I could defeat anyone and anything... almost.
The moment my head touched the pillow, I fell asleep.
I woke up to find it dark outside. I expected to sleep through the night, but I got up and decided to eat something.
As I was waiting for my food at a table near the window, a guy who looked about my age came up to me.
"Sorry, can I sit here?" he asked.
I nodded. "But why? There are a few empty tables around here."
"Are you going to apply for a school?"
The question surprised me.
"Uh... yes. Why?"
"Well, I will as well. I thought maybe we could talk since we have something in common."
'Another weirdo.' I thought.
The guy introduced himself as Eki. After telling him my name and chatting a little, I realized I could ask him about schools since he was applying to one as well.
"What school are you applying to?" I asked, finally interested in the conversation.
"The Magic Academy," he replied.
"What kind of school is that?" I asked, confused.
"No, no, it's not a school. It's an academy. The only one in the eastern area, right here in this town," he said proudly.
"Good for you. I'll be there as well," I said with excitement.
"Oh, really?!" he replied as if he forgot that I didn't know what an academy was. In fact, I had just made up my mind to go there. I was confident I could be admitted after having survived the wood monster.
"When are you going to apply?" I asked him.
"Tomorrow. And tomorrow, we'll get the answer as well," he said while swallowing some meat.
"Could you show me where that is?"
"Sure."
We spent some time talking, after which I decided to go back to sleep. We agreed to go to the academy together the next day.