Chapter 80
Snow Wolves.
With their white fur, agile bodies, and sharp claws, one might think they resembled Snow Leopards.
However, they were fundamentally different species.
Snow Leopards were leopards transformed into monsters, whereas Snow Wolves were wolves that had undergone the same magical mutation.
Generally, Snow Wolves were slightly smaller than Snow Leopards but had a much stronger tendency to move in packs.
"But why are they so huge!"
Yet, the Snow Wolves before them were as large as, or even larger than, Snow Leopards, and they still exhibited their characteristic pack behavior.
"Because they're Mutated Snow Wolves."
"I thought they were Snow Leopards because of their size...!"
Fred's face went pale. He scanned their surroundings but found no nearby caves to enter or natural terrain to use for cover.
The Snow Wolves were clearly intending to surround and ambush them.
"Get ready to fight. They're coming soon."
At Kain's unfeeling words, Fred swallowed hard.
‘I was tricked...!’
At the start of their journey, Kain had offered to set their path as the group's representative. Rowen had agreed, stating it was fine as long as all three concurred. So, Kain had explained their intended route to Fred.
-At this time of year, Snow Leopards migrate from here to here. So, if we take a slight detour in this direction and go uphill, we can avoid encountering Snow Leopards.
-Ohh...! Alright.
Kain hadn't said a single word about Snow Wolves....
Fred, considering Kain's recent remarks about practical experience, could infer that this was intentional.
If Fred had diligently studied and researched the habits and habitats of the snowy mountain monsters, he might have noticed sooner.
But Fred, whose interest lay solely in magical theory, wouldn't have studied such things.
‘But Instructor Rowen is here...’
He immediately thought of Instructor Rowen, who was likely observing them from somewhere, but Fred quickly shook his head.
‘No...! I can't fail three times...’
This time, he was determined to pass the exam and advance to the 4th-circle floor, to make a good impression on the Research Hall Overseer.
‘If I fail three times, even if I pass next time, the Research Hall Overseer won't look favorably upon me.’
While that might still be true, he thought there was at least a chance if he passed this exam, advanced, and then got good scores on the 4th-circle written exams.
That's why he had been so pleased when told he didn't need to hunt any monsters.
‘But given this situation... I have no choice but to try.’
Despite the two previous failures, they weren't entirely in vain. In the first exam, he had frozen in fear upon seeing a monster approach, causing his magic to dissipate.
But in the second exam, he had progressed enough that his magic didn't completely scatter.
‘I can do this.’
Fred extended his hand.
"Flame Road!"
His voice trembled slightly, but he was still a legitimate 4th-circle mage.
If he could overcome his courage issues and properly deploy his magic as he usually practiced within the clan, he could burn the Snow Wolves before they even got close enough.
WHOOSH—.
"Awooo!"
Flames extended from beneath Fred's feet, incinerating the Snow Wolves in front.
However, with three people covering one direction each, simply blasting flames forward wouldn't cover all directions.
"Transform."
He used an additional spell to control the direction of the Flame Rod, which fundamentally extended forward.
SWISH.
The Flame Road split into two from where it was extending, spreading out as if to flank.
"Grraaoowk!"
The Snow Wolves writhed painfully with their burning bodies and fell.
‘Good, I can do th—.’
And then.
A Mutated Snow Wolf, larger than the others, leaped.
It intended to clear the Flame Road in a single bound.
Fred's expression froze upon seeing it.
‘A Fire Wall... but if I cancel the Flame Road, the other ones will...’
Even so, using a Fire Wall would have been the correct decision.
‘...I can't stop it.’
He knew it instinctively.
That large, white wolf would break through his Fire Wall and lash out at him with its sharp forepaws.
"F-Fire..."
His voice wouldn't come out properly.
The image of his own body being torn to shreds flashed in his mind.
His hand trembled.
The mana he had gathered scattered like grains of sand, slipping through his fingers.
And just as Fred was about to tightly close his eyes.
"Kee-ek!"
The Snow Wolf was pierced by a crimson spear in mid-air.
Sizzle.
The lifeless body of the Snow Wolf fell stiffly in front of Fred.
"Ah..."
‘It's over.’
‘My third exam, failed right here. I truly am…’
"If you're just going to stand there blankly, step back. You're only in the way."
"...Huh?"
Fred turned around.
He looked around him.
Rowen was nowhere to be seen.
The large Snow Wolf had been pierced by Kain's magic, not Rowen's.
"Hurry."
Kain, who had been covering one of the three directions, shifted his position slightly, moving to a spot where he and Anias could block both sides.
Fred, unable to string words together, retreated as Kain instructed.
And then, he finally saw what Kain had been doing, what he was doing now.
‘Is that... even possible?’
Kain wielded Flame Road as if painting intricate red calligraphy on the white snow, incinerating the Snow Wolves.
Yet, any Snow Wolves that tried to leap over, without exception, were either intercepted by Flame Spear or obliterated by the explosion of a Flare.
‘He's maintaining that Flame Road while simultaneously double-casting Flare...?’
And that wasn't all.
Fred, now relegated to merely observing Kain's magic up close, found himself continually marveling at every spell, every moment.
‘That, like that... Wow...’
However.
"..."
Fred's mouth, which had been agape in admiration, slowly closed as time passed.
It wasn't because Kain's magic was no longer astonishing.
‘I’ve been completely wrong all this time.’
It was because he realized he had been living in a well, oblivious to the outside world.
He saw how useless magic he'd admired for its aesthetic appeal and clean spell could be in actual combat.
He saw how magic that appeared somewhat crude and far from perfect could boast powerful destructive force in a real fight.
And
The truth is that he couldn't create better magic by just researching in a lab corner without practical experience.
By the time Fred grasped these realizations.
"It's over."
Kain and Anias had eliminated all the Mutated Snow Wolves.
"We need to save space in the bags for White Magic Stones, so only collect the teeth and claws as trophies to minimize bulk."
"...Alright."
Having finished their task, they divided the trophies into their bags.
"...Thank you, Kain."
Fred thanked Kain.
"If it weren't for you just now, I would have been disqualified from the exam again."
But Kain's reply was cold.
"I merely took down a Snow Wolf that entered the safety perimeter I had set. I wasn't specifically trying to prevent your disqualification."
From beside him, Anias could be heard stifling a laugh for some reason.
Kain spoke with an even colder gaze.
"And if you're going to fight like that, it's better if we split up here."
"...What?"
"Is there any reason to travel with someone who's a hindrance rather than a help?"
"But the exam..."
"The Promotion Exam is an individual assessment. It's better for two of us to go together than to travel with someone who doesn't even intend to fight properly. Instructor Rowen will be waiting in a position where he can see us both anyway, so you don't need to worry about losing your life."
"..."
Fred hung his head, his fists clenched tight.
"Then, let's go, Anias."
"Hey, are you seriously leaving?"
"We have a long way to go. We're setting off immediately."
Kain strode ahead, crunching through the snow.
Anias glanced back at the still Fred a few times, then joined Kain.
Fred spoke up.
"Kain."
Kain stopped.
"Watching that fight just now, I realized. I've been so foolish all this time. And I finally understood what I truly wanted."
Fred continued,
"I wanted to create and develop stronger, more efficient magic, not just magic that looked good. But just as you said, I don't think I can achieve the 'development' I want without experiencing actual combat."
Just watching Kain's magic, Fred felt he was beginning to grasp roughly how to use and adapt magic efficiently in different situations.
‘If merely watching can do this much, what if I experienced real combat directly and learned it with my body?’
If he could experience something that couldn't be felt without trying it himself, wouldn't he be able to reach his goals much faster?
That thought crossed his mind.
"So now, I'm not going to avoid real combat anymore. I'll start with easy missions and go out."
Fred smiled bitterly.
"Thank you for this battle. From now on, I'll try to manage on my own, so you can go ahead. I won't change immediately, but if I get disqualified, there's nothing for it..."
Just then, Kain moved forward and said,
"What are you doing? Why aren't you following quickly?"
"Huh?"
"I said I wouldn't travel with someone who doesn't intend to fight properly. If you've gained the will to do so, then I don't mind you coming along."
As Fred stood blankly, unable to grasp the situation, Anias mouthed 'hurry up' and gestured for him.
Fred's expression slowly brightened.
"Thank you! I won't be a hindrance anymore!"
"I'd certainly prefer that."
***
In the next battle, and the one after that, Fred received Kain's help.
"...My apologies. My body truly isn't keeping up."
Kain replied,
"Considering the change over a few days, it's not bad."
"Still, objectively, it's far too insufficient."
"You can stop stating the obvious now."
"...That's harsh."
Fred, now accustomed to Kain's blunt remarks over the past few days, didn't look too upset despite saying it was harsh.
And he genuinely felt it himself: his fear was rapidly receding with each successive battle.
The change began when he realized he could only grow stronger by facing real combat, that only by growing stronger could he broaden his perspective, and only then could he achieve his desires.
He felt that his past failures to overcome real combat stemmed from viewing it not as a 'necessary process to achieve his goals' but as a 'dangerous process he had to do, even though he just wanted to quickly go into research.'
‘I wasn't as cowardly as I thought.’
Fred believed that much would change, or rather, he would change many things, once this exam was over and they returned.
Continuing along the path Kain had designed, they eventually reached their destination.
Kain pointed forward and said,
"That cliff ahead is the border of the Flondia Empire."
"Wow..."
Fred carefully approached and checked below the cliff, his mouth agape.
Anias, too, seemed to be seeing such a spectacle for the first time, quietly exhaling an exclamation of awe.
Below the sheer cliff lay a vast glacial region, as if a massive river had frozen solid.
The glacier, seemingly touching the sky, shimmered brilliantly under the sunlight.
And the mountain range soaring in the distance appeared to be draped in clouds.
"...Beyond that, there are monsters far more dangerous than anything we've seen so far, right?"
"Yes. Though we won't have cause to encounter them. Let's go in now. We need to mine the White Magic Stones to complete the exam."
Kain pointed to a large cave.
It was a crystal cave covered in ice.
They entered.
