In a dark cave with a small fire burning at the back, a young boy was sitting in a meditating posture.
There weren’t many things in this cave except the pots and such everyday equipment.
In the back, there was a big complicated geometrical magic circle with a dull crystal ball in the part of the eye. 𝑜𝑣𝘭.𝘯𝑡
There was a dull purple light coming out of the magic circle, which was almost dead.
As time passed, the light was becoming dull.
There was a white hue surrounding the boy’s body.
His breathing was fast, and sweat covered his whole body.
His long golden-blond hair was drenched with sweat and his long eyelashes were shaking a bit.
Time passed and then…
“Haaaaaa!”
The boy shouted as a surge of sudden pain coursed through his entire body.
Still sitting, he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
A shock wave broke out of his body, almost shaking the cave.
“Ha… ha…”
The boy opened his shining red eyes that glowed in the dimly lit cave.
His breathing was uneven, but his expression looked very calm.
“Finally!” he shouted and jumped up in excitement.
Clearing the blood around his mouth, he looked in front of him.
“Status window!”
============
Name: Axion Kromet
Age: 6
Strength: 41
Dexterity: 42
Magic Power: 60
Intelligence: 63
Luck: 36
Charm: 30
[Skills: Energy Circulation, Quickstep]
[Origin Skill: Sun’s Blessing: Beginner Mastery
-Mystic Eyes (Stage-1)
-Dynamic Heart (Stage-1) ]
============
I smiled widely as a warm smile spread out on my face.
My stats have grown up a lot in the past six months.
Thanks to all the herbs and the higher Mana density, my Mana had also grown up quite a bit.
I even continued my physical training here and, surprisingly, it was more efficient.
My recovery speed for physical and mental fatigue has accelerated too.
The amount of Mana required to upgrade the <Mana nucleus> was different from person to person.
It was more for me than regular mages.
If we say normal magicians reached (tier-2) when their M.P. reached around fifty, then it was a lot more for me.
It might be because I am a (Hexa-elemental) mage with an affinity for all main elements.
Well, thanks to all the herbs and Mana concentration magic circle, I was able to complete my breakthrough to (tier-2) just in time.
Tomorrow, I can finally leave this place and find another cave to continue my journey in this hell!
It was a hard time, but I managed to pass it with the memories of my parents.
Now I was strong enough to at least roam outside early at night.
I can easily kill (red) ranked beast even in the situation of sudden attacks.
With enough preparation, I might be able to defeat an (Orange) ranked beast.
From all the weird noises coming from the outside, I knew the webs from the poisonous spider were cleared.
Well, I have to leave tomorrow, so I should pack up all the important things.
“And before that…”
Sitting down, I placed my palm on the ground.
A small crater was created on the ground and then water slowly filled it, creating a small pond.
After a moment, the water began to freeze and the small puddle of water turned into a mirror.
“Though I look good in long hair and I do like them, let’s keep them short for the time being,” I said slowly as I looked at myself.
Though I was a 6-year-old child, I looked more like a 7-year-old.
My growth these past few months was great, and I was able to achieve excellent results with this.
Cutting my shoulder-length hair with some (sharp wind), I looked at myself again.
“Much better,” I smiled as I looked at my short hair.
I would have loved to keep long hair as it suited me well, but I had to survive.
Moving through woods and trees at a higher speed was the primary way I was going to go from place to place.
If long hair hindered my movements, it would be a big problem.
Even in fights, it was necessary to focus on the enemy rather than my long and dancing gold-like blond hair.
After completing my small haircut, I gathered the hair from the ice mirror and wrapped them in a small leaf.
They were my precious hair, can’t just throw them anywhere I want.
Walking back, I took out a jerky and heated it a bit.
Now that I was (tier-2) I can use the preservation magic so I won’t have to go to great lengths just to preserve food.
I could focus on my [Origin Skill] now that I was a (tier-2) mage.
But… that has to wait until I find a cave similar to this one.
***
“Let’s go!” with a big bag made from rabbit skin and ant armor, I walked towards the exit.
I wasn’t taking many things with me because there wasn’t much space.
There were some new enchanted arrows which I made with the woods from nearby trees, some herbs, and small containers with some liquids.
My storage device was already full of all sorts of important stuff.
I even had to carry my magic bow outside with me on my back to make enough space.
It was difficult, and I knew it will hinder my movements, but I had to get used to these feelings.
Anything could happen in this forest and I didn’t want to encounter something I can’t handle.
I have just reached (tier-2); I knew very few spells of this level.
I had so much work to do right now that I didn’t even have any time to think about this useless stuff.
Opening the ‘gate’ of my cave, I crawled out of this cave house.
It has been six months, almost seven, and there was nothing much changed in this part of the jungle.
Everything except the spider webs was the same.
The cave was finely hidden, so creatures below (Yellow) rank couldn’t find it with normal methods.
There wasn’t much to prepare or observe, so I jumped on a tree and then in the opposite direction I always traveled.
I was thinking of securing something on my way as I needed breakfast, lunch, and dinner in this forest.
Maybe some rabbit or a bird or some plants…
I would welcome anything because I had almost emptied my food storage.
It might be good for at least the next two days, but other than that, I was sure I did not have anything.
Jumping through the trees, I surveyed the area with (Mystic Eyes) and prepared a spell at the same time.
I could now focus on spell casting at the same time as using my skills.
My focus and understanding of magic and skills have vastly increased these past months.
(Speed Enhancement) and (Earth strength) of (tier-2).
Though they took quite a lot of Mana, the concentration and willpower consumption in spell decreased greatly as my understanding of them was great.
The branches were high and tough, so I was able to move swiftly.
After two hours of running, I stopped some distance away from a small open area.
‘Looks like I will have another rabbit…’