Chapter 11 - Using the Spell, and Bad News

Alaric woke up to distant screams echoing through the trees. He opened his eyes and, heart pounding, sprang to his feet.

He scanned his surroundings and saw Ruby and Ashley near the shore, edging away from the thick forest that hemmed them in.

That's when he spotted the creature staring back at them. It was a massive feline, its muscles rippling under a mottled hide.

"Get back, Alaric," Ashley shouted, panic rising in her voice. "That thing is a magical beast!"

The beast stood between them and the small wooden boat moored at the water's edge—and inside that vessel lay their weapons: swords, bows, and all the gear they'd carried since sunrise. In other words, Ruby and Ashley faced a stark choice: fight bare-handed at great risk or somehow dash past the creature to reclaim their arms.

Alaric had a dagger in his rucksack, but it was hardly practical. He lacked finesse with blades, and the short reach of a dagger made it nearly useless against such a large predator.

Still, he had something else in mind. Another way to deal with the creature. Alaric began stepping forward, deliberately positioning himself between the feline and the two women.

"What are you doing? Stay back!" Ruby yelled, fear stark in her eyes.

Both women worried the beast would lunge at Alaric. To them, he seemed far too weak to survive a clash with that savage cat.

They weren't entirely wrong. Two days ago, Alaric wouldn't have dared face down such a dangerous monster without backup.

But now his mana had surged, and he'd mastered a new spell. That was his plan. A fire spell could terrify most creatures—many of them instinctively feared flames.

Alaric called up his System menu. A translucent panel floated before him, listing every spell he'd learned so far.

[Small Fireball: Conjures a small ball of fire. Handy for modest damage but limited in power and size.]

[Spell Rank: 0 Star]

He took a steadying breath and began to channel his mana. It was a challenge—he had no catalyst, no ancient grimoire, no staff, not even a wand.

Despite that, he managed it. It was a basic elemental charm, nothing exotic. A tiny orb of flickering flame formed in his open palm.

The orb wasn't hot. His mana field actively suppressed the heat so that it wouldn't burn his skin.

Ruby and Ashley stared in disbelief. Ruby's jaw dropped—she knew he'd only skimmed a few chapters of the spellbook she'd lent him.

"Don't tell me he's actually mastered it this fast!" Ruby exclaimed, wide-eyed.

Ashley blinked, perplexed. "Wait—what do you mean? I thought he already knew this spell and just hid it from us."

Ruby shook her head. "No, he only learned it from that book I lent him yesterday. It's right at the very start of the chapter."

Neither of them could believe how quickly he'd progressed.

Meanwhile, Alaric closed the distance to the feline. The creature hesitated, its instincts kicking in at the sight of living flame. He didn't need perfect aim; he just wanted to get close enough to scare it off.

At first, he thought it might fail. The cat held its ground, muscles tensed, claws flexed, eyes locked on him with a predatory glare. Then, without warning, it bolted back into the forest, vines parting as it vanished from view.

Alaric waited to be sure that the creature was long gone. Then, he deactivated his spell.

Ruby came to see him. She said, "Did you master this spell so fast? You're amazing!"

"I'm not amazing," Alaric said, "it's just a basic spell, all right? Anyway, what time is it?"

"We came here two hours ago. Let's get out of here," Ashley said.

They didn't want to stay and get attacked by another creature. If Alaric hadn't mastered that spell, then they would be in some real danger.

"I agree. Let's head back to the city," Ruby said.

They gathered all their things, then sailed back to the city.

Ruby still couldn't wrap her head around it. "I've never been attacked coming here before. What could've changed?"

Ashley had more experience with the forest, so she said, "The risk is always there. You've just been luckier the other times."

"You're probably right… I should stop taking so many chances. Good thing my magic classes start in three months," Ruby said.

She was excited to start learning magic. Ruby also had something else on her mind.

"Alaric, I wonder how good you'll be in three months if you keep practicing? I mean, you might be even more talented than my sister!"

Alaric wasn't used to receiving that many compliments. He wasn't talented at all. It was his System that had been helping him.

"Don't say that just yet—it was only a basic spell, after all. But thank you for the vote of confidence," Alaric said.

The trio returned to the city, stopping at the harbor. There were lots of people nearby, fishing, relaxing on the beach, and so on.

One of the men at the dock tied up Ruby's boat to make sure it wouldn't drift away.

"Tomorrow we can take you back by boat," Ruby suggested. "It's way safer than going through the forest, and probably faster too."

Ashley liked the idea. "Sounds good. But what do we do now?"

"No clue…"

The two of them stood there with nothing in mind. Alaric waited silently. That's when someone approached them.

From Ashley's reaction, it was someone from her family.

"Mom!" Ashley said.

She didn't look happy to see her mother. Ashley had problems with her family, after all.

"I knew you were in the city, so I came looking for you," her mother said.

"What do you want?" Ashley replied, clearly upset. She hadn't wanted to see her family. That wasn't why she came to the city.

"Something happened. Your grandmother passed away recently… How about putting everything aside just for today and coming to the funeral?"

Ashley didn't know what to say. Her grandmother was one of the few people she had a good relationship with…

Alaric and Ruby brought her back to Ruby's house. They both tried cheering her up along the way, but nothing seemed to work. The day that had felt exciting just hours ago had taken a completely different turn.

Alaric decided to take a walk around the city and leave the two of them alone. Ruby was Ashley's best friend, and if anyone could lift her spirits, it was her.

As he wandered through the city, Alaric noticed a sign near the docks. It was on a small wooden house by the water.

The sign said they were hiring—and that lodging was included.

"If I'm staying in the city, I'll need to find a place to stay anyway…" Alaric thought.

He stepped into the building. It was a shop that sold fishing gear.

"Hello? Anyone here?" he called out.

No one answered. The silence felt strange.