Lando cautiously unsheathed his weapons, his gaze fixed on the imposing predator before him. It towered over him, much larger than an ordinary wolf, with a mesmerizing silver-grey fur that shimmered with a hint of green.

As the wind shifted direction, the wolf instantly caught Lando's scent. Their eyes locked, neither willing to back down.

Then, without hesitation, Lando took a step forward, challenging the magical beast, no indication of his slight nervousness visible.

With his time magic spell already engaged, Lando anticipated the beast's lightning-fast sprint.

He extended his left hand, armed with a dagger, successfully blocking the wolf's attempt to strike at his head with his sharp fangs. However, the impact threw Lando several meters back, his feet digging into the dirt, leaving his left arm tingling with numbness.

The wolf, astonished that a seemingly fragile human could withstand its powerful attack, glared at Lando with anger burning in its eyes and still a vice like bite on his dagger.

The standoff was short-lived as Lando swiftly slashed at the beast's front shoulder with his rapier, attempting to limit its movement early on in the battle.

Reacting with agility, the wolf aimed to turn towards Lando's exposed right side, still gripping the lodged dagger.

Caught off balance, Lando halted his swing and made a split-second decision out of desperation.

He released his dagger, utilizing the wolf's momentum to execute a near 360-degree turn, slicing the creature's other front leg with his rapier in a circular motion.

Enraged to another level, the beast relinquished its grip on Lando's dagger and let out a resounding howl charged with wind magic. The force of the howl propelled Lando several meters back, crashing into a bush far from his previous position.

Lying in the bush, Lando quickly regained his composure despite his panic, aware of the imminent danger.

Glancing back at the storm beast, he observed its uninjured front paw slashing through the air, conjuring three parallel blades composed of wind magic, all aimed in his direction.

On the sidelines, concealed within a nearby bush, William tensed, tightening his grip on a weapon cleverly disguised as a cane.

He knew Lando possessed the magic pendant, charged and intended for situations precisely like this, and thus refrained from interfering in the fight. But seeing his son in danger, he couldn’t help but begin to sweat, fearing for his son’s live.

Determined not to give in and rely on his father's artifact, Lando found himself in a dire predicament. He focused his time magic spell on his mind, striving to regain control and shake off the dizziness from being hurled into the bushes.

The blades of wind magic raced towards him, their speed seemingly slowed in Landos's concentrated perception. Realizing he couldn't completely evade them, his anxiety began to cloud his mind.

Instincts taking over, he channeled his space magic onto two of the approaching blades, manipulating them to create a wider gap.

Though the gap was narrower than desired, Lando still saw urgency in the situation.

With a surge of determination, he leaped into the air, employing his space magic to position his body perfectly, evading the approaching blades with precision.

William stood on the sideline, dumbfounded, as he watched his son miraculously evade the swirling blades with the grace of a seasoned acrobat. His jaw dropped wide open, gaping enough to fit his entire fist.

Meanwhile, Lando, his free left hand lightly touching the ground, swiftly spun and effortlessly regained his footing in one fluid motion.

He already had his time magic coursing through his body, enhancing his movements, making them appear almost unnatural to any onlooker.

Using bushes and trees as temporary cover, Lando sprinted forward, steadily closing in on the grey storm wolf's position.

The wolf unleashed blade after blade of wind magic, aiming for where it expected the human to be, but each attempt fell short, missing its target completely.

Seizing the opportunity, as Lando emerged from cover, he propelled a minuscule bullet crafted from space magic towards the wolf's remaining unscathed front leg.

Unaware of the nearly invisible projectile hurtling towards it, the wolf was struck with precision, just as it was in the midst of conjuring new wind blades. The impact caused the blades to veer off in a random direction as the bewildered beast stumbled forward, struck seemingly out of nowhere.

The sixteen year old boy swiftly capitalized on the opening, dashing forward with his rapier aimed directly at the creature's eye. The wolf, still near the ground, its comprehension of the situation delayed, felt the cold steel puncture its eye socket, piercing through the skull and consequently reaching the brain.

For a moment, the wolf stood there, seemingly unaware of the events unfolding, before collapsing lifelessly to the ground, motionless.

His father approached the beast and his son, his face contorted with anger. "You foolish idiot! Do you think you're performing in a circus? What was that acrobatic nonsense you were attempting? Are you even aware of how close you came to death?"

Lando was well aware of the danger he had faced with the first wind blades, understanding that even his father couldn't have saved him if he had miscalculated. He stood there, exhibiting a mixture of shame, exhaustion, and pride, remaining silent for a few moments while his father continued his rant. "You know what, don't bother answering that question, just look at this."

His father retrieved a mirror from his spatial ring and held it up for Lando to see. Peering into the mirror, Lando observed the face of a slightly handsome young man, at least in his own opinion, with purple eyes and slightly shorter hair than he had before his fight.

Thoughtfully, Lando pondered for a few seconds before responding to his father, "Hmm, a bit uneven, but considering everything, not too bad, I suppose."

William looked at his teenage son, unsure of what to say. He then seized Lando in a headlock, playfully rubbing his knuckles against his head. "You little troublemaker, causing me to worry about you and then making statements like that. You'll wish you had been struck by that wind blade when I'm through with you."

As angry as William was about his son's recklessness, he couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. Reflecting on the fight, he realized that Lando had exhibited remarkable composure. However, he kept these thoughts to himself as he continued with his playful massage for a few more minutes.

After his father finished his scolding, Lando recognized the overwhelming fatigue he was experiencing.

With the adrenaline from the fight dissipated, he sat against a tree, cradling his head. The reddened skin on his head surprisingly the most significant injury he had sustained during the battle with the magical beast.

His mana reserves were nearly depleted, as he had pushed his spells further than ever before in such a short amount of time.

While examining his condition, Lando noticed that he had somehow opened his 209th meridian during the battle—an unexpected but welcome development. However, he was too exhausted to dwell on it at that moment.

He observed his father making his way towards the beast, a gleaming knife in hand. With calculated precision, his father crouched down and effortlessly plunged the enchanted knife into the skull of the creature. The blade, infused with fiery magic, sliced through the skull literally as a hot knife through butter.

After a brief pause, his father retrieved a small green marble from the creature's remains. It was the magical core of the beast.

Turning to his son, he spoke with a stern yet relieved tone, "Gas grade 2, wind elemental core. You were lucky it was still in the early stages. If it had been slightly stronger, you could very well have lost your life."

The cores extracted from magical beasts were categorized into three stages: gas, liquid, and solid. These stages mirrored the progression that mages themselves had to undergo.

The categorization represented the density of mana contained within the core. For instance, a mage at the liquid stage could only absorb cores at the liquid and gaseous stages, as their own core could not handle the density of a solid core.

It was more practical to absorb a core at the same stage, as it already possessed the appropriate density.

If a liquid stage mage were to absorb a gaseous core, they would need to condense the mana first, adding a time-consuming step to the absorption process. While not impossible, it was generally more efficient to absorb a core with the correct density.

Elemental cores were also graded numerically from one to ten, indicating the amount of mana the core held.

These cores served not only as tools for mage advancement but also as sources of power for various magical machinery and enchantments. As a result, they were often used as currency in larger transactions.

Prices for elemental cores fluctuated over time. However, as a general rule, merchants would buy wind, earth, fire, and water elemental cores at the gaseous stage and with a grade of one for one gold coin.

For each subsequent grade, the price would increase by one gold coin, culminating in ten gold coins for a gas grade 10 elemental core. The price would typically double for each stage, so a liquid stage grade 1 core would cost 20 gold coins. This pattern continued, with a solid stage grade 10 core pricing at 4000 gold coins.

Prices for cores of rarer elements were higher as well.

Merchants would adjust their prices based on the current demand in the market. During times of war, it was not uncommon for prices to increase multiple-fold, especially to empower different types of war machinery. Thus it was also a good indicator of stability in the surrounding area.

Landos' financial situation seemed impressive for a sixteen-year-old, considering his parents' wealth. However, in the context of becoming a mage, his finances were inconsequential.

 

Recognizing this, his father handed Landos' trophy to him with a slight sense of pride. "Once I bring the rest of the wolf and the other animals to the butcher, I could sell some of the wolf's materials for you and even by some myself. That should fetch another 2 gold coins, I reckon. Not bad for a day's work and barely escaping death," his father remarked, sporting a sarcastic grin.

Though Landos' smile faded a bit at his father's comment, he replied, "Not too shabby, I suppose. But with just that additional 2 gold coins and my current 20 gold coin savings, I still can't even afford the cheapest elemental space or time core, assuming I can find one for sale."

"Don't let it discourage you, my son. You're still young and have all the time in the world. Slow and steady wins the race, remember. I'm confident you'll find your own path," his father reassured him, sympathizing with his financial limitations while trying to uplift his spirits.

As they waited for Lando to restore some mana, they discussed his plans for the future. "What are your intentions after graduation? I'm sure you've already thought about it," his father inquired.

Lando nonchalantly leaned against a tree, crossing his arms above his head, and responded, "In the short term, I'm thinking of wandering around a bit, taking on some mercenary work, until I attain a high mastery over the elements and can start enchanting.

Along the way, I'll try to collect as many space and time cores as possible, as well as acquire books about my elements to further my knowledge. It might be challenging, especially hiding my time element within a group, but that's just the way it is, I guess."

His father chuckled at his son's carefree spirit and replied, "As long as you're happy with what you're doing and enjoy your journey, I have nothing more to add except to be cautious and not trust just anyone."

Both father and son soon packed their belongings and prepared to head back home. However, before they could depart, his father halted and met Lando's gaze with a serious expression. "We don't have to divulge too many details about the fight with the storm wolf to your mother, do we?"

Lando locked eyes with his father and nodded, understanding the concern. Together, they made their way back home, keeping their shared experience with the storm wolf somewhat concealed.