"I still don't understand how the damn door works!"

  I breathed long and hard after the endless chase. I do wished I could have hunted those pesky wolves but seeing Vin shake and fell into despair made me think twice about rushing onto enemy.

  Vin did say he trusts me, yet the first enemy he met, his mind crumbled and run away.

  How tiring he is.

  Regardless, it felt great to know that I can one shot wolves provided my spell won't miss.

  I sat down and prepared to rest. I searched for some branches and sticks and piled them into a suitable campfire. I prepared the spell, tearing off a blank page and drawing on it. I casted the spell onto the piles of wood, burning magnificently in front of my eyes.

  The healing flames helped recover our injured bodies.

  "Too bad your flames won't recover my dented shield."

  Vin weakly laughed afterwards, perhaps wanting to raise our mood.

  I looked around, searching for enemies or traps but found none of it.

  We saw the sun again, but this time, it is rising.

  Blaise: "It is dawn. Could it be a time of hope?"

  Vin: "... I don't think so."

  I was surprised Vin would suddenly became pessimistic. I looked to his direction when I saw his fearful eyes staring somewhere else.

  A wolf.

  A giant white wolf.

  It is staring to us, ready to pounce and attack.

  Its left eye is closed, and on it, a scar is decorating its ugly face.

  It growled.

  "Boss fight."

  We prepared for a true fight.

  As we guessed it, it pounced onto Vin, his shield barely blocking its wide mouth. I casted my FIREBOLT onto it, its fur burnt.

  Vin somewhat blocked it but struggled to keep up to its strength and fell down to the ground.

  While it was damaged, it run away and retreated onto a safe distance.

  Blaise: "Oh wow, that's it? I thought this would be a boss fight."

  Vin: "Hold on, Blaise. It's an alpha wolf."

  Blaise: "... And? It's just a better wolf, right?"

  Vin: "No. An alpha wolf is a leader. It is never alone."

  Never alone...

  Just as on cue, an ordinary wolf pounced from behind me. When the smaller wolf almost reached me, I decisively casted another FIREBOLT onto it, burning it and forcing it to run away.

  I casted two FIREBOLTs and it really stressed my body. Am I running out of mana or my spell has a supposed cool down?

  The alpha wolf attacked Vin right after.

  Vin held his shield up, blocking its attack.

  I tried to cast FIREBOLT only to realize it failed.

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  My body felt cold.

  I tried to cast again but my hand felt burning.

  Is this a symptom of lacking mana?

  The alpha wolf was only blocked. It wasn't injured. It only stepped back, move sidewards, and clawed onto the side of Vin's shield. He failed to keep holding it, and as a result, Vin lost his shield.

  It then attacked him, biting his abdomen. I heard Vin scream and the crunch of blood and guts.

  His body then shook by the giant wolf, as if trying to take a bite to his body.

  I tried to cast another spell but another smaller wolf pounced from behind me.

  I couldn't cast the spell on time.

  It managed to attack me, biting my left knee.

  I screamed as hard as possible.

  I can feel my bone disconnected to me.

  I couldn't cast my FIREBOLT.

  I thought desperately on what can I do from here.

  I then thought of another spell I can think of.

  I madly held onto the wolf's head.

  I yelled.

  "SPARK!"

  The head of the wolf exploded, its brain juice spilt onto me, but I couldn't care.

  I can feel my left knee gone from me, and it genuinely hurts.

  At least I finally killed a wolf.

  I then saw Vin.

  He is still holding on.

  His body is still being crunched in the alpha wolf's mouth.

  Vin is madly striking its scarred left eye with his spare sword.

  I wish I can run and madly hold its head to spark its brain, but my left foot is gone.

  I madly casted FIREBOLT to the giant alpha wolf but my hands remained burnt.

  Think, Blaise, Think.

  What can you do right now?

  I recall all I had.

  A spellbook.

  I knew the three spells already.

  The SPARK can only be used on contact similar to how we light a torch.

  There is a healing flame, but I am afraid it would heal the wolf.

  The FIREBOLT needs either more mana or cooldown.

  Hold on.

  How would I know if the FIREBOLT needs more mana or cooldown?

  Which of the two is the right now?

  I won't know yet.

  I need to think this again.

  Maybe I am not an ordinary mage.

  Nothing states there is a mana system.

  I recall what I had.

  Fire Affinity.

  What does that mean?

  I also recall my body feeling cold.

  What if my spells rely on my body heat? No, no way I could be that overpowered... You know what? Let's find out next time. I need to think something else. Something about the present.

  I can still feel the pain of losing my left feet.

  I crawled again, and every second, Vin yells madly. He is cursing the gods for being bitten by a giant wolf.

  I crawled... away from him.

  I spent my next minutes crawling.

  I stared at the ground, wishing to look away from his mangled form.

  Then I saw it.

  The door.

  It leads away from here.

  It leads to *somewhere else*.

  ...

  No.

  I won't run away.

  I crawled onto the leftover fire.

  It was the same healing fire from last time.

  I then felt its heat and felt my pain disappearing.

  However, I still cannot cast my FIREBOLT.

  My body felt cold again.

  It is not enough.

  I felt mad.

  I crawled into the fire, letting my body be devoured onto the flames.

  Its healing is outpaced by the burns I receive.

  However, I also feel it.

  My body is no longer cold.

  My mana, or energy that feeds my spell returns to full.

  The flames were sucked by my body.

  I felt an immense focus, knowing this will spell my doom if I fail.

  I then casted it.

  "FIREBOLT!"

  The spell barely missed.

  It hit the giant wolf's left eye.

  It was then finally cried and escaped from us.

  It let go of Vin, who lost blood and guts.

  It had been long ago since he stopped fighting and screaming.

  His eyes closed, as if wishing the world around him to stop.

  I felt guilty.

  I dragged him with me.

  I crawled once again onto him, wishing I could have been stronger.

  No.

  I should have been more cautious.

  No. This is also wrong.

  I shouldn't have used him.

  I knew that he wants my attention like a dog he is, and I abused it to force him to join me to this stupid place.

  I then finally reached him.

  "Vin, wake up!"

  He didn't respond.

  He is no longer breathing.

  "Damn it, shit!"

  I knew I can't do anything.

  Can I revive him? No, I'm not a priest. I'm a mage. I couldn't have a spell to save him.

  I only have a healing spell.

  ...

  Healing.

  ...

  Is it really possible all he needs is some healing? I can only hope.

  ...

  But where could we find a convenient source of wood?

  ...

  I know.

  I looked around and found it.

  In fact, it was in front of me the whole time I shouldn't have missed it.

  The entire forest.

  I decisively torn off the only diagram healing spell on my spellbook.

  Yes, the one I use as a reference to drawing on blank torn pages.

  I know that I would find it hard to find that spell again.

  I can only blame myself for this.

  I then folded it into a plane and flew it onto the tightly packed trees.

  It burned immediately upon contact.

  The forest blazed in different colors.

  It's as if the flames are cheering.

  I then felt the extreme heat emanating from the flames everywhere.

  My body healed at a ridiculous pace.

  I can now feel my left foot again.

  I then embraced Vin's body, hoping he'll be healed now.

  Minutes passed and before I knew it, I fell asleep.

  ...

  I found myself inside a void.

  A small panel of blue light appeared in front of me.

  [SYSTEM]

  [You shall receive a reward for completing Liberia Forest (Easy).]

  [You managed to defeat an Great Alpha Wolf.]

  [Your spellbook is now modified into mystical cursed spellbook]

  [...]

  [I hope you enjoy your first adventure, Blaise.]