The Frugal Mage

Rayven left the Adventurer's Guild house quickly, worried the building might collapse on his head. The tremors had shaken the walls, dust had fallen from the beams, and even the sturdier warriors inside looked uneasy…

But once outside, Rayven realized the truth.

He saw a huge shadow passing by… Then, he heard a few residents talking about the source of the earthquake…

"Has it been ten years? It must be the Mountain Lord."

"A Lord Beast… I wonder how that thing would change the terrain again."

"I guess those red-maned lions will be back now…"

From these words, Rayve immediately realized what was going on.

The entire city had been shaken not by an earthquake, but by the passing of a Lord Beast.

His eyes widened as he listened to the various conversations from the crowd.

As Rayven looked in the direction everyone was looking, he could just barely see the back of the moving beast… However, it indeed seemed like a moving mountain itself.

Its back was filled with rocky ridges, trees clung to its shell-like hide, and with every step, the earth quaked…

"Whoa~ This is my first time seeing the Giant Mountain Lord moving…" someone whispered nearby. He seemed to be a traveler, and instead of being scared at the sight, he looked really excited.

Rayven felt his blood run cold as he saw the Lord Beast. The sheer size of the Beast made even the Hesa's city walls look like a fragile barricade.

Thankfully, the monster didn't seem to be planning to attack any humans.

It simply moved in another direction, slow and steady…

At this time, a few more adventurers came out as they also looked relaxed while this was happening.

"Don't panic! It's not here to attack—just migrating!"

"Yeah, I've heard this happens every ten years or so. The Mountain Lord moves to the colder north to hibernate."

"Still… look at it… Imagine if it did go berserk… I wonder if we have any Adventurers who can fight that monster."

"That's impossible. Maybe if a Sixth-Tier Mage appeared, it might be possible to do something about that."

Rayven swallowed hard as he couldn't help but realize how small he was in this world.

A Lord Beast… It was a creature far beyond anything he had ever seen. At only fourteen years old, he had no idea such things even existed...

For him, and for many of the younger generation, this was definitely their first time witnessing such a terrifying yet majestic sight.

In any case, the Giant Mountain Lord moved on as it slowly vanished beyond the horizon.

The rumbling grew faint and the shaking ceased…

Just like that, the city gradually returned to normal.

Merchants resumed shouting at their stalls, carriages rolled down the streets again, and adventurers returned to the guild house, talking excitedly about what they had just seen.

In the meantime, Rayven stood there, staring at the horizon where the beast had disappeared.

'To think the world holds such giants… Amazing. One day, I'll stand strong enough to face creatures like that.'

For some reason, Rayven felt some motivation in him to get stronger. Since he was blessed with a second life, he would live his life to the fullest.

***

The days quickly passed.

During this time, Rayven continued to work as a low-ranking adventurer to slowly increase his points.

He completed low-level missions, and there was even a day when he worked together with Dennis and the others.

He hunted wild rats in the sewers, gathered herbs from the outskirts of the city, and on other missions that didn't require him to use his Spells that much…

After all, hunting those wild rats was only for training his Telekinesis Spell and testing his Mana Pulse.…

He needed to find out his Spells' limitations before the real fight against Cedric…

After all, his Telekinesis had a very simple description…

[ Telekinesis I (Common): Manipulate small objects from a distance using raw mana.

Max weight: 5kg. Range: 5 meters.

Cost per use: 1 Gold

Type: Utility / Control ]

After using it, however, he realized that the object he controls could last a long time depending on how heavy it was…

When he tried controlling a small dagger, he was able to last for almost five minutes…

However, if he really pushed the limit of 5kg, he only lasted for 15 seconds. The difference was huge.

Thankfully, the required level of concentration to control a small object wasn't too complicated. He could even do another task while controlling it…

As for the Mana Pulse… Well, it was just like what the description said… It also had a limit of 5 meters, and it could really stun for 2 seconds.

In any case, the jobs he had done weren't glamorous, nor did they pay much, but they added up.

They helped him accumulate guild points, one of the crucial requirements for advancing in rank.

Still, before the day of his duel, it would be the start of the Young Dragon and Phoenix Competition.

During the previous days, Hesa City began to change.

Caravans arrived almost daily, bringing with them not only goods but also youths who would be participating in the event.

According to what Rayven heard from the guild, it had once been nothing more than a local swordsmanship tournament.

A chance for swordsmen to prove their Sword Schools or Sword Styles, being better than the others…

But over the years, it had evolved. Now it was a full-fledged martial arts competition, open to young talents of all disciplines—swordsmen, spear wielders, brawlers, and even the occasional archer.

Though mages were excluded, the competition had grown prestigious enough that nobles, sect representatives, and even wandering masters made the journey to spectate.

Rayven couldn't help but notice the young warriors who would also be participating in the event.

'I guess it will be tough for Miki and Nara… I should prepare to comfort them.' Rayven thought to himself as he saw several outstanding youths.

At this time, when Rayven entered the guildhouse, Stella, the new receptionist, immediately waved at him to come over…

"Rayven… You finally arrived! There's a young master looking for a training partner. He wanted an Initiate Mage to train with. I heard he's participating in the competition. The pay is good! 10 gold coins! If he's satisfied with your performance, he'd pay double!"