Wolf woke up. He had no idea how long he had been out cold. His body was spasming violently and he felt as if his burning bones were trying to incinerate him from the inside. This was the highest fever he had ever experienced and he hurt everywhere. Thanks to this discomfort Wolf was certain of one thing. He was still alive, somehow. Otherwise he’d be in a warm, dark place feeling safe and loved.

Wolf opened his mouth as he panted and saw a cloud of steam rising in the chilly underground air. The air was pleasantly cool when he had first entered this place. Now it felt colder than the freezing wind in the deepest winter. Yet, despite the biting cold outside and boiling heat inside, Wolf was alive. And he was hoping that after this, things would get better. There’s no way they could get any worse than the torture he had just gone through.

“Personal Disciple should drink a Light Healing potion. After that they should sleep. Upon waking, the Personal Disciple should have no repercussions from the procedure, nor the ensuing malnutrition.” The dispassionate metallic drone sounded somewhere far off in the distance.

Once again, Wolf failed to understand everything the Artifact Spirit said.

I really need to learn those difficult words.

Luckily, Wolf understood the first sentence, which was the important bit. Wolf uncorked the stopper of one of the vials and downed the potion. Then he went back to sleep right there on the stone floor.

Inside his Mind Hall, Wolf’s Mental Aspect noticed an oddity with the first column. There were several wisps of black mist that kept seeping out of the carved pillar. These strands of darkness flowed towards Wolf’s Mental Aspect. It looked like they were drawn in by a whirlpool of some sort. As for Wolf’s Mental Aspect, it was full of fine fractures. The blackness acted like glue, working hard to stop his Mental Aspect from falling apart.

Wolf didn’t exactly know what was going on. He had no idea that the destruction of Lonely Eagle’s shade had saved his life just now. As time passed, Wolf’s Mental Aspect healed and the visible part of his Mind Hall was increasing at a steady pace. He could even see the outline of the fifth column flickering in and out of sight within the mist. Unfortunately, the only thing Wolf could do was wait. Probably for an eternity…

After a really, really long time of staring at the mist, Wolf’s Mental Aspect was healed. The boy finally felt confident enough to patch up the decaying spells in his tapestries. Archibald had taught him a trick that bordered on cheating. A Mage should maintain their spells every day. If you haven't used up a spell, always prepare the same one in the same scroll. If you do this properly, once you’re done slinging spells, you can then simply spend an hour or so in meditation to prepare a new batch that very day.

When Wolf had finished reinforcing the decaying spells, he looked around, thinking what to do next. At the moment, he felt too beat up to continue his carving. He was afraid that if he swung the chisel he would be the one to fall apart, not the column.

“I wonder whether my body is healed already?”

“How come I can’t tell that from here?”

“Maybe there is a way to do it, but I just don’t know about it?”

“I should ask dad. It’s the first time I’ve been away from him and the questions I have for him just keep piling up…” The Mental Aspect muttered his thoughts and noted new things Wolf had to do.

Finally the boy decided it was time to wake up. As he opened his eyes, the first thing he heard was the now familiar metallic voice.

“Personal Disciple should go back to sleep. Personal Disciple has not rested enough. The following challenges are even more difficult and Personal Disciple should only face them in his peak form.”

Wolf still felt slightly feverish and steam was still rising from his body. After a moment, he decided to do as the metallic drone had suggested. He went back to sleep.

Inside his Mind Hall, Wolf gingerly went back to carving the fourth column. He had already noticed that each successive column was getting harder and harder to carve. Still, no matter how difficult it got, the columns were significantly more malleable than the throne, which Wolf couldn’t even scratch.

Time passed and Wolf woke up again. This time he didn’t feel feverish at all. What he did feel though, was hungry. Very hungry. He wolfed down two days worth of rations. Despite pigging himself out, Wolf still felt ravenous. At the same time he could feel his tummy hurt from overeating. He forced himself to stop because of the tummy ache, otherwise he would’ve eaten at least two more days’ worth of food. Once he was done eating, Wolf realized that the metallic voice hadn’t said anything since he had woken up.

“Artifact spirit sir. How long did I sleep?” Wolf asked while holding his bulging belly.

“Personal Disciple last awoke three days seven hours and twenty-three minutes ago. If you wish to know the full history, the medical golem completed the procedure in slightly under an hour. After which Personal Disciple’s bone marrow was refined for twelve days seven hours and nine minutes before Personal Disciple woke up. Then Personal Disciple spent an hour eating.”

Twelve days and seven hours? That long?

“No wonder I’m hungry! I haven’t eaten in two weeks!” Wolf exclaimed in shock. The artifact spirit didn’t care about his shout. It had a job to do.

“Personal Disciple should continue with the trial. Being promoted to Legacy Disciple status is highly desirable, if possible.”

This artifact spirit sir just keeps talking and talking… It’s almost like dad… I wonder whether dad would debate it?

The next monster will be the one I defeated when I was five years old in my previous life… I wonder if I was five when I had defeated that wolf?

The next monster Wolf faced was a wolf. As was the next one and the next one. Wolf was already getting bored. Did his past self spend his life killing nothing but wolves?

At least, there was one change. The pain from getting bitten by wolves had greatly lessened. Now it seemed funny that he thought that this little itch was painful the first time the illusory wolf bit down on his arm. Without the boy even noticing it, the torture he had gone through drastically changed his perception of pain, as well as his tolerance towards it.

While Wolf was thinking about this unexpected benefit and about whether anything would hurt ever again, he pressed onward. Fantasizing about his invulnerable future was very interesting. Stuck in his daydream, Wolf crossed yet another fifty meter line and initiated the fourteenth trial. The monster that materialized this time was not a wolf, but a bear.

This was the first time Wolf had ever seen a real bear. The beast seemed gargantuan in front of a four-year-old. Even though the animal stood on all fours it still towered over the manling child. Aside from its shaggy fur with missing patches, the only distinctive feature this bear had was its left eye.

The eye was completely white and dead, with a wicked old scar around it. Based on the scar and Archibald’s lessons, a big cat had claimed the eye a long, long time ago. The bear looked old and rather mangy, but Wolf failed to realize that. It was still a fully grown bear, which Lonely Eagle had managed to slay back when he was eight or nine.

I should keep to its left. That’s probably how I did it last time…

It took only a moment for the surprised Wolf to analyze the situation before him. He instantly knew what he had to do to defeat this bear. By keeping to its left, Wolf would remain in this bear’s blind spot. If the enemy was unable to attack him, victory was only a matter of time!

Wolf sprang into action and dashed to the side so that the bear couldn’t see him. After fighting that bunch of wolves, Wolf had figured out that if he didn’t take action for five seconds the beast would attack him instead.

Wolf kept moving sideways, always to the right. He did his best to stay in the bear’s blind spot. Meanwhile the huge creature kept turning its body leftward, trying to catch sight of Wolf. This simple dance went on for half a minute, but there was a problem... No matter what Wolf did, he couldn’t find an opening.

How am I supposed to hit this thing?! It’s legs are bigger than I am!

The difference in reach was simply too immense. Wolf’s arms were short and the dagger in his hand just as tiny. If he charged the bear it would smash him with a single swipe.

Wolf started to panic.

Think… Think… What can I do? If I run forward I’ll just get swatted like a fly. Whenever I draw closer than five steps away the bear starts swinging its claws blindly. I know I should use its strength against it because I’m weaker, but how do I do it?!

Maybe I can tire it out? It’s trying to hit me when I get a bit closer… maybe that would work?

A couple of minutes later it became apparent that the illusion couldn’t get tired.

No, this isn’t working. I’ll get tired before the bear! What am I supposed to do?

Wolf was starting to despair. How was he supposed to deal with this bear?

This is impossible! There's nothing I can do to it! The only way I can kill this bear is if it just lays down on it’s back and lets me kill it. Either that or I kill it while it’s sleeping!

No, wait! That’s it! I just have to make it fall asleep!

Wolf immediately started waving his hands and muttering gibberish as he began casting Slumber..

Dad was right! Being able to make your enemy go to sleep in the middle of a fight is really useful! No wonder he said I should always have one Slumber ready to cast…

Wolf chanted the words and waved his hands in a well practiced manner, all the while awkwardly running circles around the bear. With a bright smile and a triumphant glint in his eyes Wolf finished casting the spell.

Expecting the bear to fall down and start snoring, Wolf stopped his attempt at crab speedwalking. Then, to his horror, it happened… Nothing. The bear didn’t topple over. It didn’t even blink. The beast was just standing there in front of Wolf, who, in his confusion, didn’t resume his crab imitation.

The spell had absolutely no effect!

No, wait… Something is happening.

Just like Wolf, the bear also stopped moving. Then its movements resumed, but they were slower and choppy. The illusion or the artifact spirit were trying to figure out how to deal with Wolf’s hocus-pocus.

Chance!

Wolf dashed forward. The boy didn’t have an academic mind like his father. He didn’t care why the bear had slowed down its movements, nor why they had become awkward. What Wolf saw was a chance and he took it.

There were only a dozen steps to cover, but Wolf did his best to gather momentum. Then, when he was just two steps away from the staggered bear he jumped! In a downward stab Wolf rammed the dagger into the dazed bear’s right eye.

“Roar!”

The bear roared in agony as the dagger stuck itself into the monster’s skull. The beast violently shook its head, tossing the boy a couple meters to the side. Wolf lost the grip of his weapon. It had gotten stuck in the eye socket, leaving Wolf unarmed!

After getting stabbed, the beast wildly flailed its arms, its movements no longer choppy. The bear roared once more and Wolf felt dizzy. It had nothing to do with the bear. He hadn’t moved a step after stabbing the ilusion. Yet, the animal slid away from him in a very bizarre manner, as did the rest of the room.

Wolf could see his dagger stuck in the bear’s head. When he looked down, he saw that his hand was empty.

But I can feel that I’m still holding the dagger?

Wolf tightened his grip. Sure enough, the dagger was still there. He couldn’t ball his hand into a fist.

This feels really strange.

The bear roared yet again, but this time it did something other than madly attacking the air. It stood up on its hind legs and then started blindly flailing its arms.

That’s not fair! He can keep swinging his arms all day and not get tired! Wolf inwardly complained, but then realized something else.

It’s not moving to face me anymore! Maybe I can attack it from behind?

Wolf looked down and saw his empty hand, which was still holding a dagger.

This is so confusing! Will the illusion think I don’t have a knife? Even if I did… What could I do? Stab it in the butt?

Wolf took a couple of steps back and just observed the bear. The beast was still blindly flailing its arms, turning this way and that. Apparently, it had no intention of stopping, nor moving.

Wolf breathed in deeply to calm down.

For the moment I’m safe. If I can’t hit it till it’s dead, then I have to think of something else...

Wolf breathed out.

Objectively speaking, this was Wolf’s first real battle. Even though it was an illusion, this really was a true battle.

I can’t lose! I can’t give up either! I need those rewards, I know they are really good if you pass all the trials.

*Breathe in*

Wait. Slumber did something! It wasn’t as good as dad said, but it did something.

*Breathe out*

That means other spells will work as well!

Wolf’s epiphany was something any grown man or woman would tease him for. If you can use one spell, why not try some of the other ones? It was as obvious as it gets. But that’s not the case for a small child. It was as if Wolf had finally realized that a Mage should use magic in combat. Not a dagger he technically no longer had, even though he held it…

The irony was that he wouldn’t have figured it out if he could use his dagger. Then Wolf would’ve spent his time trying to figure out how to stab the bear to death. When you have a hammer and all that…

As soon as Wolf had made his grand realization he started casting another spell. Hearing the sound, the bear slowly lumbered towards him while swinging its huge paws left and right like a windmill. However, the incantation was completed well before the bear managed to reach him.

Four glimmering awls appeared above the boy’s hand, then shot at the lumbering hulk.

*Pu! Pu! Pu! Pu!*

Darts composed from silvery-purple light struck the furry hide. Deep holes, like spear wounds, were pierced through the beast’s bulk, causing the bear to bleed profusely.

I should’ve done this from the start! That Slumber spell was just a waste of Soul Force. I should’ve prepared more Magic Dart spells!

Dad said that it was the least useful of all good Second Order spells. But he also said that Detect Poison was useful…

Fortunately when we rested last time he told me not to prepare Fleet of Foot and Protection from Elements. Now I have Grease, Mage Armor, and one more Magic Dart left…

I hope it will be enough for the last opponent...

As Wolf was considering which spells he had left to deal with the bear he realized something else. If the bear was this tough, what about the enemy that followed? They were certainly going to be stronger than the bear.

Wolf had stopped paying attention to his enemy. He only stayed out of its reach and watched it bleed out. Apparently, Lonely Eagle also bled it to death. Or maybe the illusion was realistic when it comes to wounds, but not when it comes to stamina? At the moment he was too young and lacked the deranged academic brain his father had. The man actually cared about such details.

Eventually the bear collapsed and disappeared. Wolf had to admit that he was really strong in his past life. Being able to defeat a creature this powerful without relying on magic…

As Wolf was replaying the battle in his mind, the familiar metallic voice rang out again.

“Congratulations Personal Disciple. Personal Disciple only has one challenge left before being promoted to Legacy Disciple of Honored Master. This is a great honor…” The voice kept singing praises for its Honored Master. Unfortunately for it, Wolf was already a grandmaster of ignoring long winded speeches that didn’t interest him.

While completely disregarding the metallic drone, Wolf cast Mage Armor. It lasts for a couple of hours, so why not. Once the silvery-purple full plate armor materialized, Wolf headed towards the final challenge. As he did his fingers kept clenching the dagger in anticipation.

Can I defeat something stronger than this bear?

Archibald's lessons:

Monster Beasts come in various shapes and sizes. In general the bigger they are the harder they are to fell. Exceptions that pack quite a punch, despite being small in size are fairly rare.

Monster Beasts are a cross between what is known as True Monsters and regular beasts. Meaning somewhere in the extremely distant past they have a truly terrifying ancestor. After crossbreeding over very long periods of time, the majority of Monster Beasts have lost any traces they had of their ancestors and evolved into something new. No Monster Beast could ever compare even with a youngling of True Monsters.