Half-Elf

Half-Elf

It was the tree spring Ronan had discovered during his first morning training session.

After making minor progress with Energy Missile, Ronan once again added it to the places he frequented.

There were obvious signs of human activity around the tree hollow that bubbled with sweet spring water, which Ronan found unsurprising.

If he could discover this tree spring, others naturally could too.

As far as he knew, a wizard lived near this tree spring.

A woman.

She was sixteen or seventeen, with thick bangs and long braids, always liking to walk with her head lowered.

Ronan had crossed paths with her several times, yet never got a clear look at what she actually looked like.

"Probably some ugly freak with a face full of pockmarks, buck teeth, and a protruding mouth."

Ronan made the rather malicious guess to himself.

When he came back to his senses, he remembered that he seemed to have quite a few freckles on his own face too... In a moment of carelessness, he had been struck by the "boomerang" he himself had thrown.

Circling around the tree spring, Ronan headed west.

After walking for about ten minutes, the outline of a small black treehouse appeared in his field of view.

Ronan walked over and soon saw a brown-haired old man in a tattered black robe crouching beneath the treehouse, tending a fire and roasting something.

"Smells great!"

Ronan emerged from the woods and called out first.

The old wizard who was barbecuing instantly became wary, but when he saw Ronan clearly, his expression gradually relaxed.

"Oh, dear Ronan, you came at just the right time!"

The old man rose with a laugh and invited him over.

"Red-tailed Gray Mountain Goat meat. It took me quite some effort to get one. Come, have a taste!"

"I'd be honored."

Ronan did not refuse, walking over with a smile.

The old man was called Wells. He was a "new friend" Ronan had made this month—a wizard friend, and more or less Ronan's only friend at present.

Wells was quite old, probably old enough to be Ronan's grandfather. He was slightly stronger than Ronan, a Level Three Wizard Apprentice.

Old Wells had a good temperament and little ambition or desire. By his own account, he had long since given up all hope of advancing to Level Four Wizard Apprentice. He had already booked passage to leave Hoddam Wizard Land in the latter half of the year. Then, he would simply find some mortal kingdom, become a noble lord, and enjoy the rest of his life.

Old Wells was one of the long-standing residents of this Treehouse Area. He got along well with many wizards, and he also had quite decent cooking skills. Ronan would occasionally come by for a stroll and mooch a meal or two.

Tender lamb was set on the grill, sizzling as orange-red Flame roasted the fat from it.

Old Wells expertly controlled the heat. At the end, he pulled a large handful of special seasoning from the pouch at his waist and sprinkled it over the meat. A rich fragrance instantly filled the entire small grove.

Ronan picked up a dagger nearby and carved up the roasted lamb. The two sat on a bare fallen tree trunk and began eating.

"Want some wine?"

Old Wells pulled a beautiful silver flask from the hollow tree trunk and asked Ronan.

"No need."

Ronan took a bite of roasted lamb and shook his head.

It was not that he did not trust Wells. Alcohol dulled the nerves and slowed reactions, which would affect casting speed.

If something unexpected happened, Ronan did not want to lose his life over a momentary craving.

The Red-tailed Gray Mountain Goat Wells spoke of was a wild mountain goat unique to this area. It did not eat grass, feeding exclusively on a certain kind of sweet berry.

It was said that Red-tailed Gray Mountain Goat meat was incomparably delicious, carrying the sweet fragrance of fruit nectar.

Now that he had tasted it, Ronan found it merely average, nowhere near as amazing as the rumors claimed.

Still, it was true that Red-tailed Gray Mountain Goats ran incredibly fast, were extremely timid, and were exceptionally difficult to catch. Ronan had no idea how Old Wells had managed to get one.

"By the way, how's your runology research going?"

The two chatted casually as they ate.

Ronan had never planned to treat his self-study of Rune Inscription as some inviolable secret. He had casually mentioned it to Old Wells during an earlier conversation, and it was surprising that the old man still remembered.

"Ah, it's hard."

Ronan sighed. His troubled expression was not entirely an act.

"Don't rush."

Old Wells patted him on the shoulder and comforted him. "You're still young. You have plenty of time, so take it slowly."

Ronan nodded. Neither of them pursued the subject any further.

As they ate, Old Wells suddenly told Ronan some fresh news.

"Did you know that a pair of Half-Elf siblings moved into the eastern area these past couple of days?"

"Half-Elves?!"

Ronan froze, and an image of a fair-skinned, beautiful elf girl with pointed ears and long legs instinctively surfaced in his mind.

Damn, he had not expected even a fantasy species like that to exist in Wizard Land.

A powerful curiosity immediately rose in Ronan's heart, and he hurriedly asked Old Wells to tell him more.

"They probably have a bit of elf blood in them. I don't know much either, since I've only seen them once."

At this point, Old Wells warned Ronan, "If you want to approach them, be careful. I've dealt with them before. They aren't easy to get along with, and they have vicious tempers."

On his way back after finishing the barbecue, Ronan was still thinking about the Half-Elf siblings.

The words "elf girl" held quite a bit of appeal for him.

Ronan had only seen them in anime and movies in his previous life. Now that he had heard a girl with genuine elf blood lived near him, it would be a lie to say he did not want to meet her.

But Old Wells's solemn warning made him suppress the restless urge in his heart for the time being.

Even Old Wells, a Level Three Wizard Apprentice, said they were difficult to get along with and had vicious dispositions. Rashly approaching them would hardly be wise.

"How interesting. I'll definitely find a chance to get acquainted with them later, so I won't have to seek out an old man every time I need someone to talk to."

Ronan secretly looked forward to it.

After wandering around and returning home, he felt much more refreshed.

Ronan practiced Energy Missile in the clearing for a while longer, then bathed and meditated. Once he had returned himself to peak condition, Ronan sat at the workbench again.

"Three chances."

Looking at the three remaining blank Rune Stones before him, Ronan did his best to calm himself.

He had already used up one bag of the Universal Powder he bought last time, and had just opened the remaining bag.

He scooped several spoonfuls of grayish-white Universal Powder, like ash-colored dirt, into a small clay jar and mixed it evenly with the morning dew he collected every day. That more or less completed the preparations for Rune Inscription.

Mixing Universal Powder was also a technical skill, but after practicing for so long, he had developed his own understanding of preparing the Universal Powder solution and could accurately control the ratio between water and powder.

He poured the solution into the groove on the carving knife, picked up a blank Rune Stone, and reviewed the form of the Cleaning Rune and every detail of it in his mind.

Taking a deep breath, he picked up the carving knife.