The source of magic

Allen offered Old Jack a few words of encouragement, then asked whether he knew why the wolves had gone mad. Old Jack thought for a moment, then shook his head, unable to give an answer. The wolves were all ordinary beasts, with nothing special about them. Allen suddenly remembered the pack leader. It had been much larger and heavier than the other wolves, which was very unusual. He told Old Jack, who was also surprised as he recalled it. The pack leader had indeed been more frenzied and powerful than the other wolves.

After some thought, Old Jack offered his guess. He believed something must have magically corrupted the pack leader. Magical corruption was a general term: since magic and certain unknown powers existed in this world, these forces could often affect nearby creatures like radiation. Such effects often made creatures restless, frenzied, and more aggressive, while also making them stronger. The pack leader closely resembled a case of magical corruption.

To verify this, Old Jack took him to the storehouse where the pack leader's body was being kept. "Let me see whether that's really what happened." Old Jack examined the body thoroughly. Fortunately, Allen had taken the stone away early on, or Old Jack would certainly have discovered it now. After his careful examination, Old Jack said, "It looks very much like magical corruption. Look, this wolf's teeth and claws are much larger than an ordinary wolf's. And its eyes are red. It was probably corrupted." "Then what about the Magic Source? Is it still in the mountains? We have to find it." Old Jack nodded in agreement. "We can't rule out the possibility that it came from Tirisfal Glades. After all, we've never heard of any Magic Source around here."

Allen actually already knew what the Magic Source was: the stone inside the pack leader's stomach. Perhaps the pack leader had swallowed this Magic Source by chance, then somehow wandered into Hill Forest, affecting the wolves in the forest along the way and ultimately causing the attack on Hill Village. Having worked out the chain of events, he said goodbye to Old Jack and went home. He had to deal with this Magic Source immediately. No one knew whether it would affect the villagers.

He promptly moved the Magic Source to a patch of wasteland not far from the village. After making sure there were no living creatures nearby, he returned home.

When he got home, his father saw how late he was and assumed he had gone to play at Old Jack's house again. Jason was actually delighted that his son visited Old Jack. Everyone in the village knew Old Jack was a capable man.

After returning home, Allen hurried through his meal and went back to his room, where he first sorted through his thoughts. First of all, the first step of his plan—learning to read—had succeeded. In the course of that plan, he had also received training from Old Jack and learned about his experiences roaming the world over the years. Finally, there was the Magic Source. He still did not understand what a Magic Source was. After all, Old Jack had said that many things could serve as one. Even some powerful mages were themselves Magic Sources. Because these mages held enormous amounts of magical power within their bodies, they inevitably affected their surroundings. The more powerful the mage, the greater the effect. This was also one reason mages always stayed in their own mage towers.

He did not know exactly what that Magic Source stone was, but it had to be extremely valuable, because anything involving supernatural power would never be cheap. He thought that if he sold it, his family might never have to work again for the rest of their lives. But if this possession of his were exposed, what awaited him would probably be nothing but death.

This was the lesson he had drawn from Old Jack's decades of adventures: equality existed only when both sides were equally powerful. Still, even if he could sell it, he would not, because he might be able to discover something by studying the stone. Thanks to his strong mental power, Allen could already sense the tremendous force contained within it. For some reason, he kept feeling that this was the magical power he had always wanted to find.

A year after the wolf attack, he came to Old Jack's house. Knock, knock, knock. Allen tapped lightly on the door. "Grandpa Jack, are you home?" Old Jack slowly opened the door. Seeing Allen, he welcomed him inside warmly.

"Say, Allen, how come I haven't seen you lately? Don't you want to see this old man anymore?" "Grandpa Jack, of course I do. I've been busy with some important things lately." "Oh, really? What could be more important than Old Jack?" Old Jack joked with a smile. Allen waited until he had sat down before speaking. "Grandpa Jack, I'm fifteen already. I'm not a child anymore. You said I would definitely become a great adventurer, didn't you? I don't think a great adventurer would spend his whole life adventuring around his own doorstep."

At these words, Old Jack's smile faded. He looked at Allen with some sadness. "Ah, I knew this day would come. I just didn't expect it to come so soon. I thought you would at least wait until you were an adult before setting off." The mood turned sorrowful in an instant, as though the happiness of a moment ago had never existed. "Grandpa Jack, being a great adventurer isn't about age, right? Don't worry. I'll stay alive and well. Maybe by the next time I come back, I'll be a noble lord."

Old Jack said nothing and simply sat there in a daze. In truth, he had long since come to regard Allen as his own son or grandson. Learning that Allen was leaving inevitably brought the sorrow of parting with family. Finally, Old Jack suddenly said, "Allen, you must remember to tell me when you leave. At least let me see you off. I think that's probably the only thing I can do. Take good care of yourself, and remember to come back at least once, no matter what."

With that, Old Jack returned to his room. Allen knew he must have been feeling terrible. He said little more, because this was Old Jack's wish as well. After returning home, he lay awake almost the entire night. He still had not worked out how to tell Jason and Eva about this. He knew perfectly well that his parents would never let him leave. As peasants living at the very bottom of society, they did not actually dream of their son rising to greatness. They simply hoped their child could live safely and peacefully.

In the end, he did not tell Jason and Eva. He merely left a letter written on a piece of clothing in his room. He thought Old Jack would explain everything for him.

Three days later, Old Jack saw him off at the village entrance. "Allen, take this. It's a map I prepared for you. These are all places I've been." Old Jack handed him a sheet of parchment and looked at him expressionlessly. Although it was nighttime, Allen could still see his reddened eyes. He took the parchment and said quietly, "Old man, don't go making it so I can't see you when I come back. Take care of yourself, and don't worry about too many things. You're only a village chief." Now that the moment of parting had arrived, he did not want the mood to become too sad either.

Just as he was about to turn away, Old Jack called him back. "Hey, my great adventurer, don't you want to give me a hug?" Old Jack looked no different from usual now and even began teasing him. Allen said nothing. He simply stepped forward and hugged him.

After saying goodbye to Old Jack, he first retrieved the stone that was the Magic Source, then traveled through the night to Shanshi Village, intending to rest for a while. He opened his backpack. Inside were all the things he had prepared for camping, including powders to repel insects and wild beasts, changes of clothes, and various odds and ends. He had begun preparing these things a year earlier. Of course, Old Jack had taught him all of this. Old Jack had also taught him all sorts of wilderness survival skills. He no longer knew what words could express his gratitude to Old Jack.

"Huh?" He suddenly pulled out something wrapped in gray cloth. He remembered that it had never been in his backpack before he left. Opening it, he found five rather dull-looking gold coins. They were coins minted in Lordaeron in earlier years. One look at their dull surfaces made it clear that their owner had often handled them.

He remembered Old Jack asking for a final hug. So that was why. He knew this was probably the money Old Jack had saved for his own funeral. Looking at the dull gold coins, he suddenly felt a pang of sorrow for some reason. No one had ever treated him as well as Old Jack, not even his parents or his family from his previous life.

From then on, he swore that he would return to see Old Jack. If war broke out, he would take his parents and Old Jack away from here so they would be spared its ravages.

At the same time, he understood that Old Jack was not someone who sought comfort and pleasure. No amount of gold would make him happier than Allen coming back to visit.