Arcane Innovator

As I made my way down the steep cliff slope from where I had previously watched the man's desperate struggle against the pack of wolves, I wondered how I should go about this.

I wasn't in the mood for a sword fight, yet I also couldn't openly showcase my magic.

But then I got a certain idea. 'What if I could simply scare them off?'

I still vividly remember the trance-like state I entered during my battle with Dominic in Weisberg.

As my body was overflowing with magic, I managed to get a profound insight into various applications of essence, some of which I hadn't thought possible before.

For example, whenever I cast a spell, I always simply directed the flow of essence into it, believing it was only another form of energy.

Yet, in that single moment, I understood that essence was much more than that. It was alive - or more likely, it was the life itself.

In the altered state of mind, my good old magic sense was also enhanced to a point where I could perceive my surroundings in an entirely different light, and right then, I realized that everything in this world was comprised of various forms of essence.

Some were passive - like the rock walls of the spacious cavern, which were not moving at all. Others - those that filled the living beings shined radiantly while shifting erratically.

To be honest, I couldn't understand it then, and I didn't have time with everything that was going on. However, over the course of winter, I often pondered this weird phenomenon, wondering what it all meant.

I wasn't able to come to any conclusion other than that there is a lot I still don't know about this world and the rules that govern it.

Still, seeing the essence in such a new light gave me an interesting idea.

Instead of funneling it into the environment to produce a magical effect, what if I manipulated the raw essence outside my body, letting it interact with my surroundings directly?

Of course, I knew that something like this wouldn't be easy to pull off otherwise. I would have figured this out a long time ago, but I was curious and, more importantly, crazy enough to actually try it.

However, for my present experiment, I didn't need to invent an entirely new way to use magic - only to enhance an already existing effect.

Any living thing was naturally leaking essence. That's why I was able to detect its traces in the environment with my magic sense.

I always wondered why I couldn't locate any rabbits in the Forest when I was young, and it was probably because of this exact phenomenon - they got scared off by my abundant essence.

They probably thought I was some horrid monster, so they scurried away a long time before I could locate them myself.

So what if I could artificially magnify this natural effect and create something akin to a magical aura to scare the wolves away?

I wouldn't have thought about doing this previously, mainly because, for the past months, I have been trying to do the exact opposite—to hide my powers so that I wouldn't be discovered.

Yet, as I was once again pursuing the path of a mage, and since there would be no further reason to hide my powers after I left the Kingdom in a few days, I thought, why not?

I stopped a short distance away from the broken carriage, not paying attention to the man's desperate pleas. He seemed to finally notice me, urgently beckoning me to help him.

Instead, I drew upon my essence, gathering it as if I were about to release a spell.

However, this time, rather than directing it into the environment to create a physical force, I tried to release the raw essence out of my body in a steady stream.

After my winter training, as I was trying to master controlling the finicky wind blade, my essence control seemed to make a qualitative change, which made my current task much more manageable.

Not that it was easy in any way. As I pushed the essence out, it instantly dissipated, behaving exactly as it did each time I failed a spell.

Normally, I would simply shrug it off and cast the spell again, but this time, I persisted, trying my best to assume control over the dispersed essence and not let it get absorbed by the inert essence all around me.

I failed and then failed again. My brain was beginning to hurt from the enormous strain I was subjecting it to.

I was siphoning out my essence at an alarming rate. The surrounding air began overflowing with it to the extent that it began softly glimmering.

This, of course, didn't escape the attention of the pack of wolves who, till now, were solely trying to tear apart the poor villager.

The largest wolf, with much darker-colored fur than the rest and a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth, turned its massive head toward me and growled menacingly.

That prompted some wolves to split apart and began circling me, slowly drawing closer.

Yet I stayed still, stubbornly persisting with my seemingly impossible task of commanding the raw essence.

Then, all of a sudden, something clicked in my mind, and the erratically moving stream of essence calmed down.

I realized that I couldn't force it in the same way as with a hard-to-control spell. Rather, I let the essence particles float as they wished, only nudging them in the right direction.

And then, everything changed. What previously felt like trying to pick water with a sieve was now as easy as breathing.

The air around me began shimmering like on a scorching day, forming a loose bubble that seemed to dance with the wind.

Sensing the rapid change in the air, the wolves turned their attention towards me, growling cautiously.

But as I released more and more essence, rapidly expanding the bubble outward, they became restless and began slowly backing away.

I, on the other hand, grinned, feeling a sense of power I had never felt before. Although the essence I released quickly dissolved into the surroundings, I still felt somewhat connected to it, allowing me to give it a purpose.

At that moment, the small valley underwent an imperceivable yet significant change. Suddenly, the air itself became oppressive, emanating a feeling of cold dread.

The wolves' growls quickly transformed into whimpers, and then, with their tails between their legs, they began running away as fast as they could.

The man in the wagon watched in amazement as the pack of wolves scattered before me, leaving him mostly unharmed but visibly shaken.

"Are you alright?" I called out while cautiously approaching him.

He blinked rapidly, trying to process what had just occurred. "I... I am now, thanks to you, stranger," he stammered, still in shock.

Meanwhile, my aura quickly dissipated as I cut off my connection with the dissolved essence while acting like nothing had happened.

The man's disbelief was palpable as he asked with wide, questioning eyes. "How did you do it?"

I could feel a smirk tugging at my lips as I replied nonchalantly, "Do what?"

"How did you chase them away?" He pressed, curiosity reflecting in his beady eyes.

I flashed him a bright smile while raising my badge up to him at the same time. "See, I'm a powerful beast hunter. When the wolves caught the scent of my mighty presence, they couldn't do anything but turn their tails and run as fast as they could!"

"Is that so?" The man asked with a raised eyebrow.

He was evidently unconvinced, so I narrowed my eyes and leaned in closer. "Are you, perhaps, doubting me?" I said threateningly.

Suddenly, the air around the man became heavy, and he had trouble catching his breath.

He paled, widening his eyes in panic. "N-No! Of course not! How could I ever doubt such a mighty warrior as yourself, venerable sir?!"

I nodded, happy that we come to an understanding, before tilting my head to the side. "So?"

"Excuse me?" He looked at me confusedly.

"What about my reward? Isn't it customary to show gratitude to the person who saved your life?"

"Oh..." He paled even more, and I could see beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

Nevertheless, I held firm, knowing I couldn't let him off the hook too easily. After all, I was a beast hunter, and this was my job.

Even though I had plenty of money, I wouldn't work for free... Otherwise, people would take advantage of me if they thought I was too soft, and that was something I couldn't allow.

"Ehm, I'm afraid I don't have any money with me at the moment. But! If you wait until I fix the wagon, I can take you to the Town—to my nephew's house, to be precise—where I was originally headed before this whole debacle, and there I will arrange the required payment for your honorable service!"