The wolves continued emerging from between the trees.
I had already defeated dozens of them, but it felt as though the entire forest was moving against me. The sound of paws crushing dry leaves echoed from every direction as new pairs of glowing eyes appeared in the darkness between the trunks.
Even so, I remained calm.
I gripped my sword firmly and watched the next group charge toward me.
Until just a few hours ago, I would have relied solely on my sword to deal with all of this quickly, but now there was something I wanted to test.
The book.
More specifically, the theories of that ancient mage.
One of the wolves leaped toward me.
"Fire."
A flaming sphere appeared almost instantly in front of my free hand.
The fireball struck the beast head-on.
The animal was hurled backward as flames engulfed its body.
It worked again.
Without a long incantation.
Without lengthy preparation.
Just a single word.
Another wolf came from the right.
I swung my sword.
The blade sliced through its neck.
At the same time, I extended my left hand.
"Earth."
A stone spear erupted from the ground and pierced another enemy.
I smiled.
This was really working.
The more I used the method, the more natural it became.
Perhaps that old mage had discovered something that was centuries ahead of his own time.
I continued advancing through the forest.
Wolves kept appearing without end.
Some attacked individually.
Others tried to surround me.
None of them posed any real threat.
My sword cut down one.
My magic brought down another.
My movements began to connect naturally.
It was almost like fighting with two different weapons.
A blade in one hand.
Magic in the other.
"Water."
A flowing current appeared.
"Wind."
The gusts slammed several monsters into the trees.
"Earth."
Stone spikes burst from the ground.
Everything happened fast.
Too fast.
I hardly needed to think.
I simply spoke the necessary word, and the mana responded immediately.
That was when I realized something.
The book wasn't just about speed.
It was about understanding.
For centuries, mages had probably memorized enormous incantations without fully understanding why they existed.
The ancient author seemed to see magic in a different way.
Like a language.
Like a concept.
Something that could be simplified.
Something that didn't require enormous phrases to function.
Another group appeared.
This time there were nearly twenty wolves.
I ran straight toward them.
My sword flashed.
The first one fell.
The second lost a leg.
The third was struck by an explosion of fire.
The fourth was crushed by a wall of earth.
As I fought, I began to feel my movements becoming more fluid.
I didn't need to stop to cast spells.
I didn't need to retreat.
I didn't need to create distance.
I could fight and cast at the same time.
That completely changed the rhythm of combat.
Now I understood why that mage had been considered a genius.
He wasn't just creating spells.
He was reinventing the very way magic was used.
After several minutes, the number of wolves began to decrease.
Their bodies were scattered across the forest floor.
Some were still releasing smoke from the flames.
Others had been defeated by my sword.
Others by stone spears.
I surveyed the surroundings.
Silence.
For the first time since I had entered the forest, it seemed calm.
I took a deep breath.
Then I felt something.
A presence.
Heavy.
Strange.
Different from the wolves.
My instincts immediately went on alert.
I slowly turned my head.
The trees in the distance began to shake.
Leaves fell from the branches.
Birds took flight in panic.
Something large was approaching.
Very large.
I gripped my sword more tightly.
The sounds became clearer.
Footsteps.
Slow.
Heavy.
Each step made the ground tremble slightly.
Then a figure emerged from between the trees.
First came an enormous battle axe.
Then a muscular arm.
Then the rest of its body.
I narrowed my eyes.
A demon.
There was no doubt.
Its dark skin.
Its horns.
Its aura of negative mana.
Everything confirmed it.
He was much larger than an ordinary human.
His muscles looked like blocks of stone.
His eyes glowed with a disturbing red light.
The axe resting on his shoulder was nearly the size of a carriage.
He watched me for a few seconds.
Then he looked at the bodies of the wolves scattered throughout the forest.
A smile appeared on his face.
"So it was you."
His voice was deep.
It sounded like distant thunder.
I remained still.
"You were controlling the wolves?"
He laughed.
A heavy laugh echoed through the trees.
"Controlling them? No. I was merely guiding them."
My expression remained serious.
So my suspicions had been correct.
Someone had been behind the attacks.
The leader of the pack wasn't a wolf.
It was that demon.
I carefully observed his energy.
He was stronger than the ordinary monsters I had faced.
But he wasn't even close to the great Demon Generals.
He was probably a lesser commander.
Even so, he would be dangerous for ordinary adventurers.
The demon pointed his axe at me.
"So you're the hero."
"I'm Takumi."
"So the rumors were true."
He took a few more steps forward.
The magical pressure intensified.
But it didn't affect me much.
I had already faced enemies far worse.
"You destroyed my toys."
I looked at the wolves' bodies.
"If you're talking about them, they were attacking a village."
"That doesn't matter."
I sighed.
There was no point arguing.
Demons rarely valued human lives the same way we did.
To them, it was probably nothing more than entertainment.
The wind blew through the trees.
Leaves began to swirl around us.
The demon raised his axe.
I adjusted my stance.
The battle was about to begin.
But at that moment, one thing occupied my mind.
The book.
The theories.
The new methods.
I wanted to test them a little more.
Perhaps this was the ideal opponent for that.
The demon charged.
His speed was astonishing for someone of his size.
The axe came crashing down.
I dodged to the side.
The blade smashed into the ground.
Earth and stones flew in every direction.
I extended my hand.
"Fire."
Flames exploded against his chest.
The impact forced him back several steps.
His eyes widened.
He looked surprised.
He had probably expected a long incantation.
Not an instantaneous spell.
I smiled faintly.
That was proof enough.
The theory was correct.
That old mage had truly discovered something extraordinary.
And I had the feeling that this was only the beginning.
As I watched the demon regain his balance, I realized that this battle would show me much more about the limits of this new method.
I gripped my sword.
Focused my mana.
And prepared my next spell.
The true mastermind behind the attacks had finally appeared before me.