Admiring Tris's performance, Coris praised: "Tris, you're so young yet already skilled and knowledgeable.
When I was your age, I would never have dared to enter the forest to hunt Magical Beasts like this.
How old are you?"
Tris: "13."
He lied about his age.
With his tall build compared to his peers, such a claim was easier to believe.
Indeed, Coris showed no suspicion and asked:
"You've been learning magic for one or two years? Did your parents teach you?"
She assumed so because talented children usually began learning magic around age 10 or 11, once they had enough spiritual energy to practice.
The most effective way to increase spiritual energy was through repeated use of magic. Physical training also helped, though less efficiently.
By training his body since he could walk, Tris had quickly gained a small amount of spiritual energy, enough to experiment with weak magic—like lighting a tiny flame on his fingertip. Through years of alternating physical training and magic practice, he had built up far more spiritual energy than other children his age.
Why didn't ordinary children train like this?
There are two main reasons:
First, techniques for training the body using spiritual energy weren't widely known, not even among all the Warriors.
Second, in cases like his village, where some Warriors serve as teachers and know certain techniques, they are still far too difficult for small children to understand and learn.
Hearing Coris's question, Tris replied:
"Yes, about two years or so. My father taught me."
'Two years versus seven years—close enough. Besides, Father did teach me plenty about puppets,' he thought.
To divert Coris from further questions, Tris asked:
"When did you become an adventurer?"
Coris: "Around sixteen. At first, whenever I faced enemies, I was so nervous—I wasn't calm like you."
'If she had been forced to fight against a group of Mages and Assassins before, she wouldn't be nervous against Goblins for sure.' Tris thought bitterly.
Back then, fighting strong foes, he too had felt fear.
After all, his real experience of deadly combat with humans had only been in dreams, not reality.
(When fighting Magical Beasts or Bandits, he relied on puppets, so he never truly felt any danger.)
But his rage and desire for revenge had overwhelmed fear, nearly erasing it.
After finishing material collection, Tris stood and stretched.
'Next are the Green Bees.' He had already located them with "Feathers" while busy extracting crystals.
Soon, they spotted a Green Bee hovering near the top of a tree less than ten meters away.
Its body was green with black stripes, nearly 30 cm long.
Its tail carried a sharp stinger filled with venom that caused paralysis, pain, and burning.
On its own, it was only rank E. But near its hive, where many gathered, even top adventurers had to be cautious.
From below, Tris carefully aimed and shot it down with magic.
Coris: "You're really lucky to find the quest target so easily. Usually, it takes many outings to locate them.
And often, you have to avoid stronger Magical Beasts that suddenly appear."
Tris gave a wry smile in response.
This time, he led them on a longer detour before finding two more Green Bees. He shot them down, completing his quest.
Back at the guild, after submitting the mission, Tris politely thanked Coris for her help.
She had sincerely guided him, sharing knowledge and advice throughout the hunt.
Though sometimes inconvenient, hunting with someone else was a new and interesting experience.
So he truly expressed his gratitude.
With her friendly smile, Coris cheerfully told him he could seek her out again if he needed help.
...
In the following days, Tris alternated between quests, puppet crafting, and magic research.
His busy days passed quickly.
After more than a week, his guild rank rose from F to E, officially recognized as a true adventurer.
* * * * * * * * * *
In a tavern, many adventurers were drinking and chatting.
Because the guild owned the tavern, adventurers often came here for special benefits. Ordinary townsfolk rarely visited, intimidated by the dangerous-looking patrons.
Thus, the tavern had become a gathering place for adventurers.
"Have you heard? A Mage just joined the guild."
"A Mage? Has he teamed up with anyone yet?"
"Only once with Coris, otherwise no one."
Two adventurers were talking when another nearby leaned over:
"I've seen that Mage. He's just a kid, looks pretty frail."
"A child? How old?"
"Maybe twelve or thirteen at most."
"I was hoping to recruit a Mage for our team, but if it's just a kid, that won't work."
"Yeah, young adventurers always cause problems. Even if he's a Mage, I don't think he's suitable."
"By the way, I know of a solo archer who hasn't joined any team yet."
The adventurers continued chatting.
Meanwhile, in a corner, a man sat drinking silently.
Hearing their talk, he took note of the young adventurer's presence.
'Perhaps I can make use of him,' he thought.
* * * * * * * * * *
"Achoo." Tris suddenly sneezed.
Looking around his inn room, he felt it wasn't very clean, still dusty.
Opening the window, he began using magic to tidy up.
He planned to stay in town a while longer to finish his puppet before moving on.
So keeping his living space clean and avoiding illness was important.
"Sasageyo, sasageyo, ..." Tris hummed as he continued cleaning work.