Inside the Wilderness

I didn't know what kind of meat that was, but the slow-flamed meat in the fire was really good. Even if it was rough on the edges, the insides of the meat were all tender and so much juicy.

Man. Even if I have failed to see more of the forest, I had fun with these guys here.

And just as all the fun was going on, Leyla suddenly collapsed.

"Leyla!!" Lucas and Adam rushed and checked up on her.

"Mr.Durden! please bring some water!"

"Hey! Leyla? can you hear me?"

"What happened you?"

They were all panicking and as someone who was sitting close with her until now, I looked around the surroundings and spotted a small spider running away.

"I get what's going on!" I said to myself upon seeing the spider. The spider seems to have bitten her, and the poison has spread out to her body.

I willed mana to two of my fingers and used wind blades to kill the spider, and after killing it silently, I took the spider and went towards Leyla.

"Ahem. Please move, guys. I think I can do something!" I said as they all saw me with worried expressions.

"What? What are you going to do?" Lucas asked as I slowly took a seat near Leyla's body.

I kept my fingers under her nose to check whether she is breathing. And after feeling her breath, I thought to use fire mana to cure her by burning the poison from inside of her. But now that there are Lucas and their party here, I can't take so long to do that.

"I'm going to fight poison with poison." I replied to Lucas.

"Poison?" they were all confused, and their faces filled with worry.

With determination in my eyes, I carefully extracted a small amount of poison from the spider's fangs, controlling it with my mana. Leyla's condition was deteriorating, and I needed to act swiftly.

I placed my hands on her chest and concentrated my mana. With a gentle touch, I infused the extracted poison back into her body. The principle was to introduce a controlled amount of poison into her system, stimulating her natural defenses to counteract the venom.

The others watched with bated breath as I focused on maintaining a delicate balance. Leyla's body shuddered slightly, and her breathing became even more irregular. I could feel the poison's effects within her, and I knew it was a risky move.

The party was worried about what I was doing with Leyla and was suspicious. However, my father started to calm them down, saying, "My son has lived his entire life up until now among the books in the Magic guild. Don't worry, you all!" with a proud smile.

"It's not like we don't trust you both. But, Ryan being so young and doing something in this critical situation is just...."

"I know, right? he is that kind of kid. You will understand everything once he is done with whatever he is trying to do!"

As I smiled in hearing my father's proud speech about me and continued with curing Leyla.

After a few minutes of tension that felt like an eternity, Leyla's condition stabilized.

"Shu!" I wiped the sweat from my forehead and spoke out, "She is cured!" with a smile.

"What?" Lucas sounded confused.

The poison within her had triggered her body's defenses, and she started to regain consciousness. Slowly, she opened her eyes.

"Huh...what happened to me? Ryan?"

"Just lie down and take some rest. We will talk later, Leyla!" I said with a smile as she smiled back and closed her eyes. Seems like the poison affected her mana flow, and she has to rest to recover the lost mana.

"Huh?"

"She is up!"

"Told you. My son is great, right?"

"What...at?" 

Lucas, Adam, and Durden were astonished by what they had witnessed. They exchanged puzzled glances, trying to comprehend how a seven-year-old boy could perform such advanced magical techniques.

"I... I used the spider's poison to stimulate her immune system," I explained, trying to downplay the complexity of what I had just done.

"Ryan, you're not an ordinary kid, are you?" Lucas asked with a mixture of awe and curiosity.

I exchanged glances with my father, who had been calming the party and observing the situation. He nodded in acknowledgment.

The group seemed to accept my explanation, albeit with lingering curiosity.

And as the night wore on, my father and I bid farewell to the group, promising to meet again on another occasion. Leyla was still sleeping, but I asked Lucas to convey my regards.

The adventure had taken an unexpected turn, but it had been a memorable experience—one that would be etched in my mind for years to come.

Little did I know that this encounter would set in motion a series of events that would shape my journey in ways I couldn't foresee.