Chapter 7: The Goblin Extermination

The second part of the Magic Academy's advancement exam involved students forming groups of four and completing a D-rank mission. Amara was worried, as he didn't have many friends and didn't want to burden the two he had.

Luckily, Amelia and Berly came to Amara and offered to join him. "We just need one more," Amelia said. She introduced her friend Tanya, a renowned ice mage known as the Ice Queen.

Tanya looked at Amara with a cold stare. "Are you sure you want him on our team?" she asked Amelia. "He's an orphan with low mana. He'll only drag us down."

Amelia frowned. "Don't be rude, Tanya. Amara is a talented enchanter and sword fighter. He's more than capable of handling a D-rank mission."

Berly nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Amara is cool. He taught me some neat tricks with the blade. And he's always eager to learn new things."

Amara smiled weakly, grateful for his friends' support. He hoped he could live up to their expectations.

With their group of four complete, they went to the mission room to get their assignment - goblin extermination in the village of Weston, just outside the capital. The journey would take a full day, so they planned to leave early the next morning.

That night, Amara tossed and turned, anxious that he would be useless on a mission with such powerful companions. Amelia was a skilled lightning mage, Berly had incredible strength, and Tanya's icy spells were formidable. Compared to them, what could Amara contribute?

He tried to calm himself by reviewing his notes on rune magic and enchanting. He had spent the past week working on his latest project - a set of armor enhanced with fortifying runes that increased the wearer's endurance and toughness. He had learned a lot from the school blacksmith, Wilhelm, who had kindly lent him the equipment and taught him some of his techniques.

Amara hoped his enchanted armor would prove useful on the mission. He also hoped he could find a way to improve his combat magic. He knew he had potential, but he lacked power and versatility.

He closed his eyes and prayed for a good night's sleep.

Morning arrived, and the group gathered their supplies and headed out. As they journeyed, Amara kept quiet, deep in thought. If only he had more combat magic! But he would not give up so easily.

He decided to ask Amelia for some advice. She was always friendly and helpful, unlike Tanya who barely spoke to him.

"Hey, Amelia," he said as they walked along the road. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what is it?" Amelia replied with a smile.

"I was wondering if you could teach me some of your lightning spells," Amara said. "You're amazing at them."

Amelia blushed slightly. "Oh, thank you. But I don't think I'm that good. I still have a lot to learn."

"You're being modest," Amara said. "You're one of the best mages in our class."

Amelia chuckled. "Well, thank you again. But I don't think I can teach you much. Lightning magic is very difficult to control and requires a lot of mana."

"I know," Amara said. "But I want to try anyway. Maybe I can learn something from you."

Amelia looked at him with admiration. "You're very brave, Amara. And very persistent."

She nodded and agreed to teach him some basic lightning spells during their breaks.