Magic.

BANG!!!

Alex was shaping the wood into a gun shape as he prepared to create small bullets.

This part wasn't difficult; just imagining the components of guns helped him to create something similar. The challenging part was making it work and appear like a real gun.

"I am forging it like a toy gun; I just want it to be able to shoot things, that's all. I hope I succeed on the first try, man. It will be such a pain if I have to do this again," Alex muttered, wiping his hands as he examined his creation.

It was a hollow piece of wood shaped like a gun.

Alex glanced at the components of a gun laid out before him: Frame, Barrel, Slide or Bolt, Firing Mechanism, Magazine, Sights, Safety Mechanisms.

He assembled the pieces and retrieved a rubber band.

"This cost me 30 Coins, so damn expensive," Alex mumbled as he inserted the rubber band, creating a toy gun.

Next, he took out a wooden ball, measuring three centimeters in diameter. It looked rather cute and swift.

"Let's see." Alex placed the ball inside the gun's barrel and aimed at an open window covered by wood next to his bed. With no access to glass, they could only use something like this in the summer, and it changed with every season.

Alex pulled the trigger.

BANG!!!

It fired—not too far away.

"YEEEESSS!!! DAMN!!! YES!!! THIS WORKED!!!" Alex exclaimed in relief. It had worked, and he hadn't wasted his time. This was significant to him, as it meant that he could prepare to create an actual gun in the future.

But before that, he needed to wash away his fatigue and rest.

Alex had spent about 8 hours making this gun.

He needed to rest.

Alex took a bath in their bathroom, essentially pouring water over his body while sitting in a barrel, then went to his bed to rest.

Even with these uncomfortable sheets, he fell asleep immediately and peacefully.

Next Day.

"Aghghhh!!!" Alex opened his eyes; he had had a really good rest. It was like he had never slept before, and only now had he managed to close his eyes.

BANG!!!

He opened the door and went outside.

"Good morning." Jannese was setting the tables and cooking food; she smiled and waved at Alex.

"Good morning, Mother. Where is Father?" Alex asked.

"Ray has gone outside with the Hunters to gather some food," Jannese replied.

"Oh..." Alex looked outside and blinked rapidly.

"I also need to hunt..." Alex was thinking about how to earn some coins. He was more than strong enough to do it now, but who would believe him when he said he hunted monsters at this age? If he returned with the things he killed, he would probably be seen as an abnormal being. These ancient-minded people would probably burn him at the stake just because of that.

Alex pondered this and shook his head; he didn't want to waste monsters like that, and he wanted to help out in this place. However, it seemed like he would need to leave behind the animals he killed.

Anyway, until he became big enough to be believable, it was best to keep a low profile about hunting monsters.

"Hm? Come on, Alex, you're still young; you don't need to be down about not being able to go out to hunt," Jannese encouraged, turning the meat over in the pan.

"Oh yeah, haha, of course. I am going to hunt every monster in this world!!!" Alex declared.

"Hahahaha, of course you will... of course..." Jannese's smile faded, and she continued cooking.

Alex ate his food and went out of the house.

Outside.

Everything was going the same as before: people were working, and everyone was assigned tasks they had been doing for a long time. Almost everyone here knew their job and understood their assignments.

Alex walked around, discovering a few places and people. He knew knowing where he was would help him in the long run if he couldn't escape from this forest.

"From what I have gathered, people here don't even know how the forest appeared around them. They don't have any information about what is outside and what can happen outside... extremely weird," Alex deduced from his research.

He grew tired and sat down on a little stool next to an old man.

"Hello." Alex greeted the old man.

"Oh, Alex, it's been a long time. You have grown a lot," the old man, who looked around 90 years old, looked up and smiled.

"Yes, indeed..." Alex replied, looking around.

The atmosphere grew awkward.

"Sooo... I have a question... old... man..." Alex hesitated, not knowing the old man's name.

"Tell me the question then," the old man replied with a smile.

"I was thinking of building an enormous tower to look out into the forest to try to find its exit. Do you know if anyone has ever done that, old man?" Alex asked, though he knew it was impossible with the current technology. Still, he had to try.

"Hm? I think I know of a legend that suggests someone did that deeper in the village," the old man replied, gesturing toward the side of the village they had returned from when they were at the Chief's building.

"Oho?" Alex raised an eyebrow.

"They indeed managed to create a tower extending up into the sky beyond the clouds. However, it collapsed immediately after someone went up," the old man explained.

"Why? Did something strike it?" Alex immediately thought about the magic in this world.

"No, it was just too unstable. The people who went up were saved, but they could only say a few things... and that was an enormous forest all around the village with no way out," the old man sighed.

"I see," Alex sighed as well, resting for a moment before standing up to leave.

"You have a strong magical talent, Alex... don't waste it," the old man said suddenly, leaving Alex stunned.

He stopped for a moment, looked back, and gazed at the old man, who was smiling. His eyes shone with a blue light, and his cane shook slightly.

Alex was completely shaken by what the old man had said.

"What... did you say?" Alex asked, shocked that the old man knew about magic. He had never felt anything from anyone here and had assumed nobody knew magic. But he was very wrong.

End Of Chapter.

Rank: 7/10