Friend or Foe?

It would be best to try to sense all the arcane around me. Should I sit in a meditating position?

I don't know what manipulating arcane is really like and if it will have any repercussions on my sleeping teammates, so it's best that I practice it a little further. Maybe at the lone tree standing in the middle of the hill.

The tree was around a hundred metres from where my teammates were sleeping. With a distance like this, I can easily keep an eye on our camping spot. Since there are no other trees or bushes around this tree, any animal can be easily spotted.

Examining the tree carefully, I estimated it to be around sixty metres tall. Its branches and leaves created a massive canopy above my head.

I sat in a meditating position facing the edge of the hill. The moon was directly in front of me.

On first acquiring 'mana manipulation,' I was able to see what may have been arcane around me. But that feeling has long since gone.

I sat absolutely still and tried to sense everything around me. The breeze, the nightly chill, the stars' brightness, and the forest's sounds.

For what seemed like half an hour, these were the only things around me. Nothing was out of the ordinary.

Suddenly, a red dot appeared, and then blue, brown, yellow, white, and black dots soon began appearing all around me. Was this arcane? Why were all these dots different in colour? Did the colours represent anything in particular?

Extending my hand, I tried grabbing one of the glowing dots. Even though I could hold it, my skin couldn't feel it, just like air. This was a peculiar experience.

I moved the dots around for some time before finally settling down again.

For some reason, I could now feel something flowing inside my body. I don't know what it was, but it felt like channels were spread throughout my body, and water was constantly entering and exiting them.

What was this feeling? Was this arcane flowing inside my body? That would indeed make the most sense.

I tried to feel the flow of arcane inside my body.

It flowed everywhere. My head, chest, stomach, arms, fingers, legs, and toes. It was everywhere. I had never felt anything like this before.

Imagining a stream flowing to a single place, I tried concentrating arcane at the tip of the index finger of my right hand. Somehow, it worked.

I then tried to direct the flow of arcane to my middle finger; It worked. This felt amazing and refreshing.

I kept juggling the arcane between fingers and then on my toes. When arcane was concentrated in a part of my body, that part felt much stronger and sturdier.

Standing up, I faced the tree. Maybe this would be useful while fighting too.

I punched the tree with all my might. It resulted in nothing more than an aching hand. The tree didn't even shake.

I tried directing all my arcane to my fist. It was a lot harder than concentrating a little arcane on a finger. I punched the tree again.

Even though the tree still stood sturdy this time, my hand pained a lot less. This was amazing! Just thinking about the things I could do to increase my arcane made me excited.

I concentrated arcane on both my fists and then punched the tree a hundred times each. After completing that, I directed my arcane to both my legs and kicked the tree; a hundred times with each leg.

This felt absolutely amazing! The pain had decreased, and the force of my attacks increased. By the time I ended practising on the tree, it had acquired numerous scratches and dents.

But the feeling of moving arcane around my body was a little weird. Maybe it was just because I wasn't used to it yet.

I went back to where my teammates were sleeping and sat on the ground outside the hollow tree.

For the next two or three hours, I felt arcane around me and constantly directed the arcane inside me.

.

.

.

"So where to today?" asked Elizabeth as she returned after finishing her morning workout. Unsurprisingly, she was in peak physical condition.

"Let's go down the hill today," I replied, reclining on a tree.

"It's already morning. The kids haven't woken up yet," Elizabeth informed me as she reclined on a tree beside me.

"Let them rest for a few minutes more. Yesterday's trek must have worn them out a lot," I replied.

"Indeed," replied Elizabeth, staring blankly at the sky.

"So, why did you attack me at the docks that day?" I asked. It was a question that had irked me for a long time.

"Well, I saw a stranger ducking behind a crate, eavesdropping on my friend's conversation. So…" replied Elizabeth, gesturing her hand sideways as if she was stabbing something. Was it supposed to indicate that time when she stabbed me with the injection? Somehow it irritated me.

"How did you learn to move so quietly and swiftly?" I asked, trying my best to hide my irritation.

"Well... Let's just say that I do stuff related to moving silently for a living," she replied, smiling.

She was most probably a thief or an assassin back on Earth. Whatever I do, it would be my biggest mistake to trust her wholeheartedly.

"Having a chat, lovebirds?" exclaimed Ignis as she came out of the tree.

"Good morning, Ignis!" shouted Elizabeth as she waved her hand.

"Good morning, Eli!" shouted back Ignis.

Why were they even shouting? They were literally ten metres away from each other. I guess that's just how overenergetic people talk. An unintentional sigh left my body.

My head suddenly turned to my left. Two? No. More than five people were heading our way. They were walking and were currently around two hundred metres away from us. Were they friends or foes?

"We have got company. Go wake up Liam," I ordered, standing up.

Ignis rushed into the tent without any questions to wake up her brother. Elizabeth stood up and turned towards the sound of movement.

"Around five," said Elizabeth.

"Indeed," I replied.

"We don't know if they are our allies or enemies. What should we do?" she asked.

"Follow me from behind with the siblings. Don't expose yourselves until necessary," I replied as I walked towards the sound of footsteps.

Meeting alone was the best thing to do. Talking to a group is not the same as talking to a lone man; meeting alone with them would confirm if they were hostile or not.

I walked towards their sound. They were in the forest and thus were not visible to me, although their footsteps and the rustling of bushes were audible.

At the start of the tutorial, only Chung-Jin had a group this large. But, they could also be animals travelling in a pack.

I stopped twenty metres away from their sound. They were still not visible. It looked like most of them were hiding, just like my team.

After a minute or two, a creature walked toward me from amidst the trees. Although it looked like a human, it wasn't one.

It was around six feet tall, had long ears, a slim face, a sleek nose, long white hair, and tanned skin. It wore a black and green coat, under which was a shirt whose top was unbuttoned.

If my memory serves me correctly, creatures like him were called 'elves' on Earth, although I believed their existence to be nothing more than a myth until now.

"My name is Zelphar Paxina," said the elf, breaking the silence. I expected language to be a problem, but it doesn't seem so. Most probably, it's the Tower's effect.

I replied, "My name is Nox Mill."

The elf seemed somewhat relieved that I didn't show any signs of hostility.

"I came here because I saw a fire at night," he said.

'I'? Was it feigning that it was alone too?

It looks like we think alike.

"It was nothing. Just me cooking some animal meat for dinner," I replied.

"I see… If I may be so presumptuous, may I ask what species you are? You look like a human," he asked.

"I am a human, indeed. Are you an elf?" I asked.

"Indeed, I am one. I have never met one of your kind before. Nice to meet you," said the elf, slightly bowing its head.

"Likewise," I replied, slightly bowing my head too.

"May I ask from which planet you come from?" He asked. It looked like he was very curious about humans and other species.

"Earth. Which land do you originate from? " I asked.

"My home is the Great Elven Kingdom," he replied.

"Can you tell me how you were teleported to the Tower?" I asked.

"I don't know how to explain it. I was in my house when I got teleported here all of a sudden," he answered.

"I see. It was the same for me," I said.

A long silence followed our short conversation. The elf examined me, and I examined him. He had a lean, fit physique. He carried a sword and what looked like a small wooden sling.

"May I ask if it's normal for humans to hide?" He asked, gazing behind me. It looked like he had already found out that there were more of us.

"I could ask the same," I answered, slightly smiling.

All Zelphar did was smile, and after a few minutes, he opened his mouth, "I apologise for overstepping my boundaries. I came here to investigate the fire; it is done. I shall take my leave now," he said, bowing his head.

"Our conversation was pleasant," I answered, slightly bowing.

The elf walked back from where he had arrived.