Difficulty

Julian spent the next two days camping around the shores of the river, collecting herbs for dinner and other purposes. The mana in this area was abundant, and he found many useful plants. Most importantly, he successfully managed to kill four more scouting shadow wolves, bringing his kill count to five. After using his devouring flames ability, he gained 2 points of vitality.

Julian decided to move on, as no more wolves were appearing, indicating that their leader was aware of the scouts' disappearance. His training was progressing smoothly; he managed to fly for around 30 minutes before getting tired. With increased mastery, his technique became a proper spell—"Jet Flame." However, there was a major problem with this spell: it drained his stamina too quickly and made a lot of noise. No matter how he tried, he couldn't make it quieter. 

He didn't worry about a lack of mana, as his mana rotation provided enough for continuous use of flame bullets and Phoenix Robe. However, his progress in mana control was slowing down. He had used most of the methods he knew to improve, but he needed techniques used by professionals. Phoenix Robe was an amazing spell that completely healed his injuries, but it took a lot of mana and stamina, making it unusable during battle until he perfected his mana rotation.

As Julian walked towards a rocky area, his instincts warned him about something. He responded too late and received a claw mark on his leg, crying out in pain from the burning sensation. The mark was deep and would take a few hours to heal. Focusing on his attacker, Julian cursed his bad luck. He was facing a flaming leopard—creature with the power of fire and rapid attacks, covered in red fur instead of the typical yellow with black patches.

The leopard eyed him as if he were prey. Julian wondered if he had trespassed into its hunting territory, but the leopard gave him no time to think. It formed claws of flame and charged at him. Julian dodged easily with his new movement technique and punched the leopard on its spine. He moved away quickly as it was already charging a fire breath at him. Immune to his fire attacks, Julian had to rely on melee combat.

He sped towards the leopard and prepared a kick, which connected but didn't unbalance the creature. The fight continued for 20 minutes, with the leopard gradually tiring. When it opened its mouth wide and jumped at him, Julian made an uppercut with a blast of flames, sending it into the air. Using Jet Flame, he leaped towards the beast and slammed it to the ground with full force. He didn't stop there; flames emerged from his hands as he repeatedly punched its head. After several powerful blows, he finally killed the leopard.

Julian looked around and saw that the entire area was scorched. He bore numerous claw marks, and his shirt was almost torn to pieces. He used Jet Flame to fly to the top of the tallest tree, using devouring flames to absorb the leopard's energy before leaving the area. His fight had created a lot of noise, and he couldn't afford to encounter more predators. By the time all his wounds had healed, it was already evening. He hunted for dinner and decided to rest for the day.

The next morning, a sense of urgency filled Julian. He had only two days left to kill five more shadow wolves, which meant he had to venture into the inner area. During his fight with the leopard, he had gained inspiration for a new spell—the flame claws. These would be useful for adding power to his punches and increasing his speed on the ground. Julian continued searching for traces of shadow wolves while practicing his flame claws.

After an entire day of searching, he finally found a shadow wolf and tracked it to its lair. The pack had an alpha and five underlings. Julian didn't approach them directly, knowing they would sense him. Instead, he observed from afar and marked the area. He didn't have enough power to face them all, especially the alpha, without disturbances.

Forming the flaming claws proved harder than he estimated. He could shape them, but maintaining sharpness required a lot of concentration. The claws needed to fit his attack patterns properly. Julian devised a plan for the next day's assault. The pack's main hunting time was from afternoon to night, and they slept most of the morning. Attacking at night was suicidal, so Julian prepared a trap.

He had a keen interest in the flora and fauna of this world, so he had researched poisonous plants. He collected these plants during his travels. All night, Julian prepared traps for his hunt. The next morning, when the pack was asleep, he entered the lair's entrance and burned the poisonous plants. He used vines and wood to block the airflow from inside. The plants were lethal when burned, although harmless when raw—a fact he remembered from the village hunters' warnings. Julian retreated a small distance and waited for his chance.

Before his assault, he checked his gains from the past few days:

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Body Points: 50

Mana Points: 90

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The practice of mana rotation and the devouring spell had their benefits. Julian realized he needed to learn how to mask his mana; otherwise, he would be easily detected anywhere.

As he watched the pack, Julian steeled himself for the upcoming battle. He knew the next 48 hours would be crucial, not only for his mission but also for his survival and growth as a mage.