Surprise

"A 2nd Circle Magical Beast? Why?" Clarice asked him. She was very confused about why he wanted to hunt a 2nd Circle Magical Beast.

Compared to a 1st Circle Magical Beast, a 2nd Circle Magical Beast was a lot stronger. It was also more intelligent and could fight more efficiently. To find one, they would also need to head toward the Inner Forest, which was especially dangerous in the current situation.

Leo needed to hunt the Magical Beast to secure a 2nd Circle Beast Core. He would need it to break through to become a 2nd Star Mage. He would have just bought it at the Thousand Treasure Tower, but he didn't want to explain why he needed it to the people there. Since he wasn't a noble, they might ask him questions he wouldn't be able to answer.

"The reward is a lot greater, right? I think we can handle it. Maybe in a month, if we prepare ourselves enough, we can do it." He said.

Clarice thought about it. "Yes. In a month, 2nd Circle Magical Beasts might be showing up in the Outer Forest too. Then it will be a little safer to try hunting them. They also have a reward of 10000 Star coins, on top of the normal materials that go for 30-40000 Star coins. But who gets the Beast Core?"

"I will buy the Beast Core for 40000 Star coins. Is that fair?" He asked. When he was in the Thousand Treasure Tower, he saw a Beast Core for 70000 Star coins. Since he was also helping them hunt the beast, he hoped he could get it for cheaper.

Clarice nodded. Evelyn was also on board with the idea. "We can convince Tobias, but Lucas might not be coming with us," Evelyn said.

Leo nodded. "That's okay. We should be fine either way without him. I guess we can meet in a week to discuss more. How should I do that?"

Clarice looked around and saw an Inn. It was the same Inn that Leo normally went to before going to the forest.

"How about we meet there in a week? At around noon?" She suggested.

Leo saw the familiar inn and nodded. "Yes. That sounds great. I will see you then."

He left for his cottage. He was currently an Early-Stage 1st Star Mage, but he was confident that he could become a Peak-Stage 1st Star Mage by the end of the month if he concentrated.

The next day, he left for the marketplace. He was going there to meet Trevor. It hadn't been even a week since he had last seen him, but he was still excited to see him. In those few days, he felt like he had changed a decent amount.

When he got there, he saw Trevor stacking up the potions at the counter. Leo felt incredibly dumb for never trying to see what Trevor sold even though he had worked for him for 3 months.

He walked up to Trevor. Trevor was busy stacking the potions that he didn't bother looking up at his customer. He just asked what he wanted.

"Hello, what can I get you." He said without realizing it was Leo. He was turned away from Leo too.

Seeing this, Leo mustered up a deep voice and said, "What would you recommend?"

Trevor heard this and got confused. The voice that Leo used was very weird because his young age made it hard to have a deep voice. Also, people who bought potions knew what they wanted. They would never ask for a recommendation. Trevor turned around to see who the customer was while listing out the potions he sold.

"Well, I guess you can try the Power Poti- Leo!" Trevor turned to see Leo grinning.

"Hello, Trevor." Leo waved at him. "How are you doing?"

"I'm good. How about you?" Trevor replied. He sat down in his chair and leaned on the table.

"I am good," Leo replied.

"So, I thought I wasn't going to see you for a while. I don't think you need work, do you?" Trevor asked him. He thought that since Leo could handle Magical Beasts, he would stop coming to him.

"It's not work that I need. It's potions." He replied.

"Oh! I never told you about the wonders of the potions I sell. I am so sorry!" Trevor realized he never told Leo about potions.

"It's okay. I just realized their importance. So, what do you think I need?" Leo asked.

Trevor pointed to a transparent bottle with blue liquid.

"Low-Rank Healing Potions. 1000 each, but 900 for you. You just have to pour them on small cuts and this will heal them." Trevor said.

"I'll take them at full price," Leo said. "I owe you that much. What else?"

Trevor thought about it.

"The only potions I sell are these and the Power Potion. The Power Potion is a little more expensive. It costs 5000 Star coins, and it gives you a short burst of power. It enhances your aura for a burst of 2 hours, but after using it you can't use any aura for 12 hours. It's a last resort." He said.

Leo thought for a second. "I will take 5 healing potions. I'll sleep on the Power Potion. Thanks for telling me though." He handed Trevor a note.

Trevor packed the potions and handed them to him.

"Be careful. I heard the forest is getting dangerous. Don't go in too deep." He said.

Leo nodded. "I won't."

When he got back to the house to drop the potions, he was met by Daphne. He had barely seen her ever since he gave her the Aura Training Method. Compared to how she normally was, she looked a lot more energetic and happy.

"I have something to tell you," Daphne said.

"Hello to you, Daphne," Leo responded.

"Guess what happened?" Daphne asked Leo.

Leo thought about it. What would make Daphne look this happy? It hit him immediately. Daphne saw that he realized and confirmed his theory.

"I did it! I became a 1st Circle Aura Knight!" She said.

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A/N: I would greatly appreciate comments about the story at any point. I would also appreciate reviews.

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