As dawn broke the next day, Oliver awoke with thoughts of young Isabella swirling in his mind. When he opened his door, he was startled to find the large gate next door wide open, the yard in disarray, yet eerily empty.

Had something happened?

It couldn't be... there was no sign of blood.

After asking around, Oliver learned that the Alstan family had left in the dead of night.

Isabella’s wealthy aunt, a reclusive woman living in a distant town, had passed away, leaving behind a substantial inheritance. In response, the Alstans had moved to Glensorne City to secure Isabella's claim to the fortune.

The villagers buzzed with gossip, marveling at how fortunate little Isabella was, destined to become a noble lady.

When Oliver returned to his home, he found a small sack of rye bread tossed over the garden wall from next door—a parting gift from Isabella.

“Such a gesture…” he murmured, a pang of regret settling in his chest.

She had been so kind to him, offering help in ways he could never repay. But now she was gone before he had a chance to do the same.

If only their conversation the night before hadn't been interrupted by her father.

But perhaps, the noble lady Isabella wouldn’t miss that single silver coin?

Even so, Oliver felt deep down that this wasn’t the end. Glensorne City? He would visit it sooner or later.

One day, perhaps they would meet again there.

No, it wouldn’t be just perhaps.

Oliver was determined to become a powerful mage, to venture far beyond this world. Glensorne City was in his future—he would go there.

In the days that followed, Oliver threw himself into his hunting and selling routine. Instead of offloading his entire haul at once, he sold a few goats and deer every couple of days, taking a more measured approach.

His cautious strategy didn’t dampen his reputation; on the contrary, it only fueled the town's admiration for him. A sixteen-year-old orphan had become an exceptional hunter, surpassing even the most seasoned of veterans.

His newfound fame also caught the attention of the town's young women.

Though older villagers dismissed hunters as men with no future—doomed to meet their end in the woods—the younger girls saw something different.

With bow in hand and game at his feet, Oliver looked every bit the part of a successful hunter. Many hearts fluttered in his wake.

How could a teenage boy achieve what so many older hunters could not and not be admired?

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Yet, Oliver was indifferent to their affections. His focus remained unwavering: making money and gaining entry to the Magic Academy.

Venturing deeper into the forest, Oliver whistled, causing the ground to tremble.

His two massive pets, a tiger and a wild boar, bounded toward him like playful pups, eager to assist in the hunt.

Together, they'd already managed to bag a good deal of game, and he'd even come across a few magical plants like Moonflowers. But so far, nothing particularly valuable.

It wasn’t that Oliver hadn’t encountered powerful magical creatures; some, however, were far too dangerous for him to handle. Whenever he spotted them from a distance, he wisely retreated.

The forest, as it turned out, was far more perilous than he had imagined.

Just as Oliver thought to turn back, his large tiger sent him a mental alert: it had spotted a lone red slime!

The forest was still, the sunlight filtering through the leaves and casting dappled shadows on the forest floor. The tiger crouched in the underbrush, moving stealthily toward its prey. Its hulking form, usually so fearsome, blended perfectly with the surroundings.

The slime, glowing a fiery red, frolicked near the entrance of a cave, releasing a faint, warm heat.

Oliver's heart raced. Finally, a legendary magical creature!

Excitement surged as a stream of information appeared before him:

[Red Slime: A low-level magical creature with minimal intelligence, rich in fire magic.]

[Due to its limited mental capacity, this creature cannot be captured.]

Unable to capture it? Oliver felt a wave of disappointment. But even if he couldn’t trap it, he could still make a fortune by selling it!

With a good price, he could quickly gather enough coins for the Magic Academy!

Then, his real adventures would begin!

His tiger was indeed a lucky charm, bringing him good fortune.

The red slime, unaware of the impending danger, continued to play near the cave entrance, soaking up the ambient heat. Perhaps deeper within the cave, treasures awaited?

Once he catches it, he would explore further.

But catching it wouldn't be easy.

Though slimes were some of the weakest magical creatures, they still possessed unique traits. The one before him, for instance, would swell and become scalding hot if threatened.

A more advanced fire slime could even breathe flames.

This particular one might not spit fire, but if it released intense heat as it fled, blocking its escape would become tricky. He had to be prepared.

Oliver signaled to his tiger and boar to stay hidden and keep an eye on the slime while he rushed to a nearby stream, filling all the containers he had—flasks, water skins, anything he could find.

Once fully equipped, he returned to the cave’s vicinity. The slime was still there, oblivious.

He issued commands to his tiger and boar. With a fierce roar, the tiger lunged at the slime, blocking its escape path, while the boar charged from the left, forcing the slime to flee right.

And waiting on the right was Oliver!

As the slime neared, he hurled a flask of water at it.

Bang!

The bottle shattered, dousing the slime.

Instantly, the scalding slime let out a hiss of steam, shrinking in size as the heat dissipated.

Oliver threw a prepared cloth over it, quickly covering the creature.

Sizzle!

The hot slime burned a hole in his clothing, but he didn’t falter. He pressed on, determined to keep it contained.

As the slime struggled to escape, Oliver poured water from his water skin over it again.

This time, the slime began to calm down, but Oliver knew it wasn’t enough.

He scooped up the creature and sprinted toward the river.

The slime's heat burned against his chest, but he gritted his teeth and pushed through, racing to the water and plunging the creature beneath the surface.

Sizzle!

Steam billowed as the tiger and boar watched, their eyes wide with curiosity.

The process took several minutes, but finally, the heat began to dissipate.

When Oliver looked at the slime again, he saw it had lost much of its vitality. Its glow had dimmed, and it barely clung to life.

Oliver knew he'd succeeded.

"My first magical creature, caught successfully!"

A grin spread across his face.

With this, he finally had enough for the Magic Academy's tuition!

Excitement surged through him as he patted the tiger's head. "Well done! You played a crucial role this time!"

But this wasn’t the end.

The cave, still radiating heat, might hold even more treasures!