Pain throbbed through my left shoulder like a raging wildfire, each pulse reminding me of the power behind that damned vine.

My arm was useless, hanging limply at my side, and I gritted my teeth, trying to keep my focus.

A single hit.

A single attack from a creature lurking in a Danger Zone, and I was already in this condition.

I exhaled sharply, forcing myself to ignore the pain.

Not even the mages who had tried to assassinate me in Crimson Berry Town had managed to do this much damage to me.

“Even Elenora’s group, trained and experienced as they were, had failed to push me this far.”

Yet here I was, injured by a wild magical creature that had no strategy or tactics, just sheer raw strength.

This was a reminder.

Danger zones weren’t just called dangerous for no reason.

Even for a mage like me, even for someone with combat experience, stepping into one unprepared was a death sentence.

I clenched my right fist, feeling the power thrumming inside of me.

I didn’t have the luxury of underestimating anything in this place.

If I kept treating this fight as a simple monster encounter, I was going to die.

I inhaled deeply, forcing the pain to the back of my mind, and lifted my good arm.

My magical energy surged forward, crackling with violent intensity as I prepared another energy bolt.

But this time, I wasn’t going to make the same mistake.

Raw force wasn’t enough.

I needed fire.

I gritted my teeth and concentrated, reaching out not just for my usual magic but for elemental particles around me.

I had never cast a proper fire spell, but magic was flexible; it could be altered, tweaked, even forced into something new.

I visualized the energy inside of me, focusing on heat, on ignition, on flames consuming everything in their path.

It wouldn’t be a true fire spell, but if I could mix even a fraction of fire elemental energy into my Energy Bolt, it would be enough to burn.

A spark flickered within the crackling sphere of energy in my palm.

It worked.

The normally pure white-blue glow of my Energy Bolt began shifting; streaks of orange and red flickered within it.

The heat radiating from my attack grew, and I smirked.

“It’s not perfect, but it’s enough.”

The Deadtree Walker, oblivious to my plan, let out a deep, hollow groan, the cracks along its wooden body widening.

It could sense the increase in power, but it was too slow, too mindless to react in time.

I extended my right arm, locking onto my target.

“Burn.”

The Energy Bolt, now infused with fire elemental particles, shoots from my hands.

The moment it struck the Deadtree Walker, the reaction was immediate.

“BOOM!”

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

A fiery explosion engulfed the creature, black smoke and embers bursting outward as flames devoured its bark-covered body.

The creature let out a deep, guttural screech, its wooden form cracking and splitting apart as the fire ate away at its core.

I took a step back, watching, waiting.

The regeneration was failing.

Without its ability to constantly heal, the Deadtree Walker stood no chance.

The flames spread rapidly, climbing up its towering body until every inch of it was covered in raging fire.

Its groans grew weaker, limbs twitching as it staggered, the once-mighty magical beast now reduced to a burning husk.

With a final, agonized howl, the Deadtree Walker collapsed.

Its massive body hit the ground, sending up a cloud of ash and embers.

The fire continued to burn, consuming what remained of the creature until all that was left was a pile of smoldering wood and charred vines.

I let out a breath I didn’t realize I had been holding.

It was over.

I won.

But as I stood there, staring at the remains, I couldn’t shake one thought.

I barely survived this.

I glanced at my left arm, still limp, still useless.

My entire body ached, my magical energy was running low, and the weight of exhaustion pressed down on me.

Sacril, come to my side.

His eyes clearly showed concern for my health.

I gave a weak chuckle.

“Yeah, yeah… I know. That was reckless.”

I placed a hand on his fur, using him for support as I steadied myself.

I was still too weak.

If I had faced two of these creatures instead of one… I wouldn’t be standing here.

If I had been attacked by a stronger beast or an actual powerful mage,

I wouldn’t have had the luxury of figuring things out mid-battle.

I needed real fire spells.

I needed more control.

The Energy Bolt infused with fire elemental particles had worked.

That was great to know.

“It seems like creating spells is not that hard as long as I work for it...”

“The fundamentals are really important.”

Maybe it wasn’t a true fire spell, but my imagination had been enough to mold my magic into something new, something that could counter the creature’s overwhelming defense.

That realization made me smile.

I created something.

The Deadtree Walker, despite its name, was not a creature that looked like death to me, but now it was dead.

For real this time.

Not just a cursed, half-living husk… but truly and completely gone.

I exhaled, rolling my right shoulder as I finally allowed my tense body to relax.

My left shoulder still throbbed, but I ignored the pain for now.

I knelt down, running my fingers over the charred remains of the creature.

Even after death, some pieces of its body still pulsed faintly with residual magical energy.

I picked up one of the larger blackened branches, inspecting it.

I know this item; I saw it in the books.

"Deadtree Branch."

An alchemy ingredient, a useful one at that.

I had read about it before.

Alchemists and potion-makers often used dead tree branches in their mixtures, particularly for potions that enhanced stamina and magical defense.

It was rare in regular markets since Deadtree Walkers only lived in Danger Zones like this one, which meant most alchemists had to buy them at a high price from hunters and mages.

I glanced around at the other remains, quickly spotting a few more branches that had survived the fire.

If I could gather enough of these, I could sell them in the next town and make a good amount of gold.

And I needed the money.

I had been running low ever since Crimson Berry Town; buying spells, supplies, and surviving all the nonsense thrown at me had drained my funds fast.

I hated worrying about money, but in the end, even a mage needed coin to survive.

I started picking up the usable dead tree branches, stuffing them into my bag while Sacril sat patiently beside me.

My mind drifted back to the battle as I worked.

I had come close to losing that fight.

If I hadn’t adapted, if I had kept throwing basic energy bolts, I might have died right here in this cursed forest.

The difference between survival and death had been my ability to modify my magic on the spot.

That meant something.

I tightened my grip on my bag, determination filling my chest.

I need to develop more spells.

If I could create a fire-infused energy bolt, then there had to be other ways to shape my magic.

Maybe I could develop an ice-based modification or a more destructive piercing variation.

Or even different types of attacking capabilities; my battle power would increase many times despite not increasing my magical level.

I had no teacher, no master to guide me.

That meant I had to experiment on my own.

“Let’s keep moving. This place isn’t safe, and I’d rather not deal with another one of those things.”