As Maximilian and Zeke sat inside the carriage, they were both lost in thought. They were on their way to a nearby forest, where Maximilian had received reports of goblin sightings from the adventurer's guild.

"Goblins have been sneaking into nearby villages to steal food," Maximilian explained. "And they've even tried to attack kids who were left alone. They're usually not brave enough to fight an adult man one on one, but they'll attack if they outnumber their target."

Zeke nodded, understanding the danger that goblins posed. He knew that they were vicious and cunning. His own experiences with hunting them had been one of his greatest failures to date.

"Goblins are only around 1.3 meters tall, but their muscles are stronger than their scrawny arms suggest," Maximilian continued. "Still, they're slightly weaker than a grown man who works in the fields all day. You just have to be careful and watch out for ambushes."

Zeke nodded again, feeling a mix of nervousness and determination. This would be his first real test after being adopted, and he was determined to prove himself. As the carriage rumbled along, Zeke began to wonder about Maximilian's experience in this field, "Do you have a lot of experience fighting monsters?"

Maximilian gave Zeke a complicated look. "I used to hunt a lot of monsters when I was a student," he said. "By the time I was a third year, I was already a silver-rank adventurer. But I haven't been on any guild missions since."

Zeke was confused. "Why not? The strong mages such as yourself should be fighting all the strong monsters, right?"

Maximilian looked saddened by Zeke's question. "Unfortunately, that’s not how it is. Most Mages aren't used for fighting monsters at all. They're used for something else."

"What’s that?" Zeke asked.

"War…" Maximilian replied, his voice heavy with emotion. "Mages are often used as weapons of war, fighting on the front lines and using their magic to turn the tide of battle. A single Mage is worth more than 1000 regular soldiers."

Zeke was stunned. Sure, he had known that Mages were deployed on the battlefield. But the way Maximilian talked about it painted a completely different picture than he had held in his heart. He had imagined Mages to swoop in and save the day. Not as indiscriminate killing machines that rained down fire and fury on helpless victims.

He couldn't imagine using his magic for something as destructive as that. Also, he was very confused by something else. "If mages don't fight strong monsters like Dragons and Titans, then who does?" he asked. Maximilian's expression grew even more saddened.

"Nobody has to fight them at all," he said. "Monsters like Dragons are not mindless beasts but have human-like intelligence. They have their own lives and don't just roam around killing weak humans as the lower monster species do."

Zeke was shocked by this revelation. "Then why are there so many stories about heroes slaying evil Dragons?" he asked.

Maximilian turned somber as he explained. "It's most often humans who go into the habitats of those monsters and kill them for their valuable body parts. It's a brutal and dangerous business and not something I condone. But there are always those who are willing to risk their lives for the promise of riches. And when a Father comes home and finds his nest plundered, his children and mate killed, what do you think the Dragon is going to do?"

“Revenge?” Zeke asked with growing unease.

“Got it in one,” Maximilian replied. “Don’t get me wrong, Dragons are no saints. They are probably the most arrogant creatures under the sun. But it’s exactly that arrogance that keeps them from attacking humans, they see us as far beneath them. No, they would much prefer we left them alone.”

Zeke was horrified by this news. He had always thought of monsters as mindless, rampaging creatures, but now he realized that they were much more complex than he had ever imagined. They both spent the rest of the ride in silence, lost in their own thoughts.

As the carriage arrived at the edge of the forest, Maximilian turned to Zeke and said, "It's time for you to go on."

Zeke was a little nervous at the prospect of going into the forest alone after what had happened the last time, but Maximilian reassured him.

"I'll stay hidden and follow you, but try not to count on my help if at all possible," he said. "This is your chance to prove yourself. Show me what you’ve got."

Zeke took a deep breath and entered the forest, feeling a mixture of determination and anxiety. The forest was quiet, and he had the eerie feeling that something was watching him.

"The goblins should be towards the center," Maximilian called out from somewhere behind him. "Keep your eyes and ears open, and be ready for anything."

Zeke took a deep breath and steeled himself for the task ahead. After walking through the forest for about half an hour, Zeke started to hear strange noises in the distance. He followed the sound, his staff at the ready, and soon saw three creatures that he recognized as goblins bent over a crate, eating something that looked like dried fish. They didn't seem to have noticed him at all, so he tried to sneak up on them, hoping to take them by surprise.

But as he approached, he felt a tingling sensation at his back. Instinctively, he dove forward and somehow managed to dodge the club that was swung at him from behind. He turned to see two more goblins, who had been hiding behind the trees. Again, the goblins had been trying to attack him from behind.

Zeke's heart raced. He had narrowly avoided the blow this time, but he knew that he had to act fast if he wanted to survive against this many opponents. They were already trying to surround him.

Using his [Blood manipulation], he increased the speed of his brain to keep track of his enemies' movements. At the same time, he increased the blood flow to his legs, using the increased strength to try to get out of the encircling attempt.

With a cry of determination, Zeke swung his staff at the closest goblin’s head. The green critter dodged easily, and the other four seized the opportunity to attack. He managed to dodge three strikes, but one of them managed to land a blow on his ribs with its club.

The blow hurt a little, but not as much as Zeke had expected. He realized that this was most likely thanks to his blood core making his body stronger and more resilient.

Zeke tried his best to hit the goblins, but he couldn't seem to land a single blow on any of them. They were fast and agile, and he struggled to keep up. He took several more hits from the goblins, including one to the head, but instead of being disheartened by the flow of battle, he found himself getting excited.

He soon realized that the goblins didn't have the means to do any real damage to him. Even when their attacks landed, his leather armor and helmet protected his vital areas. His ability to heal took care of the rest. This discovery helped Zeke calm down.

He stopped attacking mindlessly and instead focused on blocking and dodging. He was using this opportunity to analyze the goblins' fighting style for the first time. He was trying to figure out how they always managed to dodge.

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At first glance, they seemed disorganized. But as he continued to watch, he realized that there was always one of them that overextended its position on purpose. The smug bastard was clearly baiting him into attacking, before dodging out of the way at the last moment. It was a clever tactic that Zeke could only see through now that he was calm and focused.

Zeke decided to capitalize on his insight by faking an attack. He was hoping to catch them off guard by doing so. He pretended to lunge forward with his staff, causing the goblin to flinch back in an attempt to dodge. But instead of following through with the attack, Zeke changed his stance. The other goblins were already rushing in to capitalize on his failed attack.

They soon noticed what he was doing and tried to adjust their tactics, but it was too late. Zeke attacked from the flank, taking advantage of the fact that the goblins were blocking each other's way and couldn't advance or retreat effectively. He swung his staff upwards, catching one of the goblins beneath the chin with a blow that was so powerful, it snapped the goblin's head back with a sickening crunch. The goblin fell to the floor, lifeless.

Zeke was surprised by how the scene had played out. He tried to figure out how it could have occurred. He realized that just before hitting the goblin, he had subconsciously started to boost the strength in his arms instead of his legs. Never before had he been able to adjust his [Blood Manipulation] so smoothly. He hadn't even tried to use his magic in such a way, but in the heat of battle, his body and mind had been perfectly aligned, allowing him to unleash a weapon strike that he had not thought himself capable of.

Zeke stood there, staring at the dead goblin at his feet. He was still thinking about the course of events that had led to this outcome. Meanwhile, the other goblins simply stared up at him in shock. This gave Zeke a few precious seconds, But the moment one of the goblins started to move, Zeke knew that he had to act.

He braced himself for an attack. To his surprise, the goblins all turned as one and ran. He just stood there and gawked, as they disappeared into the forest. Zeke was confused. It was still a four-on-one fight, so why had the goblins run?

Zeke thought for a moment about what he should do. He could give chase and try to catch them, or he could return to Maximilian and report his success. In the end, he decided to give chase. He knew that it was important to eliminate all threats to the nearby villages, no matter how small they might seem. He would never forgive himself if one of those goblins ended up killing a child because he let it escape today.

Zeke found it easy to catch up to the fleeing goblins, thanks to the boosted speed from his [Blood manipulation]. He reached the first one in seconds. His short legs weren’t able to carry the critter very fast. Zeke passed him on the left side before planting his feet firmly on the ground and swinging his staff with all the strength he could muster.

The goblin couldn't react in time, and the momentum of its sprint combined with the kinetic force of Zeke's blow resulted in a devastating collision. The heavy iron ends of the staff proved to be harder than the goblin's head. With the sickening crunch of breaking bones, the goblin was launched backward and landed hard against a tree.

Zeke was stunned by the gruesome display. He stood there, rooted in place, staring at the body of the goblin. He had killed a living being, and he wasn't sure how he should feel about that. The last time he had been too focused to think about it. But this second time was different, he had hunted it down, and the small monster had no chance to even fight back. It had not felt like a fair fight and more like he was a predator hunting down defenseless prey.

Zeke watched the dead goblin for a while, as he thought about what Maximilian had told him earlier. He thought about how monsters had their own lives. Soon after, he heard someone approaching and turned around, his weapon at the ready. He lowered it when he saw who it was.

"How do you feel, after taking a life for the first time?" he asked in an ambiguous tone.

Zeke sighed and shook his head. "It's not the first time," he said. "But I think I mostly feel bad about destroying the goblin's life."

Maximilian stared at him for a moment before chuckling. "You don't need to feel too bad about that. Monsters only develop what is known as the ‘ego’ after a certain point. That goblin was little more than a mindless beast, acting on instinct alone. Don’t get fooled by how clever they seem. It had no concept of its own life or the value of others."

Zeke nodded, taking in this new information. He still wasn't sure how he felt about taking a life. At least he could take solace in the fact that he had been defending the nearby villages from harm. That thought brought him a small measure of comfort.

Zeke followed Maximilian in silence as they walked through the forest, his mind still racing with the events of the previous fight. After a while, they came across a small hill, and Maximilian began to climb it, motioning for Zeke to follow him.

When they reached the top, they were greeted with the sight of a tiny, shabby village filled with goblins. The huts seemed to be made of driftwood and stolen parts from a human village, and Zeke even saw one goblin who appeared to be living in an upside-down wheelbarrow. Zeke was wordlessly taking in the sight, until Maximilian spoke, waking him from his stupor.

"Do you know why some mages have middle names?" he asked.

Zeke looked at Maximilian with confusion in his eyes. "I thought that middle names were a tradition for nobles.”

Maximilian chuckled and shook his head. "Nope, that's not it at all. Middle names are only given to accomplished mages. It's a way of honoring their achievements and contributions to the magical community. Another name for them is Mage names."

Maximilian quickly scanned the village beneath them to make sure they had not yet been discovered. He then turned back to the young mage and spoke in a whisper.

"You must be careful about the reputation you earn as a mage, my boy,” he said in a serious voice. “I once knew a man, incredibly talented in both air and water magic. He had always dreamed of receiving the middle name 'Hurricane', and it seemed like the Mage Guild would grant it to him after a few more achievements. But then, it happened…”

“What happened?” Zeke asked. He had completely forgotten his depressed state, so invested was he in the story.

“One night at an important ball, he became too drunk. And I don’t mean, a little too drunk… I mean he was completely shitfaced. While relieving himself, he used his water magic to make the stream of piss circle him and forgot to stop it before returning to the party. He ended up spraying several of the most influential Mages with his urine. Do you know what they ended up calling him?"

Zeke looked at Maximilian with a quizzical expression. Maximilian gave a rueful shake of his head and sighed.

"They called him 'Urinecane'," he said with a hint of amusement in his voice. "And let me tell you, that is not a name you want to be known by in the mage community. A Mage name is often more important than the one you were born with. I don't even remember what that man's actual name is, everyone just calls him Urinecane."

Zeke's eyes widened in disgust at the thought of being known as the 'Urinecane'. He couldn't imagine the embarrassment and shame that the unfortunate Mage must have felt after such a public mishap.

Maximilian gave Zeke a serious look, his expression turning grave. "Remember, it is important to be careful what you are known for. Your reputation can make or break you, especially in the world of magic."

As he spoke, Maximilian stood up from their crouched position, immediately drawing the attention of the dozens of goblins below. He turned to Zeke and told him to keep in mind what he had said, before raising his palm towards the village.

"Pay close attention," he said, before uttering a single word, “[Eruption].”

Zeke couldn't wait to finally see his teacher’s magic. But to his surprise, nothing seemed to happen, causing the goblins to let out snickers and jeers. However, their laughter was short-lived as the earth began to shake beneath their feet.

Suddenly, the ground erupted, spewing fire and stone in every direction. The village was reduced to rubble in an instant, the screams of the goblins drowned out by the chaos. It was like the earth itself had stretched out its molten fingers to demand its tribute.

As the smoke cleared, a heavy silence settled over the area. Zeke stared in shock at the immense crater that had replaced the spot where the village had just been. Molten stones dripped to the ground here and there, bathing the area in an eerie, pale light. Zeke had learned that this substance was called magma, but he had never seen it before. He turned to Maximilian, his mind racing with the realization of the power this man possessed.

Zeke watched as Maximilian stood tall, his face a mask of calm, despite the destruction he had just caused. He remembered the full name Maximilian had given him days before: Maximilian Bombastus von Hohenheim. It was a name that demanded respect, one that spoke of power and influence.

As he gazed upon the old man, he was startled by what he found. For an instant, he was allowed to glimpse something behind the veil of agreeableness. He found a man who had seen and done things that most people could not imagine. He saw a veteran of war, A slayer of men, with nerves of steel and a heart as cold as ice. This was a man who could unleash unimaginable destruction with a flick of his finger, and yet stand tall and unshaken.

None of them spoke as Zeke followed Maximilian down the hill and back into the forest, still trying to process the events that had just unfolded. As they walked, Maximilian's demeanor shifted back to the kind, grandfatherly figure that Zeke was used to.

He turned to Zeke and said, "I think that’s enough for today."

Zeke nodded, still lost in thought, and followed Maximilian back through the forest, their journey home was filled with a contemplative silence on both sides.