Kael stood poised at the woodland's edge, just east of the village, his senses fine-tuned to the pulsating mana that flowed from the forest. He sought the mana signature of the elusive beast, his breath held as each minute passed without success. With a determined shift in focus, he scanned the area for physical traces of the creature. It took him no more than a moment to discover a swath of splintered trees, their trunks bent and broken. A wolfish grin spread across his face, and with an eager spring in his step, Kael delved into the shadowy forest.

Guided by his keen senses, he navigated the lush foliage and reached the scene of the beast's rampage within minutes. There, he found himself in a small, sun-dappled clearing, a trail of decimated trees stretching like a jagged scar to the north. He tried once more to locate the beast using his mana sense, straining his senses to peer deeper into the dense, verdant foliage. Unsuccessful again, he contemplated a more effective method to locate the creature. Boar-type mana beasts were known to be easily provoked, but how could he provoke something whose whereabouts remained shrouded in mystery?

His thoughts turned to calling out to it. Could there be a way to magically amplify his voice? After all, sound was merely vibrations, and he had been steadily improving his control over the air. Perhaps he could harness wind magic to project his voice far beyond its natural reach?

Gathering a swirling vortex of mana around him, Kael inhaled deeply and bellowed at the top of his lungs. Simultaneously, he attempted to project the vibrations of his shout as far as possible using the air. Moments later, a guttural roar reverberated from the dark recesses of the woods. He had found his quarry.

Kael's ears were greeted by the cacophony of snapping branches and splintering wood as massive trees were violently uprooted and hurled to the forest floor. It sounded as if the beast would reach him within a minute or two. How considerate of it to spare him the trouble. Kael spent the next minute channeling his aura to warm up his body and mana circuits. Once he finished, he assumed a combat-ready stance, his spear glinting menacingly as it pointed towards the direction of the approaching boar.

As it drew nearer, Kael seized control of the mana a few meters in front of the clearing's treeline, compressing the mana into a denser form. The beast was close. It burst through the trees, its colossal tusks parting the underbrush like the prow of a ship through water. A massive boar, standing five meters tall, its thick brown hide glistening with moisture from the forest. Its eyes burned with a sinister red glow, and foam frothed from its maw just below its two gargantuan tusks.

The instant Kael's eyes met the beast, he unleashed an explosion at the point where he had been amassing mana. Accompanied by a deafening boom and a brilliant flash of light, the giant boar veered off course and skidded to a halt on its side. As his heart pounded with exhilaration, Kael prepared to pounce on the downed beast before it could recover, but a shrill scream to his right halted him in his tracks.

He glanced towards the source of the scream and discovered a small group of children. His stomach plummeted when he saw them. Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one distracted by the scream. Amid the chaos, the beast had regained its footing and now targeted the children. Out of the corner of his eye, Kael caught sight of the boar initiating its charge towards them.

"NO!" Kael bellowed, panic surging through him. He spun towards the children, his voice cracking with urgency, "RUN! Get out of here quickly!" As he sprinted towards them, desperation lending him speed, the children heeded his warning and began to flee. The boar's massive form accelerated, and Kael unleashed another explosion directly in its path. This time, however, the effect was diminished. The boar halted momentarily but didn't lose its balance. With a snort, it instantly recovered and resumed its deadly charge.

Dread flooded Kael as one of the children tripped over a gnarled root, their small frame flailing to regain footing. Panicking, Kael thought rapidly, taking the only action he believed would close the distance in time. He readied his spear and cast a spell to reduce the friction on his body before detonating an explosion directly behind him.

Thanks to Kael channeling his aura to reinforce his body's exterior, he sustained no damage and felt no pain from the blast. However, he was momentarily disoriented by the sudden burst of speed. A mere moment after the explosion, he found himself gazing at his spear impaled in the boar's side. His muscles strained under the abrupt stress, and the force of slamming into the boar sent it toppling over.

The beast unleashed a ferocious roar, its fury palpable. Kael swiftly retrieved his spear from the beast’s hide, wrenching it free with a strenuous pull. Once armed, he scrambled towards the child, determined to shield them from the raging creature. As he drew closer, he recognized the youth. The child was the leader of the group that had taunted him earlier. He didn’t have time to think about the irony however.

Kael reached the child and swiftly spun around as the beast heaved itself up once more. Without tearing his eyes from the monstrous foe, he barked instructions at the kid. “Go! Get out of here! I’ll distract it and take care of the beast. Just go to the village as fast as you can!”

The boar charged towards them again, its deadly tusks gleaming. Kael deftly manipulated the mana between them and raised a small line of earth, creating a short makeshift wall just in front of the boar’s thundering hooves. The barrier did its job, tripping the boar and sending its snout crashing into the ground. As it tumbled, Kael intensified the gravity on the beast to further impede its movement.

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With a grunting struggle, the beast managed to rise. Kael sprinted towards it, channeling his aura into his legs and spear to prepare for an assault on the slowed behemoth. However, as he began to channel, his grasp on the gravity magic slipped, and the boar was freed from its burden. Kael cursed under his breath, quickly checking with his mana sense to ensure the child had escaped before leaping to the side to evade the now full-speed charge.

Deprived of magical advantages, Kael realized he couldn't confront the behemoth directly. He darted into the trees, away from the clearing, glancing back to ensure the boar pursued him. Whenever the boar lunged forward, Kael stymied its momentum with a swift explosion, preventing the creature from gaining speed or toppling trees.

Upon finding a suitable location, Kael channeled his aura into his legs and leaped onto a tree. When the beast neared, he propelled himself off the trunk, hurtling towards it. Just before impact, he funneled a burst of aura into his spear. By not continuously sending aura to the weapon, he conserved aura he could use to bolster his legs even more.

With each strike, Kael nimbly sprang from one tree to another, keeping the boar at bay with explosions when it tried to knock down trees or accelerate. He maintained this dance of death, gradually weakening the beast without directly engaging it. After inflicting over thirty stab wounds, he perched himself on a branch close to a tree trunk.

The creature should have been faltering from blood loss, yet it seemed as energized as ever. Kael scrutinized the beast with his sight and mana sense, his face draining of color at the revelation. More than half the wounds had vanished, as if they never existed.

Was the beast regenerating? Could it be a variant? Mana beasts rarely acquired additional abilities upon evolving. Naturally, Kael's rotten luck had led him to one now.

Uncertain, Kael recognized the village was at risk if he didn't eliminate the beast. He would have to target a vital point and channel all his power into a single, devastating blow. He didn’t know if he would be able to accomplish such a feat, but he didn’t have a choice. He would have to risk it.

Kael ricocheted between trees, putting distance between himself and the boar. The beast followed in hot pursuit. As it reached top speed, Kael rebounded off a tree trunk, aiming his spear for the creature's right eye. Just before impact, he unleashed an explosive torrent of aura through the spear's tip, hoping to finish the monster. Regrettably for Kael, the beast instinctively protected its eyes. With a rapid jerk of its head, the spear struck the monster's forehead instead.

Despite channeling all his aura into the assault, Kael's spear failed to pierce the dense bone shielding the beast's skull. The aura's impact propelled Kael away, and the creature seized the opportunity to swipe at him with its enormous tusk. The beast’s attack connected, and Kael hurtled through the air, collided with a tree, and plummeted to the earth in a crumpled heap. Gasping for breath and wracked with pain, he struggled to stand, but his limbs buckled under his weight.

Battle-worn and aura-drained, his concentration shattered, Kael couldn't even contemplate using magic. He could only watch helplessly as the boar lunged towards him, eager to deliver the coup de grâce. Unlike his previous life, Kael was not ready to accept the embrace of death. He desperately struggled as his sense of dread increased, but he couldn’t get his body to move. The beast neared, raising its hoof to crush Kael beneath it, but the fatal stomp never came.

Instead, the hoof seemed to rise even higher, and Kael realized the boar was levitating. Transfixed, he gawked at the bizarre spectacle. A shrill voice chided him from behind.

"Honestly, I figured you'd make a mistake and I should keep an eye on you, but to think you were going to get yourself killed," Beth reprimanded.

The boar thrashed in midair, squealing in its futile attempt to escape the unseen force suspending it. Suddenly, blue flames engulfed the colossal creature, forming a perfect sphere around it. The fire roared and swirled, never straying from the invisible barrier containing it. After thirty seconds, the flames vanished, leaving no trace of the beast behind.

Kael strained to face his mentor, his mouth agape, speechless.

"How long am I going to have to clean up your messes? I swear, the youth these days. Well, let's get you healed up and back to the clinic. The chores aren't going to do themselves."

Kael grappled with a mix of frustration at needing rescue and relief at having someone as dependable as Beth in his corner. He couldn't help but be awestruck by her magical prowess. While his own efforts failed to make a dent in the beast, Beth had rendered it powerless and vaporized it with minimal exertion. The terrifying display served as a benchmark for the heights he needed to reach.

As the elderly mage attended to his most critical injuries, Kael strained to speak.

"Did you know that I would fail? Is that why you're here?" He rasped.

Beth clicked her tongue before responding. "As much as I love to watch you struggle and suffer, no. This was not expected. I did not think that the beast would be a variant."

Kael felt a surge of relief at her answer. Being sent on a doomed mission was a bitter pill to swallow. Still, he couldn't help but wonder what had brought her here if it hadn't been planned, and voiced his curiosity.

"If not... then why are you here?"

Beth let out a soft chuckle before replying, "I had a feeling. A bit of worry started to grow in me. I'm not usually one to worry, so I figured something was wrong. Then that little rascal found me when I was approaching the forest and begged me to save you. Now hush, you need to focus on recovering. I'll make you pay for every chore I have to do in your absence."

Despite the pain, Kael couldn't help but smile at her words. She had come because she was worried about him. He supposed that they had grown quite close in the short time they'd spent together, providing each other with the means to let go of the past and move forward. As Beth continued to heal him, Kael decided to rest his eyes and soon drifted into a pleasant dream about hunting wild boars.