Rasip was momentarily stunned, and when he finally reacted, he felt a bit annoyed.
He, the boss of the small town of Cozwood, couldn't afford to lose face, could he?!
But as Rasip struggled, he felt a sharp crossbow bolt slice open a gash in his vulnerable neck.
Damn it! Is this guy for real?!
Rasip cursed inwardly.
The three lackeys who had been following Rasip were momentarily startled by Cyril's sudden display of strength.
However, they exchanged glances and swiftly surrounded Cyril.
What a joke! They were three strong individuals, and Cyril's only weapon was no longer a threat to them. Dealing with him was a piece of cake.
Cyril could see their blatantly arrogant expressions, and he raised an eyebrow ever so slightly, a hint of amusement glinting in his bright almond-shaped eyes.
After a month of rigorous meditation training, he had successfully raised his spiritual power to "15."
The system proudly claimed credit for this achievement, citing its diligent song-playing as a contributing factor.
With a spiritual power of "15," Cyril could now absorb elements and convert them into magic power.
Although his magic power was still meager, he had practiced enough to cast a simple "Binding Spell."
It was one of the spells he had learned from that old tapestry.
Cyril had a simple reason for practicing this spell. Instead of practicing the currently less powerful and offensive "Fireball Spell," the "Binding Spell" could at least buy him time to escape in dangerous situations.
Moreover, the "Binding Spell" was well-suited for the Misty Moon Forest, which was abundant in wood elements.
Cyril recalled the feeling of casting the "Binding Spell" in the Misty Moon Forest, successfully trapping a deer back then.
He exerted his scarce magic power, smoothly constructing the magic runes for the "Binding Spell" in the air.
The reason the "Binding Spell" was simple was because it had a small number of magic runes, only six in total.
Cyril guided the magic power with hand gestures, drawing the magic runes for the "Binding Spell" in the air until he finished with, "Bind swiftly!"
The three boys in front of him had originally looked down on Cyril's struggle, but they found themselves unable to move as he finished speaking.
They looked down and saw thin vines firmly entwining their feet.
This was... magic!!!
"Give up all the silver coins you have!"
Cyril looked at them, tilting his chin slightly to indicate, and a triumphant smile played on his handsome face as if saying, "Yes, I did this!"
The three boys were so scared that their faces turned pale. Trembling, they rummaged through their pockets, jacket pockets, trouser pockets, and even one of them took off his shoe and retrieved a silver coin.
"It's all here! I swear by the Goddess of Light!"
They said with bitter expressions.
Cyril looked disdainfully at the pile of copper coins that added up to maybe seven or eight silver coins, gesturing for them to leave.
The three boys didn't care about their leader, who was still threatened by crossbows and blinking crazily at them. They ran off as if they were being chased by monsters, their legs trembling.
Cyril withdrew his gaze and smelled a foul odor.
He looked at Rasip, who was trembling on the ground, and noticed that the small snake from his shirt pocket had also decided to join the commotion at some point.
It crawled slowly up his arm and wrapped itself around Rasip's thick neck.
This gang leader was now facing a double threat of sharp crossbow bolts and a venomous snake, and his face turned green and white— he had almost wet his pants.
Rasip regretted it deeply. If he had known Cyril was so bizarre now and even had connections to wizards, he wouldn't have dared to rob Cyril.
With the small snake around, Cyril intentionally shivered his hand and withdrew the crossbow.
"Acting on behalf of the Goddess of Light, upholding justice? Bullying the weak?"
He pretended to be innocent, tilting his head and stroking his chin with a playful tone.
At this moment, Rasip realized that Cyril was referring to their time at the church school when he had led the bullying against the younger, isolated Cyril.
Rasip's face turned pale, and he awkwardly muttered, "I'm sorry."
Cyril shook the crossbow in his hand, and the emerald-green snake also tightened its slender body around Rasip's neck.
"I'm really sorry! Please forgive me! By the Goddess of Light, I won't do such things to bully the weak again! I swear!"
Rasip couldn't bear it anymore; he felt like he couldn't breathe properly and almost shouted with all his might.
Cyril nodded satisfactorily and let the small snake crawl back onto his hand.
Trembling, Rasip got up from the ground and didn't even look at Cyril as he prepared to flee.
"Hold on."
Cyril suddenly spoke as he thought of something.
Rasip froze, but due to the intimidation from Cyril's recent use of magic, he stiffly turned his head.
"Similarly, leave behind the silver coins you have on you."
Cyril flashed a beautiful smile, his large almond-shaped eyes narrowing like crescent moons, making him look extremely charming.
However, in Rasip's eyes, this smile was nothing but the "smile of an evil sorcerer."
Trembling, he took out the silver coins and placed them on the ground, then, like his former henchmen, he ran as fast as he could.
Cyril watched the leader who had once bullied his original self run away in a state of panic and relief filled his heart.
He was just seeking revenge for his original self; what could be so bad about that?
"Well done, Gren!"
Cyril gently stroked the snake's head with his fingertip.
After more than a month of peaceful coexistence, Cyril found that this small snake was quite intelligent. It seemed to understand his words and could respond appropriately in a timely manner.
He had once tried to release it in the Misty Moon Forest, but the snake clearly showed reluctance.
So, Cyril ended up keeping it as a pet that required no food, water, or waste disposal. He even gave it a name, "Gren."
Cyril collected the belongings of the boys, totaling about 10 silver coins. He planned to donate them all to the donation box at the town's church tomorrow.
He also needed to improve his proficiency with spells quickly, aiming for instantaneous casting.
Cyril thought to himself that only these inexperienced town ruffians looking to take advantage of him would allow him the leisure to draw magic runes slowly. If he encountered real danger, he would have been done for.
Although the system praised Cyril's wizard talent highly, he felt that his progress was somewhat slow.
Furthermore, after releasing the Binding Spell, he felt like his entire body's magic power had been drained, leaving him with a sense of weakness in his spiritual power.
A wizard who could only cast one spell was no better than a crossbow that could shoot several arrows in a row.
So, in the days that followed, Cyril devoted more time to spell training. He began practicing the "Corrosion Spell," which had some attacking power.
With Cyril's current magic reserves, the spell had a limited range, but he mainly focused on improving the accuracy of his spellcasting. If he aimed right, it would have a good effect.
He found a "good partner" for practicing spells—the Devil's White Lotus Flower. In Cyril's eyes, its agile body made it an excellent live target.
As for whether this practice partner was willing or not, he temporarily put that question aside.
It was another overcast day with no sunlight.
The Misty Moon Forest appeared gloomy, seemingly validating its name. A thin layer of mist hung in the air.
Cyril, as usual, had the system on alert for any movements around him and began meditating.
Since he could use magic now, Cyril no longer meditated in the Glowgrass Field but chose a place with a high concentration of elements.
"Warning! There's a wild boar with long horns heading this way, about fifty meters ahead!"
Cyril had his eyes closed, but he heard the urgent voice of the system.
Fifty meters was the maximum range the system could monitor.
Cyril skillfully climbed up a large tree nearby, making it seem like a natural action that almost made one feel sorry for the tree.
After his spiritual power increased, Cyril's physical fitness had also improved.
Under the guidance of the system, he had learned how to climb trees to avoid danger. Although it wasn't as heroic, it was quite effective.
Thanks to Merlin, most four-legged creatures in the Misty Moon Forest couldn't climb trees, including this long-horned wild boar.
"Someone is chasing it from behind!"
As the long-horned wild boar came into Cyril's field of vision, the system reminded him again.
The boar had a hard, half-meter-long black horn on its forehead, which looked quite menacing.
Cyril noticed that the boar had several arrows sticking out of its black fur, which was now stained with dark red blood.
Its eyes seemed to have been blinded by a very powerful weapon, leaving behind two bloody black holes.
All of this indicated that it was a human's prey.
Cyril was marveling at the tenacity of the long-horned wild boar's life. Even though it was wounded like this, it could still run with determination.
However, in the next moment, he nearly vomited.
Because the long-horned wild boar, unable to see, was charging straight toward the tree where Cyril was.
If Cyril hadn't clung tightly to the tree trunk with all his strength, he would have been thrown off by the impact.
The boar was knocked somewhat senseless, and Cyril felt his head go numb from the collision.
He saw that the boar was about to give the poor tree trunk another blow and quickly mobilized his magic power, chanting the spell "Corrosive Arrow."
Cyril had memorized the magic runes for the Corrosion Spell by heart, and now he could guide the magic power to draw all the magic runes in just three seconds.
A mass of black liquid in the shape of an arrow splattered onto the boar's forehead, causing it to emit a tremendous roar and flip over on the ground.
The crowd that had caught up from behind reacted swiftly. A tall and burly man dressed in full riding gear swung a long sword forcefully, cutting at the spot where the wild boar's head connected to its body.
The long-horned wild boar slumped to the ground, and a large pool of blood with a heavy stench spread out.
Cyril wrinkled his delicate nose at the unpleasant smell. He had originally planned to come down after these people left. However, the man who had delivered the final blow to the wild boar glanced in Cyril's direction and locked eyes with him.
"Thanks for the help," he shouted towards Cyril up in the tree.
Cyril realized he had been exposed, so he decided to climb down from the tree. He moved gracefully, with long, slender limbs, and his actions appeared not only skillful but also pleasing to the eye.
Cyril carefully avoided the bloodstains of the long-horned boar and landed in a cleaner spot. Once he was on the ground, he looked at the man who was cleaning his sword.
"We are mercenaries hired by Count Abraham to hunt in the Misty Moon Forest. I'm Captain Joseph," the man named Joseph nodded towards Cyril, giving a brief introduction.
Joseph did not underestimate Cyril despite his youthful appearance. His sharp eyes scanned Cyril and noticed that his clothes were relatively clean. More importantly, the boy had no bloodstains or wounds on him, so Joseph's attitude became more friendly.
A teenager who could emerge unscathed from the Misty Moon Forest was not to be underestimated. If he was not mistaken, the decaying wound on the long-horned boar's forehead was the work of this young boy.
Joseph's eyes darkened, recognizing this kind of power...
"I'm Cyril Lawrence. I live in the town of Cozwood," Cyril replied, offering his name. He was actually feeling a bit awkward; socializing was not his strong suit.
"I'll be leaving now; please carry on!" Cyril added after a moment's thought.
Joseph, seeing the expression on the boy's face, burst into laughter. Then, to Cyril's surprise, he took out a purse from his waist and handed him five gold coins.
"This is your reward," Joseph said.
Cyril's eyes lit up. This man was quite generous. He hadn't expected to earn as much in a single act of kindness as he would from a month of collecting.
Cyril didn't refuse the offer; he reached out and accepted the coins. However, at that moment, an unexpected turn of events occurred.
The long-horned boar, which had seemingly lost all signs of life on the ground, suddenly staggered to its feet, as if it had returned from hell. A sinister black aura enveloped it.
Not only that, but a radius of twenty meters around the long-horned boar was shrouded in eerie black mist.
Cyril had an instinctual feeling that this resurrected long-horned boar was even more dangerous than before. He quickly dodged and ran forward.
Experienced Captain Joseph also reacted swiftly. He pulled out a brass-handled hand cannon from his waist and fired three bullets at the long-horned boar in rapid succession.
The bullets made a dull sound as they penetrated the flesh and blood of the long-horned boar, but it had no effect on its movements.
A hapless mercenary nearby had already been trampled by the monster, and the black mist, like bloodthirsty leeches, clung densely to the man.
"Ah!!! Ah—"
The mercenary let out a harrowing scream filled with immense pain, sending shivers down everyone's spine.
Joseph was drenched in cold sweat. He had used up all the bullets in his brass-handled hand cannon, but it had no effect.
He drew his longsword and stood in front of his comrades.
"May the Goddess of Light protect us!" Everyone present prayed silently.
All of this happened in just a few seconds. Cyril had already reached the edge of the circle, but he couldn't break through the black mist.
The mist seemed like a flowing wall, firmly blocking his way.
At the sight of this black mist, Cyril suddenly thought of the black patterns on the hunter's body before his death, and his heart sank.
"Corrosive Arrow!" Cyril attempted to use magic to create an opening in the black mist.
The spell worked, and a thick liquid splashed onto the black mist in front of him, causing it to disperse momentarily. It was enough for Cyril to break free.
However, the enraged long-horned boar had given up on other nearby targets and was charging straight at Cyril.
Its speed was unimaginable, and Cyril could feel its foul breath on the back of his head.
"Hurry..."
But he couldn't release a complete spell while running.
"Run faster! Even faster!" The system could only watch anxiously from the sidelines.
Cyril felt his legs go numb.
In the next moment, as if they had a telepathic connection, he rolled to the other side.
A skin-tearing sound, "Puchi—" echoed in the air, and Cyril felt liquid splatter on him. He raised his arm to protect his head and looked back to where the long-horned boar had stood helplessly, realizing that it had been torn apart.
Chunks of flesh, stained with blood, rolled onto the ground, and the black mist disappeared.
"Good afternoon, everyone," a cheerful male voice sounded, as if politely greeting visitors.