When Eiden woke up, the sky above the swamp was illuminated with a dawn of pink and golden colors blending together. He had rested for a long time and his body felt renewed.
He focused on the burning sensation in his body and looked at his arm. Where the Swamp Toad's tongue had touched, a red mark had formed and the pain was steadily increasing. His skin had begun to swell, with small red veins appearing and spreading outward from the point of contact.
"Selia's ointment!" he suddenly remembered. He quickly took out the vial the old woman had given him from his bag. A pleasant herbal scent emanated from the greenish ointment inside.
He poured a small amount of the ointment onto his fingertips and gently applied it to the wounded area. The ointment first gave a slight cooling sensation, then a deep relief. The redness around the wound began to visibly decrease.
"Wow," Eiden murmured. "This woman really knows her stuff."
A few minutes after applying the ointment, the swelling had completely subsided, and the red veins had disappeared. He could feel that the poison had stopped spreading in his body. Only a slight tingling remained, and even that was gradually diminishing.
Eiden carefully sealed the vial and put it back in his bag. "This ointment could be a lifesaver," he thought. "I should use it more carefully, who knows how many more times I'll need it."
He stretched and tested his arm. There was no pain or restriction. Selia's ointment formula was perfect—it not only neutralized the poison but also accelerated the healing of the wound.
Noticing his stomach growling with hunger, Eiden looked around. "I need to find some food first," he thought.
As he moved along the edge of the swamp, he scanned for edible plants with careful eyes. Soon he spotted bright red berries on several bushes. He approached cautiously and examined them.
[Danger risk: 3%]
"Surely nothing can happen from such a low risk?" he murmured, picking one and smelling it. Its sweet and slightly sour scent was familiar. He gathered several and popped one into his mouth for a test. The taste was sweet and invigorating, just as expected.
After satisfying his hunger, he remembered his plan from yesterday. "Now I'm ready for toad hunting," he murmured.
As he approached the swamp, he noticed more movement than he had seen yesterday. Bubbles appeared on the water's surface in the sunlight, and strange, muffled sounds came from afar. The Swamp Toads were active.
"I need to be better prepared this time," Eiden thought. Yesterday evening's encounter had taught him a lesson: These creatures were unexpectedly fast, and their poisonous tongues could create danger even from a distance.
He slowly moved toward the edge of the swamp. While carefully watching the water's surface, he noticed a Swamp Toad lying in ambush in the shallow water. Only the creature's eyes and nostrils were visible above the water, but Eiden now knew what to look for.
"There you are," he whispered. He joined his hands in front of him and began to concentrate. As mana flowed from his body to his palms, controlling the energy required more concentration than ever.
Ten seconds passed... twenty seconds... A crimson light began to concentrate between his palms. A Big Fire Bolt was forming, but it needed a bit more time to prepare.
At exactly the thirtieth second, a Big Fire Bolt three times the size of a normal Fire Bolt formed between his palms. The heat was so intense that Eiden's face began to sweat.
[-10 Mana]
He took a breath and hurled the Big Fire Bolt toward the Swamp Toad waiting in the water. The spell advanced through the air, glistening like a red comet, and struck its target.
There was a tremendous explosion. Water splashed in every direction, steam rose, and the creature let out a pain-filled scream. The Swamp Toad thrashed in the water, its skin blistering and burning. Within seconds, it became motionless.
A semi-transparent panel appeared before him again:
[Swamp Toad defeated!]
Items dropped: Toad Tongue (1), Swamp Toad Skin (1)
Bonus Objective Progress: 2/20 Lesser Swamp Toad
Bonus Bonus Objective Progress: 1/10
Eiden looked at the dropped items. "What use will these be to me?" he thought. Then he walked to another part of the swamp to look for more Swamp Toads.
Shortly after, he saw three Swamp Toads grouped together in a deeper part of the swamp. "This time it's going to be difficult," he muttered. "I can't face all of them at once."
He began to think of a strategy. "Maybe I can separate them one by one?" He looked around and noticed a tree stump among the tall grass a short distance away. "This could make a good cover."
He quietly moved behind the stump and joined his hands again. He started preparing another Big Fire Bolt. This time his concentration was better and the spell formed a bit faster. Still, it took 28 seconds for the spell to be ready, and Eiden spent 10 more mana.
He targeted the nearest Swamp Toad and launched the spell. The Big Fire Bolt hit the creature and instantly engulfed it in flames. The other two frogs suddenly became agitated, jumping around and making high-pitched sounds.
Eiden quickly changed position. He began preparing a second Big Fire Bolt, but this time he had drawn attention to himself. One of the frogs noticed him and leaped directly toward him.
"Damn it!" Eiden shouted. He had to abort the spell and roll to the side. The Swamp Toad's tongue struck exactly where he had been standing, dissolving the ground like acid.
Eiden quickly got to his feet and prepared a regular Fire Bolt for a faster option. He hurled the spell at the creature and hit it in the chest. The Swamp Toad staggered but didn't fall.
"These creatures are tougher than expected," he thought. He launched a second Fire Bolt, then a third one. The third spell finally brought down the Swamp Toad.
However, the third frog was now coming toward him too. Eiden was beginning to feel tired—the successive spells he had used were taking their toll.
"One more Big Fire Bolt," he decided. He joined his hands and began to concentrate. This time it was harder to maintain his concentration due to the approaching danger. He tried to prepare the spell without taking his eyes off the creature.
The Swamp Toad was approaching. Ten meters... five meters... The fireball in Eiden's palms hadn't yet reached its full size.
"A little more, just a little more," he murmured as sweat trickled down his forehead.
Just as the creature was about to jump on him, the Big Fire Bolt was ready. Eiden stepped to the side at the last moment and hurled the spell directly into the creature's face.
The explosion was so violent that it threw Eiden backward. When he hit the ground, he saw that the Swamp Toad was now lying motionless, with most of its body burned and scorched.
Three translucent panels appeared one after another, each announcing the defeat of a Swamp Toad. Eiden took a deep breath and leaned against a tree. He had now spent a total of 30 mana and his mana was decreasing. "I need to rest," he thought. "But I'm doing well."
A panel appeared before him:
Bonus Objective Progress: 5/20 Lesser Swamp Toad
Eiden got up from the ground and moved toward a safe place. "This spell is really effective, but it takes too long to prepare," he thought.
Suddenly an idea came to his mind. "Idiot!" he scolded himself. "Why don't I cast the spell at the center of all of them instead of targeting just one toad? That way I can hit them all at once!"
Eiden sat on a rock before venturing deeper into the swamp. Casting spells one after another had tired him. He had depleted his mana and now felt exhausted.
"I wish I could replenish my mana faster," he thought. "At this rate, I can only hunt a few groups of toads throughout the day."
He leaned his back against the rock and took a deep breath. Closing his eyes, he tried to feel the flow of energy in his body.
Eiden, with his eyes closed, began to visualize the world around him in his mind. He imagined the humid air of the swamp, the light beams trembling on the water, the gentle breeze passing through the plants. In his mind, he thought of himself as part of all these energies.
"I am also a part of this world," he murmured. "Then the energy of the world is also mine."
Inside, he began to imagine mana flowing toward him from the universe. In his mind, he visualized blue waves of energy rising from the air, earth, and water, entering his body. With each breath in, he felt this energy filling him, and with each breath out, he felt the weight in his body decreasing.
As time passed, Eiden found himself in a strange state of peace. His body was motionless, but his mind was alive. As he imagined the mana, it felt as if it was actually filling his body.
Five minutes, ten minutes... Eiden didn't know how much time had passed. But suddenly he felt a stirring inside. He opened his eyes and looked at his hands. There was a faint blue glow at his fingertips.
"What's this?" he whispered in amazement.
He brought his hands together in front of him and tried to control the mana inside. As before, he tried to sense how much mana he had.
"Incredible," he said, holding his breath. "Two mana points restored!"
Eiden jumped to his feet. He rubbed his hands together excitedly. "I can replenish mana just by closing my eyes and imagining the flow of mana!" he exclaimed to himself.
He sat back down on the rock and decided to try the same thing again, this time concentrating more consciously. He thought of mana flowing to him from the sky and the earth, drawing energy like a magnet.
He controlled his breathing: slow and deep. With each inhalation, he imagined mana filling him, and with each exhalation, he imagined the fatigue in his body leaving.
After a few minutes, he felt the same stirring again. When he opened his eyes, he saw his hands glowing again with a blue light. Another mana point had been restored!
"This is wonderful," Eiden said joyfully. "I can replenish my mana just by sitting and concentrating. This could be a game-changer for me."
Eiden decided to experiment more. He tried different positions and concentration techniques. Sometimes he sat cross-legged, sometimes he kept his back straight. He imagined mana coming from different places: from the sky, from the earth, from trees, even from the swamp itself.
As a result of his experiments, Eiden noticed something important: The deeper he concentrated, the faster his mana regenerated.
Eiden decided to practice this new discovery further. He found a quieter place among the trees, away from the swamp. He sat in a comfortable position and began to concentrate.
This time he tried to understand not just how mana was replenished, but how it worked. He observed how each mana point was formed, how the energy circulated in his body.
Within fifteen minutes, Eiden had replenished a total of five more mana points. "This really works," he said to himself with a smile. "Now I can use my mana more efficiently and hunt more Swamp Toads."
Eiden stood up and felt renewed. "I should practice this meditation method every day," he decided. "Who knows, maybe one day I can even increase my mana capacity."
Excited by his new discovery, Eiden was ready to return to the swamp. Now he felt stronger and more prepared. "I'll be more effective this time," he thought. "And most importantly, I now know how to renew my own power."
Soon he spotted five Swamp Toads gathered around a muddy pool. The creatures occasionally shot out their tongues to catch insects floating on the water.
"This is a perfect opportunity," thought Eiden, hiding behind a large rock, far enough from the toads. "I can hit them all at once."
He brought his hands together and took a deep breath. This time he would try something different from before. He began to shape the Big Fire Bolt between his palms, but this time his target wasn't a single Swamp Toad, but the center of the group.
"Concentrate... Focus..." he muttered to himself. His mind cleared, mana flowing from his body to his hands. During the time required for the spell to form, Eiden visualized the exact center of the pool, picturing with crystal clarity where the Big Fire Bolt would land.
Twenty-five seconds later, a red-orange ball of energy had formed between his palms. Squinting his eyes, he checked the group one last time – the toads were still there, unaware of the danger.
[-10 Mana]
"Now!" he shouted and launched the Big Fire Bolt. The spell flew through the air leaving a bright trail and struck the center of the toad group.
The explosion was tremendous. The water instantly vaporized, mud splattered in all directions, and the toads were thrown into the air. Where the swamp pool had been, there was now a small crater. Around it lay Swamp Toads, scattered on the ground, scorched and heavily damaged.
To Eiden's surprise, however, none of them had died completely. All five toads were severely injured, smoke rising from their skin, but they were still moving – some writhing in pain, some trying to escape.
"But now they're easy targets," he murmured.
He quickly changed position and this time began preparing normal Fire Bolts. He threw the first spell at the nearest toad.
When the Fire Bolt hit the creature, the Swamp Toad let out a pain-filled scream and went still.
Without wasting time, Eiden prepared a second Fire Bolt and threw it at another toad. When the spell hit the creature, already damaged by the Big Fire Bolt, the toad instantly collapsed.
Eiden continued working methodically. He threw the third, fourth, and finally fifth Fire Bolt, each one neutralizing a toad.
[Swamp Toad defeated!]
Items dropped: Toad Tongue (5), Toad Eye (5), Swamp Toad Skin (5)
Bonus Objective Progress: 10/20 Lesser Swamp Toad
When the last toad fell, Eiden took a deep breath and looked at the destruction around him. He stood in the middle of the crater, gathering his thoughts.
"This method is much more efficient," he said to himself with satisfaction.
This time, in addition to the standard Toad Tongue and Swamp Toad Skin, he had also obtained a Toad Eye. "I wonder what they're used for? I'm not going to mess with alchemy or anything, I'll sell them."
As he moved through the swamp, he repeated his new strategy to himself. "First find a group, cast a powerful spell in their midst, then finish them one by one."
Eiden looked around. He now knew the swamp better and understood the behavior of Swamp Toads. He had noticed that they generally gathered around puddles of water. "I need to find another group," he thought and began moving in a direction he hadn't explored before.
Eiden suddenly stopped. "Wait, this strategy isn't right," he said to himself. "The bonus objective in the quest required me to kill 10 Lesser Swamp Toads with Big Fire Bolt. So far I've only managed to kill one that way."
He actually needed to reverse his strategy. "I should weaken them first, then finish them off in one strike," he murmured.
After advancing a bit further into the swamp, he saw another group of Swamp Toads. This time there were six toads, around a muddy puddle.
"This time I'm changing my strategy," said Eiden. Again he hid behind a rock and began implementing his new plan.
First, he started preparing a normal Fire Bolt. His aim was not to kill them, just to weaken them.
The first Fire Bolt hit the leftmost toad. The creature jumped in pain but didn't die; its skin was burned, and its eyes looked cloudy.
The second spell hit the toad next to it. This toad also took heavy damage but was still alive.
Eiden continued methodically. He cast the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth Fire Bolts. Each targeted a toad, and all of them weakened the creatures but didn't kill them.
"Perfect," said Eiden with satisfaction. "Now they're all critically weakened. And now... the finishing blow!"
He joined his hands together and began shaping a Big Fire Bolt by controlling the flow of mana. This time his target was the very center of the already weakened group of toads.
During the twenty seconds needed for the spell to form, Eiden grew impatient. "Come on, come on," he muttered, as the energy ball in his hands slowly grew. In this moment, he realized how long time could feel. He was also worried that the toads might notice and flee.
"Now!" he shouted and cast the spell. The Big Fire Bolt flew through the air leaving a bright trail and hit right in the center of the toad group.
The explosion was even more impressive than before. All the toads were thrown into the air, but this time, since they were already weakened, the explosion instantly rendered them incapacitated.
[Swamp Toad defeated!] Items dropped: Toad Tongue (6), Toad Eye (6), Swamp Toad Skin (6), Monster Essence (lesser) (1)
Bonus Objective Progress: 16/20 Lesser Swamp Toad
Bonus Bonus Objective Progress: Big Fire Bolt Kills: 7/10
Eiden smiled in triumph. "That's it! Changing my strategy was a complete success." While collecting the dropped items, he noticed something new this time — Monster Essence.
"I need to collect as many of these as possible," he thought.
Looking at his bonus objective also increased his satisfaction. "I killed six more toads with Big Fire Bolt. Three more and the bonus objective will be complete."
He checked his energy and mana level. He decided to rest for a short while using the meditation technique. He sat under a large tree, closed his eyes, and focused on his breathing.
Ten minutes later, his mana level had significantly replenished. "This meditation technique is truly a lifesaver," he said to himself.
Eiden stood up again and continued advancing through the swamp. Now his eyes were searching for more groups of Swamp Toads.
As he advanced deeper into the swamp, he carefully scanned the surroundings to find his next target. Soon he saw another group of Swamp Toads — this time there were four, gathered around a half-submerged log.
"What luck to find exactly the number of creatures I need!"
This time he decided to be more cautious. He quietly circled around them through the thick grass to get a better angle. When he saw the toads clustered close together, he knew he had found the perfect position.
"Okay, first weaken, then mass kill," he reminded himself.
He gathered his hands in front of him and began preparing the first Fire Bolt. The spell took only a second to form. He skillfully cast it toward the toad on the left.
When the fireball hit the toad, the creature jumped with a painful squeal. Its skin was partially burned and it had difficulty moving, but it wasn't dead.
"First one done," Eiden murmured.
He prepared a second Fire Bolt and cast it toward one of the middle toads. This spell also hit its target and weakened the second toad. The creature stumbled, staggered in the muddy water, but was still standing.
Eiden prepared the third Fire Bolt and sent it to the other middle toad. This toad also burned and took damage like the others, but managed to survive.
He prepared the last normal Fire Bolt and cast it at the rightmost toad. The fourth toad also didn't die despite writhing in pain.
"Perfect," said Eiden with a smile. "Now they're all critically injured. A single Big Fire Bolt will finish them."
He joined his hands in front of him and began forming a larger and more powerful spell by directing the flow of mana. He took a deep breath to maintain his concentration. Meanwhile, the injured toads were crawling around with weak movements, trying to understand what was happening.
Eiden watched them as he prepared his spell. "Don't leave the group," he whispered, as the power of the spell continued to accumulate in his hands.
As the seconds passed, the fireball between his hands grew, becoming brighter and hotter. After twenty seconds, Eiden had formed a glowing red-orange sphere the size of a football between his palms.
"Here it comes!" he shouted and cast the Big Fire Bolt.
The spell flew through the air leaving a trail of fire and landed right in the middle of the four toads. There was a bright flash of light followed by a powerful explosion.
Eiden waited impatiently for the cloud of flame and smoke to dissipate. As the smoke cleared, he could see that none of the toads were moving. All four lay motionless from the effect of the explosion.
[Swamp Toad defeated!] Items dropped: Toad Tongue (4), Toad Eye (4), Swamp Toad Skin (4), Monster Essence (lesser) (1)
Bonus Objective Progress: 20/20 COMPLETED!
Reward: Simple Hooded Robe
Bonus Bonus Objective Progress: Big Fire Bolt Kills: 10/10 COMPLETED!
Reward: Magic Book Level I