The journey deeper into the Academy Training Forest went further into the denser parts.
The pillars of golden light that previously penetrated the leafy gaps now began to fade, replaced by the dim green glow of moss clinging to the walls of ancient trees.
The sound of wind rubbing against broad leaves created a constant natural melody, but for some students, that atmosphere slowly turned into oppressive tension.
In the middle group, Leon Arven walked with steps that gradually got ahead of his peers.
The overconfidence within him began to take over his common sense.
To Leon, walking on the designated trail set by the instructor felt too slow and boring.
He wanted to prove that he was far superior to the other students, even surpassing the expectations of the professors.
"Hey, Leon, don't walk too fast," whispered one of his group members with an anxious tone.
"Professor Erin has warned us repeatedly to stay within one group line."
Leon snorted softly, glancing back briefly with a dismissive smile at the corner of his lips.
"You guys are too cowardly," Leon answered in a soft yet arrogant tone.
"This is just a Training Forest. The monsters here are all tamed or have their populations controlled by the academy. There is no real danger that can penetrate the academy's magic barrier."
Without listening to his groupmate's warning, Leon stepped out of the main trail.
He parted the dense bushes on the left side of the road, intending to cut through and walk faster than the other groups.
In the front row, Erin who was explaining poisonous mushroom characteristics to Serena and several students suddenly stopped her words.
Her yellow eyes immediately turned to look to the side, where Leon's group was located.
Her sharp instinct as an educator and someone accustomed to reading situations immediately caught an anomaly.
"What's wrong, Professor Erin?" asked Serena in a confused tone seeing Erin suddenly fall silent.
Erin did not answer immediately.
She swept her gaze across the middle group's line and quickly realized that the arrogant blonde-haired figure was no longer in his place.
"A student has broken the boundary of the trail," Erin said softly yet firmly.
She immediately turned to face all the students behind her.
"Everyone, stay in place with Professor Adrian. No one moves from the main trail!"
Without waiting for a reply, Erin gripped her magic staff tightly and stepped quickly through the bushes where Leon had disappeared earlier.
Meanwhile, behind the dense wild trees a few dozen meters from the main trail, Leon walked alone with a satisfied smile.
He felt proud for having made the decision to separate himself.
"Just wait, later they will all be surprised to see me arrive earlier at the next checkpoint," Leon muttered to himself.
However, his footsteps suddenly stopped.
The unusual rustling sound of leaves was heard from behind the bushes in front of him.
The sound did not come from the wind, but rather the scraping sound of a heavy object dragging on the ground, followed by a low, heavy, and wet snorting sound.
Leon frowned, the confidence that previously filled his head slowly being disturbed by a cold feeling creeping up the back of his neck.
He raised his magic staff forward, channeling a little mana to the crystal tip until it emitted a glowing blue light.
"Who... Who's there?" called Leon, trying to harden his voice even though his throat felt dry.
From behind the darkness of the dense bushes, a pair of glowing red eyes appeared, staring sharply at him.
A foul and fishy odor immediately wafted to fill the air around that place.
A *Forest Lizard* about the size of an adult wolf slowly crawled out.
Its skin was thick-scaled with dark moss-green, blending perfectly with the forest environment, and in its gaping mouth appeared rows of sharp fangs dripping with poisonous saliva.
Leon's heart pounded hard until it felt like it was hitting his chest bone.
He had never imagined that a real monster would appear directly before him, far from the supervision of the instructors.
"This... This is impossible..." whispered Leon tremblingly.
He tried to recite the first-level attack spell he usually learned in class.
"Mana arrow... come out!" shouted Leon panically while pointing his staff forward.
A small spark of blue light missed its target widely and only hit a tree trunk beside the monster without leaving even a scratch.
Seeing its prey attack but fail, the *Forest Lizard* grunted angrily.
The monster leaped forward to pounce with extraordinary speed, aiming its sharp claws directly at Leon.
Leon was rooted in place, his whole body feeling stiff from tremendous fear.
His mind suddenly went blank, unable to think clearly to avoid the lethal attack.
He closed his eyes tightly, waiting for the pain from the monster's claws tearing his body.
However, seconds passed and that pain never came.
A gentle wind breeze sound was heard in front of his face, followed by a very stable and calming mana humming sound.
Leon slowly opened his eyes.
Before him stood an elegant shadow in a dark blue robe waving calmly.
Long blue hair streamed down in the wind, and sharp yet authoritative yellow eyes stared straight at the large monster.
It was Erin.
Without the slightest hesitation, Erin raised her left hand forward.
A transparent magic barrier in the form of a glowing blue light shield instantly formed in the air, striking the leaping *Forest Lizard* and bouncing it several meters backward until it hit a large tree trunk.
The monster groaned in pain, shocked by the defensive power far exceeding its expectations, then slowly got up and stared at Erin with fear before finally turning around and running away back into the darkness of the forest.
The atmosphere around them returned to silence, leaving the panting breath of Leon who was still in shock on the ground.
Erin did not immediately turn around to scold him.
She lowered her hand slowly, taking a brief breath to stabilize the mana flow in her body, then turned to look at the blonde youth with a very serious yet gentle look of a teacher.
"Mr. Arven," called Erin with a soft yet firm voice that directly pierced the depths of Leon's heart.
Leon looked up slowly, tears of tension almost spilling from the corners of his eyes, while his whole body was still trembling violently.
"Do you understand now?" continued Erin, stepping closer, extending her right hand to help her student up.
"Magic is not just about showing off power on a notebook. And this forest is not a playground for someone who lets arrogance defeat common sense."
Leon grasped Erin's hand with his still-trembling hand.
He was pulled up gently by the professor, without harsh scolding, without harsh yelling, but that reprimand felt much more piercing to his heart than any physical punishment.
"Forgive me, Professor..." Leon's voice was hoarse, his head bowed deeply looking at the ground, shame and regret mixed together inside his chest.
"I... I was too foolish."
Erin exhaled softly, placing one hand on Leon's shoulder to provide calm.
"Mistakes are part of the learning process, Leon," Erin said in her characteristic tone, full of patience.
"But mistakes in a place like this can cost you your life. Remember this lesson well. Never underestimate anything in this world of magic."
Not long after, the sound of fast footsteps was heard from the direction of the main trail.
Professor Adrian along with Serena and several other students arrived out of breath, carrying magic staffs ready because they heard the commotion.
Seeing Erin and Leon standing safe near the bushes, the tension on Professor Adrian's face slowly melted.
"What happened here?" asked Professor Adrian with an anxious yet scolding tone.
"This student stepped out of the supervision trail," Erin answered briefly while looking at Professor Adrian.
"But the situation is under control. Let's bring everyone back to the main trail and continue the journey to the checkpoint."
Professor Adrian nodded in understanding, then glared sharply at Leon who was still bowing in shame.
The field practice journey resumed under much stricter supervision than before.
However, for Leon Arven, today's lesson changed everything.
His view of Professor Erin whom he had underestimated on the first day now changed one hundred eighty degrees.
He realized that behind the calmness and gentleness of the blue-haired professor, there lay wisdom and extraordinary strength surpassing anything he had ever imagined.
The sun slowly shifted westward, signaling that the first day of field practice in the Training Forest was about to end, leaving a deep impression on all first-year students of class 101.