It was embarrassing that I didn't know what Tony meant by enchanter and caster, even though I was reading the beginner guide moments before we got here. Maybe out of excitement, I skipped the part where those two things were explained.

He shook his head in disbelief and stood back up. "You borrowed a book from the guild, right?" 

I carefully nodded.

"Then you must have learned something about mage types. Going forward, I need to know what type of mage you are. Do you Specialize in ranged spells, or are you someone who fights at close range?" 

"I don't know." 

Tony sighed. " Then answer me this simple question. Which of these two spells was easier to learn?" 

Without hesitation, I blurted out, "The wind spell!" 

"Good, that is a small sign. Normally, there is a way to identify which type of mage you are at birth. But you are a special case, so we need to find out through trial and error. But not today; go back and rest for today; I will inform Jack when I have the time to teach you."

"Wait, we are not going back to the capital now?" Jack interrupted Tony. "I’m done with my part, so why are ya talking like ya can’t go back right now?" 

"Because I’m still not done. I need to investigate further, and I don’t know how long it will take. These guys do not let anything slip." 

Intrigued, I asked, "Is it the thing you were discussing with the mayor?"

"Yes, but it does not concern you. The only thing you need to concern yourself with right now is learning more about magic. You also need to meditate daily to strengthen your sense of magic. Furthermore, you need to build up some stamina before Jack starts combat training with you." 

Hearing that Jack would teach me how to fight got me excited but also worried at the same time. Looking at him, I didn’t expect that the training would be easy. 

"Don’t worry, boy. We are professionals. We are the best magic and combat teachers in the capital!" Jack tried to reassure me. 

It wasn't reassuring in the slightest. I could Imagine Tony as an instructor, but not Jack. 

"I will try to make as much time as possible for you. But I can’t promise anything." Tony added. 

"Thank you very much. By the way, where do you live, Mr. Winter?" 

"Just call me Tony, and I live here, inside the mayor’s mansion. It’s part of my contract. Now go." 

Must be nice. I thought to myself. Then Jack and I said our goodbyes to Tony and made our way back to the Inn. I promptly went to bed, and because of my exhaustion, I didn’t have any trouble sleeping. 

Over the next few weeks, my training began with Tony for magic and Jack for combat. The combat training was rigorous but manageable, and with time, I grew to trust Jack as a reliable mentor. Tony only managed to spare some time for me twice a week, so I spent most of my study time on my own. When I wasn't training, I spent my time inside the Guildhall. And after thoroughly reading the magic guide, I became certain that I was an enchanter. It was during this time that I finally found out what a Circle-Mage is. 

I discovered that there were 10 Circle ranks, with each rank represented by an engraved circle on the mana core. As your mana strength increased, you ascended in rank. Currently, I held the rank of Circle-Rank 1, while Tony and Jack boasted Circle-Rank 6 and Circle-Rank 7, respectively. It was astonishing to learn that there were only 10 known Circle-Rank 7 mages in the entire country, making Jack one of the ten strongest mages. At present, there were no recorded Circle-Rank 8 mages or higher. 

However, that was not the only thing I learned. I looked into the intricacies of this world and the country I currently resided in, known as the Empire. Situated on the west coast of the central continent, the Empire was a human-dominated country. Next to it were Lamina, the country of the beastmen, and Astria, the elven nation. Both resided inside the vast forest, which stretched from the border of the human country to the east coast. It covered nearly 1,000,000 square kilometers, with much of it still unexplored. To the north lay the treacherous snowy mountains, rumored to house the most dangerous monsters. Lastly, to the south, stood the barren land of the Dwarven Kingdom, Wergz, characterized by numerous mountains. There was another Continent towards the east, called the dark continent, but not much was known about it. The only thing I could find, was that the demons lived there. It's also said that the central continent fought a war against the dark continent, but I haven't found a book about that yet. I also tried to look into this power of mine, but no matter how long I searched, I was not able to find any book about it.

After two months, Jack decided that it would be time for me to go on a monster hunt with him. We met at the edge of the Forest and prepared for departure. 

"Are you ready, boy?" Jack asked me as we got off the horse.  

I was nervous, but I couldn’t let the nervousness get the best of me. I nodded and looked at the forest, which we were about to enter.  "I’m ready." 

"Good!" Jack took a sword from the horse's saddle and gave it to me. "We only trained with wooden swords until now, and you showed much promise in the art of sword fighting. This will be your sword from now on, so take good care of it! It will be your lifeline." 

I took the sword from Jack and inspected it. I looked like a normal steel short sword, but when I unsheathed it and made some test swings, it felt surprisingly light and good. I sheathed the sword again and attached the scabbard to my hip. "Thank you, Jack. I really like it!" 

"Good to hear!" Jack took a piece of paper out of his backpack. "So now to the assignment." This will be a Rank-D quest. We are about to hunt a pack of wolves that are terrorizing a nearby village. It will be a good first combat experience for ya. It’s training, so I won’t be helping."

My nervousness got worse. The thought of fighting these wolves alone terrified me. "So, you are not coming in with me?" 

"I will come with ya and if you’re about to die, I’ll jump in to help ya. But ya should be able to handle something like this. I mean, it took you only two months to reach Circle-Rank 2 and to learn how to fight with a sword. Ya should be alright. And you are not allowed to use the darkness. We still don’t know anything about it." 

"Alright." I gripped the handle of my sword tightly and took a deep breath. 

I don’t know what is going to happen from now on. But I need to focus. 

I looked at Jack and steeled my resolve. "Let’s go." Jack only nodded, and we entered the forest.