Professor Takeda leads the class to a vast and impressive training area. As the students follow a stone path, they see an immense training ground stretching out before them. The location is divided into two distinct parts: to the left, a dense forest with tall trees and an intricate understory; to the right, a vast plain covered in lush green grass that stretches to the horizon.

The forest looks mystical, with sunlight filtering through the leaves, creating patterns of shadow and light on the ground. The air is fresh and humid, scented with pine and earth. Small streams meander through the terrain, and the sounds of birds and other animals echo in the background. This environment is ideal for training in ambush tactics, stealth, and teamwork in confined terrains. It is said that ancient trees in the forest glow softly at night, guiding lost students back to the main path. These trees are rumored to be home to ancestral spirits that protect mages in training.

The plain, on the other hand, is open and clear, with a gentle breeze sweeping across the field. Here, students can practice direct combat, open-field tactics, and large-scale movements. The contrast between the two environments offers a variety of challenges and opportunities for training.

“This is our training ground,” Takeda announces with a sweeping gesture. “You will spend a lot of time here, learning to work as a team and mastering your skills in different environments.”

The students watch with wide eyes, impressed by the magnitude of the location. They approach the training ground with their hearts pounding. They know this is where they will be shaped into military mages the kingdom needs to face the impending darkness. Takeda continues, “To begin, you will be divided into groups of five. Battle squads are usually formed by this number of people, which is why the desks in the classroom accommodate a maximum of five students. Working in small groups is crucial for developing cooperation and coordination skills.”

He then begins calling out the students’ names, forming the groups. As expected, Ryu, Aiko, Daisuke, Kenji, and Hana are grouped together. Other students start forming their own groups, chatting animatedly as they organize themselves.

Takeda observes as the groups form, his expression serious. “Remember, the key to success in any mission is cooperation. Each of you has strengths and weaknesses, and it’s important to learn to work together to overcome challenges.” Takeda instructs the students to explore the northern part of the forest, an area known for being inhabited by low-level magical creatures. It has been reported that some of these creatures are out of control.

“You must identify what they are and return here. It’s just a reconnaissance mission. The time limit for the mission is one hour, and the groups must return to the training ground before nightfall.” Once all the groups are finally formed, he speaks again.

“Now, let’s start with a simple reconnaissance and communication exercise. Each group should explore a part of the forest and return with a detailed report on the terrain and any potential dangers encountered.”

The students feel excitement and tension rising, even though it is just a class exercise; it is their first real mission. Ryu and his group exchange determined looks. “Let’s do our best,” says Ryu, and the others nod in agreement.

As the groups prepare to enter the forest, Takeda watches closely, giving final instructions and words of encouragement. He reminds the students of the importance of communication, teamwork, and trust in their companions.

With the groups formed and instructed, the students begin exploring the forest. Ryu’s group moves cautiously, discussing strategies and observing their surroundings. The sound of their feet crunching on dry leaves is the only disruption to the forest’s quiet. Sunlight filters through the treetops, creating a mosaic of light and shadow on the forest floor. The air is fresh and humid, filled with the scent of damp earth and wildflowers.

“Follow me and watch your step; there are some roots on the ground,” warns Ryu.

To advance, they decide to move in a line, with Ryu in front, followed by Hana, Aiko, Kenji, and Daisuke.

“So, what kind of monster do you think is in the forest?” Aiko asks.

“I have no idea. To be honest, I’ve never seen one; I’ve only read about them in books,” replies Ryu.

“Living in the capital has its advantages, huh?” Kenji comments.

“So you’ve seen some, right Kenji? What were they like?” Ryu asks.

“Well, I’ve only seen them from a distance, but in Nara, sometimes one that looked like a pig would show up. They usually appeared in the city and were quickly dealt with. I don’t remember anyone getting hurt by them, so they must be pretty weak.”

“And you, Hana, have you seen any?” Ryu asks, turning back.

Hana, with her keen senses, notices a faint rustling among the leaves. She raises her hand, signaling for silence from her companions. The sound intensifies, and soon everyone can hear the melodious song of an unfamiliar bird.

“Everyone, wait; I think I heard something,” Hana alerts them.

They all become alert, and in a few moments, they can hear noises. The thick trees block the path, but it’s clear something is heading towards them.

However, they soon encounter Lee Min-Jae and Mei Ling’s group, accompanied by three other members, a boy and two girls.

“So, this is the famous Hana’s group,” Lee Min-Jae comments with a disdainful smile. “Do you really have the skills to be beside her, or are you just her sycophants?”

Mei Ling, with an amused expression, adds, “You must have just seen her was skilled and are hiding behind her fame.”

Ryu, remaining calm, replies, “We’ll prove our skills in the field. We don’t need words for that. Let’s go, everyone,” he says, starting to walk in the direction they need to go.

Lee Min-Jae steps closer to Ryu with an arrogant smile, his eyes sparkling with challenge. The tension is palpable in the air, and members of both groups exchange apprehensive glances.

“Calm down, kid, trying to run away?” Lee Min-Jae taunts.

“Wait, we also have to do the mission, right Mei?” One of the girls following them comments timidly.

A pause occurs, but they continue to glare at each other, especially Lee Min-Jae and Ryu. “Shut up, Yuki. I think this kid here is getting too full of himself. I want to teach him a lesson.”

At this moment, Ryu’s group goes on high alert, looking ready for a confrontation. Ryu feels his blood boil, but he knows he cannot give in to provocation. He takes a deep breath, seeking to control his anger, and responds calmly and firmly.

“We’re on a mission right now. When we return to school, I’m ready to accept that challenge.”

Aiko clenches her fist tightly, her eyes fixed on Mei Ling. She can sense the hostility from the girl and knows a confrontation is inevitable.

Suddenly, a group of four animals emerges from the shadows of the forest. They look like pigs but are larger and more ferocious, with glowing eyes, sharp tusks, and what appear to be spikes on their heads. They advance between the two groups, but everyone manages to dodge. The wild boars roar fiercely, echoing through the air, and members of both groups prepare for battle.

Ryu feels the adrenaline coursing through his veins as he prepares to face the boars. He knows he needs to be strong and quick to protect his friends. “These are the beasts I was talking about. Look,” Kenji says, pointing to their glowing bellies.

“We can’t fight here against these creatures; it’s too cramped. We’ll end up hitting each other,” Ryu shouts.

“We need to split them up,” Hana shouts to Lee Min-Jae’s group. He seems calm and soon responds, “You’re right, two for each; let’s see who kills these little things faster.” A challenge is proposed, but no one from Ryu’s group takes it seriously.

“Okay, let’s get ready to draw the attention of two of them. There’s a small clearing to the right; let’s head there,” Daisuke shouts.

The two groups quickly organize. Daisuke and Lee Min-Jae stay behind to attract the beasts, each ready to run in the direction their groups have set up. The boars are charging at full speed.

Focusing, the two start using light magic in their hands, pointing at the beasts. It seems to work, as they start following whoever is causing them discomfort.

The two begin running in separate directions. After a few moments, Daisuke notices his companions. “They’re coming, get ready.”

Hana is scared but also determined to help her companions. She focuses her mind on fire magic, visualizing the flames incinerating the enemies. Hana steps forward and begins forming a fireball, the size of her torso. Everyone can feel the heat it emits. When Daisuke passes by her, the fireball is launched towards the animals, but something strange happens. They begin to glow and run side by side. When the magic hits them, they pass through as if it were nothing.

Hana’s shock leaves her immobilized; her best spell has been dispelled like nothing. But the boars don’t stop and come at considerable speed. “Hana!” Ryu jumps and pulls Hana out of the way.

“Come on, we need to think of something to kill these things,” Ryu says with a smile.

After that, Hana seems calmer, but the situation hasn’t improved. Looking at her colleagues, it’s clear they are only managing to dodge the two boars.

“Do whatever it takes to separate them. I have an idea,” Ryu shouts while placing his hands on the ground and concentrating. “Cover me, Hana. I think only the two of us can kill them.”

“Give us time, Kenji,” Aiko shouts. She takes a deep breath, channeling the wind into her lungs. She knows she needs to be precise and powerful to take down the boars.

Hearing this, Kenji tries to create a stone wall between the two, but it fails. It was shattered as if it were nothing. “Tsk.”

Without stopping, they are heading towards Aiko and Daisuke. “As we agreed,” the two say simultaneously.

They stand still, in a state of intense concentration, waiting for the two beasts to come into contact with them. When they get close, something can be heard: “Now!” Aiko shouts and the two strike simultaneously.

Daisuke clenches his fist tightly, concentrating his energy to create a powerful stream of water. He wants to show everyone what he’s capable of. He punches the boar on the right, which, when struck, is pushed by a water current that comes from the boy’s fist. Meanwhile, Aiko, with a powerful kick, uses an extremely strong wind even before touching the animal. Daisuke’s water current slices through the air with a hissing sound, hitting the boar with force and knocking it to the ground. Aiko’s wind howls like a hungry wolf, throwing the boar aside. Both fall to the ground, but this combination causes them to be separated. However, one is directed towards Ryu and Hana.

“I hope you’re done there, Ryu,” Hana exclaims.

That shout didn’t reach the boy. “It needs to be stronger, sharper, more resistant.” Extremely focused, the boy thinks until he finally manages to stand up. From the ground, a stone knife is being pulled out. It should be about 15 cm long; it looked like a feline claw but was very sharp.

When he opened his eyes, he saw Hana preparing another fire spell. Hana’s fire burned with intense heat, illuminating the clearing with an orange light. The smoke spiraled upward, suffocating the air. But quickly, Ryu got up and said, “Follow me; let’s finish this thing.”

Feeling absorbed by this extremely calm and confident speech, Hana dispelled the spell and decided to follow Ryu. The boy ran towards the beast, stamped the ground forcefully, and created an elevated platform in front of the animal, which stepped awkwardly, fell, and slid across the ground due to its speed. At this moment, Ryu was already directing his dagger towards the animal’s eye, which was writhing in pain. But without hesitation, he withdrew the dagger and used fire on the wound, directing it into the creature, which spewed fire and quickly fell to the ground.

“As I expected, inside it’s quite fragile. I’m going to need you now, Hana. I’ve used all the magic I could on this one.” Ryu pointed to the other beast. He had started running towards them, ignoring Aiko and Daisuke, who were much closer.

“Leave it to me.” She took the boy’s dagger with a smile and said, “Now it’s time for my revenge. Kenji, do the same thing Ryu did to slow it down.” After saying that, she began running towards the beast.

Kenji focused and created the same platform to hinder the animal, but this time it jumped as if it were expecting this magic. Hana was caught off guard but remained unfazed.

She collided with the beast, which began dragging her backward. Hana clung to the beast’s tusks, and as if it were nothing, fire began to envelop them so intensely that even Aiko and Daisuke felt the heat. “AAAAAAAh,” Hana’s screams could be heard.

Suddenly, Ryu jumped onto the animal’s back. Ignoring the fire, he took Hana’s dagger and drove it into the animal’s eye. The fire began to be directed into the wound, melting the dagger. Thus, the beast fell, and Ryu was thrown off it.

“Are you all okay?” Kenji started running towards Hana and Ryu.

After some calm, they began to get up.

“Wow, this is the first time I’ve exhausted my mana core. It hurts so much; I think I also injured my leg with that impact,” Aiko complained.

“Don’t even mention it. Besides my fist, my whole body aches. Good thing we managed to kill it now; otherwise, we’d be in trouble. Anyway, let’s go; lean on me,” added Daisuke. He was limping, with a deep cut on his leg. He knew he would need to rest, but he was happy to have helped save his friends.

After getting up with Daisuke’s help and heading towards Hana and Ryu, Aiko exclaimed, “Thank you. I hope they’re okay; otherwise, it’ll be a difficult trip back.”

When Kenji arrived to help the two, the beast was indeed dead, but it was on top of Hana, who was unconscious. Removing the animal from her, he noticed she had no serious injuries, only cuts and some light burns.

“What happened?” Ryu got up and saw Kenji next to Hana. “Is she okay?” When he tried to walk, he felt a sharp pain in his chest and fell to the ground, coughing. Kenji ran to him.

“Calm down, Ryu, try to stay calm. If you keep moving so much, it will hurt even more.” Not knowing what to do, he concentrated and made Ryu drink water he had transformed.

“I’m feeling a bit better; I think I can make it back to the meeting point. We need to prioritize Hana; she’s unconscious.” He thought with regret, “I was too reckless; I should have gone with her.”

“It wasn’t your fault... Man, we... fought as a team,” Daisuke said with difficulty.

“You’re right. Kenji, you’re the only one who can carry Hana. We need to get back to the training ground,” Ryu said. That’s the only thing we need to focus on now, getting out of here safely.

With much effort and several injuries, they managed to defeat the boars and are now heading back.