Let's Train Heroine

Lucan\'s brow furrowed as he considered how to get the final map piece. According to his game knowledge, it would be in the hands of an ancient spirit.

Near the academy, there was a forbidden forest. It was a place of legends, a dense, untamed wilderness where magic ran wild, and the laws of the outside world seemed not to apply. No student had ever gone into its depths and returned unharmed. More than half never returned at all.

That night, under the cover of darkness, Lucan prepared for the journey. He gathered supplies—well, just some potions—before slipping the map pieces into his coat pocket. The academy\'s halls were eerily silent as Lucan walked toward the forest.

As Lucan stepped outside, the cold night air bit into his skin. He pulled his coat tighter around himself and made his way toward the forest. The entrance was large, and the light around it brightened the area. He looked around for a moment before stepping in.

The trees of the forbidden forest were ancient, their twisted trunks and gnarled branches forming an almost impenetrable barrier. The air was thick with the scent of moss and damp earth, and the faint sounds of nocturnal creatures echoed through the darkness. Lucan moved cautiously, every sense on high alert.

According to the game, there should be a creature in the forest as powerful as a Kingdom-Class being.

Lucan had studied ancient magic and seemed to be something of a genius in it, which is why he was able to use ancient magic without issues. He was now a Kingdom-Class Water Magician, so it wouldn\'t be a life-threatening situation even if he encountered that creature. Still, it was better to proceed silently.

This must be part of his personality that reduced the Pride Ring\'s effect. Well, it doesn\'t matter anymore.

As Lucan ventured deeper, the forest seemed to come alive, shifting and warping around him. The path he had taken quickly vanished, leaving him disoriented in the dense undergrowth. This was normal. Lucan knew the way back to the academy, so without being affected, he walked further. He wanted the final piece of the map, and he would get it.

Lucan\'s journey into the heart of the forbidden forest was difficult. The deeper he went, the more the forest seemed to come alive, twisting and shifting around him. Trees that had once seemed stationary now appeared to move, their branches reaching out like grasping hands. The air grew colder, the light of the moon barely penetrating the thick canopy overhead.

Every step Lucan took was a calculated risk. He encountered traps hidden beneath layers of leaves and vines, their deadly mechanisms ready to spring at the slightest provocation. He narrowly avoided a pitfall, the ground crumbling away just as he leaped aside. Magical creatures prowled the shadows—silent predators with glowing eyes that watched him from a distance, waiting for a moment of weakness.

But Lucan was calm and indifferent. He moved with confidence.

Lucan stopped. He looked behind and saw that the forest was alive, moving; the tree branches were twisting and turning. He felt someone was behind him. Not these creatures, but a person. However, there was no one. Lucan kept this in mind and began to move forward.

The map pieces he carried glowed with energy, guiding him forward.

Unbeknownst to Lucan, he was not alone in the forest. Maris, unable to quell the worry gnawing at her heart, had followed him into the forbidden woods. She had watched from a distance as he left the academy grounds, thinking that Lucan might not let her follow or might change his plan because of her. That\'s why she followed secretly.

Now, she moved silently through the underbrush, her eyes fixed on Lucan\'s distant figure.

As Lucan pushed deeper into the forest, the challenges became more intense. A dense fog began to roll in, obscuring his vision and making it nearly impossible to see more than a few feet ahead. The creatures of the forest grew bolder, their glowing eyes drawing closer, their growls low and menacing.

Maris\'s heart pounded as she watched Lucan fend off a particularly vicious attack from a pair of shadowy wolves. He fought with precision and skill. Lucan was doing well; he didn\'t seem tired and was ready to kill more beasts if they appeared.

Maris wanted to go and help Lucan, but she knew she couldn\'t reveal herself—not yet.

As the fog thickened, Lucan stumbled, the ground beneath him shifting suddenly. He caught himself on a low-hanging branch, but the movement triggered a hidden trap, a net of thorny vines snapping up around him. Lucan cursed under his breath as he struggled to free himself, the vines tightening with every movement.

Maris\'s breath caught in her throat. She was torn between her instinct to rush to his aid and her knowledge that doing so would reveal her presence. It took her only a second to decide to help Lucan, but before she could act, Lucan managed to slice through the vines with his dagger, freeing himself just as a figure emerged from the fog.

It was the ancient spirit of the forest, its form shifting and ethereal, eyes glowing with a wisdom and power that transcended the mortal realm. Lucan knew that this was it—the final test before he could claim the last piece of the map. Soon, he would have the final piece and then the Eye of Obsidian, the artifact that had once almost killed a saint and consumed an Evil Magician.