As usual, Liam returned to Master Grey's house to continue his learning. The day was quiet, save for the crunch of dry leaves under his boots and the ever-present breeze through the village.
"Boy," Master Grey greeted, setting aside a leather-bound tome, "today, I've decided you should apply what you've learned. Practical knowledge is often the sharpest teacher."
He reached under his cloak and pulled out a rolled parchment. When Liam unrolled it, he found a sketched image of a deer unlike any he had seen before. Its body bore blue and gray splotches like sky and stone mixed in water, and from its head sprouted antlers bright yellow like twin sunlit branches.
"Quite striking, right?" Grey said. "That is the Antler Deer. It's commonly found in the jungles near the kingdom's outer edges."
Liam raised an eyebrow. "Master, how can such a brightly colored creature survive in the jungle? Wouldn't it be easily hunted or eaten?"
Grey smirked. "That's what makes it special. Its antlers can sense mana fluctuations within a hundred-meter radius. Not just sight or sound—it detects presence. The stronger the mana signal, the faster it flees."
Liam frowned. "So it's basically impossible to sneak up on?"
"Not impossible," Grey said. "Just difficult. That's why I want you to hunt one and bring me one of its antlers."
Liam left the house with mixed feelings. Part of him buzzed with the challenge. The other part cursed Grey under his breath. 'Crazy old man… wants me to hunt a magical deer like it's some backyard chore.'
The outer jungle wasn't far. It sprawled like an emerald sea at the kingdom's edges. Liam entered its fringes as the sun tilted west. It was silent, save for birds and the occasional rustle.
That day, he found no trace of the Antler Deer. The second day he spotted something moving in the distance, but the creature vanished the moment he stepped forward. Not even a bent blade of grass was left behind.
Frustrated, Liam set up camp near a small spring. He cooked dried meat over a tiny fire and mulled over his problem. He tried again the next morning, sneaking through the underbrush like a ghost. Twice he spotted the deer—once near a mossy boulder and once drinking at a shallow creek—but both times it disappeared before he got within thirty meters.
But he has another problem, he rations got dry, this was his first time, staying for this long in the forest, so he could not plan for all the logistics, his food and rations got used up , he had to hunt wild rabbits and birds for food, though it was hard at first with his wind magic and proficiency in it, he easily got hang of it.
What was most frustrating was setting up the camp, he never had experience with it.
The tender taste of rabbit along with the seasoning he brought was the best, the rabbit meat melted in his mouth , and tasted to good to be true.
After four failed attempts and five days in the forest, Liam sat slumped against a tree.
'Damn it,' he thought. 'It's like it's reading my mind.'
'It's the mana,' he realized. 'It can sense my mana like a ripple in water.'
Though Liam was warned by Grey , he just did not think much of it, and thought he could easily hunt it but as they say "experience is the teacher of all things", they will not know unless they see it for themselves.
He closed his eyes, concentrating on the way mana naturally flowed around and inside him. It was like breathing—a quiet, ever-present hum. But that hum echoed.
He began to experiment. He stilled his thoughts and held his breath. Not literally—but mentally. He tried imagining his core as a sealed room. He envisioned every mote of mana folding inward, quieting.
It was hard.
But he did it.
Liam had marked the places where the deer regularly drank, water from and set a trap in one of the places, he placed net and hid behind a rock , lying in wait.
Like holding still in water to hide from a predator, he folded his mana into himself until the thrum dulled.
A slow crawl through underbrush. This time, he willed his mana into stillness.
The deer had arrived to drink from the water source
Thirty meters… twenty… fifteen…
The Antler Deer lifted its head, golden antlers glinting in dappled light. Liam froze.
Ten meters.
The deer twitched, but didn't bolt.
His heart pounded. He raised his hand. Mana surged, light pooling at his fingers.
The deer jerked—
He cast.
A wind blade which slashed it's tough hide, the blood started oozing from it, s the dear gave a high pitched cry in the silent poison.
It tried to run, but then -
The net struck.
The deer flailed, staggered, but collapsed into the thick grass.
Liam exhaled, knees trembling. He walked over, hand still glowing faintly. The antlers shimmered like sunlight on glass.
He knelt and whispered, "Sorry, friend."
With practiced care, he removed one of the antlers, just as Grey had asked. He placed a salve on the wound and murmured a calming chant Marla had taught him. He would let the deer live.
That night, back in camp, he sat by the fire, holding the antler in both hands.
'I didn't just win with power… but patience.'
By the time he returned to Grey's house, three days had passed.
Grey raised an eyebrow as Liam set the antler down on the table.
"Took longer than I expected."
"The thing was impossible to catch, Master. It sensed mana from a hundred meters."
"Then how did you get it?"
Liam smiled. "I learned to hide my mana."
Grey chuckled. "About time. That skill might save your life one day. One of the most important thing when fighting with the mage is not giving your position to him, you should always have the advantage to attack first. Go rest. Tomorrow we move to the next lesson."
At Home..
"Liam!" Lily called out, running to him and hugging. "How is the hunt? We were very worried"
"I'm fine," Liam said, a tired smile on his face.
Ragnar raised an eyebrow. "You were gone for nearly a week!, At least you could have come to home and then returned again"
Liam unwrapped the cloth slightly, revealing the golden tip of the Antler Deer's horn.
"You hunted that?" Lily gasped.
Liam chuckled. "Took me six days. I learned more out there than I ever expected."
Ragnar crossed his arms but nodded.
Liam said. "Next time, I'll be better prepared."
And as they walked back together, the weight of worry slowly lifted, replaced by quiet admiration—and a touch of pride.