....
"Ha—ha—"
Rhine started running swiftly on the solid dirt road of Goat Village.
Beads of sweat as large as beans kept rolling down her cheeks.
She was dripping with sweat, panting heavily, her chest feeling like it was on fire.
Finally, the village entrance gradually appeared before her eyes.
Many villagers crowded at the entrance, looking towards the direction outside the village.
"Make way!"
She squeezed through the crowd desperately.
Her heart filled with regret.
How could she have overslept on such an important day?
Thinking back to practicing magic late into the night, finally, to her amazement, a red glow appeared in her hand.
She successfully used the scant magic power in her body to trigger the magic effect of "Flaming Arrow."
Although it wasn’t a complete use of the Flaming Arrow, those sparks and red light indicated she had indeed mastered the trick. As long as her magic power continued to grow, until sufficient, she would be able to release the full Flaming Arrow.
However, after successfully releasing the sparks, she became extremely tired.
So much so that as soon as she lay on her bed, she fell into a deep sleep.
When she woke up again, it was a bright and sunny morning the next day.
After a brief moment of dumbfoundedness, sitting on the hard bedboard, she quickly realized that today was the day Gauss and the others were leaving, scaring her into a cold sweat.
But, when she ran out of the house, the surrounding village was already deserted.
The more she ran, the more her mood sank.
When she finally squeezed through the crowd to the front.
She saw Gauss and the others riding chocobos, their figures moving farther away on the dirt road, about to disappear over the horizon of a distant hill.
Too late...
Rhine became extremely dejected.
Last night she was thinking in her dreams of showing her magical achievements to her mentor before he left this morning.
He would undoubtedly feel proud of her.
Unexpectedly, she didn’t even get to say goodbye.
Suddenly, Gauss, sitting on the chocobo, seemed to sense something.
He turned around.
From a distance, he saw a figure at the front of the crowd, hands on knees, face flushed red.
His lips curled into a slight smile.
He raised his right arm high, a blue light blossoming from his arm.
"Magic Missile!"
One, two, three....
Magic Missiles were released from his hands like fireworks, then exploded in the sky.
"Rhine, your mentor is greeting you."
Rhine’s parents shook her.
Being reminded, she also saw Gauss’s magical spectacle in the distance.
The distance wasn’t close, but the continuous Magic Missiles were certainly eye-catching enough.
Coupled with the fact that the moment she arrived, Gauss turned and released magic, it was clear her mentor had noticed her.
Rhine immediately waved her arm frantically, her face flushed bright red with excitement.
Ultimately, she didn’t miss this farewell.
Her previously gloomy mood instantly cleared away like a blossoming flower.
Though she still hadn’t shown her magic to her mentor....
This was enough.
At just ten years old, Rhine suddenly felt somewhat relieved.
The wind by the village entrance blew, tousling her hair.
The mentor’s journey lay ahead.
And she would carry this beautiful memory, steadfastly walking on.
....
"Why did you set off Magic Missiles like fireworks?"
Aaliyah and the others paused for him for a moment.
Only when he guided his chocobo to catch up did she smile and ask.
Fireworks exist in this world too.
It’s just usually only seen in special festivals in large cities.
"Otherwise, should I use the Fireball Technique?" Gauss replied with a smile.
Aaliyah couldn’t help recalling the powerful explosive spell from yesterday and shook her head.
"That would be quite a scare."
The group’s figures gradually receded down the dirt road.
The landscape outside quickly became monotonous.
Time had entered the height of summer.
Under the blistering sun, the air began to show distorted heat waves.
The earth was baked dry and cracked.
"This summer is hotter than last year."
Aaliyah looked up at the sky.
The sun was like a dazzling fireball, endlessly releasing massive amounts of light and heat.
Though everyone’s physical condition made sunstroke under such heat impossible, it still made one feel irritable.
Moreover, the chocobos needed to cool down to recover their physical strength after running for a while.
Otherwise, they risked being baked alive.
Summer’s too hot, winter’s too cold.
This increasingly extreme weather wasn’t good.
"There’s a pond over there, let’s rest there, and let the mounts take a break too."
Gauss spotted the pond reflecting water light under the distant shade of trees.
The group slowly approached it.
By the pond, the natives saw their arrival and immediately tried to run away.
But Gauss’s Flaming Arrow was even faster than their escape.
One, two, three...
Several crimson energy arrows were released in succession, ruthlessly piercing through the green-skinned chests.
In an instant, leaving behind charred, big holes.
The team didn’t mind the few goblins.
Even the mounts took no notice, calmly stepping over the bodies to drink by the pond.
Gauss and the others sat under a tree, took out a map.
"The next village is not far ahead."
Their journey didn’t have strict arrangements, but the Adventurer’s Guild provided a route heading steadily north, with many villages along the way.
The length of stay was up to them to decide.
The first Goat Village’s stay was relatively long because, after all, it’s the first, and initial endeavors tend to be taken more seriously.