Three weeks later, Damon was discharged from the hospital. He left his house after daybreak and went to his usual training stop in the forest near the village. The forest was called mysticwood forest, it had two layers namely the outer layer and the inner layer. The outer layer was the was the main entrance into the forest,it was approximately 50 acres,its dense canopy is dominated by oak and beech trees,their trunks gnarled and twisted with age and the leaves are vibrant green,the air is filled with earthy scent of damp soil and the sweet fragrance of wildflower that blooms in the colours of the rainbow. As for the inner layer, it is veiled by a mysterious and ethereal mist,the trees are towering and gnarled,their branches twisted and tangled in a way that seems almost...deliberate,the leaves are a deep, muted green which rustled softly on the breeze that stirs the mist,the air is cool and damp with the scent of damp earth and moss. The major difference between the outer and inner layer is the world energy, the outer layer has a low density of world energy which means that the creatures at not powerful, just E and D ranks,but the density of world energy in the inner layer is high meaning that the creatures are powerful ranging from C rank all the way to AA rank. This was very dangerous for the village because the highest rank attain in the village was B rank , so to ensure their safety the long ago hired an AAA rank mage to create a barrier that blocked the inner layer but the village head at the time was not sure if closing the inner layer permanently was a good idea, instead he told the mage to create a token which can be used to enter the inner layer,so the mage created seven tokens. Then the village head came up with an idea of using the tokens as a means of income due to the forest attracting adventurers who want to go and venture in the forest to see if they can obtain a treasure,so the village head came up with rules:
1. Only those that are C rank and above may enter the forest.
2. A fee must be paid for the token and if a group is to obtain a token additional fees will be taken for each member. The token should be returned in two days time,if the token is not returned within the appropriate time a penalty will be carried out.
3. Any treasure that is obtained from the forest should be taken to the treasure hall of the village to see if the village would like to buy it.
This has helped the village over the years. Damon can train in the outer layer as much as he wants as most of the creatures have been killed leaving only E ranks,his house is the closest to the forest, he would start by meditating on top of a stump and absorb the world energy in the atmosphere, this helped to strengthen his spirit core,but he could only absorb very little amount of world energy not because the density was low but it was due to his spirit core having low absorption ability, this was the reason he was still an E rank. After meditating,he starts his training with various exercises, fighting drills using the dagger,and monster hunting.
He would do this training twice per day leaving his body heavily bruised. But the training was very effective even though he was not ranking up, his physique is better than an athletes and resembles that of a bodybuilder, he was 6'1" with hair that is a striking feature, with spiky, tousled locks that frame his angular face. The hair is a deep, rich shade of red, with subtle hints of orange undertones that seem to shimmer in the light. The spikes are uneven, giving the hair a slightly wild and unkempt look, as if it's been tousled by the wind,the hair falls across his forehead in a messy, piecey fringe, adding to his rugged charm. When he got home his parents had already gone out,he saw a note on the table and it was writing in his mother's handwriting stating " How dare you go out in your condition, you better not have injured yourself even more, am definitely going to punish you when I get back. Anyway there is food on the table for you,I know that you want to get stronger and there is nothing I can do to stop you,but don't push yourself too hard because to us you will always be the most important person in our life. After reading this Damon was overcame by emotions, fear of his mother's rage and love for his mother, he was extremely grateful for having parents so amazing. He ate the food and went to take a shower after he began applying ointment on his bruises, then there was a knock on the door, thinking that it was his mother he forgot that he wasn't wearing anything but his pants. As he opened the door he was shocked to see that it was Julia that was knocking, Julia on the other hand was completely frozen as she stared at Damon's body,her face lit up as she never imagined him to have such a body. As she came back to her senses,she punched him into the house and as he fell she entered and shouted, "what is wrong with you? How dare you open the door when you are half naked." She was very angry,Damon then immediately ran and wore some clothes.
Damon came back with clothes and saw Julia sitting in the living room, he then sat on a chair opposite to her. It was a very awkward atmosphere.
"Am sorry, for punching you." Julia said.
"No...you don't have to apologise for anything, it was my fault. "Damon responded.
"It was my fault too,I came unannounced and even punched when you just came back from the hospital." Julia said with a sad expression. Damon then got up and said, "what are you talking about,look at me am perfectly fine, your lousy punch had no effect on me." he was flexing his muscles in front of her. This made her happy as she smiled and stood up ,"what did you say? If not for me holding back my punch would have sent you crashing to the wall." And just like that a friendly argument started with both of them, as they exchanged words with one another ,with smiles on their faces. Then it all changed when Julia said,"What could an E rank, that can't use magic possibly do." She said this while laughing until she saw the look on Damon's face,she immediately began to apologise,"Am so sorry, I didn't mean it. Please forgive me."
"Don't worry, it's okay." Damon said and smiled.
"Julia, you really are amazing, you are able to use magic but not only that you are a C rank mage." Damon said as looking directly at her.
"Am not that amazing, this is all thanks to my dad,he used alot of money in order to get me to advance this far."Julia responded.
"That's not true, even though you had help,that doesn't mean that you are who you are because of it. It was thanks to all your hard work that you are this strong,besides you are able to use light magic which is a very difficult attribute to learn not even those so called royals and nobles could learn it as quickly like you and above that you saved me and am truly grateful to have a friend like you"Damon said.
Julia was overjoyed hearing this and said,"Thank you Damon, you are the best. "
"And don't you worry, one day I will become strong even stronger than you, so that I will always be able to protect you, my friends and family." Damon said with a sparkle in his eye.
"Yeah,I hope you do and I will wait for you, no matter how long it takes." Julia said as they embrace one another.
Meanwhile in a distant building brock and his men gathered.
"I heard that the boy has been discharged from the hospital. "Brock asked his men.
"Yes!" They replied.
"So even after all I did to that punk he still managed to survive. "Brock said enraged.
"It was all that girl's fault, am going to get my revenge." Brock said.
"No sir,you can't do that, that girl is the daughter of the village head and he gave an order for your arrest." One of his men said. Brock looked at him with rage,making the man afraid,"Do you think that I don't know, wasn't it all of you that left me and ran away and now you dare to tell me what I can and can't do." A huge pressure coming from brock began to fill the building and his men could barely withstand it.
"Am definitely going to get my revenge, I will trap both of them, we're no one will be able to help them. Inside the inner layer of the mysticwood forest. "Brock said.