Erza knew she couldn't let this continue. Her stamina was draining rapidly. If she failed to dodge and got hit by the boar, she would likely be unable to fight back, and Noah would have to step in. Wouldn't that mean her first request was a failure? She didn't want that.

Just then, the boar began to charge again. Erza quickly gathered her thoughts and focused on the beast before her. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. She noticed that the boar's charging speed was much slower than at the beginning. The constant bleeding from its wounds must have been sapping its strength.

This gave Erza a huge boost of confidence and a new opportunity. She dodged the charge again, but this time, as she moved, she swung her sword at the boar's hind leg. The sharp tip easily cut a deep gash.

The boar let out a pained squeal and stumbled, turning to face Erza with a limp.

Erza's expression grew even more serious. The boar was clearly more dangerous now; she had to be wary of a final, desperate attack.

They faced each other for a moment. The boar's condition was deteriorating. It let out an enraged roar and began its final charge, the immense sense of pressure rushing towards Erza. Its speed was now almost as fast as its very first charge. Erza quickly dodged to the side, not even daring to attempt a counter-attack.

The blood pouring from its wounds had taken a massive toll on the boar's stamina. It could no longer control its own speed. Its legs gave out, and it collapsed to the ground with a dull thud, its own momentum causing it to slide forward for some distance.

Erza stood with her sword at the ready, cautiously watching the fallen beast. After a moment, seeing that the boar still hadn't gotten up and was motionless, she tiptoed towards its back. She remembered Noah's teachings: always confirm the kill to prevent a counter-attack from a feigning enemy.

She plunged her sword into the boar's hind leg. "SQUEAL!" The pained cry startled Erza, and she quickly pulled her sword out and leaped back. The boar struggled, trying to get up and fight back, but it couldn't.

Erza waited until the boar had stopped struggling again, then went over and stabbed its two hind legs a few more times. The boar's movements grew weaker and weaker, until finally, it was still.

Still not feeling safe, Erza waited a bit longer, then went around to the boar's head and, from a safe distance, delivered one final strike to make sure it was truly dead.

After confirming the boar was dead, Erza finally relaxed. Her legs buckled, and she was about to fall when a figure flashed to her side and caught her.

Noah supported Erza while simultaneously dispelling the magic he had ready in his hands. Erza's chest was heaving, and a mixture of sweat and blood soaked her clothes.

She leaned against Noah and rested, looking at the dead boar on the ground with a heart full of joy. Although it hadn't been easy, she had finally completed her first request. She had taken another step forward.

After a little while, having recovered a good portion of her stamina, Erza gently pushed away from Noah and stood up straight.

"What do you plan to do with this boar?" Noah asked her.

"I want to take it back to the villagers, so they can make up for some of their losses."

"That's a good idea. I'll help you carry it back."

"Mhm. Thank you, Big Brother Noah."

Noah used his Gravity Magic to float the giant boar and then followed behind Erza as they walked out of the forest. The village chief saw them emerge and walked over. He saw that Erza was covered in blood and asked with concern, "Are you alright, little girl? You're covered in blood."

"I'm fine, Chief. This is all the boar's blood." After answering, Erza pointed to the boar floating behind Noah. "You can have this boar."

The chief looked a little confused. "You don't want it?"

"No, we've already received the reward for the request. You can keep the boar to compensate for your losses."

"Then we thank you!" The chief's face broke into a smile. This giant boar should make up for a small part of their losses. He would then go and see if any of the ruined fields could be salvaged, to mitigate the damage as much as possible.

After saying goodbye to the chief, Noah teleported directly back to his house with Erza, telling her to take a shower before they went to the guild to report to Makarov.

Erza came out of the bath still steamy, her scarlet hair dripping wet. Seeing this, Noah gathered magic in his hand. "Let me help you dry that." A magic circle flashed, and Erza's hair was instantly dry, the water vapor dissipating into the air around her.

Erza shook her head, her shoulder-length scarlet hair fanning out. Dressed in a purple kimono that complemented her beautiful face, she looked stunning. Noah was momentarily taken aback.

Erza saw him staring at her blankly and grew curious. "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing. Let's go and report to Gramps." Noah came to his senses, shook his head, took Erza's hand, and teleported them directly to the guild entrance.

Erza impatiently pushed the door open and went to find Makarov to report. Makarov saw the two of them return and noticed Erza was in a different set of clothes. He asked with concern, "Erza, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Master. The boar's blood just sprayed all over me, so Noah took me back to take a shower."

Makarov looked at Noah, who nodded, confirming Erza's story. Only then did Makarov relax. He then began to ask about the details of the request. Erza recounted the events, with Noah adding supplementary details, giving a full report.

After listening, Makarov was very pleased with Erza's performance. "When facing an enemy stronger than yourself, you must first protect yourself, then look for their weakness to attack. If there is no weakness, you create one. As long as you don't give up, you will always find a chance to win."

Erza nodded seriously. Makarov continued, "This means that you can now start taking on requests as well. But do you still remember the conditions?"

"The request must be within Magnolia, and it needs the Master's approval. I remember it all."

"Good. When you get stronger in the future, these requirements will be relaxed. Work hard and grow."

"I will, Master! I'm going to go do another request now!" Erza ran excitedly to the request board, found a suitable job, showed it to Makarov, and then ran out of the guild.

Noah secretly followed her for a little while. Seeing that she was fully in her element, he left her to it and returned home to tinker with his magic and potion research.

A few days later, Ur and her family also returned from the snowy mountain. Ur had originally planned to do requests by herself, but after learning that Simon and Erza were now taking jobs, Gray and Lyon also began to clamor to go. Ultear also looked tempted. Ur had no choice but to take them on a few requests nearby to familiarize them with the process. Then, she also set the same conditions for them: their requests had to be within Magnolia and approved by the Master.

Noah also added a special requirement for them: they all had to spend half of every day training with him. The other half of the day could be spent on requests. Erza, Simon, Ultear, Gray, and Lyon all agreed. Noah was worried they would get too caught up in doing requests and slow down their own growth.

~~~

Get early access to 30+ advanced chapters on Patreon!

https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn