Second Week of March
It was Saturday of the second week of March, and there wasn't much to do except refine mana. Now that Norman was an all-around Mana Adept, his refining pace had noticeably slowed. Before, thanks to his combination of talents—Mana Affinity (S), Manaforged Flesh (E), ArcanePulse (E), and Aegis Mind (E)—his refining felt like a jet plane at full speed. Now, post-breakthrough, it felt more like a commercial airliner: still fast, just not blazing.
And yet, he complained.
"Sigh… My next breakthrough might take months, not weeks. My refining speed…" he grumbled aloud. For someone with a refining speed most would envy, he shamelessly acted like he had it tough.
He was torn between two choices: either lay low and avoid attracting attention or start accumulating points. Too much exposure could be dangerous, but staying idle also had its risks. Still, Norman was confident. Even if he stayed quiet, he was sure that by the time he graduated from university, he could reach the peak of Mana Knight or even early Mana Champion—the level his father was currently at. And unlike his father, he would be an all-around mana user.
His father was an Energy Manipulation-type Mana Champion with a B-level talent supposed to be focused on enhancing his thunder element, making him a devastating offensive force. While ArcanePulse (E) was a decent all-around energy refinement talent, single-focus talents were typically more powerful. His father's lightning abilities were some of the strongest at the Mana Champion level due to that focused talent.
Norman had already observed some of his classmates. Ellie, for example, likely had a B-level Ice Affinity Talent. Even as a Mana Apprentice, her ice energy manipulation was powerful. He'd seen it firsthand. He suspected her talent was B-level based on her performance.
Norman had been quietly observing others as well. While it was hard to guess the talents of E-rank classmates, some with C or D-level talents stood out. For instance, Rex had excellent physique and flaunted it often—he was probably a D-level Physique-type.
As for Norman, he had deliberately chosen all-around talents in the Talent Panel. He could always specialize later. Right now, his focus was on breaking through as quickly as possible. And as a Mana Adept, he now qualified to join a hunter company and hunt outside the city—his best bet to accumulate points and grow stronger.
Besides the official government forces, hunter companies were responsible for managing and culling mana beasts in assigned zones to control the population around cities. Each company was contracted to handle certain areas. While the government oversaw things, it relied on these private groups to keep mana beast populations in check.
Norman planned to join a low-tier hunting company—one that handled easier zones. Professional companies required full identification and strict registration processes. But the more disorganized, less reputable companies accepted any capable mana user willing to help maintain their designated areas.
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Sunday Morning
On Sunday morning, Norman made his way to the edge of the city, to a somewhat run-down district. There, he found the building that housed the hunting company he'd decided to join. It was clean but clearly old—probably the headquarters of a company that had seen better days. Once likely a major player, now it was reduced to handling low-level zones and struggling to meet its obligations.
Still, it was good enough for Norman's purposes.
He entered the building, walking up to the front desk wearing a hooded sweatshirt and a black face mask. Calmly, he said, "I want to join the hunting company as a part-time hunter."
The receptionist, a woman in her fifties with a tired face, looked up without much interest. "Name and tier?"
"Roman. Mana Adept," Norman answered.
She typed on her computer for a few moments before handing him a simple bracelet.
"This will be your ID," she explained flatly. "It tracks how many mana beasts you kill. Any mana crystals obtained will be split fifty-fifty. Don't try to cheat—this bracelet must be worn inside the hunting area. If you go in without it, you'll be marked as an illegal hunter."
"That's it?" Norman asked, surprised by how easy it was.
"That's it," she replied. Then, after a short pause, her tone softened just slightly. "Look, I can tell you're young. Probably still a university student. Be careful out there. Stick to the borders of the hunting zone. Don't wander too deep—there are third-tier awakened beasts in the inner areas. Leave those to the senior hunters. Just hunt feral beasts or low-level mana beasts around the perimeter."
"My name's Rachel, by the way. Welcome to the Marlowe Hunting Company."
"Thanks, Rachel. I appreciate the advice," Norman replied.
Since registration had taken far less time than he expected, Norman decided to head out and hunt that very day.