Norman sat under the shade of a tall tree, taking a short break after four hours of continuous hunting. The forest air was thick with mana, and even resting felt like a subtle form of cultivation. From his backpack, he pulled out a simple lunch—just a piece of bread and bottled water he'd bought at a convenience store before leaving the city. As he chewed quietly, he checked the time. It was already 3 p.m., giving him only about three more hours before sunset.
He wasn't in a hurry to leave, but he knew better than to push his luck too deep into unknown territory. While chewing, Norman opened the Talent Panel in his system. With 332 points remaining, he scrolled through the available talents, sorting them by their usefulness for scouting and navigation. After a few minutes of browsing, one particular talent caught his eye: Mana Compass.
[Mana Compass (F): Instinctively senses the direction of the nearest concentrated mana source. The user can detect all mana signatures within a limited range. Accuracy improves with proximity and talent rank.]
"This is exactly what I need," Norman muttered, eyes gleaming. "If I can find beasts faster, I can farm faster."
[250 points will be deducted. Confirm purchase?]
"Confirm."
A wave of energy surged through his core as the talent settled into place. It felt natural, as if a dormant instinct had just been awakened. He closed his eyes for a moment and extended his senses. Immediately, he could feel several faint pulses of mana around him—like blips on a radar. About 15 meters to the north, he sensed a small concentration of mana: likely a low-tier feral beast.
He stood up, focused his mind, and used telekinesis to hurl a dagger in the beast's direction. A soft thud and a brief rustle confirmed the hit. When he approached, he found a first-tier mana bunny lying motionless. After harvesting the crystal and exchanging the corpse for points, he resumed his hunt, now guided by the steady ping of his newly acquired mana compass.
Though the talent was only F-rank, it made a noticeable difference. He could now track his targets with more precision and avoid wasting time wandering aimlessly. In less than a few seconds, he located another mana source—a second-tiered mana beast. He paused to assess its strength. Although it was weaker than him, he quickly decided to retreat. Engaging a second-tier beast would take significantly more time and energy, and it wasn't worth the effort when he could still one-shot first-tier beasts and rack up points quickly.
Efficiency was key.
By the time the sun began to dip below the horizon, Norman had collected dozens more crystals and decided it was time to wrap up the day. He followed the map back to the city's border post, where a new guard had taken over. The guard scanned Norman's hunter ID bracelet and nodded.
"You're clear. Welcome back," the guard said.
Norman hopped on the next bus heading toward the Marlowe Hunter Company headquarters. During the ride, he opened the system and checked his point balance—301 points. Not bad for half a day's work.
He had already requested a "self-study leave," allowing him to continue this routine daily. Many mana academy students had also received similar permissions for their training. Although academic classes remained mandatory for senior students, the administration permitted flexible schedules to accommodate mana training. Norman could begin hunting each day after completing his academic studies in the afternoon.
Norman planned to use the low-tier mana crystals he collected for refining. His goal was to push his body to mid-second-tier Mana Adept as quickly as possible. At that level, he'd be strong enough to safely hunt in more dangerous zones.
When he arrived at the Hunter Company building, he found Rachel, the receptionist, in the lobby, chatting with a group of three young hunters. They were all second-tier Mana Adepts, likely students from the nearby Mana University. One of them, a tall guy who stood out as the strongest of the group, noticed Norman first.
"Hey, you must be Roman, right? Nice to meet you," he said, extending a hand. "I'm Fred. We were just talking with Rachel. Maybe we can hunt together next time?"
Norman shook his hand but shook his head politely. "Sorry, I prefer to hunt solo."
The moment turned awkward as the only girl in the group immediately frowned. "What's your problem? Fred was being nice, and you just shoot him down like that?"
Norman glanced at her, then back at Fred. "I said I'm not interested in group hunts. That should be enough. There's no point arguing."
Without waiting for a response, he turned to Rachel. "Rachel, can you count today's hunt results?"
"Of course," she said, nodding and ignoring the tension. "Pass me your bracelet."
Norman handed it over. Rachel scanned the data, her eyes widening slightly in surprise. "Five hundred and one confirmed kills… all first-tier beasts?"
Norman nodded and handed over a bag filled with mana crystals.
"There are 336 fully filled low-tier mana crystals and one that's half-filled," he added.
Rachel verified the crystals briefly before trusting the results. The data log on the bracelet showed most of the kills were mid-to-high first-tier beasts, meaning Norman wasn't just picking off weaklings—he was grinding efficiently.
"Well then, I'll just take 150 crystals. You really did a great job today, Roman," she said, smiling. "Here's your reward."
"Thank you, Rachel. I'll be back tomorrow."
"Looking forward to it. Be safe out there," Rachel said, waving as Norman left.
Behind him, Fred and his group stood in stunned silence. The girl who had scolded Norman earlier looked particularly embarrassed.
"He took down over five hundred beasts alone…" she mumbled.
Fred crossed his arms, brow furrowed. "Just stay low and don't provoke him. He's probably a top-tier student from a prestigious mana university. The last thing we want is to end up on his bad side."
As Norman disappeared from view, his reputation as a lone hunter began to spread within the company. Efficient, quiet, and relentless—he was building a name for himself, one hunt at a time.