It took four hours for Nel to clean up his messed-up house. He woke up early in the morning just to clean things up. After that, he freshened up and ate breakfast. While working, he reflected on his situation. For the lack of a better term, it was dire. He was duped. His savings were gone, and now, his biggest worry was the enormous loan he took by signing an unfair contract. Its interest rate could make one despair. The only thing worse than this was probably dying.

For now, his priority was to repay that debt in the coming few months. ‘I hope that minotaur goes at a good price,’ Nel prayed in his heart. His dream of grandeur was crushed by the cruel reality. No savings and huge debt—life couldn’t be any harsher than this.

After breakfast, Nel cleaned his spear with a cloth and oiled the blade part. It had become a habit of his. Every day he kills monsters with this spear. It was not only a weapon but also his insurance. Keeping it in an optimal condition at all times was a must. Regularly oiling the blade increases its durability and longevity.

The day before, they had fought a tough Rank-II monster. Its muscles were hard enough to crush boulders and bend steel. At the beginning of their battle, his spear would harmlessly bounce off its body while Loui’s twin-blades could only make thin white lines. Only after coating their weapons with mana did they manage to wound it.

Nel was afraid his spear might’ve suffered. He spotted a few chips on the blade and a crack on the tip. He frowned. This damage wasn’t severe, but it had heavily affected the durability. Perhaps, it will only last a month at most. ‘I’ll buy a new one after I get the money,’ Nel decided. Although he was tight on money, he couldn't skimp on expenditures that would ensure his survivability. He didn't want to die tragically due to weapon malfunction after all.

‘For a mere Grade-D mana conductive steel spear, it sure lasted long,’ Nel thought, running his finger along the edge of the tip. His spear wasn't anything special aside from the material used to create it. Mana conductive steel was one of the cheapest minerals found only in dungeons. Their uniqueness lay in the fact that they allow pure and raw mana to flow through them. Other than this, it had all the properties of steel found in the market.

No other mineral could transmit raw mana as easily as ones found in dungeons.

Nel bought the spear a year ago, and even he hadn't expected it to last this long. Donning his usual hunting gear—a pair of black pants, knee-length boots, a brown shirt, and a long jacket—he left his house. These were no ordinary clothes either. Woven from threads of a [Mature Red-marked Spider], their durability was extraordinary. Even if a hunter goes all out in performing all kinds of maneuvers while battling a strong monster, they wouldn’t rip or tear.

Ladies especially preferred their clothes to be made from this special thread. After all, it would be bad if their wardrobe malfunctioned in the middle of an intense battle. Because it was made from monster materials, the price of clothes made from these was sky-high. The set he wore cost him 50k crystals—ten times more expensive than its civilian quality equivalent.

It was early in the morning and the streets were empty. Walking along the cobblestone path, Nel headed to the south side of the town. His destination was the Yellow-Ranked dungeon there.

Vedan had three dungeons; two on the east side and one on the south. They were all Yellow-ranked dungeons. Dungeons were graded as Yellow, Green, Red, Purple, and Black. Yellow was the lowest and Black being the highest. Furthermore, depending on their danger level, each rank was further graded and marked by stars.

Out of three, Vedan had two 3-Starred dungeons and one 5-starred. The place where they hunted the minotaur was the 5-starred one. Nel needed to earn money and a lot of it. He couldn't relax until he pays back the loan. Nel had set a goal for himself—in one month he must earn at least 50k crystals. In half a year, he will be able to pay back his loan with the interest.

The dungeon he had planned on going to was a little special among the three. Goblins and two-tailed flower monkeys inhabited this place. His target was the two-tailed flower monkeys.

Nel drew mana from his Magic Reserves and circulated to every part of his body as he walked. It was one of the mana control exercises taught to him by Chen. The point of this exercise was to baptize the body with mana, which would increase his sensitivity and ultimately improve the control.

Nel noticed it had become a lot easier to circulate his mana. In past, it would take him at least a minute to complete a full-body circulation, but now, 20 seconds was all the time it took. He wasn't surprised by this result, though. [Mana Wave] had improved his attunement and control by a huge margin. It would be weird if such a change didn't happen.

One cycle… two-cycle… three-cycle…

Before he reached the place where the dungeon was present, he had already completed twenty cycles. Nel stopped the exercise upon seeing the large concrete walls surrounding a yellow pillar of light that went all the way to the sky, disappearing into the clouds.

Nel stood transfixed at the sight of the phenomenon. Even after so many years, no one could explain the reason behind this occurrence. This yellow pillar was the gateway that lead to a different world where monsters reside. Sometimes, one or two monsters would pop out, but they would be immediately killed by the hunters stationed here.

Nel entered through the metal gate after showing his Hunter license to the guards. The walls were there to prevent monsters from coming out and wreaking havoc. Even the weakest Rank-I monster could cause enormous damage if it enters society.

Nel walked over to the swirling portal that had a diameter of several hundred meters. Not many hunters were present since it was so early in the morning. Nel quietly walked into the portal and entered the dungeon. No one noticed his presence.

On the other side, Nel found himself standing in a dense forest. The trees were so big, they barely allowed light to pass through. Behind him was a massive stone structure and in the middle of it was a yellow swirling portal. It was the entry/exit point of this dungeon.

Pulling the spear from his back, Nel removed the leather cover from the tip. Holding firmly with his two hands, he began performing a few moves to warm up. Left swing, inswing, poke, pull—he performed a lot of difficult maneuvers. After several minutes he stopped and took a deep breath.

He opened his eyes in a flash and slowly walked deeper into the woods. He had a clear goal in mind. His posture was deceptively relaxed and could almost fool even a seasoned hunter. But his sharp senses trained on his surroundings, ready to detect any suspicious movements.

The [Two-tailed Flower Monkeys] were not weak monsters, but they weren’t that strong either. They usually travel in groups, thus making it dangerous for solo hunters. Nel wasn’t a greenhorn, though. He had the confidence to easily kill a few groups without breaking a sweat.

Pii!!

Nel stopped when he heard a strange shrill. The familiar high-pitched cry belonged to a two-tailed flower monkey. Narrowing his eyes, he held his spear in a tight grip and circulated his mana. His senses sharpened even further, enveloping a few meters around him.

Suddenly, he noticed a life signature sitting just above him. He looked up hastily. A green-colored hairy monkey with a strange red flower on its head was sitting on a branch, holding what looked like the leg of some bird. Its physical appearance greatly resembled a gibbon except for its green fur and the flower on its head.