Mana had a lot of uses other than powering skills. Hunters use it for a variety of purposes like strengthening their bodies, enhancing their speed, sharpening their senses, and so on. This process is known as Empowering and comes under one of the three applications of Mana.

Nel was a master of Empowering. He was proficient enough with the art to empower his spear and increase its penetration. This effect was already treading on the boundary of Projection, the second form of mana application.

Just now, Nel used Empowering to enhance his senses. By doing so, he was able to detect the body heat(life signature) of other living beings. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a foolproof method and can sometimes fail. In fact, if not for this cold and silent forest environment, Nel wouldn’t have used this method either.

The monkey had yet to notice him. They had poor eyesight and couldn't see anything clearly beyond one meter. In exchange, their hearing was sharp. They could even hear a twig snapping several meters away. Unfortunately for them, hunters take advantage of this to hunt them down.

Nel carefully hid and poked a hole in the tree the monkey was sitting. The ringing sound produced from metal banging against the wood attracted the monkey. It looked in the direction of the sound and squinted its beady eyes. It jumped on the branch, shaking it violently. He couldn't fight it while it was on the tree. Therefore, he had to bring it down first.

Pii!!!

Nel waited patiently. Hunters should have adequate patience because sometimes their prey would not be easy to get. Opportune time and a chance were needed in those cases. He already had its attention. Sooner or later, it will come down to check.

Nel waited for a few seconds before banging his spear against the tree trunk, producing another ringing sound. Up above, the monkey howled and jumped even more violently. Then, it slowly climbed down.

‘A little bit more,’ Nel gripped the sear and assumed a thrust stance. When the monkey was close to the ground, Nel moved. His right hand tensed; with a firm footing on the ground, he thrust the base of the spear forward. Like an arrow leaving the bow, the spear moved so fast it left an afterimage.

Pii!!

The monkey let out a harrowing scream as the spear tip went through its back and came out of its chest. Nel had controlled his strength, or else, the spear would have gone through the tree. He didn't use any mana in the process as it wasn’t needed.

After the monkey took its last breath, Nel grabbed its neck before pulling his spear out. The flower on the top of its head was what he needed; he couldn’t let it be harmed. Nel carefully cut the hibiscus lookalike flower and stored it inside a box on his waist.

“500 crystals get!!” Nel sighed. How mighty have fallen! From a hunter who killed a Rank-II monster to collecting these scraps, his life changed in just a few hours. He only has himself to blame. Letting go of a mournful sigh, Nel stood up and went deeper in search of more monkeys.

The flowers on the top of their heads were the only thing valuable about these monsters. For some reason, they were always in demand. Luckily, he found a pair sitting not far from there. Using the same strategy, he managed to kill them and harvested two more flowers. In total, within a few minutes of entering, he earned 1500 crystals worth of materials.

Nel’s mood improved.

“Help! Someone!!?” Just when he was about to proceed with his hunt, he heard a desperate cry for help. The voice was feminine and seemed like it belonged to a girl between late her teens to early twenties. Nel gripped his spear and rushed in the direction from where the cry came.

XXX

Amelia wasn’t having a good day.

She clutched her left arm and leaned against a tree, taking in a large mouthful of air with every breath. That hand hung limply on her side as blood dripped unceasingly. Tears streamed from her eyes when she looked at the person responsible for her current condition.

“What did I do? Why are you trying to kill me?” She screamed pitifully. Her words choked between her hiccups. A trail of blood leaked from the corner of her mouth. One of her eyes had swollen shut, seemingly from a punch. “Please let me go! I won’t say anything about this!” She whimpered.

“I’m sorry, little girl,” her attacker, who was a man in his late thirties, shook his head. “Count yourself unlucky. You are at the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“No! Please let me go! I don’t even know anything,” She continued her whimpering. “Help! Someone! Anyone?” She screamed, hoping someone could hear her.

“It’s useless. Little girl, it seems you are a greenhorn and don’t know about this fact. Inside a dungeon, everyone is responsible for themselves. No one will come to save you.” The man said coldly. His emotionless face didn't reveal anything, which was even more terrifying to the young girl. “You are lucky that I came after you. If it was one of my companions, you would’ve… anyway, I’m sorry!”

After giving his apology, he raised his left hand and pointed his index finger at Amelia. A red sesame-seed-sized dot began to condense on his fingertip, growing in size by second. Soon, it enlarged into the size of a grape.

“No! Please don't!!” Amelia begged, looking at the man desperately. In an instant, her whole life flashed in her eyes. “Shit!!” she screamed at the top of her lungs, expressing her frustrations.

Suddenly a shadow flashed from behind a tree. Purely on instinct, the man jumped to his left side, narrowly avoiding taking a spear to his head. He wasn’t unscathed, though. A shallow gash opened on his left cheek.

Amelia whipped her head and looked in the direction of the new arrival. It was a man around the same age as her, tall frame, and wore standardized hunter garb. He held a spear in his hands as he faced the insane man in front of her bravely.

Nel grabbed the middle of the shaft and followed with a downward swipe. The killer gritted his teeth and rolled to his left. A long gash formed on the ground where he was moments ago, sending dust and gravel flying into the air.

Nel didn't give time for him to react. He chained his attacks one after another rapidly. The killer continued to roll around, dodging all his attacks narrowly. Suddenly, Nel’s eyes widened as a chill went down his spine. He abandoned the follow-up poke and jumped to his right side. A red beam shot past his ear, shredding some of his hair.

Taking this chance, the killer rose to his feet and created some distance between him and Nel.

“Who are you?” He asked coldly.

“...” Nel didn't reply and took on a stance with his spear pushed forward. He narrowed his eyes and observed the man. He had a headful of green hair, a trademark of people from Eastern states, a square face, and black eyes. A thin pink line goes vertically through his nose. He had a muscular build and wore clothes he had never seen in this city.

Picture of a red bull sewed to the left side of his chest.

‘Who is this guy?’ Nel wondered in his heart as he inspected him thoroughly. He couldn't recall ever seeing this kind of clothes or this man in Vedan. He was quite strong. Logically, someone of that caliber shouldn’t remain unknown.

‘Is he from outside?’ Nel suddenly had a bad premonition.