As Nel laid spread eagle, void of consciousness, a wisp of pure energy emerged from glabella and nourished the nerves and neurons in his brain. Another stream, seemingly unending, emerged from his heart and spread across his blood all over his body.

It fused with his muscles and bones and strengthened them. On a microscopic level, the energy fused with each and every individual cell, upgrading them to something more.

Meanwhile, a qualitative change was occurring to his Magic Reserves. Not only the imaginary space was expanding, but mana itself was also changing. His bucket-sized space had become bigger than a bathtub. Although, it was 70% empty at the moment.

Several minutes later, Nel woke up with a start and ran towards the back of the room, holding his crotch. He came out after some time, wearing a frown.

“So weird,” Nel felt disconnected from his body, and his mana control was all over the place. He hadn’t felt like this since his time as a newbie hunter.

“Tch!” Nel clicked his tongue in annoyance. What should’ve been a good thing, somehow, become a hassle. Now, he had to train all over again to regain the same level of mastery as before. Given his current predicament, it was nothing but a waste of time. “Next time, I won’t repeat this foolishness.”

Nel had never added so many points at once. Before meeting Loui, he was just a street urchin doing pickpocketing for a living. It was she who made him what he was today. Sadly, he failed to live up to her expectations. Even though he awakened to mana, he had no inherent skills.

A bottom-feeder hunter like him would be considered lucky to obtain 1 GE a month. Sometimes, it takes two to three months to get a single point. Before this, he hadn’t encountered such an issue because he never had so many points at once.

Picking up his spear, Nel walked over to the training dummy and started on an extensive routine.

Endurance reflects the body’s toughness. Higher the number, the more hits one can take. Aside from that, Endurance also affects stamina and recovery speed. It also improves the body’s adaptability to extreme environments.

To hunters, Endurance should be their priority attribute. But, very few actually pay it any attention. A vast majority only wants to increase mana and strength, completely neglecting their bodies.

Nel had never neglected this Endurance attribute. He read a lot of Mirae Lesnov’s articles. She would often give tips on how to train in order to explore their maximum potential. More often than not, she had insisted on prioritizing Endurance over everything else. She even wrote a detailed report with practical examples on the topic.

Sadly, very few liked to read her thesis.

An hour later, a sweaty Nel stepped out of the fifth room while breathing irregularly. Even though he looked haggard, there was a satisfied smile on his angular face. He seemed to have a fruitful time inside.

When he stepped into the office, there was no Martha, but someone he had never seen before. The person sitting in her usual seat was a middle-aged man in a black suit and slick, combed back, brown hair. He had his brows creased and mouth pulled into a thin line while looking at the thick book on the table.

As Nel entered, he looked up. They stared at each other's faces for a moment before the middle-aged coughed to his palm, “Mr. Nelson?”

“That’s me.” Nel nodded. With surprise lacing his voice, he asked, “Never seen you here before. Are you new?”

“Neither. I’m just covering up for Miss Martha for a while.” He said with a bit of a chuckle. Nel raised an eyebrow at his response. Not anyone can have the qualification to work at a GeneLab, even if it's only to replace someone for a while. For him to sit behind that desk, Nel was sure this middle-aged man should at least be an official in the Hunter’s Association.

“Ohh! I see,” he nodded. “Well, have a nice day, then.” Nel headed towards the door.

“Please wait for a second, Mr. Nelson.” The man came out from behind the desk. He walked over to Nel with his back straight and a business-like smile. There was an aura of confidence around him that Nel had only seen on people with power.

“Yes?” Nel tilted his head to one side and looked at him in the eye, matching the man’s intensity.

“I’m Klaus Lanus. It’s a pleasure.” Klaus smiled as he extended his right hand to Nel. Narrowing his eyes, Nel mirrored a smile and did the same as they shared a handshake, “I”m Nelson Edwards.”

“Mr. Nelson—”

“Please call me Nel,” Nel smiled. “I’m not one for formality and stuff.”

“No problem. Then, Mr…cough…Nel,” Klaus corrected his slipup with a cough. “Can you please spare some time for me? I’d like to discuss an important… concerning Vedan’s current affairs.”

Nel’s smile vanished. He creased his brows before nodding heavily. “Sure.”

“Thank you.” Klaus smiled gratefully. “Please follow me,” He nodded at Nel and led him to a well-decorated room. A pair of leather couches sat opposite to each other with a tea table made from an expensive-looking wood in between them. The floorings were made from the wood of red-leaved neem trees, known for their anti-bacterial properties.

This room was right behind the reception table where Martha usually sat. Nel didn’t know there actually exist such a luxurious room behind the shabby table.

When Nel stepped inside, a gust of cold wind caressed his face, bringing comfort to his sweating body. He found the room’s temperature was many times cooler than outside.

“You have an air cooler inside here?” Nel rose an eyebrow in surprise. Air coolers were yet another product made from the conjugation of science and alchemy. Its only purpose is to cool the air in a confined space. But, they were very expensive, and not many could afford them.

“Yeah. It was all association’s money, though.” Klaus shrugged. “Besides, we usually do not open this room unless we welcome a distinguished guest.”

“Really? Then, why are you making an exception?” Nel asked, walking over to the couch and flopping down after putting away his spear. The soft leathery cushion felt amazing to his ass. “I don’t believe I qualify to be a distinguished guest in your standards.”

Nel’s bluntness stumped Klaus, who was about to sit on the couch opposite to him. He laughed awkwardly for a moment before fake coughed to his hand. Nel laughed in his heart, seeing the man trying hard to be polite.

“Ahem, your sense of humor is a little… special,” Klaus commented with a sigh. Then, he adopted a serious face. Nel also did the same, knowing the time for jokes was over. “Are you aware of our town’s recent situation?”

“Not really.” Nel shook his head. “I only heard of bits and pieces and seen a few outsiders roaming around. A few days ago, I even stopped one of them trying to kill a hunter of our own. Mr. Klaus, can you tell me what is going on?”

“Indeed. It is exactly why I wanted to borrow some of your time.” Klaus shifted in his seat. “Before I tell you the reason, please listen to a request of Vedan’s Hunter Association.”

“A request?” Nel raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”

“For the foreseeable future, refrain from going into dungeons. The situation is a little bit complicated.” Klaus said in a grave voice. “It's not an official order, but a humble request.”