After having a shower to wash off all the foul smell, Nel changed into a comfortable set of home wear. Then, he went to the kitchen to prepare lunch for two people. He had promised to bring her a meal, after all.

As Nel got ready to put on his apron and light on his stove, his right eye suddenly twitched. He also felt feeling akin to pins and needles on his neck. As a hunter for years who had survived many deadly battles, Nel immediately recognized this feeling. It was killing intent.

Nel did no strange movements and walked over to the kitchen counter. One behind, he used [Mana Ripple]. He got the feedback of two humanoid targets, one outside his door and another sticking to his window facing outside.

They were yet to make a move. Nel calmed his heart and stared at the bedroom—he had left the spear leaning against the wall next to his bed. It was an entire hallway walk from the kitchen, not enough time for him to go there and fetch it. Since he had already used [Mana Ripple], those two guys should've noticed it already. It wasn’t the most stealthy detection technique, after all.

Nel wasn’t sure of their identity and motive, but, for now, those things were irrelevant. He had to survive first and ask questions later.

Knock! Knock!

Nel turned at the door as he knitted his brows. He didn't notice any mana fluctuation, meaning they were sure he was inside. Now, these kinds of situations were new to Nel. In a small city like Vedan, everyone’s busy with their own lives. Who had time to do such a thing? As such, he had no prior preparation.

Knock! Knock!

Nel looked around for any viable weapon. But, only the kitchen knife and the frying pan filled the category. But, Nel was well known among his peers for creativity. He opened the kitchen drawer and took out a bottle of pepper. He loosened the cap and put it inside his pant pockets.

He held the kitchen knife in a reverse grip and went to the door. He pressed his back against the wall next to the door and slowly twisted the knob.

Boom!

As soon as the door was unlocked, a thick leg kicked it inside with some force. Following it, a bulky man barged in. His bronze skin shined under Nel’s drawing-room light, and his muscled body gave him a powerful presence. He had curled brown hair on his head and wore red-colored skull earrings.

Nel took action. He flashed behind the man looking at the room in confusion, and kicked the behind of his left knee.

“Ack!” He screamed in pain and kneeled down. Nel elbowed the back of his head with all the force he could muster. “Ugh!” He grunted, feeling like he had hit a metal plate. The man, however, was in a much worse shape. He fell down face first, barely hanging to his consciousness. Nel twirled the knife, coated its blade in mana, and brought it down on the man.

Ting!

However, before it could pierce through the disoriented man’s neck, a sphere of shining light slammed against the blade and pushed it away. Nel noticed a shadow moving on the floor and bent backward on reflex. A horizontal ax kick swiped past his face.

Nel fell flat on the floor and rolled away to avoid a follow-up heel drop. He quickly rose to his feet and stood defensively, sizing his opponent. A lean man dressed in black cloak ad knee-length boots was crouching next to muscle man’s head. His right index and middle finger were pressed against his fallen comrade’s neck.

His eyes, however, trained on Nel. The man looked older than Chen, had a short red beard and heterochromatic eyes. On his right hand, he held a contraption that looked suspiciously like a water gun. But Nel didn't find it funny. On the contrary, these little details gave him info on his opponent’s ability.

Nel clicked his tongue in annoyance. There were two possible explanations on why the man held a water gun. Either his ability might be water manipulation or pressure manipulation. Even having both was a possibility he couldn't ignore.

All the above were dangerous skills with a lot of potential to deal devastating blows to their target. But, since the man was using a water gun as a supplement, it means his skill might not have reached a high enough mastery.

Nel kicked up the floor and flashed towards the man, giving him no time to react. Perhaps he had expected it the bearded was ready to retaliate. He pointed his water gun’s muzzle at Nel and fired three quick shots.

Nel felt a fluctuation of mana coming from the man’s hand and the gun’s mouth. Instead of coming as a stream, the water condensed into marble-shaped bullets and flew at him.

Nel was fast, but not faster than a bullet. The water bullets moved even faster than a normal one fired from a gun. Knowing that he couldn't dodge it, Nel crossed his arms and Empowered them with a copious amount of mana.

The wonder energy seeped into his muscles, making them denser and sturdier. They became harder than steel for a short moment.

Plop!

“Ugh!” Nel moaned in pain. The three bullets came at almost the same time and hit his hands. Even after making his skin tougher, he still felt a numbing pain in his arms. Moreover, the force behind those bullets pushed him back by several steps.

Biting through the pain, he once again rushed at the man. This time, he didn't make the silly mistake of running headfirst. He arced across the room to close the gap. This move proved to be effective as the man could no longer get a clear aim on him. The bullets might be faster than him, but not the user.

Nel kneed the man on the face, sending him skidding back. As he was about to follow up with a stab, his ankles were grabbed by a huge palm. Following that, he was thrown across the room.

Unprepared at this sudden sneak attack, Nel could do nothing but hit the wall opposite to the door back first. He covered his head with his hands to protect it from concussion.

Air got knocked out of Nel’s lungs from the impact. But, instead of standing back on his feet, he hugged the ground. Three water bullets flew past his head and made three identical holes on the wall.

Nel rolled towards his bedroom, which was a few meters away from where he was. He hid behind the couch sitting on the way and rose to his knees, panting from mild exhaustion.

“Who are you?” He asked, circulating mana around his body to ease the pain all over his body. Raw mana could do a lot of things, from strengthening to healing minor ailments. It even works as a numbing agent in case of severe wounds. It was because of these properties that many people became hunters despite not having a Skill.

The minor scuffle had cost Nel some of his mana, and he needed time to catch his breath. No way was better than some useless talking.

“You bastard!” However, instead of getting an answer, he heard a loud bellow. “I’ll kill you!”

“Bell! No!” Another voice echoed after the roar. It was calmer and rather pleasant to listen.

Nel didn't have to look with his eyes to know what was happening. The burly man was rushing at him with his bulging muscles, ready to squash him like a pest.

Suddenly, Nel’s lips stretched into a devilish smirk.