As early as mana’s first introduction into the world, humans already noticed its relationship to emotions. Strong emotions such as anger, fear, desire affected mana in ways that baffled alchemists and scientists alike.

It was, however, true that a hunter would often display strength beyond their level under the influence of these emotions.

Nel had only one desire in his heart as punches rained on his face. The mana inside his body boiled. Like when he created the mini spear, a chunk of mana disappeared from his Magic Reserves.

Above the assailant’s head, an ethereal enclosed fist took shape. Little by little, twinkling blue particles gathered in one place.

Neither Nel nor the person hitting him had noticed it, but the one holding the crossbow did. They tried to warn their colleague but were a step too late. The ethereal fist crashed against the attacker’s right cheek, whiplashing his head to the left. The force behind the punch threw him off Nel and towards the opposite wall.

“Uff” A muffled masculine scream came from the cloaked individual as the left side of his head smashed against the wall. Spiderweb-like cracks spread out from the point of impact with a tiny depression in the center.

Nel didn’t have time to consider why his attacker suddenly stopped. Taking that window of opportunity, he rolled forwards.

The hospital was behind him, but he couldn’t go there. While clashing against the crossbow-wielding ambusher, he had covered a lot of distance to close the gap between them. As a result, he had moved quite far away from the hospital's direction.

With the cloaked ranger holding the deadly crossbow around, retreating all the way back was quite dangerous. He’d only move forwards.

Nel climbed to his feet and used all his mana to empower his legs, even going as far as using two stacks of [Wave]. One on each limb. Stamping his right foot on the ground, he propelled himself towards the attacker standing in his way.

With the tip of the spear shaft facing forwards, Nel charged like a horserider would at his opponent in a jousting game. Mana coated the tip of the shaft, giving it a bluish glow.

As he got closer, the cloaked person’s body visibly shook. In a flurry, they moved to their left side and melded into the shadows, disappearing out of Nel’s detection range.

He gave a snort in response but didn’t try to locate them. He neither had the need nor the means for such a thing. They had already shown their ability to evade [Mana Ripple], the only detection technique he knew.

It’d be more productive to focus on escaping.

With the path now open, Nel rushed out without looking back.

XXX

“Ayo!”

“What the! Careful, he got a stick!”

“Look! There’s mana around his pole. He is a hunter!”

The pedestrians walking on the side of the road screamed in fright when they saw someone charging out of a dark alley with a weapon. Their eyes followed along the wickedly red shaft before stopping on the mana bubble on its tip.

Clicking his tongue, Nel put it away before disappearing into the crowd.

XXX

“Ugh!” The man rubbed his masked head with one hand as he stood up shakily. His other one was pressing against the wall for support.

“That bastard!” A muffled curse came out through the small holes on the mouth area of his mask. “What the hell was that? Feels like an unintentional jab from a rock troll.”

“Probably his skill.” A distorted voice echoed in the darkness as a familiar silhouette appeared next to him. “It was a human-like fist made from mana.”

“He had such a trick under his sleeve, huh!” The masked man who left his body-shaped impression on the wall by Nel exclaimed.

“Our information is wrong.” The distorted voice replied.

“Whew!” The man exhaled a long breath through the holes on his mask. Turning to the shadowy figure, he asked, “Sixteen, is he the one we are looking for?”

“Yes.” The distorted voice echoed in reply. “The stench of the [Cursed Star] was all over him.”

“I see.” The man hummed thoughtfully. “Can you still find him?”

“I can.” Sixteen replied emotionlessly.

“Alright.”

XXX

Nel splashed a handful of warm water into his face, causing it to burn slightly. Clicking his tongue, he inspected himself on the mirror hanging in front of him.

“Hiss!” Nel took a sharp breath when his fingers touched the left side of his face. Faint purple marks were gradually becoming visible. That man was too heavy-handed with him.

He didn't pull any punches, literally. Thanks to his high [Endurance], he managed to soak in all that damage. His recovery rate was also astonishing. Just within a few minutes, the pain had already dulled.

Nel splashed another handful of water to his face. Taking the towel, he wiped his face clean.

After ditching them, he didn't return to his home. It was no longer safe. Instead, he made a beeline towards the 5-star dungeon. On the way, his stomach rumbled in protest. Nel recalled he hadn’t had a decent meal since morning and therefore decided to take a detour to a restaurant on the way.

He had reasons to believe that those guys won’t attack him in the open. After so many hunters’ death, HA had taken it upon themselves to patrol the streets.

Nel walked out of the restroom and went to the table he had booked.

Even though it was the evening time, the restaurant lacked many people. Consecutive deaths of hunters have spooked the common populace as no one was willing to come out after dark.

After the waiter took his order, Nel leaned on his chair as he contemplated the fight. It was brief and lasted only for a few minutes, but Nel was close to death more than a few times within that interval.

There were a few things he noted about his mysterious attackers.

One, they had ways to avoid [Mana Ripple]. Nel checked a few times while clashing against that crossbow wielder, yet the second person managed to remain hidden. Two, they were strong. Way too strong. If Nel had to guess, they should be at least 3-starred hunters. Three, he hadn’t seen them using any Skills.

Although, what puzzled Nel the most was the man’s action. He clearly had the upper hand, so why did he jump off him suddenly? It didn't make any sense to him. Logically, he should have taken full advantage and beat him senseless.

‘Perhaps something made him get off me!’ Nel narrowed his eyes at the utensils on the table as he scratched his chin. ‘Did I activate projection unconsciously?’

There were still many things Nel didn't know about the second stage of mana application. What knowledge he had about it was from reading books and magazines. He only knew the basics, and that’s about it.

As far as he knew, only three hunters in Vedan had reached that stage. Von Siv from Tri-Cross guild, Sullivan Gale, the guild master of Bloody Gale guild, and finally, Noah Ross, head of Vedan branch’s HA.

All three of them had iconic statuses.

A small smile found its place on Nel’s lips. His heart swelled with pride at the thought of achieving something only a few legendary people in Vedan had managed.

‘I wonder if they’ll teach me about it.’

A second after this thought emerged in his heart, Nel chuckled at himself. He sure had some lofty dreams. Who are these people? They stood at the absolute top of Vedan’s pyramid. How could they waste their time on a run-of-the-mill hunter like him?

But Nel was a bit optimistic about his chances with Von Siv since she was Sean’s adoptive aunt.