After that small fiasco, Nel’s mood dampened. His pride took a critical hit. No matter what, he was one of the top hunters in Vedan’s roster, yet he was so miserably defeated by a man who seemed to be around his age. A look was all it took to make him kneel. Nel found this pill hard to swallow.

As for finding out what they were doing inside this dungeon? Nel had no interest in finding out. Even if they were planning on world domination, it had nothing to do with him. However, all these were just excuses. The real reason why he didn't dare to go after them was due to that young man. As ashamed as he was to admit it, Nel was scared of him.

Ever since he started his career as Hunter, Nel never had put “growing stronger” as his goal. All he ever wanted was to earn enough money and live luxuriously. He wanted a skill, not because he wanted to surpass other hunters, but because of money. With the help of a Skill, he could hunt stronger monsters, earning him more money. For the first time, however, Nel wished for power. He didn't want to suffer from the same embarrassment again.

The only good thing that happened was his improved speed. Although he had upgraded his agility, the result wasn’t this exaggerated. Nel guessed it had something to do with his new skill. He just couldn’t understand how.

Sitting under a tree with monster corpses strewn around him, Nel tried to recall everything that had happened in that instance. He had to take note of what he did that triggered such speed. While hunting the monkeys, Nel tried to replicate the speed at which he had moved that time, but he failed. No matter what he did, he just couldn’t come close to that kind of speed again.

It had become a distressing matter for him. In desperation, he depleted all his mana and had to take a break. Mana was present everywhere. In the air, in food, and even in water—especially if they came from dungeons. Nel rhythmically breathed, taking in oxygen in a controlled manner. By doing so, he absorbed mana particles floating in the air, which will help him replenish his own reserves.

Nel didn't dare to move with his mana depleted. If a monster jumped on him, it would be a disaster. ‘Wait a second?’ Suddenly, Nel recalled something. He closed his eyes and drew in the Wave stored in the space below his navel. Not surprisingly, there was no trace of the tame but robust mana there.

[Wave: 0]

[Effect Buff: 0%]

“Bingo!” Nel mumbled under his breath, sounding excited as he did so. He finally traced the source of the speed burst. Nel couldn't believe he didn't think of it sooner. “I’m too used to not having a skill,” He sighed in his heart. He honestly forgot about his own Skill.

With this discovery, a huge weight lifted off Nel’s heart. Though, he regretted the wastage of the past hour. ‘Forget it! No use crying over spilled milk. That being said, so this is how the Wave stacks work…!’ Nel was honestly surprised by the effect of the “wave” aspect.

Maybe this skill wasn’t as useless to him as he had expected. Nel took back his initial thoughts about it. Although, it pained him a little to see all his stacks gone in a single instance.

Nel’s mood improved. Thirty minutes later, he stood and stretched. The popping sound of his bones was like music to his ears. He turned towards the deeper part of the dungeon, wearing a complicated look on his face. Those guys went in that direction, probably carrying out some sort of extraordinary plan. It would be a lie if he said he wasn't curious about it.

Unfortunately, he had a bad feeling about it. There was a voice in his head which keep saying that he shouldn’t go after them. Nel trusted his instincts more than anything.

“Sigh~ forget it. Let it be a lesson to me,” Nel mumbled to himself and decided to call it a day and return home. With some effort, he had managed to collect close to twenty flowers. The market value for them was almost ten thousand crystals. He had already managed to reach that day’s goal and then some.

After exiting, Nel gave Mr. Kove a call. The handphone connected after a brief wait.

“Nelly, Hey! How are you doing, my boy?” Kove’s kind voice came out of the device. Nel smiled when he heard the man’s voice. Kove was like a big brother to them. From the day they established their small group, Kove was responsible for all their loots.

“I’m doing fine. Thank you for asking,” Nel said after a short sigh. “Well, their decision kinda hit me a little hard, but I’ll manage.” Nel sighed. His eyes misted a bit. Silence reigned on both sides as neither knew what to say. Nel talked business, “I have eighteen flowers from Flower-head monkeys. All of them belong to adults. Five of them were from virgins. Quote me a price.”

“What? You returned to the dungeon already! Why?” Kove’s shout nearly blasted Nel’s eardrums. Pulling his handphone away, he stuck his pinky into his right ear, “why are you shouting? And yes, I’ve been to a dungeon in the morning.” He said with a frown. His ears were still ringing.

“Hmm~ well, let’s ee thirteen adult flowers and five virgins. If we sell it through legal channels, you will at most get ten thousand crystals,” Kove said. After a pause, he continued, “but, if you are willing to wait for a day, I can sell them on the black market and you’ll get almost twice of that amount.”

“I’ve got no problem waiting for a few days, as well,” Nel replied. He can wait. For twenty thousand crystals, a few days of the wait was possible. Besides, he would not remain idle in the meantime. The Skill seemed to have a lot of secrets. He needed to do some research and training of his own.

“Got it. By the way, I heard some outsiders with unknown motives sneaking around in dungeons. You better be careful,” Kove warned seriously. Nel’s lips twitched. “Mr. Kove, don’t you think your warning came a bit too late?” He said with a bitter smile on his face. He had already met these ‘outsiders with unknown motives’ Kove was talking about. Their meeting could be called anything but friendly.

“Ah! Don’t tell me you’ve already fought with one of them!?” Kove’s IQ wasn’t low. After Nel’s hint, he quickly sorted two and two. Kove didn’t know if he should laugh or sigh. Isn’t he a bit too unlucky? Kove was honestly amazed. “Nelly, you certainly are unique, sigh! So… how are they? Are they strong?”

“Don’t even remind me about that. I nearly died back there!” Nel said grumpily. He recalled the humiliating defeat by that young man and couldn’t stop a frown coming to his face. “I’m hanging up. Come to my house when you are ready to collect the item.”

Nel hung up the call and snorted. Putting it back inside his pocket, he returned his home briskly. Aside from Chen and Loui, the only other person whom Nel could call a friend was a young man named Greg. And, he had already left the town for a few months. Thus, Nel had nowhere to hang out.

He bought a few groceries on his way home when he recalled running out of coffee and sugar that morning.