“Shit! Why is it only going after me!?” Lola screamed, running in a circle around the clearing. Chasing her was a two-meter tall grizzly bear with brown fur. On its chest, there was a crescent moon-shaped silver patch. Its razor-sharp claws, which could rip an average human male to ribbons, were poised to kill once it catches the fleeing human.

“Maybe because you are beautiful!?” Nel hummed. He was lagging behind the bear, keeping an eye on its movements and looking for an opportunity to strike. They only have one chance before it feels threatened and goes ballistic on them. That would waste the effort it took to track and lure the beast out of its cave.

“Shut up! Help me! I’ll really die,” Lola screamed, desperation lacing her voice. She was running at her full speed and even then barely able to keep it at arm's length. For a beast of its size, it was unusually fast.

“You can hang in for a little longer, I’m sure.” Nel narrowed his eyes and fixed his sight on the back of the bear’s neck. He was waiting for a window of opportunity, a moment when it exposes the soft muscle underneath the thick hide that covers its body like a coat.

“You devil! I should’ve never agreed to your plan!” Lola’s screamed, ducking under an outstretched branch as she took a turn to the left. She returned back to the small clearing between the woods, the drooling bear following in her wake.

The bear tried to mimic her. It ducked under the same branch, which it would have run through on a normal day without even feeling it. In the process, it unintentionally exposed one of its weakest parts.

Nel was eagerly waiting for that moment. Holding his spear across his right palm and lifting it above his shoulder, he accelerated forward after empowering his legs with mana. Once he got close enough, he tensed his legs and jumped using all the momentum he generated from the short sprint.

Razor wind, activated.

Nel threw the spear aiming at the exposed soft flesh on the bear’s back of the neck with all his accumulated strength.

The bear would have roared if it could, but Nel had crushed its voice box with that aimed throw. It fell down face-first and slid a few meters across the rough ground before coming to a halt next to Lola’s legs.

“Strike!” Nel rejoiced, giving himself a pat on the back at the job well done. He nodded at himself and turned to look at Lola. She had her back turned towards him and busily emptied her stomach.

Shaking his head and feeling disappointed, he walked over to the bear and pulled his spear out. Wiping the blood and gore stuck to the tip with dried leaves, he put it away on his back.

“Are you sure you are a hunter?” Nel asked, inspecting the bear’s corpse from head to toe. He wanted to make sure the fur on its body was okay. Out of everything, it was the most expensive part. A relieved sigh escaped his lips after seeing it was left relatively untouched.

He sat down under a tree and relaxed his breathing to regulate his mana. Thanks to Lola, he didn't overextend himself. He didn't even have to waste [Wave] to kill. Nel had a habit of analyzing his fights. It helped him locate his shortcomings and improve on them. Under the tree, he was doing exactly that while waiting for Lola to recover.

One more change Nel observed was his control over mana. He thought he already had an absolute grasp on his meager reserves. But it seemed he still had room for growth. After getting the skill, he got this naggy feeling that he could further improve his grasp over his mana. At first, it was faint, and he almost ignored it. Lately, however, it’s getting rather uncomfortable.

After every time he drew on his Magic Reserves, that uncomfortable feeling grows. ‘I’ve to do something about it.’ Nel decided.

“Damn! It's been a while since I saw a scene this gory,” Lola’s shaky voice pulled Nel’s attention. He revealed a smile on his face and shook his head. “Aren’t you an assassin?” Nel raised an eyebrow at the girl who was yet to turn around.

“Who said that? I’m not.” Lola’s shoulders shook a little. She turned around, and Nel noticed the mask was back on her face. “I’m a hunter like you. But.. but... I don’t like blood much.”

“I see.” Nel nodded his head. Nel found it hard to believe, however. When they fought, her style reminded him of an assassin. She was fast with her legs, stealthy in her approach, and relied on hidden weapons. Though he was curious, he didn't ask about it much. It has nothing to do with him.

“Hey, Nel, why was my invisibility didn't work?” Lola asked. It was bugging her for the entire duration of the hunt. It was not like this happened for the first time. In the past, there were many instances where her invisibility had failed to fool a monster. Lola wasn’t scared or worried, she was only curious.

“I don’t know.” Nel shrugged his shoulders. “In fact, I was more surprised than you.”

He really was. Their initial plan was to bewilder the bear with invisible attacks and then deliver the finishing blow when a chance appears. But the scheme went out of the window the moment it slapped Lola across the clearing even though she was using invisibility.

“Well, my skill isn’t true invisibility.” Lola wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her chin on her knees. She didn't explain further, but Nel guessed something from the clues she gave.

‘It should be light manipulation.’ Nel assumed. By folding light around oneself, it was possible to remain invisible. Aside from invisibility, Light manipulation also had a lot of uses. In the hands of a competent user, it’ll become a deadly weapon.

“It’s not light manipulation.” Lola snorted at Nel’s surprised look. She had seen it far too many times to guess what the other person was thinking.

“How did you know I was thinking about light manipulation?” Nel asked, shocked. He threw her an accusatory glance, “can you read minds?”

“Yes, I can,” Lola said ominously. A sigh escaped her lips as her shoulders relaxed. “My guild master wants me to hone my skills and become a true assassin… but I hate mindless killing. And I can’t stand the sight and smell of blood.”

“Then don’t,” Nel said. “What you want to become is your choice. But, in my opinion, you shouldn't miss out on the training. Your skills are really great for sneak attacks. In some cases, you might be able to one-shot a monster.”

“You think so?” Lola asked. Though, it was hard to see what kind of emotion she was wearing with that blank mask on her face. Nel nodded, “I believe so. There was a hunter who used to say this, There’s no useless skills, only usele—”

“—useless hunters. Mirae Lesnov, the first hunter to reach Sun level.” Lola finished. Her voice rose a few octaves. “I can’t believe you are also a fan! Not many males like her.”

“I don’t have such sexist prejudice. I respect people who deserve respect. She showed everyone that one need not to have a powerful skill to become stronger. Besides, who told you she isn't well-liked by males?” Nel said passionately. His eyes shined like pearls when he talked about the legendary woman.

“What really? But I heard…”