Hunting

A month had passed since Aiden gained his first Talent, and he was now bound to enter Nexus once more.

He had trained his Lightning Manipulation to a decent level of mastery. Although he could only shock and discharge lightning bolts, it was enough to protect himself from danger. Now, he needed to raise his rank first. He was still unranked and didn't know if he had the Novice capacity of energy. Killing monsters would be the only way to determine that.

There were two places to kill monsters: at the Nexus or in dungeon rifts. Dungeon rifts were spaces within spatial distortions, typically vertex-looking portals that appeared out of nowhere. Inside them lay different dimensions or worlds of monsters and treasures, similar to Nexus but much smaller. Most of the dungeon rifts were already controlled and owned, and it had been five years since the last appearance of a new one.

'I still can't believe they're so eager to send me to Nexus. Well, I do want to earn a good sum, but couldn't they at least train me more? I want to learn martial arts!'

"Aiden, I've brought your equipment. There's a light sword that can withstand electrical energy and heat."

Looking at the items placed on top of a short table, Aiden couldn't help but inspect the materials. They seemed durable and made from high-quality craftsmanship.

"Where did you get this? I've only seen top Talents wearing this." Amazed, he took the sword and examined it closely.

The polished surface reflected light like a mirror, sharp and perfected. Its metal was clearly hard but light.

"Have you forgotten we're still under AA Enterprises?"

"Ah… right." He mumbled, but deep inside, he was thrilled by the perks. 'It's a dream come true to get such equipment.'

"But why am I not entering the dungeon we rented? It would be wasteful not to use it," Aiden commented while putting on the gear.

Liam jolted, surprised and hesitant to answer Aiden's question. Aiden noticed, sensing something was off.

Suspiciously, Liam lowered his head with his hands clasped.

"Please don't tell anyone about this. I made a mistake. I didn't notice the dungeon was still replenishing its resources and monsters, so…"

Understanding the problem, Aiden chuckled softly before shaking his head. He adjusted the strap to the sheath of his sword before heading to the door.

"Don't worry. I'll tell no one. But keep this secret—I won't be going with the school party. I'm going alone."

Taken aback, Liam rushed to Aiden with worried eyes. Even though keeping the secret would affect his performance rating, Aiden's safety came first. He was the guild's only Talent.

"No way I'm agreeing to that! That's dangerous! This is your first visit. If it were a dungeon, maybe. But Nexus is way more dangerous than any dungeon."

Liam was right. Nexus was still largely unexplored. Its vast land had appeared out of nowhere, despite years of efforts controlling dungeon rifts. Going too far from the safe zone in Nexus made rescue difficult.

"This isn't my first visit. Before awakening, I worked as a porter when I was still non-Talented. So, I know the basics of Nexus. You know it's taught in the obligatory education." Aiden left the office, leaving Liam dejected and following behind him.

As Liam drove him to Jasmine City's teleportation gate, which had better facilities and rescue units, he couldn't stop worrying about Aiden.

'My only goal is to gain experience, raise my rank, and hopefully get my second Talent... I just hope I find a Talent that complements Lightning Manipulation.'

At the teleportation station, Aiden bid his farewell before entering the gate. As the doors closed, concern remained on Liam's face.

'Just a month ago, he was judging my appearance. Now, my safety comes first. What does he think of me? A kid?'

Without wasting much time, Aiden entered the elevator-style teleportation gate, a prominent feature in Solaria. Upon arrival in Nexus, he couldn't help but feel his heart pounding in his chest.

'Is this excitement? Yeah... this is excitement. I shouldn't be worried right now, this isn't like me. Even before, when I was non-Talented, I wasn't worried about entering Nexus. Now that I have a Talent, why should I be?'

The area he was transported to was the Whispering Woods, the same place where he had lost his previous employers. Though it had been a month, a lingering guilt still gnawed at him, though he couldn't quite pinpoint it.

Shaking his head, Aiden stepped forward onto the platform of the safe zone. The area around him had an indifferent atmosphere, the trees and leaves swaying with the wind, their green hue lighting up the forest.

When he finally stepped off the platform, Aiden expected to encounter Sprites, the most common type of monsters in this area.

There were at least five known regions in Nexus, each with different safe zones where monster density was lighter: Whispering Woods, Barren Land, Dystopia, The Lost Civilization, and Underworld Canyon. Each region had its own stations of safe zones, all connected to various countries' teleportation gates.

This wasn't the typical time to enter Nexus. Had he arrived during peak hours, it would've been much harder to get in so smoothly.

'Equipment, check! Light Sword, check! Talent, check! Let's kill some sprites!'

This would be Aiden's first official monster hunt, and the excitement couldn't be more palpable. He had played out this scenario in his head countless times before, even back when he was still non-Talented. He'd always imagined himself wielding a sword, slaying sprites.

After spotting his first target, a Green Sylvian Sprite—a healing type—he didn't hesitate. With a swift strike, he cut it down immediately. Amplified by his Lightning Manipulation Talent, Aiden's sword bypassed the natural defenses monsters usually had against basic weapons.

This was why non-Talented humans couldn't easily hunt in Nexus. To kill monsters efficiently, one had to overcome their natural defenses, something offensive Talents could easily handle. It wasn't impossible for regular humans to do the same, but it would cost a fortune to buy a weapon capable of breaking through a monster's defenses. This was why most non-Talented individuals worked as porters, though some ventured into other roles.

A strange sensation shot through Aiden after his first kill, starting from his toes and traveling up to his nape.

'That was weird... Could that be the sensation of earning experience for leveling up?'

Most Talented individuals began at the Novice Rank and Basic Level, but a lucky few started at higher levels after awakening. Rank and level determined a Talented's power, though it didn't necessarily correlate with their skill—still, it influenced their overall power output.

Assuming he was a Novice Rank and Basic Level, since he hadn't officially assessed his rank at the STA, Aiden knew he needed to gain as much experience as possible.

'I don't need a Healing-type Talent right now. What I need is something to boost my strength, especially with martial arts training coming up soon. I've only got two months before I need to show results to AA Enterprises.'

With that thought in mind, Aiden decided to go deeper into the woods, slaying a few more Sylvian Sprites along the way. Their blood splattered across his clothes, but even the sight of it didn't bother him in the slightest.