he wilderness sky stayed too quiet.
Aaron stood under a towering pine, Abyssfang Blade loose in his grip. Feathers and snapped twigs already littered the ground around him. The hunt had started without warning.
A dark blur dropped from above. One Dust Crow dove straight at his head, wings cutting the air like knives. Aaron didn't look up. His arm moved.
SLASH.
The blade flashed once. The crow split clean before it hit the dirt.
[Dust Crow Defeated]
[EXP gained: 10]
[Effort Theft Activated]
[Unknown Amplification Factor Applied]
Aaron exhaled slow. Ten experience points. That was all these level-one birds usually gave. Yet for him it meant ten thousand. The system never explained the exact number anymore. It just delivered.
Another crow screamed and dove.
SLASH.
Then another.
And another.
The sky filled with black shapes circling like living shadows. Dust Crows. Fragile, weak, worthless to most hunters. Ten experience each. That was it. However, Aaron kept swinging like a machine. Feathers exploded into the air with every cut. Notifications stacked fast inside his head.
10,000.
50,000.
120,000.
200,000.
Somehow the numbers kept climbing while the forest floor vanished under a thick carpet of black feathers. Beaks piled up. Claws scattered. Tiny cores and crude weapons dropped everywhere. Normal hunters would have tossed them. Aaron's system turned every single one into something better. Materials stacked higher. Weapons evolved on the spot. The clearing started looking like a market stall that had exploded.
He didn't stop until the sky finally darkened.
The last crow fell with a final slash.
Aaron lowered the blade and opened his panel. The experience bar had gone stupid.
350,000 EXP gained.
[Level Up!]
[Level 22 Reached]
Level: 22
EXP: 66,000 / 75,000
He let out a low whistle. "Not bad."
Then he tapped inventory.
Inventory Capacity: 50 Slots
Status: FULL
Aaron stared at the line, then looked around the clearing. The sight was ridiculous. Thousands of feathers blanketed everything. Piles of amplified beaks and cores stacked like hay bales in the low light. He rubbed his forehead slow.
"I may have overdone it."
No way to carry all of it. He picked through the mess anyway, taking only the best weapons, the rarest materials, the strongest cores. The rest he left lying there. Even then his slots filled completely. He turned and started the long walk back toward Lemuria City as the last light faded.
The massive gates were already closing when he reached them. A tired guard gave him a once-over.
"Solo again, kid? You look like you rolled in a feather factory."
Aaron shrugged. "Something like that."
The guard chuckled. "Whatever you killed, hope it was worth it. City's buzzing about the tournament. Three days left."
"Yeah," Aaron said. "It was worth it."
He walked the quiet streets to the academy dorms. The second his head hit the pillow, sleep took him hard.
Morning light poured through the window. Aaron sat up, stretched, and checked the schedule. Three days until elimination. He headed downstairs and found Rei hunched on a bench in the hallway, scrolling his phone like his life depended on it.
"What are you doing?" Aaron asked.
Rei jumped. "Oh! Equipment prices, man. Elimination's coming. These guys are monsters." He scrolled again, shaking his head. "Epic weapons, rare armor. Everyone's buying something. Prices are insane."
Aaron glanced at the screen. The numbers were brutal. Most students couldn't afford that in a whole year.
Rei sighed. "If I had just one good weapon… my chances would actually improve."
Aaron thought for half a second.
"Let's go."
Rei blinked. "Go where?"
"The Hunter Market."
Half an hour later they stood inside the biggest equipment store in Lemuria City. Weapons lined the walls. Armor sets gleamed behind glass. Rare materials sat locked in reinforced cases.
The shopkeeper approached with a practiced smile. "Looking for something specific, gentlemen?"
"Epic weapons," Aaron said, pointing at the rack without hesitation.
The shopkeeper's eyes widened a fraction. He moved fast, laying out several pieces. A sleek dagger glowing with faint energy. A reinforced scout blade with perfect balance.
Rei's jaw dropped. "Brother Aaron… let's leave. These prices—"
Aaron pulled out his hunter card. "Pack them."
The shopkeeper's face lit up like he'd just won the lottery. "Right away, sir."
Minutes later the deal was done. Rei stood in the middle of the store holding the Epic scout blade in both hands, staring at it like it might vanish.
"Brother Aaron…" His voice cracked. "You bought this for me?"
"You'll need it."
Rei looked up, eyes glassy. He took a shaky breath, then shouted at the top of his lungs right there in the store.
"BROTHER AARON IS THE BEST!"
The shopkeeper chuckled behind the counter. Aaron just smirked and clapped Rei on the shoulder.
"Save it for the arena. You're gonna need that energy."
Rei gripped the blade tighter, grin splitting his face. Three days left. Somehow the tournament felt a lot less impossible now.