Yan Luo, age eighteen, height one meter ninety-two, holds a [Hunter License].
Yan Luo rode his motorcycle to the city checkpoint. The soldiers guarding the checkpoint wore smart equipment designed specifically to scan him and retrieve relevant information.
"Hahaha, Xiaoluo, you just graduated today, and you're going hunting already? No time to rest?"
Yan Luo was well-acquainted with the soldiers at the checkpoint, but routine procedures still had to be followed.
An old soldier with a cigarette tucked behind his ear greeted Yan Luo with a smile, then raised his wrist to project the departure registration page. He casually asked, "How long do you plan to be out this time?"
The old soldier could tell from Yan Luo's fully armed appearance that he might be planning an extended outing.
Yan Luo shook his head. "No rest, I'll wait until I get to the exploration town to rest."
The old soldier was taken aback for a moment, looking up at Yan Luo with a hint of confusion in his eyes.
"...That can't be right, you haven't gone through the Engraving yet. I see no record of it here, and you're leaving already?"
Yan Luo nonchalantly replied, "Can't get Engraved."
The old soldier's eyes widened in surprise, lowering his hand. "Kid, you can't even get Engraved and you still want to be a Hunter? I'm telling you, I've been to the Abyss when I was young, and the demons there are nothing like the mutant animals roaming the wild. Remember those guns of mine are impressive? Below-danger-level mutant animals, I can take out one with a single shot. If they line up, maybe three with one shot. But not demons. My gun's bullet can't even graze their hair!"
"Uncle Jiang, of course I know what demons are like," Yan Luo pursed his lips, gave the motorcycle handle a pat, "Quickly register me. I need to reach the exploration town before nightfall."
"...Alright, you're something else!"
The old soldier gave Yan Luo a stern glare, raised his wrist once more to project the departure registration page.
While processing the registration, the old soldier muttered and cursed under his breath and eventually sent Yan Luo a permit.
"Stubborn fool, never listens to advice... Alright, go collect your equipment!"
When his glasses gave a notification, a mischievous grin appeared on Yan Luo's face. He waved a hand at the old soldier, turned the motorcycle handles, and veered into the parking lot of the checkpoint.
Next to the checkpoint, there was a warehouse storing equipment not allowed within the city.
Yan Luo located his locker effortlessly, pressing his palm on the recognition lock. Simultaneously, a [Locker Access Permit] popped up on his lenses, and he selected [Agree].
Sssst!
The sealed locker released some gas as Yan Luo stepped back, and the door opened automatically, with a weapon rack sliding out.
The weapon rack held a powered exoskeleton, two shotguns—one long and one short, a one-meter-long blade, and two hatchets.
With Keke's assistance, Yan Luo donned the powered exoskeleton. The long shotgun was inserted into the side of the assault pack, the short one hung behind his waist, the long blade rested on his left shoulder ready to draw, and the two hatchets hung from the outer sides of his thighs for quick access.
After gearing up, Yan Luo headed for the ammunition storage vault, submitting his personal details to the robotic warehouse manager and retrieved the ammunition he had previously stored there.
He packed the ammunition into his backpack, mounted the motorcycle, and rode towards the checkpoint.
The matte black finish of the powered exoskeleton made Yan Luo look distinctly warrior-like, and the scratches on the armor lent it an indescribable bloody aura.
If Yan Luo hadn't explicitly said, no one would think he was just a freshly graduated high school student.
Except for a select few, no one knew Yan Luo had passed the knowledge exam for hunting trips at thirteen, and after officially obtaining permission to go out at sixteen, he hunted mutant animals every weekend, acquiring a [Hunter License] by his seventeenth birthday.
The seasoned soldiers at the checkpoint watched Yan Luo grow from an inexperienced kid into the iron-blooded man he was today. They believed if Yan Luo became a Hunter, he could certainly achieve legendary feats that would captivate the world.
Unfortunately, fate's jest saw this outstanding young man stumble before the threshold of becoming a Hunter.
Inability to undergo Engraving meant weakness.
"Clearance!"
The checkpoint soldiers watched the side gate open with complex emotions. Even before the gate fully raised, Yan Luo revved the throttle, and the motorcycle shot forward.
As he departed, the old soldier with a cigarette behind his ear couldn't help but shout after Yan Luo's retreating silhouette, "Kid, come back if you can't handle it! No one will laugh at you!"
Yan Luo didn't turn back. He simply raised a hand, waved, and rode off in a cloud of dust.
The towering, contiguous city walls, the flourishing and splendid metropolis, all began to fade into the distance behind Yan Luo.
Flap—!
At the instant Yan Luo left the city, he heard a piercing cry from above.
A giant eagle with a wingspan over eight meters soared across the sky, casting a fleeting shadow on the ground.
The cracked highway stretched from the city's edge, extending endlessly into the distance. Sparse vegetation dotted the roadside, with ashes from burning staining the soil black.
Yet beneath the darkness, roots and fresh shoots still broke through the earth, greedily inhaling the air.
The barren red land accompanied a long-neglected road, where Yan Luo rode his motorcycle in solitude, listening to the distant roars of beasts as he silently increased his speed.
The motorcycle's mini-radar emitted signals in all directions, scanning for nearby mutant animals.
On any regular day, Yan Luo would certainly have tracked and hunted mutant animals based on radar feedback. These creatures were both his main source of income and vital nutrients.
The meat of mutant animals could stimulate body growth, enhancing the physique of those who consumed it. Thanks to eating their meat since sixteen, Yan Luo grew as strong as he was now.
Yan Luo had heard that wealthy children consumed mutant animal meat from a young age, though they also received gene stabilizers to prevent their genes from being polluted by the Magic Power within the meat.
But that was a wealthy man's approach. Though Yan Luo had inherited some wealth from his parents, he lived frugally in his pursuit to become a Hunter.
His powered exoskeleton and weapons were all items he accumulated over two years of hunting mutant animals. Even the motorcycle was acquired this way.
A navigation map expanded over his lenses; after minimizing it to the lower left corner, a cursor projected onto his retina to guide his path.
As he distanced himself further from the city, the roadside vegetation began to dense.
The sounds of insects and birds were unending.
Despite dense vegetation on both sides of the road and cracked surfaces, no plant encroached upon the highway.
After all, this road connected Lingquan City to the exploration town. The town couldn't yet be fully self-sufficient, so it relied on supplies from Lingquan City. Convoys regularly traversed this path, clearing any encroaching flora.
Under normal circumstances, mutant animals rarely appeared near the roadside. If one did, passing convoys would shoot it down. Over time, mutant animals learned to avoid the area.
But on rare occasions, some short-sighted mutant animal might venture here.
"Woo—!"
Amidst the rustling through leaves, the radar detected the mutated animal running through the forest.
It might've been a wolf with a shoulder height of one point two meters and a staggering body length of two point four meters.
In the old times, such a creature would've shocked the world.
Sadly, in Abyss Calendar year 70, this level of mutant animal was a dime a dozen.
Yan Luo didn't even glance at it before drawing his short shotgun and firing into the woods, then shutting the safety and holstering it back behind his waist.
The wolf could only let out a pained whimper before collapsing within the forest.
This level of prey wasn't worth Yan Luo's attention. The gunshot itself was a waste of money; typically, he'd engage in close combat and slash it down, but now there was truly no time.
Traveling along the highway for three hours, Yan Luo finally reached his destination.
East of Lingquan City lay an Abyss named 'Crimson,' and at its edge, Hunters established a supply point, typically serving as a forward base for Abyss expeditions, thus called exploration town.
The exploration town takes its name from the neighboring Abyss.
For instance, the exploration town Yan Luo reached was called the 'Crimson No.2 Exploration Town.'
—This is the official designation.