Crouched in the grass once more, Kael opened his Status Panel and accessed a newly available function.
Combat Log.
[Combat Log] Firebolt → Rabbit (Head) Blast Damage: 15 Status: Stun Impact Damage: 10 Burn Damage: 5 Heavy Strike: 3 Heavy Strike: 4 ... Heavy Strike: 5
Adding everything together, the total damage came out to 34.
The final blow might have caused some overkill, but individual rabbits could have slight differences in health.
To be safe, Kael estimated that each rabbit had around 35 HP.
What caught his attention more was something else.
Both Firebolt and some of his staff strikes had dealt damage exceeding his listed attack values.
That only made sense if he had hit a weak point.
Which meant—
Positioning mattered.
Targeting mattered.
With his current strength, fighting rabbits head-on wasn't reliable. He couldn't guarantee triggering Stun every time.
So how could he improve his combat ability?
Kael glanced at his quest.
[Quest: Aunt May's Rabbit Legs] (1/5)
Relying on quests wasn't going to solve this.
His gaze returned to Firebolt.
Manual casting had no cooldown.
If that was the case…
Could he chain-cast it fast enough?
A rabbit appeared again in the distance.
Kael watched it for a moment, but didn't attack.
The gray rabbit hopped around, as if patrolling its territory, then disappeared back into the grass.
Kael waited another ten minutes before finally standing up and leaving.
He retrieved the rabbit leg he had hidden earlier and returned to the village.
…
The beginner village was no longer as lively as before.
Instead, a heavy atmosphere hung in the air.
Many players who had entered with unrealistic expectations had been thoroughly beaten—by rabbits.
"My Revival Token is gone… If I die again, is it real death? Does anyone know?"
"I'm done… Why do rabbits even attack girls?!"
"Where's the balance in this game?! Players at 0% realism can tank hits, but at 50% I feel like I'm dying from one!"
"..."
"Can someone lend me 2 Copper Coins? I need bread… Why is there even a Hunger Meter?!"
"Why did I choose Mage?! Auto-casting takes 1.5 seconds and still misses!"
"That's still better than Archer. Even with System Assist, I haven't hit a single shot!"
Amid the noise, some players turned into white light and disappeared.
They had chosen to quit.
To become ordinary people again.
Kael wasn't surprised.
In the real world, Aetherion had always been advertised as something beautiful.
Become a player, and you could rise above others.
It was framed as a promising career.
So most people entered with the mindset of an interview candidate—
Not a warrior stepping onto a battlefield.
Kael had no time to worry about others.
They still had Revival Tokens.
They had room for error.
He didn't.
Even so, in Kael's eyes—
Aetherion was still merciful.
It didn't force anyone forward.
It used the beginner village to filter players.
Even the monsters grew stronger gradually.
Under this system, whether to pursue power or remain ordinary…
Was entirely a personal choice.
Unless someone made a reckless decision—
Like entering with their real body—
Leaving safely wasn't difficult.
…
After a brief pause, Kael left again.
He stopped beneath a tree at the edge of the village.
This was still within the Safe Zone.
No rabbits would attack him here.
And being near the boundary meant fewer players would disturb him.
He raised his staff and began constructing Firebolt again.
This time, he wasn't chasing speed.
He focused on precision.
Bit by bit, he built the structure.
It took 25 seconds.
A fireball formed.
MP -10
It was stable.
No flickering.
No signs of collapse.
"Remember the structure… then gradually increase speed."
Kael threw the fireball and immediately began again.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
…
By the seventh cast, his mana had dropped below 30.
His mental state had worsened significantly.
After failing twice in a row, he had no choice but to stop.
"Mental condition affects casting."
He made a mental note.
At present, his only way to recover mana was Basic Meditation.
According to its description, there were two methods.
The first—
Using elemental particles.
Kael sat cross-legged and emptied his mind.
With his naturally strong spirit, it didn't take long before he sensed them.
The space around him, which looked empty to the naked eye, was actually filled with tiny points of light.
Elemental particles.
According to the meditation method, he could draw specific elements into his body.
This would accelerate mana recovery.
At the same time, it would imbue his mana with elemental properties, increasing the power of corresponding spells.
If he continuously absorbed fire elements, Firebolt's damage would increase.
But—
There was a drawback.
In environments lacking fire elements, he wouldn't even be able to recover mana.
Kael's ambition was clear.
He didn't want an obvious weakness.
So he chose the second method.
Reject external elements.
Calm the mind.
Recover mana from within.
This method consumed physical stamina instead.
Its advantages were consistency and independence from the environment.
Its disadvantages—
Slow recovery.
No damage bonus.
Half an hour later, Kael finally stood up.
His mana still hadn't recovered at the rate described by the system—5 MP per minute.
But it was enough.
He resumed practice.
…
Time passed.
Eventually, his stomach growled.
Kael stopped and looked around for dry branches.
Unfortunately, it had rained earlier.
Everything was damp.
He gathered some branches and piled them together.
Then—
A Firebolt.
Boom.
The pile scattered.
The brief burst of heat dried parts of the wood, but nothing caught fire.
"Using Firebolt to dry them isn't practical. Even if I had the mana, the branches would be blown apart before they ignited."
Now he understood why the Combat Log separated impact and burn damage.
Running out of options, Kael turned his gaze toward Aunt May's house.
Borrowing food from an NPC…
That shouldn't count as stealing, right?
…
Crackle.
The rabbit leg turned slowly over a metal rack.
Fat dripped onto the wood below, producing faint popping sounds.
Kael brushed chili oil over the meat.
He preferred it spicy.
The beginner village might have been a rough construct, but it still had everything it needed.
When he arrived at Aunt May's house, he didn't bother talking to her stiff, repetitive NPC dialogue.
He simply walked in and borrowed some tools and ingredients.
A bite of roasted vegetables.
A bite of rabbit meat.
Even Kael had to admit—
He had misjudged Aunt May.
Oh, right.
He might need to stay here for the night too.
Aunt May probably wouldn't mind.
…
"The more I use it, the more I see how precise this structure is."
At first, Firebolt's structure had seemed overly complex.
If even a low-tier spell was like this, then higher-tier spells would only be worse.
But as Kael made more mistakes—
He began to notice something else.
A strange sense of elegance.
This structure had clearly been refined countless times.
Every part served a purpose.
Even the smallest change caused instability.
Once, the fireball had exploded the moment it formed.
Fortunately, Kael was still weak.
The blast hadn't caused serious harm.
Still—
That was enough to teach him.
This wasn't just a skill.
It was a system of rules.
Precise.
Unforgiving.
And powerful.