The growl was low and wet. Sebastian's heart hammered against his ribs, but his hands remained steady. He activated Mana Resonance once more. The world turned grey, and a flickering red pulse appeared behind the trash bins.
It was a Grey Lurker. This was a level two monster that often haunted the industrial zones of Heloplex. It looked like a hairless dog with sharp, metallic claws and eyes that glowed with a sickly yellow light.
The beast stepped out into the moonlight. Its muscles tensed for a leap. Sebastian gripped his old knife, feeling the cold steel.
"Twenty experience points," he whispered to himself.
The Lurker jumped. It was faster than a normal animal, but Sebastian felt a strange pull in his gut. His high Luck stat was working. As the beast flew through the air, Sebastian's foot slipped on a wet patch of oil.
A normal hunter would have fallen and died. But as Sebastian slipped, his body tilted at a perfect angle. The Lurker's claws missed his throat by an inch. In the same motion, Sebastian thrust his knife upward. He did not aim for the head. His Resonance showed a thin line of red light running across the monster's belly where the skin was softest.
[Critical hit!]
The blade sank deep into the Lurker. The beast let out a choked scream and fell to the ground, twitching in a pool of dark blood.
[Target neutralized: Grey Lurker (Level 2)]
[Experience gained: 20 XP]
[Experience: 70 / 100]
Sebastian breathed heavily. His clothes were stained with monster blood, but he felt a strange surge of energy. He was only thirty points away from his first level up.
—
He spent the next hour moving through the dark alleys. Thanks to his Luck and Resonance, he did not encounter any large packs of monsters. Instead, he found exactly what he needed.
Three Iron-Claw Rats. They were level one pests, small and aggressive, but they moved in predictable patterns. Sebastian killed them one by one. Each kill was clean, and each one brought him closer to the goal.
[Target neutralized: Iron-Claw Rat (Level 1)]
[Experience gained: 10 XP]
[Experience: 80 / 100]
...
[Target neutralized: Iron-Claw Rat (Level 1)]
[Experience gained: 10 XP]
[Experience: 100 / 100]
Suddenly, a golden light flashed before his eyes. It was much brighter than the Mana Resonance. A warm, powerful energy flowed from the air into his chest, repairing the small scratches on his skin and filling his muscles with new strength.
[Level Up!]
[Your Level is now 2]
[You have received 3 Stat Points]
Sebastian leaned against a brick wall, smiling. He finally felt the true difference between a civilian and a hunter. He opened his status window and focused on the distribution.
"Two points into Strength," he commanded. "One point into Luck."
[Strength: 5 -> 7]
[Luck: 20 -> 21]
He felt his grip on the knife become much tighter. His muscles became denser, and his vision seemed even clearer than before. He was still at the very bottom of the food chain in Heloplex, but the first step was taken.
Sebastian looked up at the "Techno-hive" towers in the distance. He needed to get home before his mother woke up for her second shift. But as he turned to leave the alley, his Resonance picked up a new signal. It was not red, and it was not golden. It was a deep, dark purple light coming from a manhole cover nearby.
Something was down there. Something that did not belong in the sewers of the Rotten Sector.