The next morning, Kaien stood in front of the mirror.
He stared at himself.
At thirteen years old, he was already unusually tall for his age. His thick black afro had grown enough to cover most of his eyes, giving him a strangely fluffy appearance.
The two small braids his parents had made years ago were still there.
They had grown longer with his hair.
Kaien adjusted one of them.
"Still there."
He smiled.
Then he looked down at the clothes he'd prepared.
Dark hoodie.
Cargo pants.
Boots.
A small backpack.
Nothing suspicious.
Nothing that screamed, "I'm secretly carrying a magical arsenal."
Perfect.
He grabbed his backpack and headed downstairs.
His mother was already in the kitchen.
She looked at him.
"You're going somewhere?"
Kaien stopped.
"Yeah."
"Where?"
"Out."
She stared at him.
Kaien stared back.
His mother crossed her arms.
"That's not an answer."
"I'm going hunting."
Her expression immediately changed.
"Absolutely not."
Kaien blinked.
"I haven't even explained."
"I don't need an explanation."
"I'm careful."
"You're thirteen."
Kaien sighed.
He knew this was coming.
Monster hunting wasn't exactly something parents encouraged their thirteen-year-old children to do alone.
Especially outside controlled areas.
"I'll stay in the safe zones."
His mother remained silent.
Kaien added:
"And I'll come back before dark."
She still looked unconvinced.
His father walked into the kitchen.
"What are you two arguing about?"
"He wants to hunt monsters."
His father stopped.
"...Alone?"
Kaien nodded.
His father looked at him for several seconds.
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Then sighed.
"At least take a communicator."
"I will."
"And don't go beyond the marked areas."
"I won't."
"And if something feels wrong, you leave."
"I know."
His father looked at his mother.
She clearly wasn't happy.
Eventually, she sighed.
"Fine."
Kaien smiled.
"Thanks."
His mother pointed at him.
"If you come home injured, I'm blaming your father."
His father looked offended.
"Why me?"
"Because you agreed."
Kaien quietly grabbed his backpack.
"I'll be back before dark."
As he walked toward the door, his father called after him.
"Kaien."
He turned.
His father tossed him something.
Kaien caught it.
A small silver communicator.
"Keep it on."
Kaien looked at it.
Then smiled.
"Got it."
He stepped outside.
The door closed behind him.
Kaien looked at the communicator in his hand.
He had expected his first monster hunt to feel exciting.
Instead, he felt nervous.
Not because he was afraid of monsters.
Because this was the first time he was actually stepping into the world he'd spent years reading about.
No panels.
No narration.
No author deciding what happened next.
If something went wrong...
It was real.
Kaien took a breath.
"Alright."
He started walking.
"Let's see how different this world really is."
The monster zone was about forty minutes outside the city.
It was an old forest that had been partially enclosed after monsters began appearing there.
The government had placed barriers around the area.
Signs warned civilians not to enter.
Adventurers were allowed inside with proper authorization.
Kaien stopped at the entrance.
A guard looked at him.
"License?"
Kaien handed it over.
The guard examined it.
"First time?"
"Yeah."
"Solo?"
Kaien nodded.
The guard looked him up and down.
He paused at Kaien's height.
Then looked at his face.
Then at the massive afro covering his eyes.
"You're thirteen?"
"Unfortunately."
The guard chuckled.
"Stay in the outer zone. Don't try to be a hero."
"I won't."
The guard handed his license back.
"Good hunting."
Kaien stepped through the barrier.
The moment he entered, the atmosphere changed.
The forest was quiet.
Too quiet.
Kaien could feel mana in the air.
It was faint.
But it was there.
The further he walked, the stronger it became.
He reached out with his senses.
Nothing.
Then—
A branch snapped.
Kaien froze.
Something moved behind him.
He turned.
Nothing.
He slowly reached toward his side.
The handgun appeared in his hand.
His breathing became steady.
He didn't move.
Another sound.
Left.
Kaien turned.
A small creature stepped out from behind a tree.
It looked vaguely like a wolf.
But its body was covered in dark scales.
Its eyes glowed yellow.
Kaien recognized it.
A Scale Fang.
Low-level monster.
Weak enough for beginners.
Dangerous enough to kill an inexperienced person.
Kaien smiled.
"So you're my first."
The creature growled.
Kaien raised the pistol.
The monster lunged.
He fired.
BANG!
The bullet struck its shoulder.
The monster rolled across the ground.
Kaien's eyes widened.
It wasn't dead.
"Right."
He stepped backward.
"I forgot to account for mana resistance."
The creature charged again.
Kaien fired twice.
BANG!
BANG!
The second bullet struck its head.
The monster collapsed.
Silence returned.
Kaien stared.
His heart was pounding.
He lowered the weapon.
Then the system appeared.
[Monster Defeated]
[Weapon Points +2]
[Experience +8]
Kaien stared at the numbers.
"Only two?"
He looked at the monster.
"You're telling me I need five of these just to get ten points?"
The system remained silent.
"Yeah. Thought so."
Kaien crouched beside the creature.
He examined the body.
The bullet wounds were clean.
The first shot had penetrated the scales.
Barely.
The second had done considerably more damage.
Kaien frowned.
He understood why guns were looked down upon.
A normal bullet wasn't enough.
He'd have to compensate.
Mana infusion.
Better ammunition.
Better weapons.
Better accuracy.
He stood.
"One down."
He looked deeper into the forest.
There were probably more.
Kaien smiled.
"Let's keep going."
Three hours later.
Kaien had killed six monsters.
His Weapon Points had increased to fourteen.
His experience had risen as well.
But his mana was running low.
He sat against a tree and drank some water.
The system appeared.
[Current Mana: 31%]
Kaien frowned.
"Already?"
He had been careful.
But maintaining mana infusion with every shot was draining him faster than expected.
This was important.
If he wanted to survive, he couldn't rely on his strongest attacks constantly.
He closed his eyes.
His breathing slowed.
He could feel his Mana Core.
It was tired.
Not damaged.
Just exhausted.
Kaien remembered the comic.
There had been several scenes where characters pushed their mana too far.
At first, they became tired.
Then dizzy.
Then their abilities began failing.
And if they continued—
the Mana Core itself could become damaged.
Kaien opened his eyes.
"So that's the limit."
He stood.
"No more hunting today."
He started walking back.
Then stopped.
Something felt wrong.
Kaien turned toward the forest.
There was a strange pressure coming from deeper inside.
Not strong.
But unusual.
He focused.
Mana.
Something was there.
Kaien's hand moved toward his pistol.
He took one step forward.
Then stopped.
His father's voice echoed in his mind.
If something feels wrong, you leave.
Kaien sighed.
"Fine."
He turned around.
He started walking back toward the entrance.
He made it about twenty meters.
Then heard something behind him.
Footsteps.
Kaien stopped.
Slowly...
He turned.
Nothing.
The forest was empty.
Kaien narrowed his eyes.
Something had followed him.
He didn't know what.
And that was enough.
He began walking faster.
Behind him, something moved between the trees.
Kaien didn't see it.
But somewhere in the darkness...
Two yellow eyes watched him leave.
And for the briefest moment—
the creature smiled.