The hum of the engine roared like a beast awakened, tires crunching against the ground as the ATV surged forward. Wind whipped past in rapid gusts, tearing through the trees and ruffling their hair like invisible fingers. Once Alex got the hang of the steering, it didn't take long before a wide grin spread across his face. The sudden bursts of speed, the bounce of uneven terrain, the raw sense of freedom—it was exhilarating.
Behind him, Sherry leaned in a little closer without realizing it. Her hands tightened around his waist—not just for balance, but from the nervous energy coursing through her. Her heart thudded so loudly she was sure he could hear it, and her face was already dusted with a pink blush. She kept her gaze lowered, silently praying the wind would hide the growing warmth in her cheeks.
'This is... way too embarrassing.'
It was her first time riding the ATV—and now she was on it with him, of all people. Holding on to him. Close. Closer than she'd ever been to anyone before.
Not just any boy, either. Alex. Her only friend. The one who had—more and more—started to feel like something more.
The pink strands of her twin tails fluttered wildly in the wind as they sped along the trail, the motion making her feel even more exposed. She couldn't tell anymore if the rapid beat of her heart was because of the speed… or because of how close she was to him. Every time the ATV hit a bump or he leaned into a turn, she instinctively tightened her hold—each time sending another wave of heat to her face.
Meanwhile, Alex was completely immersed in the ride—the wind blasting across his face, the deep purr of the engine beneath them, the wild trail stretching ahead. It was everything he didn't realize he'd been missing.
"This thing is awesome!" he shouted over the wind, laughing.
Sherry didn't respond. She couldn't. Her voice would've cracked for sure. Instead, she lowered her head slightly, burying her face against his back as she nodded.
They rode with no destination in sight—just the open trail and the thrill of speed.
Alex, still riding high on adrenaline, didn't seem to mind. He leaned into every turn like a racer, eyes sharp with focus, a grin tugging at the corners of his lips.
Sherry, meanwhile, was doing her best not to melt from how close she was to him. But more than that, she was trying to center herself, to ground her mind and steady her breathing. Slowly, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and let her awareness drift outward.
That's when she felt it.
A faint ripple in the air—like a single drop hitting a still pond, sending delicate rings outward. Her brow furrowed slightly as her senses narrowed in on the disturbance.
"Alex," she murmured, leaning close so her voice wouldn't be lost in the wind. "There's mana disturbance ahead. I think there are monsters nearby."
Alex eased the throttle, gradually bringing the ATV to a smooth stop. "Monsters?" he echoed, glancing over his shoulder. "Where? And… how do you know that?"
"I used Mana Sense. There was a fluctuation—subtle, but definitely there."
"Mana Sense?" Alex tilted his head, clearly intrigued. "That's a thing?"
Sherry nodded. "It's like... stretching your awareness. You focus your mind and attune yourself to the natural flow of mana around you. If something disturbs that flow—like a burst from a spell, or a living creature with mana—you can feel it."
"Alright, let's give it a try." Alex said, closing his eyes as the engine idled softly beneath them.
He took a slow breath, letting the world fall away. No wind. No noise. Just stillness.
He focused—not on sight or sound, but on something deeper. The invisible thread that wove through everything around him. The flow of mana.
At first, it was like trying to hear a whisper in a storm. Distant, scattered. But gradually, something clicked. He felt it—subtle, but undeniable. A ripple. A quiet disruption in the current of energy, like a stone tossed into still water.
'Something's there.'
Then—a soft chime echoed faintly in his mind. A system notification.
[A new technique has been registered]
==============================
Technique: Mana Sense
Description: The ability to perceive the presence, flow, and density of mana in the surroundings, as well as detect fluctuations and disturbances in mana.
==============================
Alex opened his eyes, blinking. "...Huh," he muttered. "It actually worked."
Sherry tilted her head, curiosity lighting her expression. "You sensed it?"
"Yeah," he said, nodding slowly. "There's definitely something ahead. Feels… like warped mana clumped together. Monsters, probably. Wish I'd known this earlier."
Right on cue, Aurora's voice floated lazily into his thoughts—teasing and bright.
"Oops~ My bad. I totally forgot to teach you that. It's such a basic skill, I figured you already picked it up."
Alex twitched. 'You forgot?'
She giggled. "I mean, technically, everyone learns it early on, so I just kinda assumed you already had."
He rolled his eyes. Of course.
And then he remembered something else—Alicia hadn't mentioned it either. His master. She probably forgot too.
He focused again, this time sharper. The faint cluster of mana was still there, his eyes narrowed.
Alex hopped off the ATV and motioned for Sherry to stay back. His eyes narrowed as he moved cautiously through the underbrush. The faint rustling ahead aligned perfectly with the subtle mana fluctuations he had sensed earlier. It didn't take long before he spotted them—a pack of monster wolves.
The wolves growled, baring their fangs. But Alex wasn't fazed. With a swift motion, he drew his sword, and in a flash of silver, surged forward. A few precise slashes later, the monsters collapsed one by one, lifeless.
Now that he was a B-rank, the system no longer awarded him points for defeating F-rank and E-rank monsters.
He exhaled lightly and glanced at the watch on his wrist. A digital interface flickered, displaying his current point tally.
"Only 5 points for an E-rank monster, huh?" he muttered.
Sherry tilted her head. "Yeah, that's right. F-rank monsters are worth 1 point, E-rank give 5, D-rank are worth 20, C-rank give 100, and B-rank monsters... a whopping 1000 points."
He blinked. "Wait, how do you know all that? Was this common knowledge?"
"It was covered in the Monsterology and Survival special classes..." she replied softly, tapping her fingertips together.
Then a thought struck him. He furrowed his brows, glancing back at the fallen wolves.
"If an E-rank monster is worth 5 points, that's five times an F-rank monster. But then D-rank giving only 20? That's just four times E-rank."
Sherry frowned, clearly unsure. "I... I don't know."
Suddenly, Aurora's voice echoed in his mind.
"Think of it this way," she said lazily, "if we scale mana capacity in points and take F-rank monsters as base worth 1 point and so on."
Aurora continued, "Not just that—five E-rank monsters may equal the mana output of one D-rank, but D-rank monsters are smarter, stronger, faster... they're harder to kill. And the jump from D to C, and then to B, is massive. That's why the points spike. It's not just mana—it's danger level, too."
"Anyway," he said, sheathing his sword, "let's find some higher-ranked monsters. No point wasting time on small fry."
Alex pulled out his phone and slid it into the mounted slot on the ATV's dashboard. With a few taps, a holographic 3D map interface projected above the screen, glowing faintly with trails, mana zones, and monster indicators. He zoomed in on a few red-marked areas—signs of potential high-level activity.
"Let's head deeper." he said. Sherry nodded silently behind him, tightening her grip as the engine roared to life.
The deeper they went, the denser the trees grew, and the air turned heavier with tension. It wasn't long before they encountered their first D-rank monsters—Berserker Boars.
For Alex, they were just larger, noisier targets. Sherry wanted to help, but he stopped her.
"They still give XP and skill points, even if it's just a quarter now," Alex said as he calmly wiped the blood from his blade. "In no way I'm passing up free gains."
From that point on, the pattern continued. As they pressed farther along the forest trails, they ran into scattered groups of F-rank and E-rank monsters—barely worth noting—but the Berserker Boars showed up more frequently.
None of them posed any real challenge to Alex. Each monster was dispatched with a single strike or a single spell, his movements efficient and unhurried.
Sherry stayed mostly on the sidelines, acting as lookout. She used her mana sense to scan for nearby threats, guiding him toward denser clusters of activity. Though she wasn't directly involved in the fights, her eyes never strayed from him.
By the time the sun dipped lower in the sky, casting long, golden shadows through the towering trees, Alex finally slowed the vehicle.
They arrived at a rocky clearing near a cliffside that offered a sweeping view of the forest below. The treetops shimmered in the warm orange glow of the setting sun, while birds circled lazily overhead.
Alex parked the ATV under the shade of a broad tree and let out a long breath. "Alright, let's take a break."
He stretched his arms and rolled his shoulders. Though he hadn't broken a sweat in battle, the constant movement and vigilance were starting to wear on him.
Sherry sat down on a moss-covered rock nearby and pulled out a flask of water from her bag. She handed it to him without a word.
"Thanks." he said, accepting it with a small nod. He took a long sip, then leaned back against the tree trunk, his sword resting at his side.
"You practically cleared out everything in this region…" she said softly, her voice carrying a tone of disbelief.
Alex smirked slightly. "It's not that hard if they all die in one hit."
Sherry giggled behind her hand. "You're not wrong."