Nonso's eyes widened slightly at the machete appearing out of thin air again.

"You really are a movie junkie, T'Challa's Tooth?" Helen said with a smirk.

"Hey, I didn't name it," Timothy shrugged, still admiring the weapon.

It did look cooler than he'd given it credit for.

"I'm more into daggers and piercing weapons myself…" Nonso admitted, and without thinking, he reached out and took the machete from Timothy.

The moment he held it, the blade dropped straight to the ground with a heavy thud, pinning itself in the dirt.

"…But damn, it's heavy," he finished.

He hadn't meant to break character, but it slipped out before he could catch himself.

The etched panther on the blade seemed to dim in response.

Timothy chuckled.

Nonso reminded him of a little brother, someone he naturally felt more relaxed around.

"Not really," Timothy said as the scarf on his arm unfurled, floating toward the machete.

With effortless grace, it pulled the weapon free and returned it to his hand.

"It's just… selective," Timothy said, twirling it lightly.

Miebaka, watching from behind, faltered in his steps.

An S-rank weapon? he thought.

It made sense now, maybe the weapon was simply too heavy for an assassin like Nonso.

But the way Timothy handled it with ease… If his durability was even close to his strength, the weight would feel negligible to him.

However, the situations did not match; Timothy's record isn't shown to have ever been in any high-ranked gate recently.

Assassins like Nonso focused on light, swift weapons, and tools meant to strike and vanish.

Miebaka glanced at the scarf wound tightly around Timothy's arm.

Of all the torn places on his clothes, why wrap that scarf there? He thought mocking Timothy's obliviousness

He sighed quietly.

"Tim," Miebaka suddenly asked as they continued walking, "have you ever thought about what you want to do in the future?"

Timothy glanced at Miebaka, brows slightly furrowed.

"I haven't really thought about it. Isn't being a hunter already a lot?"

Miebaka nodded thoughtfully.

"It is, but with your current skill set, it'll be hard to climb higher in the association rankings."

"I doubt that," Timothy replied, almost instantly.

"Huh? Why?" Miebaka asked, genuinely surprised.

"Because I know myself. I'll keep growing."

"Getting stronger doesn't automatically mean you're getting better."

"Growth comes from experience."

"And so far," Miebaka added dryly,

"you're lacking in that aspect."

Timothy scoffed.

"What better experience is there than surviving in a world crawling with monsters that want to eat you alive?"

Miebaka chuckled.

"That's primitive thinking. You should take advantage of the help you have now instead of charging in blind."

"What help?" Timothy asked.

Miebaka adjusted his glasses.

"Alright then. What are the basic Mana requirements for each hunter rank that you know?"

"I don't know the specific numbers, but I do think the ranking system is flawed. It doesn't reflect actual capability."

"Flawed, yes but not completely broken. That's why hunters can retake the evaluation tests if they believe their results were inaccurate."

Timothy blinked.

He hadn't known that.

He now noticed how composed Miebaka looked, glasses back on, Tachi strapped to his back, cradling the unconscious princess like she weighed nothing.

He looked cool… but that wasn't the point.

"I didn't know that," Timothy admitted.

"It's not uncommon. The Mana requirement for E-rank is zero. If the machine detects even a trace of Mana in you, you've awakened, but if you can't sense it, you're still E-rank. You can relate to that, right?"

"Yeah, I remember that much."

"For D-rank..." Miebaka began, but Timothy cut in with a grin.

"...You need to be able to sense your Mana, which allows you to cast basic skills and enhance your body based on your class."

"Impressive," Miebaka said.

"Not surprised though."

"I used to dream about it," Timothy said quietly, the smile fading to something more wistful.

"And C-rank?"

Timothy hesitated.

"I think I've got an idea. But honestly, I didn't grow up surrounded by high-ranking hunters."

"We're C-ranks," Miebaka pointed out.

"What do we all have in common?"

Timothy looked around at the others and exhaled.

"Powerful skills?" he guessed.

"But you don't have any," Miebaka said bluntly.

"I focus on training my companions."

"I also train my companion," Helen chimed in.

"But that doesn't mean I neglect myself."

Timothy glanced at her, then tilted his head.

"Speaking of your companion, how did you get it?"

Helen stretched, then grinned.

"Long story, painful one too. Mine doesn't need much training, just high-quality food… which reminds me, you owe me a dragon heart."

Timothy laughed.

"Find me a dragon dungeon and I'll bring you a dozen."

"You do know those are S-rank or higher, right?" Miebaka added with a smirk.

Timothy shivered.

A B-rank dungeon nearly killed him, an S-rank would be suicide.

Wasn't I joking? he thought, glancing at Helen, who looked far too eager about the idea.

How do I tell her I'm not serious without crushing her dreams?

He quickly shifted the subject.

"My termites are social creatures. They need feeding, attention, structure…" Timothy paused, considering how much to share.

"And… they're basically children."

"I thought you only had one," Miebaka said, raising a brow.

Timothy gave a small smile.

"I have more. Gray is the oldest."

That made Miebaka stumble slightly, but he recovered fast.

"So… who's taking care of them now?"

Timothy hesitated.

He was saying more than he'd planned.

"Luckily, I found a new caretaker," he said vaguely.

"So I might finally have some time for myself."

"You mean the spider?" Miebaka asked, unblinking.

"…Yes."

"Well, that's good. Gives you time to work on reaching B-rank. Though, it won't be easy."

"You didn't actually explain what C-rank required."

Miebaka adjusted his glasses again.

"C-rank is when you can manipulate Mana as if it's part of your body. For example, when I channel Mana through my blade, or when mages empower their staffs or catalysts. It's about control and integration."

"And B-rank?" Timothy asked.

"Same principle, but externalized. You move Mana outside your body. Think telekinesis, ranged manipulation, lingering effects… that kind of thing."

Timothy frowned.

He hadn't mastered that yet.

Hell he didn't even know

Why would I need to move my Mana outside my body anyway?

Then it hit him, the time he used his spinning blade skill.

Even after releasing it, the Mana remained, circulating around the arc and boosting the damage.

That was it.

A ranged attack…

And for mages? He could see how that would be essential.

Sadly Timothy was too narrow-minded

Timothy was lost in thought, turning over Miebaka's explanation in his mind, when the latter suddenly spoke up.

"We're here."

Timothy blinked and looked up.

There it was, the shimmering portal they had entered through, still active.

A clear sign the dungeon hadn't been cleared.

They could clear it... just not yet.

"Wait! We didn't mine the crystals!" Timothy nearly shouted, already turning to run back, but Miebaka stopped him.

"Don't worry. I'll take care of it officially."

Timothy paused, glancing at the others.

No one seemed fazed by Miebaka's words.

Reluctantly, he gave up on the idea of manually collecting the crystals.

They all stood before the portal, preparing to leave.

Miebaka had one final note.

"I'll contact you all later about the rewards and other details. Stay safe."

With that, he pulled a small blue gem from his pocket and crushed it in his palm.

A fine blue mist enveloped him and the unconscious Prisca in his arms and in an instant, they vanished through the gate.

Next, Nonso pulled his hoodie over his head, slipping back into his assassin persona.

Without a word, he stepped through the portal.

Sometimes Timothy forgot how dangerous that boy really was.

His first encounter with Nonso had nearly cost him his life. He'd seen a child only to end up with a dagger at his throat.

How many lives had the kid taken already?

Then again, this was the world they lived in.

"I guess I'm next. People won't think much of a girl walking out of a cemetery, right?" Helen said.

"People always think something," Timothy replied.

"Oh? And what would you think?"

"I tend to mind my business. But if I had to say... you look like someone who just spent a long time mourning."

Helen chuckled.

"Forget it. However I look is none of their business."

And with that, she stepped through the portal, leaving Timothy and the spider behind.

It was his turn now.

Time to prepare, because the moment he stepped out, he knew exactly what was coming...

[Daily Quest is now available]

"Perfect timing," he muttered.

"Bad human. Don't flirt with other species in front of me," the spider's voice rang in his mind.

Timothy groaned.

"Didn't we agree you'd conserve energy and not speak unless necessary? And where did you even learn the word flirt? Ugh..."

Her thoughts always felt like someone yelling inside his skull.

And now, thanks to her chattiness, she'd probably need more food to recover.

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