"Infrared waves."
"Hmm?"
"That's what he used to stop his moment."
"Damn! As far I know this kid as Fire-element Astral Lord. How did he possess Infrared waves a special type skill?"
"Exactly! Only a 6-Star Fire-element Astral Lord can acquire Infrared waves. This kid is just at 2-Star, yet he can use Infrared waves?"
"There is a possibility that his Fire skill have infrared waves attached to it."
Hearing this explanation everyone was surprised as they watch Simon and Ivan disappear in to forest.
…
"Simon are you okay?"
Simon's face pale as a clean sheet of paper which made Ivan worry about him but seeing that Simon was standing there silently, Ivan did not say anything and stood beside him with silently give him time to accept what just happened.
Because he himself was having hard time accepting what just happened and Simon who was directly took the action should be shaken as will.
Five minute later the Simon cleared his head and looked at Ivan standing beside him silently seeing which he can help but nod his head in approval.
"Ivan, let go!"
Hearing Simon call, Ivan wakes up from his daze and directly looked in each other eyes which showed absolute determination and confidence, eyes clear as sky both had accepted their new reality and was ready to face this dangerous world.
"Where are we going?" Ivan asked his voice filled with conviction.
"Where else deep into the forest to the core of the city." Simon said as the temperature around increased as they both nodded at each other.
"LET THE HUNT BEGAN!"
Next 4 hours Simon and Ivan hunt down was huge number of monsters skyrocketing the number of heart that they had.
Looking at his space ring and panting Ivan, Simon was both un-satisfied and satisfied.
Satisfied because Ivan was trying his best keeping up with his speed a 1-Star Astral Lord with Ivan's 0-Star strength as they both killed their way here where they altered with each other to kill every monster they encountered. Simon taking down most of the monster but he was not satisfied with the amount of heart he had gained making him restless.
And Ivan clearly understood that so calming his breath down Ivan looked at Simon and said "Simon, you can go forward I will catch up to you in time".
Even though he was to hunt alone he still hesitated because Ivan was not strong enough to go solo but hearing his determined voice Simon understood that it was time to let him go.
So, without wasting his time Simon dashed in the forest in speed closer to a speeding car.
Watching Simon dashing into the forest Ivan felt a weight on his chest, looking down in his space belt, he saw more than 15 hearts.
Which was more than enough for him to get into top 30s but seeing his friend shine brightly and walking his on path not turning back, he reflected to himself.
Till now Ivan always followed others direction from making his friends, to choosing the company he joined was all affected by others.
Now it was his time to make decision, where he will end up when he chooses will all depend on himself, if the path he created will allow him to soar the sky like a dragon or plummet to the depth of hell.
Only time will tell.
With burning determination he summoned his flames, propelling himself to the area of the forest where the most Level-1 Dreadbeasts are found, with determination Ivan promised to himself to get to top 10.
Some distance away Simon calmly looked at Ivan who was silent for a second then flames burst out propelling himself into the forest. Which put a smile on his face, with his new memory Simon knew everything about Ivan and knew what kind of character this carefree and clueless youngster had, a talented but aimless youth that followed whatever his parents said.
Now with some help from him, Ivan had finally chosen a path for himself.
"Now that he had chosen his path, I need to out-do myself too"
Simon made his mind as he dashed into the forest in speed far faster than before.
Deep in the forest.
Simon became the Hunter, hunting down all and every Dreadbeasts that he found not leaving even the Level-1 Dreadbeasts.
As Simon ventured deep inside the forest, he started feel to unsettling but his speed did not decrease, in turn he increased it up a notch.
All this speed only possible because of the three ability he copied.
Reinforce muscles.
Copied for his Trainer Ethan Valor, this ability had huge hidden potential but was throw away in this city because no one knew how to maximums its potential.
This ability strengthens the muscles, increasing strength, speed and stamina without activation making it a passive ability that is always on and the longer the body is active in the field the more It increases strength, speed and stamina. Note that this increase in power was permanent. However, this constant boost burns energy quickly requiring the user to eat more often. Without enough food, he could tire himself faster and the ability will begin consuming his own muscle and fat reserves to maintain its power. Prolonged energy deficiency can overload his system killing him in the process.
This forces Simon to regularly consume energy bar every now and then to maintain his energy levels.
The ability, though powerful, was double-edge sword for anyone who relies on it constantly. if not for his job at the God beetle company, Ethan would have likely starved, as his daily food costs ran into hundreds if not thousands of dollars. Being Only a 2-Star Artal Lord further limited the ability potential, as he simply couldn't afford the relentless energy demands it required.
But Simon was different from him because of three Key reason. First, he was young and his potential was far from its peak - unlike Ethan, who was already nearing his 40s, Second, Simon possessed the unique ability to copy other abilities. This meant that, someday, he could encounter an ability that can provide a constant energy source and copy it. Something Ethan could never achieve, indefinitely eliminating the core weakness of his ability.
Third, and most crucially, was Simon's ability to control abilities with extraordinary precision. Unlike typical Astral Lord who needed time to adapt to their new powers, Simon displayed a natural, almost inherent mastery over any ability he copied. The moment he copied Ivan's ability; he wielded it with a level of control even Ivan struggled to maintain. The same happened when he copied Tyler's ability Aerial, effortlessly bending its shapes to his will, as if he had years of training. It wasn't just mimicry -it was perfection.
It was as if Simon was born to perfectly copy someone -not just their ability, but their full potential -becoming a perfect copy.