[Ding! Conditions fulfilled.]
[Ding! Skill Upgrade Initiating…]
Nathan blinked.
Immediately afterward, a violent surge of mana rushed through his right arm.
"Wha...!?"
Nathan instinctively grabbed his wrist as energy began spiraling wildly throughout his body.
The sensation wasn't exactly painful but it was overwhelming.
It felt like the mana pathways connected to his skill were being forcefully rewritten from the inside.
Blue system windows flickered rapidly before his eyes.
[Ding! Skill Path Confirmed.]
[Ding! Piercing Shot Lv.10 has reached the upgrade threshold.]
[Ding! Skill Upgrade in progress…]
Mirko immediately jumped and rushed toward him worriedly.
'Master?!'
Nathan clenched his teeth tightly as mana swirled around his fingers uncontrollably.
Then... The notification changed.
[Ding! Skill Successfully Upgraded.]
[ Piercing Shot lv.10 has upgraded into : Focus Shot Lv.1 ]
Nathan's eyes widened slightly.
A second information panel appeared immediately afterward.
[Focus Shot Lv.1]
- A refined mana shot that drastically amplifies destructive power when charged.
Nathan stared silently at the skill description for several long seconds. "…Holy shit."
His gamer instincts immediately understood how absurd this skill actually was.
A charge-type attack skill. Which meant, the longer he charged mana into an arrow…
…the stronger the attack became.
And because the original effects of [Piercing Shot] had become passive traits rather than disappearing entirely... Every normal arrow he fired from now on would naturally possess increased penetration and improved weak-point damage.
Nathan slowly looked toward the spot the dead Hobgoblin had collapsed.
Then he imagined it.
If he had possessed this upgraded skill earlier during the battle… If he had even thirty uninterrupted seconds to fully charge a shot…
That Hobgoblin's entire head probably would have exploded instantly.
Nathan slowly inhaled. Then exhaled. "...Okay."
That was genuinely insane, and judging from the system notifications…
Skill upgrades clearly weren't supposed to happen this early.
Nathan remembered hearing teachers mention how most summoners spent years developing and refining their skills naturally.
Yet somehow… He had already upgraded one before even entering an official Guild or climbing the tower.
Mirko hopped onto his shoulder proudly.
'As expected of my Master.'
Nathan smirked slightly before shaking his head.
"No." He looked toward her. "As expected of our teamwork."
Mirko's ears twitched happily.
Nathan slowly opened his updated status screen again.
[Nathan Cross]
[Class: Archer]
[Level: 6]
[Magic Aptitude: F-Grade]
[Skills:]
[Sharp Eyes Lv.7]
Enhances vision and focus, increasing accuracy and critical hit chance.
[Focus Shot Lv.1]
A refined mana shot that drastically amplifies destructive power when charged.
Nathan studied the screen carefully.
Then he opened Mirko's updated panel too.
[Summon: Mirko]
[Race: Demi-Beast]
[Level: 6]
[Grade: F(Evolvable)]
[Class: Undecided]
[Summon Skills:]
[Headbutt]
10% Crit Chance with head attacks.
[Quick Reflex]
Increased dodge and evasion rate.
[Soft Landing]
Negates fall damage.
Nathan nodded slowly to himself. Their growth speed was honestly ridiculous, Especially considering they had only entered the Tutorial Realm a few hours ago.
Then another thought suddenly struck him.
Nathan immediately opened the leaderboard.
[Ding! Leaderboard Updated.]
[1. Elise Winterhart: 430 Points]
[2. Derek Stone: 320 Points]
[3. Dillon Briggs: 295 Points]
[…]
[…]
[94. Nathan Cross: 150 Points]
Nathan's eyes widened slightly. "…Top 100 already?"
Mirko puffed out her chest immediately.
'Obviously.'
Nathan chuckled quietly. Honestly, he expected the Hobgoblin kill to push him upward significantly.
But not this much. That meant most students were either struggling badly…
…or avoiding dangerous fights entirely.
Which honestly made sense. The Tutorial Realm was still designed for fresh graduates.
A Hobgoblin ambush like the earlier one could easily wipe out weaker parties.
Nathan slowly glanced upward through the jungle canopy, the sunlight filtering through the leaves had already begun dimming.
The designated Nighttime within the tutorial realm was approaching, And nighttime inside a monster-filled forest?
Yeah, Absolutely not.
Nathan immediately made a decision.
"We find shelter before dark."
Mirko tilted her head slightly. 'Master?'
Nathan stood up while brushing dirt from his combat suit before picking up his bow again.
"We're strong enough to fight now."
Then his expression slowly became serious.
"But we're still weak enough to die from one mistake."
Mirko quietly stared at him for a moment before nodding. 'Understood.'
Nathan activated [Sharp Eyes] once more before scanning the surrounding terrain carefully.
Then suddenly, His gaze sharpened. "…Tracks."
Several massive footprints were pressed deep into the dirt nearby, nathan slowly crouched down beside them.
These definitely weren't goblin tracks.
Far too large, Far too heavy, and judging from the depth… Whatever created them possessed terrifying weight.
Nathan slowly nocked an arrow onto his bowstring. "…Mirko."
The bunny immediately became alert.
'Yeah?'
Nathan stared silently toward the deeper parts of the jungle, then his eyes narrowed.
"…I think something was hunting the Hobgoblin."