Chapter 246

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"I just need another 5 levels..."

Although a shockwave of excess magic and debris is flying my way at an alarming speed, all I can do is stare down at my status and smile.

I've gained 4 levels from the hundreds of slain mutants and another 10 levels from defeating the boss itself. This brings me up to level 495.

There are only 5 more until I hit "B-Class" eligibility. I know there's an exam available to hunters that hit level 500... but it's not brought up in the news often. Not many make it this high.

Without upgrading my plunderer skill to special grade, taking out this boss would have been near-impossible. I have plenty of other skills, yes, but the only thing that mattered in the end was my ability to wield mana at an accelerated rate.

It seems this is the second large bottleneck in the hunter's natural rank-up process.

There's one that occurs on the level 300-350 range, the introduction to mana control that allows only those with rare element aptitudes to progress at a quicker pace. The ones that are funded enough, whether that be government or private aid can one day make it to the level of the Elite Status.

The next pause in progression has to be focused around Tier 2 mana control. Monsters that near level 500, becoming ranked-up beings, able to take in MP through advanced mana control seem to be unbeatable opponents for a magic user that can't keep up with their endless shielding.

Sure, not impossible to defeat, but very unlikely.

This is why there are so few B-Class Hunters in the world.

I wonder how much mana control would be necessary to achieve this rate of natural environmental mana absorption without a special skill like mine...

I let out a sigh, then turn my focus back to the white and blue energy wave coming my way.

Opening my link with Ember, I point to the sky.

"We'll fly above it. Before the Dungeon Collapses entirely, I'd like to see if the Boss drops any loot."

With a powerful flap of his wings, we soar up into the air. The body of this beast is gone, but it must have left something behind.

Ember replies.

"Very good. That was an impressive victory, Master. We're so close to ranking up. Maybe I'll finally get to evolve after our next big battle."

I smirk.

"Maybe... even before."

The shock wave of energy and flying rocks ripples beneath us as we travel higher into the air.

Weaker energy makes it up to our altitude, but I teleport us into the zone of the obliterated mountain that has already weathered the shockwave. We avoid the blast entirely.

Activating all my perception skills, two items pop up on my radar. One of them seems to be a ring the Ogre was wearing with an incredible mental strength buff, the other item is one I've never seen before...

The mana readings it's giving off are unbelievable.

Not just their mana residue stands out to me, but also their information on my appraisal skill.

"This changes everything..."

We glide forward as I point Ember in the right direction, then start digging through the piles of rubble and half-melted boulders.

Using mana manipulation, I easily part the stone and find exactly what I'm looking for, the first item drop.

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