After conversing with the Village Head for a while, Rael finally realized something: "He's not even aware if his race actually survived the Apocalypse or not."
This was common knowledge, and perhaps the reason Reonald directed a glance filled with pity at Rael.
He probably thought that even if the young man decided to spend the rest of his life on Ceria, it would be akin to living in a cage.
Moreover, if he chose to return to his world, there was a significant risk of death. Rael also learned another surprising fact that he wasn't aware of before.
It seemed that most people who entered Ceria could use Mana, but Rael couldn't. "Are you sure about that? Can everyone access Mana, including me?" Rael asked skeptically.
He was already frustrated about not being able to use his only skill, Slash, which required Mana. To hear that he should already be able to use it left Rael feeling incredulous.
"It's true. While my ancestors said the same thing, they mentioned that once they set foot on Ceria, a notification appeared in front of their eyes, announcing that they could now use Mana."
"This was thanks to Ceria having already passed its own Apocalypse stage."
As Rael contemplated for a while, he gently shook his head. Nothing made sense to him anymore.
"Wait! Perhaps that's why some people could keep up with me in the Rankings, despite my overwhelming advantage in attributes."
This was a plausible explanation.
If other humans entering Ceria could suddenly access and control Mana, it might enable them to use different skills that were inactive before they arrived.
Rael wondered if there was a special condition required for him to use Mana.
"Rael, would you like to accompany Celia on a hunt? Lately, a pack of wolves has been causing damage to the farmlands a few kilometers away from the village."
"Since the farmlands are a few kilometers away from the village, it's too dangerous to station people there all the time. So we're in quite a predicament right now."
"I heard you have E Rank hunters. Why not send them to resolve the matter?"
Rael found this whole situation strange. He didn't think it was a trap; otherwise, the Village Head could just kill him. There was no need for such a hassle.
Shaking his head, Reonald spoke again, "It's not that I don't want to, but it's more complicated than that."
"E Rank hunters won't bother hunting F Rank Lifeforms, and the same goes for the beasts. If no one provokes them, they won't attack humans weaker than them."
"There are cases of hungry beasts attacking humans to fill their stomachs, but those are rare."
Before Rael could say something, his Quest Log activated by itself.
**Quest Log**
- Side Mission: Wolf Pack
- Objective: Clear the wolf pack around the village's farmlands.
- Reward: Depends on the completion rate.
Reading all that, Rael was pleased. He didn't expect the System to consider Village Head Reonald's words as a mission, but it was a good thing.
After completing the mission, Rael would receive an unknown reward, and he was confident that his performance would ensure a good reward.
Suddenly, Rael's eyes lit up. "Village Head, I have another question. If you're willing to answer, of course."
"Just ask, and depending on the question, I'll answer it."
"How does one advance? I killed some F-Ranked Lifeforms while making my way inside the forest and took their White Crystals."
"That's simple. Once you feel a sensation of saturation inside your body, you know you're close to the next Rank."
Rael was elated; he indeed felt that sensation of saturation that the Head just mentioned, even if it wasn't very pronounced.
"Seeing that you're a bit short on White Crystals, you can keep the ones from the pack of wolves. We don't really need them since we have quite a stockpile..."
For a moment, Rael thought that the Village Head had said he was poor, but it was probably just an illusion.
A few minutes later, Rael and Celia left the village and made their way to the farmlands.
"It's actually quite close to us, about an hour or so if we hurry up. But we can also take our time if you want to pay more attention to the surroundings."
Hearing Celia say that, Rael thought it was a good idea; this way, he could see what types of beasts were around the village.
"I wanted to ask this for a while, but where are the E Rank Lifeforms? I didn't see a single one since coming here."
"They usually avoid our village, knowing that we have many E Rank hunters and a D Rank Lifeform on guard."
What Celia just said amazed Rael; he knew that the E Rank was undoubtedly the Village Head. He was the most mysterious man Rael had ever seen.
He didn't have an impressive physique or anything like that, but the feeling he exuded screamed danger.
"I see, but there must be a way for your E Rank hunters to find them. After all, what would they hunt otherwise?"
"Of course! It's not a trick, but when you're about 15 or 20 kilometers from the village, the powerful scent of our warriors weakens."
"So, if you want to hunt them, you simply have to get farther from the village. But for now, as an F Rank Lifeform, it's better not to try that."
Rael nodded in understanding; what Celia hurt said was completely right. He wasn't ready to face off against powerful E Rank Lifeforms, yet.
As the two people were getting closer to the farmlands, the deep surrounding them started to fade off.
A few minutes later, they finally reached their destination. Rael looked around for a while, but he didn't see any signs of the wolf pack.
Before he could open his mouth to say something, Celia covered his mouth with her hand, "Shh, they're here already."
'That's not very hygienic.' Thought Rael as he felt Celia's soft hand touching his lips. The scent was quite nice...