The Hunter Academy
The **Hunter Academy** serves as the proving ground for humanity's future defenders in a modern Earth shaped by the Mana Awakening. In this world, hunters are the cornerstone of survival, safeguarding cities from dungeon incursions and maintaining the fragile balance with other sentient races.
The academy's primary goal is to prepare hunters for the trials of this dangerous world. Students are required to reach **Level 20** to graduate, marking the threshold where they can officially register as licensed hunters. At this level, one is considered minimally capable of surviving in the mana-infused wilderness and tackling low-tier dungeons.
- **Level Progression:**
- Reaching **Level 5**: Takes an average student 6-12 months.
- Reaching **Level 10**: Often takes 2-3 years of disciplined effort.
- Reaching **Level 20**: For most, this milestone is only achievable after 4-5 years of grueling training and combat experience.
Those with rare or legendary-grade classes—like Noah—are expected to progress faster. However, even the most talented students rarely reach **Level 20** before their third year.
The level system is the world's universal metric for strength, offering tangible milestones that reflect a hunter's growth. Each level grants attribute points, which can be distributed to enhance various physical and magical capabilities. Rare classes provide additional bonuses, including unique skills and greater attribute gains.
Noah's class, **Night Sovereign**, is a legendary-grade class that grants him five attribute points per level—far above the norm. This, coupled with his natural talent and vampiric bloodline, has allowed him to progress far more rapidly than his peers.
However, Noah knows that displaying his true level would draw suspicion. Most of his classmates are hovering around **Level 5**, and even the most promising prodigies are barely scratching **Level 7**. If his accelerated growth were exposed, it could invite unwanted attention from instructors, students, and even external factions.
The Mana Awakening
The Mana Awakening reshaped Earth centuries ago, infusing the planet with mana and awakening latent abilities in humans and other species. This event also gave rise to **dungeons**, **demihumans**, and **ancient bloodlines**—the world's new order.
- Dungeons:Dimensional rifts teeming with monsters and treasures. These are the primary sources of mana crystals, which power the world's economy and technology.
- **Demihumans:** Races like werewolves, elves, and beastkin coexist uneasily with humans. While some integrate into human society, most prefer to remain in their own territories.
Vampires are one of the few races confirmed to have been wiped out.
Vampires, once a dominant and feared race, were eradicated due to their dependence on humans for sustenance. Their reliance on blood—specifically human blood—made coexistence impossible. While other races like werewolves and elves maintained uneasy alliances with humanity, vampires were seen as predators incapable of restraint.
The vampire race's extinction was spearheaded by humanity, with support from allied demihuman factions. Their inability to adapt and integrate into the evolving world sealed their fate.
For Noah, this knowledge is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it means his kind is no longer a threat to this world, allowing him to hide in plain sight. On the other, it highlights the precariousness of his existence—if discovered, he would be hunted as the last remnant of a long-dead predator.
Noah observes this world with calculated interest, realizing how its structure differs from his previous life. The rigid reliance on levels, the slow progression of power, and the dominance of hunters all create a society bound by rules he finds both exploitable and suffocating.
For now, Noah remains cautious. He focuses on building his strength, understanding that while the system defines power, it is not infallible. He plans to use the academy as a stepping stone, both to conceal his growth and to learn the intricacies of this new world's power dynamics.
This world may be calmer than the one he left behind, but Noah knows conflict is inevitable. When it comes, he intends to stand at the apex—unchallenged, unbound, and unrepentant.