Chapter 2 - Mana Growth Talent (SSS-Rank)

Just as he saw the rabbit, Travis, the young man froze because the rabbit had a horn, a sharp and twisted one which was sticking out from it's forehead.

'this… this can't be real!!' his face turned pace while his heart sank seeing that.

'I have to run!!' His immediate thought was to run as, who wouldn't get scared from seeing such a beast?

And the moment he moved, the rabbit rushes at him… its speed was terrifying.

Without any hesitation, he ran backward in the opposite direction from where the rabbit was coming at him.

"Grrr!" He could heard it, the rabbit's hungry growl and the rabbit's heavy paws.. that was thudding with each step the rabbit took.

His breath quickened, 'Its coming!!!' he thought as he ran, feeling the air whip past his head.

The rabbit then leaped, it's horn aiming straight for him.

'am..am I going to die the moment I transmigrate!?' he thought.

"Don't kid me!!" He aggressively shouted as he leaped over to the massive tree which was just behind him.

And when he landed beside it, he quickly rolled over to hide behind the tree.

BAMMM!!!

The moment he successfully get behind the tree, he beard a loud thud, as the horn slammed into the thick body of the massive tree.

For a moment everything went quiet.. which made Travis let out a shaky sigh, his body trembling, still tense from the encounter.

"I-i…I'm saf—" just as he was about to declare that he was safe, he heard a angry, aggressive growl as the rabbit tried to take his horn out from the tree's body.

Hearing the grumbling, Travis wasted no time as he ran toward the same direction from where he started running… the place where everything started.

As he reached it that spot, he heard a loud crack. His stomach dropped as the rabbit's horn pulled free from the tree's bark.

'It's coming again', he thought, terror gripping him like some coke.

'I can't keep running forever. I need to fight.' and just as he saw that beast once again, realization hit him like a straight jab to his guts.

His eyes then darted around, "A weapon!! I need a weapon quickly!" muttering that, he scanned the ground, his surroundings as a panic rose inside of him. Then, his gaze landed on a stone, just about the size of his palm.

'It's at least better than having nothing.'

With that thinking, he grabbed it, his fingers tightly gripping around it. His breath came in short bursts as the rabbit charged again.

Time seemed to slow down as his thoughts raced, 'This beast... if it exists, then maybe magic does too?'

His mind flashed to all the fantasy web novels he'd read. They used magic to fight monsters. Could I maybe do the same!?

He gripped the stone even tighter, focusing on it.

"I can do this. I can channel mana into it." The words felt strange in his mind, but he focused harder. He imagined a flow of energy running straight from his body into the stone.

The rabbit was almost on top of him now. Travis opened his eyes, wide and focused. With all the willpower he could muster, he threw the stone, picturing the mana he'd imagined coursing into it.

It shot forward, its speed breaking the law of physics as it rocketed toward the rabbit.

'What the—' Travis thought, his eyes wide in disbelief.

In an instant, the stone struck the rabbit just below its forehead. The impact was so intense that it pierced straight through the rabbit's body. The rabbit let out a terrible screech as the stone continued its path, embedding itself deep into the tree behind the creature.

"Guarrrrrrr!"

Travis froze, his heart racing. 'Did I just—? Did that really happen?' He stared at the rabbit, its body still twitching as the stone remained lodged in the tree, its horn now lifeless.

The rabbit crumpled to the ground with a small thud, its strength drained out from him as it died…

As Travis stood there, still trying to process what had just happened, a sudden blue screen popped up in front of him. It hovered in the air, glowing with strange symbols.

[Congratulation! You have killed a LV. 15 Horned Rabbit.]

[You have gained 300 EXP.]

[Level Up!]

[Current Level: 10]

Travis blinked, his mind racing. 'I... leveled up?' His breath caught in his throat as another screen appeared, showing his stats.

---

Name: Travis

Age: 19

Level: 10

MP: 50/500 (Average: 50)

HP: 1,000

Class: Not unlocked yet (Unlocks at Level 30)

Talent: Mana Growth (SSS-Rank)

---

He stared at the screen, disbelief settling in. 'Wait, what does this mean? SSS-Rank talent?'

He blinked rapidly and, almost instinctively, asked, "What's my talent?"

A new screen appeared with a detailed description:

[Mana Growth (SSS-Rank)]

A rare, SSS rank talent with probability of owning a SSS-rank talent being 1 in a million. This talent continuously increases your mana as you breathe. Nothing can erase your mana until the day you stop breathing.

Travis read it again, his thoughts racing. 'My mana... grows just by breathing? So, I can get stronger just by existing?' He exhaled slowly, trying to calm himself.

'This is insane!!!'

Travis stood there, his mind buzzing with the new information. He took a deep breath, feeling the effects of the level-up settle in.

'It seems the level up did increase my strength and overall condition...' He thought, looking down at his hands.

His vision felt sharper, clearer. He glanced around, taking in every detail of the world around him.

'My vision... it's so clear, he thought, amazed. Everything was in sharper focus than before, like his eyes had been cleaned from a fog.

He clenched his fists and felt the surge of power running through his muscles.

'My strength...' He felt it, a newfound energy coursing through his body.

'I feel like if I punched a tree, I could make a hole in it just from a single punch... and that's without using mana.'

He couldn't help but grin at the feeling of raw power rising inside of him!

'This is just the beginning, haha!'