The next morning arrives, and Luna finally opens the letter she was given. The location for the test reads as follows:
"Where birds sit atop in the center of town. Once found, wait there for further instructions."
Luna lets out a sigh. "Great. Creepy-ass birds. Lovely."
She walks out of her room, dragging her feet like a zombie risen from the grave. Stumbling into the kitchen, she looks as though she hasn't been awake for more than an hour. Sitting at the counter, she glances at Sunny, who is busy cooking breakfast.
Sunny looks over her shoulder and says, "Don't tell me the location of the test, partner. It's against the rules."
Luna groans and sighs at the same time. "Fine."
Sunny smirks and places a plate of food in front of her. The moment Luna sees the food, all her worries seem to vanish.
Luna begins scarfing down her breakfast at an alarming rate. "Sunny, I swear I'm addicted to your cooking! Good lord, are you sure you're not using some kind of magic on this food or something?"
Sunny lets out a hearty laugh. "Hey, it's all home cooking, doll," she replies with a playful smirk.
After some food and laughter, Luna helps Sunny with the dishes. "Hey, Sunny, I've got about three more days of training. Do you think I'll get attacked again today?"
Sunny nods. "Probably. But don't worry—if you go inside, they shouldn't follow."
Luna pauses, looking at Sunny with confusion. "Wait, why not?"
Sunny sighs. "Because it's a taboo for hunters to enter another hunter's home without their permission."
Luna raises an eyebrow, slightly surprised but also intrigued. "So… they have manners or something?" she chuckles.
Sunny rolls her eyes. "No, most hunters don't have any manners. It's just always been that way—some kind of unspoken rule."
Luna shrugs. "I see. So, what should I practice today?"
Sunny stops and thinks for a moment. "Just keep practicing the basics. You're getting pretty darn good control over your will technique!"
Luna smiles and nods. "Okay. Umm, after I get my license, what will we do afterward?"
Sunny flips a cup neatly into the cabinet. "Well, we'll go on a hunt, of course. Then maybe try to track down some relics or artifacts."
The idea of treasure hunting makes Luna's eyes brighten like a child's. "That sounds like fun!" she shouts with a huge smile.
After finishing the dishes, Luna heads back outside to train while Sunny watches from the sidelines.
Sunny shouts, "Oi, partner! Make sure you control your mana better. Just because you have a lot doesn't mean it's infinite!"
Luna gives Sunny a thumbs-up. She focuses, attempting to condense her mana. As she fires an attack, Sunny tries to shout for her to stop, but it's too late! Luna's Lightforce attack rips through several trees before stopping nearly a mile away. The effort causes Luna to collapse immediately after.
After five minutes, Luna wakes up to Sunny fanning her with a piece of paper.
"Condensing your mana drains it even faster. Yes, it makes your attacks stronger, but since you're a beginner, you end up using way too much!" Sunny scolds gently.
Still dazed, Luna giggles a little. "I see three of you!"
Sunny lets out a sigh. "Partner, let's focus on concealing your mana. I'll teach you how to use less while we're at it."
Luna nods with a dazed smile.
After a solid thirty minutes, Luna regains her thoughts and bearings. Sunny has her sit down.
"All right, partner, here's what happened earlier: you forced all your mana into one attack. Instead, ease your mana down—nice and smooth. Don't force it; just let it flow naturally."
Luna nods slowly, breathing in and out as she tries to pull her mana back toward herself.
"Let it down easy..." she whispers.
To her surprise, she manages to conceal her mana for a brief moment before it quickly bursts outward again.
"Damn it!" she shouts in frustration.
Sunny places a hand on her shoulder. "Look, it's okay. Take it one step at a time. How about pulling in just a little bit of your mana instead of all of it? Work your way up from there."
Luna breathes in and out, pulling in just a little bit of mana. It's still a challenge, but this time, she manages to hold it for a few minutes before gently releasing it.
"Good job!" Sunny cheers. "Keep at it, one step at a time. Remember, conserving your mana works the same way as concealing it. Don't try to bring out all of it at once!"
Luna smiles and nods. "Okay, no rush! Just take my time, step by step."
Sunny lies back on the grass, looking relaxed. "You got this, partner!" she says with a grin.
After an hour of practice, Luna has made progress. She can now conceal a small amount of her mana without much effort. However, due to her naturally abundant reserves, it will take weeks of consistent training to conceal it all effectively.
Once Luna finishes two solid hours of training, Sunny instructs her to jog around the property to stay active. "Remember to work on concealing your mana while you run," Sunny adds. "And try casting some spells while moving too!"
After a good thirty minutes of running, Luna heads inside, parched and tired. "Good lord, all this training... Well, at least it'll pay off in the end, hopefully!" she mutters as she pours herself a glass of water.
Out of the corner of her eye, Luna notices someone shuffling around a corner. Before she can react, there's a loud thud, followed by a crash. Luna rushes to investigate and finds Sunny standing over a stranger with her arms crossed.
"Now, what do we have here?" Sunny says, her tone sharp. "Hunter test or not, you broke into a hunter's den. And now look at you!" She grabs the man by the leg and drags him outside before tossing him unceremoniously onto the ground.
"All right, Luna. Fight him when he wakes up!" Sunny orders, her expression serious.
Luna gives her a confused look, then sighs. "Okay." She drags her feet as she walks outside, waiting for the man to come to.
The man groans as he regains consciousness, staring at Luna in a mix of confusion and fear. "A-are you going to attack me too?"
Luna tilts her head, puzzled. "What? Weren't you sent by a test proctor or something to attack me?"
The man feigns ignorance. "N-no!"
Luna raises an eyebrow. "Then why were you in our house?"
He hesitates for a moment. "Well, I was told to drop off a package?"
As he starts to dust himself off, Luna unravels her fist, and in one swift motion, it collides with his face, knocking him back to the ground.
"Honestly, lies are so unoriginal—" Luna begins but stops as she notices rain starting to fall.
The man starts laughing as he rises from the ground. "Oh, you shouldn't have done that!" he shouts ominously.
Luna raises an eyebrow. "Okay, that's—" she starts, but she's cut off as the man swoops in, grabbing her leg with unnatural speed. He rockets upward into the sky, spinning her rapidly before hurling her toward a cluster of nearby trees.
Luna crashes hard onto the ground, groaning as she looks up. The man now appears more monstrous, his features twisted like something out of a horror movie. He lands twenty feet away, his transformation even more terrifying.
Slamming her hand onto the ground, Luna quickly raises a mud wall between them. However, the man walks straight through it as if it were nothing.
"Aw shi—" she begins but is cut off again when the man delivers a powerful kick, sending her flying. Acting quickly, Luna extends her arm, using it as a grappling hook to latch onto a nearby branch, halting her momentum before she crashes further.
Swinging herself into the trees, Luna wraps her elongated arm around several branches, creating distance between herself and the man. Remembering Sunny's advice, she focuses on concealing her mana. Though she can't hide all of it, she pulls in as much as she can, hoping to throw him off her trail.
She peers upward, spotting the man hovering in the air, clearly scanning for her. Luna's mind races. What now? What do I do? Before she can formulate a plan, her mana surges outward uncontrollably.
"Ah, fuck!" she gasps, struggling to regain control. The man immediately locks onto her position, barreling toward her like a missile.
As he closes in, Luna acts on instinct. She extends her arm upward, latching onto one of the man's massive wings. At the speed he's traveling, he barely registers her grip before she yanks with all her might, pulling him downward.
The man crashes into the ground with a deafening impact, sending dirt and debris flying. Luna exhales heavily before getting up and approaching him, her arm unraveling further. She thinks to herself, If I wrap more threads and strings around my fist, it should feel like hitting him with brass knuckles.
The man lets out a groan as he stumbles to his feet. Just as Luna winds her fist back for a strike, he shouts, "I yield!"
"Are you lying?" Luna demands, stopping her punch just short of his face.
The rain suddenly clears, and the sky begins to brighten. "No, I swear! My will technique only works in the rain. Without it, I can't fight!"
Luna sighs, lowering her fist. "Alright, then leave. And next time I see you, don't even think about trying anything."
The man quickly scrambles away, disappearing into the distance. Luna watches him go, reflecting for a moment. Huh, I seem to be a decent fighter. Now that I think about it, it's strange. I know my dad taught me how to fight, but maybe I was always meant to be a hunter or a fighter.
She lets out a sigh, shaking her head. "No use dwelling on the past or my awful family. They're dead to me now," she mutters, brushing off the thought as she heads back inside.
Stepping into the house, she spots Sronk, the little goblin. "Oh, hey, Sronk. Don't worry—the person I fought was part of the test," she says with a reassuring smile.
Sronk tilts his head in confusion but quickly shrugs, handing her a towel to dry off. Luna smiles warmly at the gesture as the goblin walks off to busy himself with some unknown task.
Heading into the kitchen, Luna finds Sunny cooking.
"Howdy, partner! I'm assuming you won?" Sunny says with a grin.
"Yeah!" Luna responds, then hesitates. "Hey, quick question. These people who are sent after me—why don't they seem, you know, scary? Like, I feel oddly confident while fighting them."
Sunny pauses mid-stir, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Two theories. Either you've gained some confidence—though, no offense, that's probably not it." She smirks, letting out a laugh.
"Hey!" Luna shouts, pouting in protest.
Sunny raises an eyebrow. "Luna, I asked you to take out the trash, and I heard you scream when a spider fell on you."
Luna's face flushes red. "F-Fair."
"More likely," Sunny continues, "there's a spell of confidence in play—something designed to make the test-taker bolder. It's probably part of the test itself. That said, your natural resistance to such effects is already pretty strong. Still, I'll teach you how to properly hone it, alright?"
Sunny tosses Luna a plate. "Here, partner, catch!"
Luna catches the plate with ease, her eyes lighting up as Sunny announces, "We're having burgers for lunch!"
Luna's mouth begins to water. "Awesome!" she shouts, quickly rushing to the fridge to grab some bread and begins putting condiments and everything she wants on the bread!
As Sunny flips a perfectly cooked burger onto Luna's bread, she looks at her with a grin. "Alright, tomorrow we're going to work on those resistances of yours, alright?"
Luna nods enthusiastically, smiling from ear to ear. "Got it! Sounds like a plan!"