"Oi, Raven! Wait a minute! You can't just run off and—"
Shura yelled, but it was already too late. The young man had already taken off, leaving no trail behind for Shura to follow.
"Tsk, that idiot! What does he think this is? This isn't ten years ago anymore. Using one's powers in public can have dire consequences. I better make a call before that idiot gets arrested for good."
Shura complained before pulling his phone out of his pocket. He already had the relevant number on speed dial—he had a feeling he'd need it.
'I hate it when feelings like these turn out to be right. Fuck! Could that man-child not behave himself for just one day? It's not even been 24 hours since he's back, and he's already causing me problems.'
Shura grumbled internally as he waited for the call to connect. He had a feeling this was going to be an annoying night.
______
"Ah, this is so much fun. I do miss the dungeons a little, but this has its own kind of fun."
Raven spread his arms out and enjoyed the fresh night air. It had been ten years since he had last inhaled this air.
He gave himself five minutes to enjoy the now-foreign landscape of the city before jumping down from the building and landing softly in an abandoned alley.
"Now then, let's see how far you managed to run away from me, Leo. I wonder how much you've improved."
Raven closed his eyes and activated Mana Sensing.
Thousands of mana signatures immediately rushed toward him, but Raven had long learned how to overcome the overwhelming feeling.
At first, it had been a struggle, but as he leveled up his skill and fought more in the dungeons, it became as natural as breathing. That's why he was able to quickly pinpoint the mana signature he was looking for.
"Alright, I got a lock on that boy. Now, I just need to hunt him down."
Raven stretched his legs for a few seconds before getting into a running stance and taking off. His feet barely left the ground before another step took its place.
Most people wouldn't be able to control their speed at this level and would inevitably crash into someone. But Raven wasn't most people.
The first step to efficient combat for him had been mastering his speed and harnessing it as a weapon. It was safe to say he had done so with absolute efficiency.
It took Raven no time to catch up to the startled emo kid, but he didn't reveal himself outright. That wouldn't be fun, and Raven was all about his fun.
Leo was vigilantly looking around, likely trying to sense if someone was following him, and that gave Raven the incentive to check how much progress Leo had made while he had been gone.
"I didn't think I'd use my skills so quickly, but I guess I was wrong. Now then, should I test Leo out a little more? A low-level summon should do the trick."
Raven snapped his fingers, activating his summoning skill.
A small but familiar dog-like creature appeared at Raven's side, staring at him with unintelligent eyes. Summons were special creatures of the system, usable by anyone with the skill.
Usually, the initial summon depended on the person who called for it, but there was another hidden rule—anyone who had defeated a monster could summon it as their own. And Raven had killed dozens, meaning he had all kinds of summons at his disposal.
He chose a small and non-threatening one for the task.
"Go and corner the kid. Make him show you what he's capable of, but don't harm him too much."
Raven ordered, and the summon immediately leaped out of the shadows.
The teen stiffened in fear and shock as soon as he saw the summon.
"W-Where did this come from…? Don't tell me… a dungeon? But no! Those things haven't appeared for a long time. What do I—"
The dog-like creature let out a low growl before lunging at Leo.
Anyone with a brain and good survival instincts would have used their powers by now. Even low-level hunters could easily take down a summon of this level.
But Leo did none of that.
Instead of fighting back, he quickly jumped out of the way and tried to run.
"That idiot! Is he trying to outrun a monster hound? Just what has this world come to? Do people not even know basic survival tactics these days?"
Raven complained as he followed after them.
He hadn't expected this outcome, so he decided to step in and end things before anyone got hurt.
The hound snarled, its claws scraping against the pavement as it lunged toward Leo. The teen barely managed to stumble backward, eyes wide with panic.
Before the attack could land, a shadow flickered between them.
With effortless speed, Raven appeared, grabbing the hound by the back of its neck.
The beast growled in protest, writhing in his grasp, but the moment it registered who was holding it, its aggression vanished. It whimpered slightly before going limp, submitting to its master.
"Tch. Too slow, idiot."
Raven clicked his tongue.
With a flick of his wrist, he dismissed the summon. The hound dissolved into mist before vanishing entirely, as if it had never been there in the first place.
He turned to Leo, arms crossed, expression unimpressed.
"I have to say, this was disappointing. You used to be a much better fighter, kid. Where's all that spirit you had when you were eight?"
Leo, still catching his breath, glared at Raven as he placed his hands on his knees.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!"
Raven arched a brow.
"Hmm?"
Leo straightened up, pointing at him.
"You're an absolute madman! You nearly gave me a heart attack! Who just summons a monster on someone out of nowhere?!"
Rather than looking offended, Raven only looked smug. His lips curled into an amused grin.
"Heh. You make it sound like that's a bad thing."