"What do ya say, lad? Want to learn hunting from this weak, old man?"
"You damn right I do," Ashen answered in a heartbeat.
He didn't even need to think twice. Why wouldn't he want to learn?
From what Ashen understood, Gaius wasn't offering to teach him just how to shoot an arrow. It was far deeper than that.
Killing a prey, choosing what state to leave it in, predicting how it would react, and striking with precision. You don't do all of that and then call it, simple hunting.
Okay, maybe it technically was. But to Ashen, it felt like something much greater. Whatever the case, he was determined to learn. There was no backing out now.
"Take out an arrow and fit it to the bow," Gaius ordered.
Ashen did as he was told. They left behind the deer that was still bleeding out and headed further into the woods to find another target.
It didn't take long before they came across one, this time perched high on a tree branch.
Only, it wasn't what Ashen would call an easy prey.
"A fast one," Gaius said with a small smirk. "Ya lucky, kid."
Ashen blinked, confused. Lucky? Hunting a cheetah was considered lucky?
On Earth, this would be the opposite of lucky, especially for someone who had never hunted anything in his life, not even a rabbit.
"Cheetahs are fast creatures," Gaius said, keeping his eyes locked on the animal. "Very agile, smart, and cautious."
Ashen wanted to groan. He would have preferred something slower like a rabbit, a bird, or even a mouse. Anything that wouldn't disappear before he could blink twice.
He sighed and asked, "Wouldn't this be easier if you used magic?"
Gaius turned his head slightly and gave a tired chuckle. "Did I not tell ya already? The only ones who can use magic are those born with the gift to wield substantial mana."
Ashen remembered that explanation.
"And unfortunately," Gaius continued, "not everyone is born with such gift."
Ashen nodded. 'Right… and that's also why the chosen ones like me can't use magic at all, because we don't have mana core in our bodies'.
That was the reason The God gave them four skill slots instead.
Magic and skills — two systems with one major difference.
Magic needed mana. Skills didn't.
Skills worked purely through stamina, which made them much more reliable in longer fights or situations where mana ran out.
That's why Gaius had once called Skill Wielders "Gods among Magus." They didn't rely on mana at all.
They only needed their bodies and willpower.
"I was one of the unlucky ones," Gaius said, his tone calm but filled with old memories. "Born with a mana core that couldn't even absorb enough mana to cast even the smallest spell. And I was never blessed with a skill either."
Ashen stayed quiet.
In Aldrion, the social structure revolved around the existence of Magus. And as a Magus, you are awarded respect amongst your fellow Magus depending on how fast you can grow as one.
As fate would seem it for Gaius, he was unfortunate enough to be talentless as a Magus, born with a mana core that couldn't even qualify him for a proper Magus.
"But I didn't let that stop me," Gaius said firmly. "Having little mana doesn't mean I have none at all."
Ashen raised a brow. "So… what did you do?"
"With what little mana my mana core could store," Gaius said proudly, "I found a way to use it. Not through fancy spells or destructive magic, but through efficiency."
He pointed a finger upward. "I learned to make the world itself my ally."
Ashen blinked, unsure he heard that right. "What do you mean?"
"I can't use strong spells," Gaius continued, "so I improvise. I use what I have, my senses."
He looked out toward the forest. "Animals are stronger, faster, and more in tune with nature than humans. Their hearing, smell, and instincts are far sharper. That's why hunting them is so difficult."
Ashen couldn't argue. Even on Earth, before the age of modern weapons, humans relied on strategy and teamwork to take down prey. In this world, without guns or modern tools, it had to be a hundred times harder.
"For someone like me," Gaius said, "trying to enhance my body with mana would drain me dry before I could even take a single step."
"So what did you do to make up for it?" Ashen asked.
"I made nature my friend," Gaius said, his tone carrying a strange reverence. "And I learned to listen to her voice."
Ashen stared at him blankly.
"The voice of nature," Gaius said, dead serious.
Ashen pressed his lips together, trying not to laugh. Here he was, listening to a full-blown lecture about hunting, and now this old man was claiming to hear nature's voice.
It sounded like something straight out of a fantasy book.
But then again… he reminded himself where he was. This was Thyrennor, a world where people could summon fire with their hands.
Maybe hearing nature wasn't so impossible after all.
Still, he had to ask. "So… how exactly do you 'listen' to nature? Or make friends with it?"
Gaius didn't seem offended by the question. He just smiled.
"The voice speaks in ways ya can't understand unless ya pay close attention," he said.
He raised a finger. "The sound of breathing. The rustle of leaves. The whistle of the wind. The faint hum of insects, all of it is nature talking to us."
Ashen listened quietly now, his earlier sarcasm fading.
"Everything around us," Gaius continued, "is a way for nature to communicate. And though my mana is small, I use it to strengthen my five senses, my hearing, sight, smell, touch, and awareness. I push them to their limits so I can feel everything nature tells me."
Ashen's eyes widened slightly. "So you're using your mana to heighten your senses?"
Gaius nodded. "Exactly. I channel it, let it flow through me, and it connects me to the forest itself. That's how I hunt. I don't chase my prey, nature guides me to it."
Ashen whistled softly. "That's… actually impressive."
He should've known. There was no way something that amazing could be done without a bit of supernatural help.
But there was still one big problem.
"Wonderful plan, old man," Ashen said finally. "But I have one issue."
Gaius tilted his head. "And what's that?"
Ashen sighed and crossed his arms. "I don't have mana to channel or use to enhance my five senses. Not a single drop."