Using mana to strengthen the senses to a supernatural level was a wonderful idea. A brilliant one, to be honest.
Just imagine having all your senses heightend, from sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste, every one of them sharper than ever before.
The possibilities from that alone were endless.
Ashen couldn't think of anything better. In fact, he wanted nothing more at that moment than to somehow use one of his skill slots to gain the ability to use mana, just so he could try that trick himself.
But he couldn't.
Skill slots were the lifeline of every Chosen One in the world of Thyrennor. They were the reason any Chosen could survive or grow stronger in the first place.
Once a skill was added into a slot, it could never be removed or replaced. That meant whatever skill a person learned became a permanent part of them for life, or at least for as long as they remained Chosen.
If Ashen simply went around adding every cool or powerful skill he came across, he would quickly run out of space. All four of his skill slots would be filled before he even realized it.
And then what? He'd be stuck with just four flashy abilities out of the countless other ones that existed in the world.
That wasn't what he wanted. Not at all.
Four amazing skills might sound impressive to others, but the truth was, every other Chosen One also had four amazing skills.
If Ashen followed the same path as everyone else, choosing skills just because they looked strong or flashy, he'd end up like all the rest, ordinary, unremarkable, and forgettable.
To truly stand out, to rise above the masses, he needed something else. Something special.
He didn't want to be the "average guy" again. Back on Earth, that was all he ever was, normal, simple, and unimportant. But here in Thyrennor, he had a chance to be different. To make a name for himself.
He wasn't going to waste that chance.
So no, he wouldn't waste his skill slots on just any ability. When he finally found a skill worth binding permanently, one that truly called to him, then and only then would he use a slot.
But that was a story for another time.
Right now, Ashen had bigger things to focus on.
"When ya say ya don't have mana to channel, do ya mean...?" Gaius asked, raising a brow.
"Exactly what it sounds like, old man," Ashen replied plainly. "I don't have any mana. Not even a drop."
It wasn't a lie. He wasn't a person of this world, after all. But thankfully, he still had skills to rely on.
"Mmph..." Gaius muttered, falling silent for a moment before speaking again. "Ya a rare case, ya know that? A very, very rare one."
Maybe in this world, that was true. But in the world Ashen came from? Not really.
"No matter," Gaius said after a pause, his tone filled with renewed determination. "Mana or no mana, I can still teach ya. It'll just have to be through more... sophisticated means."
That was fine by Ashen. The goal here wasn't to learn magic anyway, it was to learn how to hunt.
Gaius used his tiny bit of mana to heighten his senses, allowing him to track prey more efficiently. But since Ashen didn't even have a trace of mana, Gaius would need to rely on more natural methods that humans used before magic ever existed.
"Lad," Gaius began, turning to face Ashen, "would ya agree with me when I say that before mankind learned to walk on two feet, there was a time long lost to history when we walked on all fours, more like beasts than men?"
Ashen stared at him for a moment, unsure of what to say.
If he were to rely on what he learned back on Earth in biology class, the answer would be...
"Uhm, yes. I guess so?" he said uncertainly.
That seemed good enough for Gaius, who continued, "Then would ya also say that since mankind once walked on all fours, it's fair to assume mankind has some beastlike instincts deep within them? The same primal instincts beasts rely on to survive?"
Ashen blinked.
How was he supposed to answer that? He had no idea what humans from the distant past were really like. Sure, science said humans evolved from more primitive creatures, but primal instincts? That was a stretch.
He was human himself, and he'd never once felt anything that could be called "beastly" inside him.
Or had he...?
His brows furrowed, and his mind began to wander.
"Ya face says ya getting on to something there," Gaius noted with a knowing grin. "So think, boy. Ya human, ain't ya? In all your life of living, have ya ever felt anything primal inside ya? Any wild instinct that urges ya, guides ya to do something ya normally wouldn't?"
Ashen thought hard. He really did.
And then it hit him.
"Horniness," he said flatly.
To be fair, as a healthy sixteen-year-old, the only "instinct" he'd ever experienced that drove him to do things he normally wouldn't was when he was horny. That was about the only time he'd ever felt like he wasn't in full control of himself.
Gaius blinked at him, clearly not amused.
"Ya need to take this more seriously," the old man warned, his expression tightening.
"I am," Ashen replied honestly. He wasn't even joking.
Gaius, however, didn't believe him. "If ya intend to take this lightly, then—
He stopped mid-sentence. His ears twitched, his eyes narrowing.
Ashen froze. "What?" he asked, a little uneasy from the sudden silence.
Gaius didn't answer. He simply raised a hand, signaling Ashen to stay quiet. His focus sharpened, his ears straining to catch even the faintest sound.
A soft rustle. Leaves shifting.
Woosh!
Ashen nearly jumped out of his skin as something leapt down from the trees above. The cheetah, sleek, fast, and deadly, hit the ground with a thud and bolted across the clearing at blinding speed.
"What was that?!" Ashen stammered, heart pounding in his chest.
Gaius's eyes widened, his instincts kicking in. "There's something here!" he warned.
The words barely left his mouth before the tension in the air thickened. The forest went silent, save for the distant rustle of leaves and the faint echo of the predator's movement.
Ashen swallowed hard. He could feel his pulse racing, adrenaline flooding through his veins, and his heart picking up the pace out of fear.