Global Demon Hunting: I Can Devour Souls Infinitely

[teemo]

Chapter 1: The Withered Mana Core， Mana-Dust Scavenger

"Instructor Lena Kovaleveryone， the minimum requirement to qualify for this year's Awakened preparatory program is a Mana Level of 120. For those aiming for the elite class， the standard is 150."

"Only ten days remain until the final test. Now is the time to burn through your mana， people."

This message， posted by the instructor herself， hit the North American Demon Hunter Academy's prep school"MageNet" forums like a red-hot iron， instantly sending the place into a frenzy.

"Just tested. 117. I can just chug a basic mana potion and I'm golden. No biggie."

"Cruisin' at 145 here. I can already feel the doorknob of the elite class."

"Did you guys hear? Ella Thorne's mana level already broke 160!"

"What else do you expect from our academy's star student? It's *Ella*. She's on a whole other level."

"Speaking of which… what about Kyle Fandel? His talent was the only one that could go toe-to-toe with Ella's back in the day."

"Why bring him up? He's a washout with a withered mana core. Hasn't he been dropped out for like， half a year now?"

In a dimly lit， low-rent apartment that reeked of cheap nutrient paste， Kyle Fandel was slumped on a creaky old sofa. The ghostly light from an old-school terminal screen flickered across his pale， handsome face.

*Everyone sounds so damn confident…*

*Pass the final test， and they'll get to study at the real Demon Hunter Academy.*

*After graduation， most of them will become true Awakened…*

Kyle's lips pressed into a thin， dry line.

To say he felt nothing would be lying to himself.

Thirty years ago， the"Great Fracture" merged this world with another dimension， unleashing hordes of mana beasts and tearing rifts in the fabric of reality. When conventional firearms became useless scrap metal under the corrupting influence of mana， the"Awakened"—those who could command it—became the absolute backbone of civilization， the guardians of humanity's last domains.

They didn't just hold a status so revered that even the rich and powerful bowed to them.

They enjoyed social resources and privileges ordinary people couldn't even dream of.

For them， wealth was the most trivial of spoils from a beast hunt.

Meanwhile， Kyle had to cram himself onto crowded public transport every morning and head to the logistics market on the city's edge， waiting like a vulture for odd jobs cleaning up monster carcasses.

From sunrise to sunset， he worked until his bones felt like they were about to fall apart.

His pay? A little over a hundred bucks.

He couldn't even afford a decent dinner.

Contrast that with an official Awakened.

Slaying a single low-level beast wandering the edge of a contaminated zone would net them materials worth thousands of dollars.

A slightly higher-level one could be worth tens of thousands.

And for the rare species lurking in the depths of the Rifts， bounties in the hundreds of thousands， even millions， were common.

One side lived among the clouds， worshipped by millions， basking in luxury and glory.

The other was stuck in the gutter， struggling to survive， with no tomorrow in sight.

The class barrier between the Awakened and mere mortals， built from pure mana， was hopelessly， cruelly unbreakable.

Even forgetting all the intangible status and privilege.

Just look at the income.

Who wouldn't want to be an Awakened?

Only an idiot wouldn't.

But not everyone had what it took.

The most basic requirement—a Mana Level of 200.

The summer night was hot and stuffy as a sauna.

Kyle tossed and turned restlessly， grabbing a piece of cardboard with a torn corner and fanning himself to no avail.

His mana level.

Before he was forced to drop out， it was 82.

Now， it was still 82.

Heartbreakingly stable.

It wasn't that your mana couldn't grow after leaving the academy.

The problem was… it took money. A lot of it.

A single， standard-issue basic mana potion had its black market price jacked up to over ten thousand dollars.

Kyle would have to starve himself for months just to scrape that much together.

Besides， becoming an Awakened required far more resources than a single potion.

Out the door before dawn， dragging legs that felt like they were filled with lead， and returning late at night. Filling his empty stomach with the cheapest food he could find.

The exhaustion had long since eroded his last shred of fighting spirit.

Six months of this life at the bottom had ground down the sharp edges of the genius he once was.

An Awakened? Kyle didn't dare to have such extravagant dreams anymore.

Having a roof over his head， a corner to shelter him from the storm.

Being able to fill his stomach. He considered that a divine mercy.

This life of numb exhaustion， with no end in sight…

From his eighteenth birthday today， he could see his entire life stretching out before him， a straight line to an unmarked grave at eighty.

This was probably it for him.

As for his old classmates， even the one who used to have the worst grades was now leagues ahead of him.

The gap between them would only continue to widen， becoming a chasm as deep as the abyss.

They were destined to live in two completely different worlds.

Kyle dejectedly tossed the terminal aside， ready to fall asleep.

*Bzzzzzz…*

Before his consciousness could sink into darkness， an annoying"Mana-Dust Fly" homed in on the scent of his breath.

It landed precisely on his face.

*Smack!*

A swift， clean slap.

The old apartment building he lived in was structured like a honeycomb—dark， damp， and the perfect breeding ground for these low-level mana-infused insects. This was a common occurrence.

Kyle thought nothing of it and rolled over to sleep.

But in the next second:

An ethereal blue screen materialized before his eyes， and a cold， mechanical voice echoed in his mind.

【【Soul Devour】 activated! Soul fragment of one Mana-Dust Fly absorbed. Mana +0.01.】

Kyle shot up from the sofa.

He stared intently at the virtual panel in front of him:

【Name: Kyle Fandel】

【Age: 18】

【Rank: None】

【Mana Level: 82.01/200】

Kyle slapped his own cheek， hard. The stinging pain was all the confirmation he needed—this wasn't a hallucination brought on by exhaustion.

A wave of pure ecstasy crashed over him， washing away all the numbness and despair.

As a transmigrator who had been in this world for eighteen years…

The cheat ability he'd been waiting for… it was finally here!

"System， quick， introduce your functions."

Silence.

"System?"

Kyle got the picture. It seemed this system didn't come with a smart-chat feature.

But who cared if it was stoic or just bare-bones?

As long as it could increase his mana， it was a goddamn miracle!

Kyle recalled the message. Killing one Mana-Dust Fly gave him 0.01 mana.

A basic mana potion…

…could raise his mana by about 6 points.

Didn't that mean if he killed 600 Mana-Dust Flies， it would be the same as chugging one of those ridiculously expensive potions?

Kyle's breathing hitched.

He couldn't afford a ten-thousand-dollar potion.

But 600 buzzing little pests? Was there any doubt he could handle that?

A powerful surge of motivation erupted from his withered core.

Even the bone-deep weariness from the long day seemed to evaporate in the heat of his excitement.

Kyle scanned his surroundings.

Inside his tattered bed canopy， three more Mana-Dust Flies were circling.

*Smack.*

One down.

【Ding! Soul fragment of one Mana-Dust Fly absorbed. Mana +0.01.】

*Smack.*

【Ding! Soul fragment of one Mana-Dust Fly absorbed. Mana +0.01.】

*Smack.*

【Ding! Soul fragment of one Mana-Dust Fly absorbed. Mana +0.01.】

A faint， almost imperceptible warmth trickled through his body.

It was incredibly weak.

But Kyle could clearly feel it—his mana level， stagnant for half a year， was actually rising.

After clearing out the canopy， Kyle immediately threw on his shoes.

He spent the next twenty-odd minutes turning his tiny， 200-square-foot apartment upside down.

He successfully hunted down another 6 Mana-Dust Flies.

His mana level was now 82.1.

But he couldn't find any more flies in the room.

They were either hiding or had escaped through the cracks in the window frame.

He'd thought 600 flies would be a piece of cake.

Now， it seemed the efficiency wasn't quite what he'd imagined.

"Huh?"

Kyle's gaze suddenly landed on the dining table. A few larger， mana-infused insects， drawn by leftover food scraps， were crawling there.

If Mana-Dust Flies worked， what about these?

*Smack.*

Kyle took one out with a fly swatter.

【Ding! Soul fragment of one Rot-Fly absorbed. Vitality +0.01.】

Kyle's heart leaped.*Vitality? That's useful too!*

Since these things also worked， his options had just blown wide open.

If he wanted to find the place with the most mana-infused insects…

…it had to be the building's waste disposal area downstairs!

Every time he took out the trash， he saw a black， buzzing cloud of them， a sight that made his skin crawl.

With that thought， Kyle immediately lost interest in the few measly flies in his apartment.

He rummaged through a cabinet， found a can of alchemical insecticide， and twisted the cap to check how much was left. Then， he bolted out the door.

Luckily， he'd gone to bed early out of exhaustion.

It was only a little past eight P.M.

There were still quite a few residents strolling around the complex.

Most were elderly， retired Demon Hunters.

Kyle was actually quite envious of them.

To be able to enjoy a peaceful retirement meant they had accumulated enough wealth and merit in their youth.

If it were the old Kyle…

What retirement?

He'd just be an expendable cog， worked until he broke down.

Worked to death.

The thought was bleak.

Thankfully， he had the system now.

He had to seize this hard-won opportunity.

Kyle hurried to the waste disposal area.

A black swarm of Rot-Flies hovered over the decaying organic waste， their buzzing a grating roar.

Kyle raised the can of alchemical insecticide and started spraying.

One after another， the mana-infused insects wobbled and dropped from the air.

【Ding! Soul fragment of one Rot-Fly absorbed. Mana…】

【Ding! Soul fragment of one Rot-Fly absorbed. Mana…】

…

…

This was way more efficient than using a fly swatter at home.

Still… it would be great if it could be even faster.

"Kyle， what are you doing out here?"

An old man leaning on a cane ambled over from the side.

"Oh， Mr. Silas. Just bored， so I figured I'd clean up some of these pests. A little contribution to the community， you know?" Kyle replied with a smile.

The old man's full name was Silas， and he was Kyle's neighbor.

Kyle lived on the fourth floor.

He lived on the first， in a unit with a small yard. Kyle often saw him tending to all sorts of strange alchemical plants out there.

"Good on you for having the heart，" Old Man Silas said， a look of approval in his cloudy eyes."But your method isn't very effective， you know."

"This canned insecticide is fine for a sealed room， but out here in the open， its effect is drastically reduced."

"I happen to have some potent alchemical agents left over from my younger days， and a professional atomizer too."

"Want to use them? If you do， I can go grab them for you right now，" Silas offered warmly.

Kyle's eyes lit up instantly."That would be amazing， Mr. Silas! But I wouldn't want to trouble you."

Silas chuckled."It's all for cleaning up the community. Wait right here."

With that， he leaned on his cane and turned， heading back toward his apartment.