Evan's score kept climbing.
Not gradually, not at the steady pace of someone accumulating points one beast at a time. It jumped, in blocks, in bursts, as if whoever was on the other end of the bracelet was clearing beasts by the handful rather than individually.
The adventurers nearest to him noticed first. Then word spread, the way it always does on a battlefield where adrenaline makes people pay attention to exactly the wrong details.
Who was that guy?
They knew who he was, how could they not.
He was the one who had spent the past several days clearing mission after mission at the Association, building a quiet reputation that was becoming harder to ignore.
Fourteen years old. E-Rank Advanced Stage. One of the newcomers to the city who had made a name for himself before anyone had had time to learn his name.
Some admired it. Others doubted it. Others sat in quiet resentment and waited for him to make a mistake.
