The farm sat near the city walls, fields stretching outward toward a small forest.
Kyle spoke briefly with the farmer, who explained that the wolf always came from the nearby woods, usually after dusk.
Kyle thanked him and headed straight for the forest. The trees were thin, the undergrowth sparse. He moved quietly, senses alert.
He continued searching for the wolf for an hour. Meanwhile, Kyle was surprised by not seeing many animals.
The reason might be that hunters come and hunt here regularly, which endangers the food chain and forces the wolf to leave the forest to hunt.
After a while, Kyle heard the grass behind him rustled.
He stopped. He didn't even turn around toward the rustling or draw his dagger. He just simply stood there.
Slowly, he angles his head just enough to glimpse movement in the underbrush.
Then, from the corner of his eye, he saw a matted gray fur, yellowed fangs bared in a snarl, and eyes burning with feral hunger.
A lone wolf, its ribs visible beneath its coat, saliva dripping from its jaws as it stalks closer.
Kyle's hand didn't drift toward his dagger. Instead, he turned completely to face the hidden wolf.
The wolf tenses, muscles bunching as it prepares to lunge—
"Sit." Kyle commanded softly and steadily.
The moment it entered his range—Kyle activated his skill, his eyes flared crimson as his command slams into the wolf's psyche.
The creature freezes mid-step. Then, with a shudder, the wolf crumples onto its haunches, panting heavily.
"Good boy." Kyle murmured, a small smile tugged at his lips.
Kyle approached the wolf quietly, then pulls his dagger. With one quick motion, Kyle ends its life without hesitation.
A system notification appeared.
[You have slain a Wolf]
[Unused Stat Points: +1 | Shop Points: +10]
Kyle frowned slightly at the numbers. "That's it?"
Annoyed, but not unexpected. He grabbed the wolf by the leg and dragged it back toward the farm.
The farmer's eyes widened when he saw the body.
"That was fast," he said, impressed. "You really are a guild adventurer."
He handed Kyle two silver coins, then hesitated. "If you're willing… I'll buy the corpse from you. One silver."
Kyle considered it briefly, then nodded.
It was cheaper than the market price—but hauling and selling a common wolf wasn't worth the effort.
They completed the deal. Then Kyle turned back toward the city.
At the gate, he flashed his E-rank badge and was waved through without paying the entry fee.
As Kyle walked back towards the guild, he couldn't help but feel a bit underwhelmed by the paltry reward and the even paler experience points.
`I'm not interested in money. I can use mind control and steal whatever I want... but the stats.`
He entered the guild hall, registered the mission as complete, then headed back to the board.
This time, he didn't even glance at Rank E. His eyes went straight to Rank D—specifically, animal-related requests.
`If I'm doing this... I might as well profit properly.`
By the time the day ended, Kyle returned to his room at the inn.
He closed the door behind him and dropped onto the bed, exhaustion finally catching up.
He opened his pouch and counted. `Five silver coins... Not bad for a single day.`
Then he summoned his system screen. His gaze went straight to the Unused Stats Points.
[Unused Stat Points: 6]
Kyle stared at them for a long moment. Then he lay back, staring at the ceiling.
`This... is a good start.`
---
The days that followed settled into a steady rhythm.
For three days straight, Kyle repeated the same routine—wake early, eat quickly, head to the guild, and pick up D-rank quests which includes animal extermination.
On the morning of the fourth day, Kyle sat alone in his room at the inn and spread the coins across the desk.
After counting twice, he exhaled softly.
`One gold coin, three silver coins... and 8 bronze coins.` He put the money back in his wallet. `Not bad. More than enough to live comfortably for a while.`
But money had never been the real objective. Kyle leaned back slightly and summoned his status window.
His eyes immediately locked onto one line: [Unused Stat Points: 13].
A slow smile formed. Then, without hesitation, he began allocating them: +3 Strength, +2 Endurance, +2 Agility, +6 Intelligence.
[Name: Kyle]
[Class: Mind Controller]
[Strength: 13 | Intelligence: 23 | Endurance: 12 | Agility: 9 | Magic: 0]
[Unused Stats Points: 0]
[Skills: "Mind Control", "Thought Reading"]
He watched the numbers settle, feeling the subtle shift in his body and mind—the quiet sharpening of thought, the faint reinforcement of muscle and balance.
Next, he opened the shop screen and glanced at the number at the top of the screen.
[Shop Points: 130]
Kyle stared at the number for a moment... then closed it.
"Tch... Still not enough."
He didn't have enough points to buy anything useful at the moment.
After that, he dismissed the system and stood, slipping his dagger into place before leaving the room.
The guild hall was lively when he arrived.
Adventurers moved through the space with purpose—some laughing, some arguing, others already bloodied from early missions.
He strode straight to the counter, where a familiar clerk greeted him.
"I'd like to request a rank advancement," he said calmly.
The clerk blinked, then nodded. "Please wait a moment."
Kyle nodded and stepped aside.
A few minutes passed.
When she returned, she placed a new badge on the counter—D-rank Adventurer Badge.
"Your record shows consistent completion of D-rank missions," she said. "You are now authorized to accept C-rank quests as well."
Kyle picked up the badge and examined it briefly. "Thank you."
As he turned away, a thought surfaced. `Finally... the real hunting can begin.`
But he didn't move toward the quest board. Instead, his gaze shifted to the side of the hall.
A group of five adventurers sat around a table—experienced, confident, their equipment worn but well-maintained. Their conversation was low, focused on a C-rank mission, from the sound of it.
Kyle studied them quietly. `Monsters aren't something I should handle alone yet... I need a party.`