Just as Isaac was trying to push the sale out of his mind, the system chimed in:
[Ding! You have a new message.]
"Huh? No way…" he muttered. "Open mail."
It hadn't even been 30 seconds since he listed the item—could it really have sold already?
[Your auction item "Worn Hyenaman Club" has been purchased via buyout by player 'XSXOlive'. After a 10% fee, $1,620 has been deposited into your linked PayPal account.]
"No freaking way—it got sniped that fast?" Isaac's gut tightened.
That feeling… like when you offer a price and the other person agrees too quickly. It usually means one thing:
You sold it too cheap.
He checked PayPal—yep, the money was in.
The rush of real-world cash dulled his regret almost instantly.
"Damn… I've already made $3,300 today! That's more than a month's salary!"
And it had only been a couple of hours.
"Hell yeah. Let's go! Let's make it $5,000 before the day's over!"
Fueled by money, Isaac's only real enemy now was stamina recovery. Every other moment was spent grinding.
[Robust Hyenaman (Level 5) killed. Gained 50 XP Orbs. Received Tier 1 Talent Shard x1. Received Star 1 Quality Evolution Point x1.]
[Robust Hyenaman (Level 4) killed. Gained 38 XP Orbs. Received Tier 1 Talent Shard x1. Received Star 1 Quality Evolution Point x1.]
[Ding! Item acquired: "Worn Hyenaman Club (Damaged)"]
"Basic stats… still worth $300." Isaac stashed it in his inventory.
In his mad grind for loot, he didn't even realize he'd hit Level 5.
Leveling wasn't too rough. He needed 3,000 XP Orbs, which meant killing about a hundred level 4–5 Hyenamen.
Factoring in rest time, he could get it done in around two hours.
"Open status panel."
[Character Bound: Isaac]
[Race: Sturdy Agile Robust Hyenaman]
[Quality (Star 1 – Complete): +50% to base STR, AGI, CON]
[Level: 5 (EXP: 42/10,000)]
[Stats – STR: 14 | AGI: 14 | CON: 14]
[Attack: 25–28]
[Defense: 7]
[HP: 470]
[Talent: Inferior Hyena Bloodline (Tier 1): 10% chance for 2x crit damage on normal attacks.]
[Talent Evolution Shard: 0/40 (Tier 2 Shards)]
[Quality Evolution Point: 0/40 (Star 2 Points)]
[Monster Reputation: 0]
"Man, percentage-based growth is awesome. I'm nearly hitting 30 attack, and 470 HP? I'm loving this."
The only downside? Star 2 materials were still too scarce.
Even after converting all his Star 0 and Star 1 points, he barely got 10 Star 2 materials total.
"This'll take forever to reach 40… and why the hell does it take 10,000 XP Orbs to reach level 6?! That's a massive jump!"
Still, Isaac had no reason to complain. Grinding for levels, loot, and evolution materials were all part of the same loop.
He didn't need to worry about kill-stealing, mob pullers, or anything else.
A quick glance at the marketplace confirmed what he already knew—regular Hyenamen didn't drop clubs, and Feeble Hyenamen near newbie villages almost never did.
Since his last big sale, only three new club listings had completed successfully.
Most people who got a club wouldn't sell it.
"The newbie village economy must be brutal," Isaac chuckled darkly. "Which means demand is still sky-high. Prices aren't falling anytime soon. I'll hold onto my clubs."
With that settled, it was back to the grind.
With his new level came new territory. Aside from special mobs, Isaac focused on hunting level 5 and 6 Hyenamen.
Unintentionally, he'd drifted away from his original farming zone into a denser area full of higher-level mobs.
More mobs meant more efficiency—he had no reason to hold back.
That's when he spotted something… unusual.
A towering Hyenaman, nearly 1.8 meters tall—even Sturdy Hyenamen only hit 1.6.
Among the stubby crowd, this one stood out like a goddamn boss.
Above its head:
Special Agile Hyenaman (Level 6)
"What the hell?! Special Agile? Could this be a Star 2 Quality mob?"
The "Agile" tag meant its attack, defense, and HP were standard for its level.
"But it's a speed type. That means I've got the advantage." Eyes gleaming, Isaac charged in.
Without hesitation, he swung his Hyenaman Club.
–22!
The enemy countered with a quick strike. –10!
"Ha! Easy. Let's go, 1v1!"
Its attack speed was a little higher than Isaac's, but only barely. For every 7–8 of Isaac's attacks, the mob squeezed in one extra.
More importantly, though the mob was a level higher, it had less HP—only 450.
With better damage, defense, and HP, Isaac clearly had the upper hand. Even if it had a slightly higher crit rate, it wasn't enough to matter.
WHAM! –46 (CRIT!)
Isaac landed a massive critical with his last swing.
[Special Agile Hyenaman (Level 6) killed. Gained 70 XP Orbs. Received Tier 2 Talent Shard x1. Received Star 2 Quality Evolution Point x1.]
No weapon drop, but the materials alone made Isaac grin from ear to ear.
"YES! First Star 2 material!"
This mob confirmed one thing: his new target type.
"Look for anything with the 'Special' prefix."
These didn't exist before level 6. They must start spawning at this threshold.
"Same plan—grind and mark respawn points on the map."
He immediately ditched his old farming spot and began exploring nearby areas for more Special Hyenamen.
After a full sweep, he found three more:
Special Sturdy Hyenaman (Level 6)
Special Agile Hyenaman (Level 6)
Special Robust Hyenaman (Level 6)
He marked all their locations.
"Agile and Robust I can handle. That Sturdy one… might be tough. I'll hold off for now."
Isaac wasn't ashamed of playing it smart.
Pick the low-hanging fruit.
[Special Robust Hyenaman (Level 6) killed. Gained 70 XP Orbs. Received Tier 2 Talent Shard x1. Received Star 2 Quality Evolution Point x1.]
"Two down!" He looked longingly at the Special Sturdy one in the distance but restrained himself.
Instead, he kept farming regular Hyenamen nearby, waiting for the other Specials to respawn.
"Enjoy your time while you can, buddy. Once I evolve, you're mine."
By now, Isaac was seeing stars—literally. He hadn't even stopped to eat.
By 10 PM, he'd finally gathered:
40 Tier 2 Talent Shards
40 Star 2 Quality Evolution Points
And he'd hit Level 6.
All the exhaustion from four hours of grinding evaporated in an instant. Slumped against a tree stump, he tried to stay calm.
"Alright… time to evolve. Let's go!"