0060 - The Spirit Beast.

Two figures, one in undersized dojo rags confident and another one naked and wimpy scared following the confident one. "Which way?"

[I don't know, I am not sensing anything, check it yourself if you don't believe me.]

"Fine, I trust you." He said that but still continued to search. He did not want to give up, this Spirit Bead was like a shiny precious for him somehow. Lu Sheng confidently continued to look around, despite the lack of any clear direction from the Automated System, he couldn't shake the feeling that they were close.

It seemed he could sense an intuition, something in his gut guiding him. Lu Sheng pressed on, driven by a determination born from the thrill of the hunt.

"I can feel it. We're close, I can sense it." His voice was confident.

[But are you sure? I do not sense anything.]

"Trust me, I know what I'm doing."

[...]

_GRRR…GROWL_

Suddenly, a low growl echoed through the dusty screen, sending a chill down Lu Sheng's spine. He froze, his senses on high alert as he scanned the shadows for any sign of danger. The scared clone whimpered in fear, his eyes wide with terror as he clung to Lu Sheng's side.

"W-what was that?" Lu Sheng quickly asked.

[Sounds like a wolf, why get scared? We have the Cane.]

Lu Sheng nodded and raised the Cane of Obedience, ready to face any wolves; the last encounter with wolves has boosted his confidence.

"Shh... Stay behind me." He looked at the whimpering clone of himself and felt pity and disgust at the same time, but decided to protect him anyway. The clone nodded at Lu Sheng's mercy.

As he waited for the attack, a large shadow of a humanoid figure emerged from the cover screen of the red dirt and smoke, a monstrous creature with the body of a man and the features of a wolf. Its eyes glowed with a fierce intensity as it bared its teeth in a menacing snarl. Lu Sheng's heart pounded in his chest as he faced the creature head-on, his instincts screaming at him to flee.

[Oh no!]

"What is it?" Lu Sheng did not like the way the System said those words.

[The Spirit Bead, I can sense it, it's in this beast's chest.]

"What? How is this possible? What is going on? What kind of mess did you throw me into? Why did you set the rules of this Trial like this?" He rained down a list of accusations on the System as usual.

[I did no such thing, HOST! Please focus on fighting this beast.]

"Fight it? You want me to fight this monster?" Lu Sheng scoffed. "Are you crazy? That thing looks like it could rip me apart!" Before the System could respond, the creature roared and lunged.

Lu Sheng's survival instincts kicked in. Without a second thought, he leaped backward, adrenaline pumping through his veins. Everything inside him screamed that he couldn't fight this monstrosity head-on. Escape was his only option.

As he escaped, the clone who was depending on Lu Sheng for his survival was left behind, stumbling in fear as the creature bore down on him. Lu Sheng did not even look behind as he forgot about his clone entirely.

The defenseless, scared clone turned to look at the fleeing Lu Sheng's back one last time as the sharp fangs of the humanoid wolf monster bit down on his naked body. Blood spurted out as the sharp fangs clamped hard, crunching the bones.

However, the body of the clone suddenly lost all of its physical form, turning into a dark liquid, and the wolf monster sucked it all in like juice. As he savored his meal, it roared out in even more ferocity, its roar echoing everywhere.

Lu Sheng, fleeing for his life, heard the ferocious cry of the monster behind him, but he dared not look back.

"WHAT THE F_CK IS GOING ON??" He shouted in a panicked tone, his eyes wide with fear and confusion.

[Host, this is a speculation, but our Spirit Bead has become the core of that beast when it got lost from your body after the explosion.]

"I can figure that out that much, but why do all these shitty things happen to me all the time?" He said in an exasperated and frustrated manner, huffing in anger.

He kept running aimlessly, but this land had nothing where he could hide. Lu Sheng could feel the beast on his tail, his heart pounding with dread.

[Stand and fight, Host, or let me do that for you.]

"Can you? Can you guarantee that you will not let me get hurt?" He asked skeptically.

[I cannot promise anything, but I will still be better than you.]

"F____CKKKK!! FINE!! AUTOMATE IT!!" He shouted in resignation, throwing his hands up in the air.

[Automation Initiated.]

The Automated System quickly took over Lu Sheng's body and stood still to fight, its movements precise and calculated.

"Why are you stopping? RUN!!" He yelled in panic filled with disbelief.

[Host, it's better to fight, and there is a chance we can get our Spirit Bead back. But without fighting, we are going to waste our energy running.]

Lu Sheng did not want to admit that the logic of the System was right, but he couldn't deny it too, as he grumbled silently, he was torn between frustration and reluctant acceptance.

They waited, but the beast didn't come, or the beast was busy with something. They could hear the distant howl, scream, and echo of struggle, the ominous sounds sending a chill down Lu Sheng's spine.

[Did that not sound like your scream?]

"No…does it? What are you thinking about doing?" He asked apprehensively, he did not like the way the System asked that question.

[We should stop that beast, I believe it is getting stronger.] 

The System suggested with a sense of urgency.

"How do you know that? Don't you dare poke the bear when he is not looking for us." He warned, his eyes narrowed with suspicion and caution.

[And what if the bear is saving us for his last meal? After eating everything else and getting stronger?] 

The System proposed the chilling possibility of not taking any action.

"F_UCK YOU!! Why do you always talk like this? Why are you always right?" He exclaimed in exasperation with frustration.

[It's logical, whether you like it or not, Facts and Logic do not care.]