Chapter 7: The Calamity Beast

As the screen in front of him showed the threat approaching from the forest, he went and looked through the widow. As he approached the window, his room started to shake. "!!", he holds his grip to the wheelchair, when he saw the sight in front of him. "This is something...", he thought as he looked at what's Infront of him. What he saw was a giant monster, its body covered in tentacles, was approaching the village. He quickly activated the earpiece. "Eva, what is that?" he asked, his voice steady despite the fear gnawing at him. "Scanning… Scan complete: It's a Calamity Class monster," On Eva's response, Kai's eyes widened in shock. There are many forms of monsters in this world, goblins, orcs, ogres, vampires. But there few more which are far beyond stronger. For such, they are based on three unique monster class.

First, the low-tier: Calamity Class. A disaster on legs, capable of wiping out entire cities, on a national scale, and require a nation's army or a Champion-class individual to defeat. A classification reserved for monsters that have power equivalent to or above a Special-A Rank in the Free Guild System.

Second, the upper-tier: Disaster Class. A classification reserved for Demon Lords, beings who possess enough power and influence to rival a large country. Monsters of this class can cause disasters on a regional scale, and require a powerhouse nation to stand a chance against.

Third and last, the high-tier: Catastrophe Class. A classification reserved for monsters that have transcendent power that begins to approach the domain of True Dragons. Monsters of this class can cause disasters on a global scale, and are feared by even Demon Lords and Heroes.

Kai started to wheel himself outside of house, "This is not good…"

Meanwhile, Emily was at the chief's house when the ground started shaking. "!! What just happened!?" She balanced herself when she heard a commotion and rushed outside, where she saw the monster looming in the distance. The village elder rang the warning bell, his voice echoing through the village, "Everyone, evacuate! We can't face this beast!" But Emily's mind was elsewhere. "Kai… He's still in the house," she thought, her heart pounding in her chest. Without a second thought, she started running towards their home. The people tried to stop her but she didn't hear any of them and just kept on running.

Back at the house, Kai had wheeled himself outside, his eyes locked on the approaching monster. He was calm, "Scan the monster, checking its every detail, Eva." Eva responded, showing him the screen. In the screen, he saw every detail regarding the monster. "Hmm… It's not that strong actually, huh. I will just go back for now." His voice had no sign of fear, even when he was the closest to the monster.

Just as he was about to retreat, the monster attacked. A tentacle shot towards him, he looked towards the direction, but before it could hit, Emily pushed him aside. His eyes widened in surprise as he looked at Emily, her face pale but determined.

Emily, panting heavily, turned to Kai. "Are you alright?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Kai, still in shock, could only nod. He was surprised to see Emily, who had rushed to his side despite the imminent danger.

Suddenly, the monster launched another attack. This time, it was a fire attack. Emily saw it coming, "Kai!!" and instinctively covered him with her body, shielding him from the flames. The world around them turned into a blazing inferno. Their home, the forest, everything was on fire.

Kai, having few burns on his body, looked down at Emily, who was now in his arms. Her body was covered in severe burns. His heart ached as he realized the extent of her injuries. "No… NO… NOOO!!" His whole life seemed to crumble around him. Tears welled up in his eyes and streamed down his face.

As the monster charged for another attack, the flames grew even more intense, engulfing the entire area. The last thing Kai saw before everything turned into a sea of fire was Emily's face, peaceful despite the pain, her eyes filled with determination and courage. It was a sight that would forever be etched in his memory. The world as he knew it had turned upside down.