Monster Hunting Gone Wrong

Five days passed, and no significant events occurred for Shay—at least, nothing that harmful. When he left his dorm room, carrying an extra 50 kg meant little to him, as it only slowed him down.

Upon arriving in class, he forgot about the weight and flung his backpack onto the hanger. It clicked in his head just as the desk pivoted 90 degrees and fell on its side, producing a deafening bang that echoed throughout the classroom.

Every ongoing sound died out. Some students bolted upright, startled by the sudden noise. Most classmates turned in the commotion's direction and shook their heads upon recognizing the source.

Sigh.

Sounds of rustling equipment echoed around him, as Shay recalled the past in silence, Flint walking right beside him. They followed others through a forest path covered by dark shadows thrown by the thick and tall trees. Behind them, Shay's new 'comrade' whistled a familiar melody. If only he had known the tune, he might have enjoyed it.

Blarken, oblivious to anyone's thoughts, continued to guard everyone with a certain 'style.' They had been traveling for 30 minutes after leaving the city walls. The goal for that day was to practice monster hunting under teachers' guidance. The four of them protected the group in a diamond formation, covering each side against potential threats.

Shay knew and saw only two of them; Blarken and Galia. Suddenly, a faint voice of the brute behind him flew through his ears.

"I just noticed. Did you bring it with you?"

He kept walking straight, swiveling his head to respond. "There hasn't been a day I didn't have a plate on me," he said as he smirked for a second, turning back.

[Strength: 9 (4%)] - 4x

[Endurance: 7 (18%)]

[Agility: 9 (71%)] - 4x

[Dexterity: 10 (39%)]

[Intelligence: 8 (62%)]

Meanwhile, he looked at his stats, wondering if he had done enough working out. His most significant progress was in agility, because he carried the disc with him at all times, often running with it. He could thank his Agile Might's bonus for growing so fast.

'I wish to kill as many beasts as possible, but who knows if my preparation was sufficient?'

He continued to space out and stumbled over a root. However, the veins in his legs bulged as he forced the strength to hold on.

"Flint? Would you mind—" Without finishing his request, Flint already supported him from the side

"Thanks, I almost ended up getting dirty, ha ha." He tried to ease the situation with laugh, but he was unsuccessful. His friend, with a gloomy face, just continued minding his own business.

'I wonder what's up with him? Previous days, he seemed to be fine.' He thought as he scratched his head in confusion. Shay wanted to ask him, but seeing how much he distanced himself, he let him be.

Finally, they reached their destination: the resting spot. An empty circular space surrounded by vegetation was illuminated by a beam of sunlight. Peaceful animals like rabbits and birds flitted through the area, contributing to an ambiance of serenity.

Those carrying portable benches, cookers, first aid stations, and other supplies set about establishing the temporary camp. Since Shay had nothing other than his belongings and supplies, he could wander around and help if needed.

Surprisingly, everyone was cooperative, even allowing him to share in the work. Although they might have used him for their benefit, he didn't mind. What he couldn't wait for was the hunting part. That's why he supported as much as possible, to fasten up the building phase.

"All right, students. The camp is almost ready, which means we can proceed with further explanations. As we mentioned, you will hunt beasts either in groups of any size or solo. However, if you're in a group smaller than three, you must stay within 100 meters of a teacher. Larger teams can maintain a distance of 250 meters."

While the rules made sense, some students from other first-year classes weren't very pleased.

"Why should we stay in a designated zone with weaklings like him?" He pointed at Flint, who was standing close by him. "Can't at least some of us be excluded from such a restrictive rule?"

These prideful yet offensive words came from a smaller boy who showed few signs of muscle. On the other hand, his clothes were impressive. He wore a black leather robe with pointed scales, and his most notable piece of equipment was his gauntlets, each knuckle adorned with sharp spikes.

After watching the unfolding scene, an interesting idea struck Shay.

"Hold on, I also disagree with the restrictions, but I don't think such an arrogant person should be allowed to run loose." He said, hoping a fight might evolve between him and the midget.

Concurrently, Flint gazed at the figure on the opposite side of the crowd. The corners of his lips drooped, his eyes saying, 'Don't do it.'

Shay noticed his expression but shifted his focus back to the guy who mocked his friend.

All the teachers were stunned as Blarken gestured for them to hold on. 'Why did he stop us?' the trio of teachers wondered, still looking confused.

"Well, I can't allow anyone to disrespect the rules. At least, normally, I wouldn't. I propose that you two, Shay and Theodore, should settle this matter, making an only exception just for you. What do you think?"

The first phase worked out as planned. Next, multiple questions flooded his mind: Does he always fight with gauntlets? What is his Bloodline Mastery? How strong is he, really?

"What? I have to fight some no-name dude from nowhere?"

"If you don't want to engage, you can say goodbye to your opportunity, haha!" Shay said, letting a cynical laugh to escape his lips, leaning backward while doing so.

As the tension rose between them, the students formed a circle, watching his provocative demeanor.

"Oh, someone hasn't learned how to speak to those of higher standing, huh?"

"Whatever, dude. All I hear is yapping from your filthy mouth!"

He tossed his backpack toward Flint, who had repositioned himself.

[Mission: Defeat the enemy. Reward: Danger Sense]

Those were the last words before the fight began. Theodore gritted his teeth and frowned, fury lighting up his eyes. Wild aggression radiated from him as he crouched, pressing his palms to the soil. The ground shook as a belt of needle-thin stone spikes shot up, piercing Shay's body and narrowly missing vital organs.

"Argh!" he twitched involuntarily, letting out a low groan. 'Fuck! I blinked, and this happens?!'

He tensed his body, shattering the fragile needles as green particles appeared on his wounds.

"I guess I won't need those anymore."

After his quick speech, he threw away the trench coat, which hid behind a few bottles of water. Before he tossed all of it out, he caught one and poured the leftover liquid over himself, speeding up the process of recovery.

"Someone is a little more talented, I see?! However, mere healing won't be enough!!!"

Bang! Crackle!

Before he could touch the surface again, the soil under Shay spread out in all ways as he thundered towards his opponent, while streams of shifting gales surrounded his body as he spun to throw a kick.

Unfortunately, the earth rumbled, creating a dense wall in front of his target. Debris flew at a high speed in one direction as he destroyed it, missing his gut thorax by an inch.

Some students freaked out, screaming from the bottom of their lungs after noticing the quickly approaching rocks. Deep thuds resonated through the air, as a glassy-like surface had materialized before the pupils' eyes. Their legs were shaking so much, they had to drop and sit in an egg formation. Loud and swift heartbeats could be heard from within.

"You wish—bastard!"

As Theodore shouted, he threw a punch toward Shay's gut, his fist being followed by a whirling trio of earth pillars, launching him 50m away. Blood gushed from his stomach as he was pierced by his gauntlet and forced by Theodore's strange technique.

'A first-year? Don't—make me—laugh.'

Pain surrounded his wound, piercing it a million times, almost falling into the darkness of coma.

[FALIURE BEFORE THE INITIAL MAJOR GOAL = DEATH]

All the teachers that were watching wanted to step in, but were chained down by an unforeseen horror. Shay's eyes glowed red as he got up, his limbs looking weak as they only hung from the shoulders.

"FUUUUUUUCK!"

He let out a sorrowful, yet antagonizing scream, shifting everyone's mood that instant.

[First achievement 'First Time at the Door to Haven,' unlocked. Reward: Adds current stats to itself.]

[Description: Feel agony and face death once.]

Another system interface appeared, showing him the stats only.

[Strength: 18 (0%)] - 4x

[Endurance: 14 (0%)]

[Agility: 18 (0%)] - 4x

[Dexterity: 20 (0%)]

[Intelligence: 16 (0%)]

'As I thought, it wouldn't keep my progress. What a bummer.' Following his thoughts, a muffled, sinister laugh came from his mouth, vomiting blood at the same time.

Shay ignored his state as the thrill had clouded his mind. The killing intent within his heart grew stronger and stronger, stopping at the moment of action.

Although Theodore shook wildly, he couldn't let him gain more consciousness, right? Thus, he decided not to delay his offensive maneuvers even more, giving up all his mana to one strike. Sweat condensed on his forehead, his eyelids drooped at how exhausted he became. The concentration needed for his ultimate attack took a toll on his mind. He focused on making spears, needles, hammers, and all sorts of stone creations.

Yet, all this was futile. Shay dashed to the side, forming a crater below him, leading up to another, as he redirected his step. His incredible velocity didn't allow Theodore to react. He flew at such speed, enhancing himself in mana wouldn't have helped him, even if he had some spare left.

BOOM! WHIRL!

Air pressure, which knocked the guy locked in place, bypassed Blarken as he absorbed the punch head on.

[Quest completed. Rew…

As he fell into a deep slumber in slow motion, he saw Theodore lying unconscious on the ground through the transparent prompt.