'Crap! I'm going to die!'
In a state of bloodied and wounded determination, he began to crawl through the earth, his hand stretching out to retrieve his sword. With considerable effort, he managed to grasp the hilt and wrest it into the beast, his struggle evident in the motion.
'I'm out of stamina.'
The creature lifted its massive claw and struck at him with force. He narrowly evaded the slashing attack, tumbling across the ground before gradually rising to a kneeling position, preparing to stand once more.
'I need to kill it!'
With desperation fueling his actions, he charged headlong at the monstrous creature, sword poised for a powerful strike. As his blade sliced through the air towards the creature, it deftly evaded the attack and lunged at him, knocking him off balance and sending him hurtling through the air. The impact propelled him into a solid stone wall with an unsettling thud.
"AHH!"
The creature fixed its gaze upon him, a sense of anticipation filling the air as it moved forward, its massive feet thudding heavily. The creature's maw parted, and a viscous drool escaped its jaws, a low, menacing growl underscoring the tension of the encounter.
'Crap... I can't do anything...'
The menacing creature loomed over him, its gaze fixated upon him with a threatening intensity, saliva dripping perilously close to his face. It poised itself, preparing to deliver a lethal strike that would end his life.
'Help me... Somebody...!'
Unexpectedly, a gentle yet forceful gust swept through the air, and in an instant, the creature was cleaved into fragments with astonishing speed. Blood and flesh were dispersed in a gruesome display, scattering across the ground.
'Who was that?...'
He turned his gaze to the right and spotted a woman with long white hair and striking pink haze eyes. She stood there, her right hand emitting a soft, radiant blue glow. Her gaze remained fixed on the creature, her expression devoid of warmth, appearing distant and emotionless.
'Who is it?...'
The girl, her long white hair cascading like a veil, locked her pink haze eyes onto him. But before she could reach him, his vision began to fade, darkness creeping in until he succumbed to unconsciousness.
[You have earned Shared EXP 5000]
[Level up+]
[Level up+]
[Level up+]
[Level up+]
[Level up+]
[Warning: Health condition in critical!]
[Attention: A Genome Transfer has been executed to enhance your status. Proceed with confirmation?]
[Yes or No?]
[...]
[In the absence of a response, the system has automatically defaulted to "Yes."]
[...]
[Genome Transfer successfully!]
[You have unlocked a passive: Mystical Eye, Constant Hybrid Regeneration, Spatial Instinct]
***
Three days earlier...
At Tokai Junior & Senior High School, situated in Nagoya, Japan, a young man found himself drifting off in his seat while his classmates engaged in playful chaos around him. Yuichi Hanateru, approximately 17 years old, he possessed a mop of shaggy black hair, and his eyes were unremarkably average, much like the rest of his features.
Adjacent to him, the soft voice of a girl reached his ears, causing him to gradually shift his gaze in her direction.
"Did you sleep well last night, Yuichi-kun?" She asked politely.
In a fleeting instant, Yuichi's awareness sharpened as he identified the familiar gentle timbre of her voice. It was Mitsuki Hoshizaki, a seventeen-year-old young woman. Mitsuki possessed lustrous, lengthy black hair and entrancing azure eyes that radiated beauty. Her demeanor exuded an aura of elegance, rendering her an embodiment of perfection to anyone who beheld her.
"I see your eyes look tired. Did you work too hard again?" She chuckled.
Mitsuki Hoshizaki is a longtime childhood friend of Yuichi. Over the span of the last decade, they have shared companionship. Yuichi's deep connection with her has fostered an intuitive understanding of her mannerisms, allowing him to discern her behavior with ease. Consequently, his genuine concern for her well-being has become a natural and customary response.
"No, I'm perfectly alright. You don't have to be concerned about me constantly, Mitsuki-san." He reassured her, though she remained steadfast in her vigilance.
"Of course, I am genuinely worried about your well-being," she expressed, a hint of playfulness in her tone, "After all, we are friends!"
Yuichi is grateful to have Mitsuki as a close childhood friend. He tends to be reserved and often becomes a target for bullying by his peers. However, Mitsuki always intervenes, using her alternate demeanor characterized by a cold attitude and a resolute choice of words, to put a stop to their actions.
"Have you gotten bullied recently, Yuichi-kun?" Her voice seems to get a little serious.
"I..." Before Yuichi could respond, a crumpled ball of paper struck his face, catching him off guard.
The individual responsible for hurling the paper ball was a fellow classmate named Kazuhira Nagasawa. At 17 years of age, he sported blond hair and brown eyes. Accompanying him were Akihiko Endo and Haruki Kitamura, who joined forces with him to torment Yuichi.
"Did you witness that? He had the most hilarious asshole expression!" Kazuhira chuckled alongside his two friends.
"Hey, you won't get away from this, Kazuhira!" Mitsuki warned them, her determined face aimed at them.
Kazuhira and his friends began picking on Yuichi when he started junior high. School wasn't easy for Yuichi, but Mitsuki was always there as a trustworthy friend, even though he didn't expect to be.
"Yeah? What are you gonna do about it? Tough act?" Kazuhira taunts and once again laughs with his friends.
"That was a good one, Kazuhira." Akihiko compliments his taunt.
While Mitsuki engaged in animated banter with them, Yuichi let out a sigh and instinctively brushed the spot on his face where the paper ball had made contact. As he did so, the voice of a young man resonated from his left side.
"Are you okay, Yuichi-san?" He sounded concerned about him.
The person speaking is Kenji Hirabayashi, a shy but sure-of-himself classmate of Yuichi. He has regular black hair and wears glasses over his normal eyes. His personality can be a bit mixed up in certain situations, with times when he's confident and other times when he's too shy to act.
Upon hearing him, Yuichi turned his head and looked at him.
"Yeah, I'm not bothered at all." He assured him with ease.
The bond between Yuichi and Kenji had grown remarkably strong. Their camaraderie had blossomed over the course of the past two years, a period during which they had shared classrooms as classmates through various grade levels. While Kenji rarely faced bullying, unlike Yuichi, he steadfastly stood by his side, providing unwavering support as true friends.
"You're really strong and determined, Yuichi-san. I hope I can be like you someday." Kenji said, looking up to Yuichi with admiration.
"No, it's just that I'm getting used to it, Kenji." Yuichi replied to him.
"You know what else I wish I had? A childhood friend as awesome as Hoshizaki-san. She's super dependable and the best person you've ever known. It's almost like you two are in a relationship." Kenji playfully teased.
"That's not possible. Mitsuki is way too perfect for someone like me. She deserves better than a man who often gets bullied and just an average person." Yuichi said, resting his chin on his hand.
"Well, it's actually somewhat doable, so just keep that in mind." Kenji said, leaning on him before slowly returning to his seat.
However, Yuichi shares a close bond with Mitsuki. They are childhood friends, which naturally brings them close, yet their connection seems to transcend even that. While Yuichi is unaware of Mitsuki's affection, she harbors feelings for him.
Regrettably, she refrains from confessing her emotions due to a deep-seated fear that her admission might repulse him, potentially leading to the end of their relationship. This apprehension is heightened by concerns of overreaction.
As Yuichi rested his chin on his palm, lost in thought, a subtle and gentle earthquake tremor rumbled through the room. The table and chairs quivered, a tangible reminder of the shifting ground. Yuichi's gaze shifted as he observed his pen slip from the table and onto the floor. Gradually rising from his seat, he retrieved the fallen pen.
Once he finally retrieved his pen, a subtle green luminescence began to emanate from where he stood, leaving Yuichi perplexed. Narrowing his eyes and scrutinizing the phenomenon, he realized that the ground beneath him had transformed into an intricate magical circle.
Yuichi was startled, quickly rising from the ground. As he surveyed his surroundings, he realized that it wasn't just him; all 18 of his classmates also had magic circles beneath their feet, specifically including Mitsuki.
"What's this? Some sort of magic show?" Kazuhira was perplexed.
Confusion rippled through the crowd, and a chorus of murmurs filled the room. The sudden manifestation of a magic circle beneath their feet left everyone bewildered, an odd and inexplicable occurrence that seemed out of place.
Following a brief moment of bewilderment, one of Yuichi's classmates emitted a brilliant green glow before vanishing into thin air. In the spot where they once stood, vibrant emerald-hued mystical particles lingered in the air.
And soon after, one by one of Yuichi's classmates disappears from thin air, causing panics from others.
"Shit! This is not funny!" Kazuhira was perplexed and attempted to escape the magic circle, but like his classmates, he started glowing in green and vanished.
Akihiko and Haruki vanished momentarily, dissolving into thin air and leaving behind a trail of mystical green particles.
"Ahh!" Kenji exclaimed, his shock turning into fear as an unexpected glow enveloped his right hand, gradually spreading throughout his entire body.
Yuichi reached out to grasp Kenji's hand, but he vanished into thin air the moment his fingers made contact.
"Yuichi-kun!" Mitsuki cried out, her hand stretching toward Yuichi's.
"Mitsuki! Hold on!" Yuichi spotted Mitsuki and reached out to grasp her hand. Yet, as their hands made contact, Mitsuki vanished, mirroring the fate of the others.
A maelstrom of confusion, shock, and fear swept over Yuichi. He had been utterly unprepared for this abrupt and bewildering turn of events, which had now ensnared him and his friends.
Now alone in the classroom, he stood before the intricate magic circle etched beneath his feet. He stared at it, a mix of terror and bewilderment in his eyes. In an instant, the magic circle began to envelop Yuichi, its ethereal presence gradually encompassing his entire form.
Shocked and overcome with fear, Yuichi let out a piercing scream, but as he did, he too vanished into thin air, leaving behind a trail of shimmering green particles that danced and lingered throughout the room.