It was now late, almost time for their curfew. Michael couldn't shake the thought from his mind—he wondered why the hits he took during the game affected his body stats. He opened his system tab:
"Crap, my health has gone down. I need to use the Blood Saver," Michael thought.
The system displayed another screen:
Michael immediately accepted, not wanting to lose any more HP.
When they arrived, they noticed that there were no students in the dorm. Cole heard students chattering at the end of the hallway, and the three of them approached to ask what was going on. One of the students replied, "The teacher came in and called everyone outside to the general hall. Only the first years were called. He announced that there is a mission that needs to be carried out, exclusive to only the first years. He said it was urgent, and a team that wishes to participate should come forward. The mission is called 'King Deal.' The details will be explained to the team that applies for the mission, and it will be carried out tonight." The three exchanged glances and smiled. They ran to the general hall to find Lisa and Kaylee. When they arrived, some students were outside the hall talking, while others were inside. Blake saw Lisa and Kaylee inside and went to meet them. "We've been waiting for you guys. We were thinking about applying for the mission. I guess you must have heard of it," Lisa said. "We went to the arcade, and yes, we're aware of the mission, so we came to find you," Blake replied. "Okay, we can now apply since everyone on the team has agreed to it. Let's go," Kaylee said immediately. There was a person in front of the crowd, and Kaylee approached him. She told him they were ready for the mission, and he asked if she was sure about it. She nodded in response. He announced that a team had taken on the mission and that everyone could go back to their dorms. He led the team toward a room and handed a map tab to Kaylee, beginning to explain the details of the mission. "The target is a Grade 8 beast located on Planet Teside, an empty and deserted planet. You only need to bring back the orb of the beast after defeating it. We have never seen the beast, but the map tab will lead you to it. We are going to equip you with Grade 6 beast weapons. It begins now. Come back alive." "Wait, why are you sending the first years on such a deadly mission? Why not the fourth years?" Kaylee asked. "That is a secret that i can't tell you," the teacher replied as he led them to the school armory. He gave them Grade 6 beast weapons, but Kaylee and Michael declined. Kaylee told him she could form her own weapon, and Michael didn't explain his reason for rejecting the beast weapon. He led them to a room where different portals were placed about four, after tapping onto a button on the control board in front of the portals, the portal to Planet Teside opened up, and they entered it, arriving on a desolate land. Just as the teacher said, it was an empty and deserted planet, with no trees and no visible life. The planet was also dark and cold. The team immediately turned on their night vision. As they stepped into the planet, the system screen popped up: Michael grinned, seeing the new quest he received and immediately formed a blood dagger <–1HP>. Blake stared at the dagger Michael formed and asked him how he did it and why he couldn't copy Michael's ability. "I also don't know anything about it," Michael lied, not wanting anyone to know about the system. They continued to search for the beast, and suddenly, the map tab started glowing red as they approached a cave in the ground. A loud growl echoed from inside, and a beast emerged. The beast was enormous, with sinewy tendrils extending from its body, each ending in a serrated claw capable of slicing through an entire mountain. Michael stared at the monster, unable to move an inch.
The beast's tendrils came toward where Michael was standing, but Blake quickly dragged him out of the way. Cole leaped toward the monster and used his large sword to slash at it, but it didn't even leave a scratch. Lisa immediately fired an arrow, aiming for the beast's eyes. The arrow pierced its eyes, and the beast growled as deadly spikes flew out of its tendrils, heading toward them.
They dodged the spikes, and Kaylee formed an ice chain blade, which managed to pierce the beast's skin. Michael had now regained his senses and formed a blood dagger again <–1HP>. He lunged toward the beast, aiming for its second eye, while Blake followed him, infusing his sword with fire to create a flaming sword.
He attacked the beast's leg while Michael stabbed at the second eye. The beast retaliated with another set of spikes, and Kaylee, Lisa, and Cole dodged them, leaping toward the beast. Michael ran over the beast's back as he stabbed his dagger into its skin, managing to pierce it.
Suddenly, fire erupted from its tendrils, splitting the ground. Blake leaped to the beast's head and slashed its forehead, but the beast still didn't die. Michael spotted the beast's orb beneath its belly, glowing red. He was about to stab the orb when the beast suddenly disappeared and reappeared behind Michael, its claws poised to slash him.
"Michael, watch out! Behind you!"
Michael ducked the attack, Kaylee immediately tapped the key on the map tab. A portal appeared, and they quickly entered it; the mission was too dangerous, so they had to abort.
When they arrived back at the school, it was now morning. The fight had lasted only thirty minutes, but at home, eight hours had passed, meaning time moved slower on that planet. Michael and his team didn't seem to care about the time; the beast would have wiped them out in an instant if they hadn't aborted the mission. At their current skill in fighting, they were no match against the beast.
The teacher came running the moment he heard they were back from the planet. He was happy to see them. "Did you bring the beast's orb?" he asked. "Is this a joke to you? We would have been dead if we hadn't aborted the mission, and here you are asking for a beast orb," Michael thought.
"No, we couldn't defeat the beast. It has teleportation ability; it almost killed us," Kaylee said. "Oh, you should all rest for today; tomorrow you can begin classes." Michael, Cole, and Blake went back to their dorm, while Kaylee and Lisa insisted on going back to class. The teacher allowed them.
Michael wondered if the beast was really a Grade 5; it could be a higher grade. It had fire, earth, and teleportation abilities—how could it possess three abilities? The question lingered in his mind all day. He realized that the only way to defeat that beast was to get stronger.
He opened his health panel:
Michael thought about it for a while before deciding to decline the offer; he didn't want to waste the Blood Saver.
Blake looked at Michael and Cole, who were lost in their own thoughts. The two lay down on their beds, facing the wall. "Guys, follow me to the arcade. We should play some games to clear our minds," Blake suggested.
A knock came on the door. Cole stood up immediately and stopped Blake from opening it. "We are not expecting anyone. I don't think it's a good idea to open the door," Cole said, stepping back from the door with Blake. Michael stood up, curious about who was at the door, but he didn't want to open it.
"Open the door! Don't be scared; I just want to talk," called the person knocking, followed by laughter. Michael immediately recognized the voice; it was Brian's, the second-year head.
"It's that maniac Brian; don't open the darn door," Blake muttered. Cole looked at Blake, and suddenly, the door flung open. Brian entered without his gang following him. He looked at the three of them. "What a way to welcome your guest."
Blake lunged toward him, ready to throw a punch, smiling. "I really want to beat you." Brian dodged the attack swiftly and threw multiple punches at Blake, sending him flying and crashing into the wall.
Cole rushed to help Blake to his feet. Michael quickly moved toward Brian to throw a punch, but suddenly, Brian disappeared and reappeared behind Michael.
He kicked Michael from behind, sending him flying out of the room.
A claw appeared, poised to slash Blake and Cole. Michael realized that the claw belonged to the beast they fought back on Planet Teside, which meant one thing: Brian was the beast that almost wiped them all out.
The system confirmed it. Michael dashed toward Brian, forming a blood dagger and slashing at Brian's hand, severing it. He realized that his body was weaker in human form.