Kyle had woken up as early as 7 a.m., while Eddie and Jake had gone to the training hall since classes were canceled for the day due to students participating in weekly raids and various activities.
Kyle was currently rummaging through his wardrobe, searching for something to cover his hair. As he tossed clothes aside, a tube fell to the ground.
He turned around.
He sighted the tube and picked it up. Inside was a white fluid, and he noticed a small paper wrapped around it, reading:
"Hair dye; various colors that lasts for only 7 hours before automatically wearing off."
Kyle wasn't entirely sure if he should use it, so he decided to look up more information to ensure there were no side effects.
Seven hours was plenty of time; by then, he would have figured out a more permanent solution for his hair.
The raid time had been shifted to an earlier slot, and now it was around 8 a.m. He had only ten minutes left.
Quickly, he pulled out his screen and scanned the tube.
The details about the fluid inside popped up.
"Legally used."
"No side effects."
"Registered owner: Eddie Allerton."
A barrage of suspicions about Eddie flooded Kyle's mind. Why did Eddie have a dye with him? Was he hiding something?
Normally, there was no need to keep a dye on hand unless someone was trying to conceal something. But right now, he had no time to dwell on that; he needed to head to the team.
"So how do I apply this to my hair? Do I just pour it or what?" Kyle muttered, raising and shaking the tube.
He opened it up; surprisingly, it didn't smell or have the harsh effects that other dyes usually did. It felt a little sticky, almost like gum.
He poured a small amount onto his hair, and instantly, it began to spread without touching his face, concentrating only on his hair.
Within moments, his hair turned a vibrant blue, with a few strands of white still peeking through. But that wasn't something that would cause any trouble.
Without wasting another second, he ran outside towards the supposed training ground they were to meet up.
When he arrived at the training ground, Kyle was met by two girls and three boys. One of them approached him with a grin, extending his hand for a handshake.
Kyle declined instantly. This wasn't the kind of place for him to be all friendly and open. He was here to become strong enough to top the city rankings, not to make friends. A team might be useful, but not now; things weren't dire enough for him to start forming bonds.
"Not the friend type, huh? My name's Dylan. You're Kyle, right?" Dylan asked.
Kyle nodded, maintaining a straight face.
"I'm a second-year, while the others are first-years. I'll be leading the team. If you're ready, we can head out right now."
"Yes, I'm ready," Kyle replied.
Dylan scanned him from head to toe, noting the lack of armor or weapons. Kyle didn't look particularly strong, and Dylan's expression shifted slightly, a hint of skepticism creeping in. But he didn't care; Kyle's rejection of his handshake had already colored his opinion.
Dylan turned around and gestured for everyone to follow him.
All the other team mates were geared up, armed with weapons, but he doesn't care cause he had actually plan for them to do the killing while he just take some crystals and still collect the pay, then he can actually afford a cheap gear and weapon.
If he also encounters a beast, low grade one. He would be able to do some damage with his skill.
As they reached the school's gate which was now guarded by watchful sentinels who scrutinized every student.
When it was their turn, Dylan stepped up first, presenting his ID card. The guard scanned it, then handed him a pass that would allow them to leave the city walls.
"Make sure your trackers are activated," the guard reminded them. "If anything goes wrong, we'll need to find you quickly."
Once they all had their passes, they moved toward the massive portal. It was big enough for ten people to enter comfortably, with a designated spot for the pass to be placed for transport.
Dylan placed the pass on the glowing panel, and the portal flared to life, swirling with vibrant colors. One by one, they stepped through, feeling a momentary disorientation before landing on solid ground outside the city.
They arrived at the forest, trees stretched high above, their trunks were thick and gnarled. Nothing else of surprise was in to be described.
Dylan pulled up a map on his screen, red markers flashing to indicate areas where beasts had been spotted.
"Stay close," he instructed.
Kyle instantly activated the invisible barrier instantly to protect himself from anything, the others can die for all he cares, he was only here for the pay.
He was distracted for a bit, making him bump into the second boy in the front - named Rio. Rio turned around with a disgusted glance.
"You darn moocher! Watch where you're going!" Rio shouted, pushing Kyle back.
The term "Moocher" is often used to imply people that is taking advantage of the social welfare systems without contributing to society. This is a really abusive term.
"Then walk faster, Slot! You walk like you're one step into your grave so shut the hell up!" Kyle shouted back.
The whole team was stunned by Kyle's confidence, which made their hate on him grow wider.
"I'm going to kill you right inside this forest, you're ruined." Rio whispered.
Suddenly, something massive ran towards them with a howling sound about to smash them with its hard rocked tale that resembled a large stone sledgehammer.
The six of them equally dodged the strike by jumping to different sides, avoiding the rampage. The tail smashed onto a tree nearby and caused a large gash on it.
The creature had stone-like scales that shifted in hues of gray and green, resembling a rocky terrain. It stood about 15 feet tall, and its eyes emitted an eerie yellow glow. Muscular limbs supported its massive frame, each ending in thick, clawed digits capable of rending stone.
Its most formidable feature was its tail, a colossal stone hammer, rough and jagged, that swung with tremendous force. The gorgewar, a grade 7 beast.
This time the hammer tail came towards Rio, who froze in shock with his eyes widened, it came faster than before.
Unconsciously, a evil grin stretched across Kyle's face and he felt a surge of excitement through him.
"Now who's dieing first?" Kyle muttered, crawling backwards.