The sudden sparks of light in distant areas suggested an illuminated future where everyone, or at least almost everyone, had been granted a system. The radical appearances of these lights with high luminosity stunned the beast causing it to slow down.
Its faint eyes stared in my direction, fixated on the lights that had appeared behind us. As I pondered what had just happened, a faint light flowed beside me and a figure appeared before my eyes.
'Who's that?' I asked Carl, stepping back from the scene to strategize with him.
'So let's say everyone somehow managed to be granted a system? How so soon, and what was the catalyst?' Carl questioned, his fingers slowly rubbing his face until I answered, 'Well, it must be you. As soon as you broke free everyone else–'
'I don't agree. Even so, why me? Why were you able to leave that time-tampered space and not me?' His envy was fully evident on his face as he clenched his fists, facing the beast and the boy who stood before him.
'Forget it. Let's just fight!' I suggested as a few others sprinted towards us.
Soon, everyone had appeared before the beast, waiting for it to make a decisive move. Its faintly illuminated eyes circled as the white light that outlined its body gradually appeared.
It was close, too close for comfort. It bared its claws once more, reflecting the light it emanated. Everyone jumped away, faster than any normal human, and I could hear the faint whistles of wind caused by the slashes.
I stepped back, once again filled with fear. I didn't know what particularly made me afraid. Perhaps, it was the eyes of the beast or maybe I wasn't confident enough as I barely understood my powers.
I looked around, feeling relieved that the group had come to protect me. I closed my eyes, sinking into the crowd of confident teenagers and young adults until something snapped. My conscience tortured me, my heart raced, and my mind thought harder than it ever did.
'So, I'm at max mana. What can I do with it? What if I've depleted it? Let me check just to be safe.' I thought hard, trying to recall how to open up the system's window.
I stretched my hands, reaching out for the darkness but that did nothing. There was a missing piece of the puzzle—there wasn't any defined catalyst for seeing my stats.
I remembered when I had screamed the word 'stats' endlessly in an attempt to view them, but with that memory came the remembrance of failure. It was at the moment when desperation settled, when I was shrouded by uncertainty that the system responded.
However, recreating that feeling was far from possible now. The knowledge of the system, mana, and my powers forged confidence, regardless of how little it was.
'I don't need to be sad just for the system to respond! It calls me master, so I should act like one.' I breathed in, lost in the action of the crowd.
'Okay...' I exhaled, 'Stats!' I continued, this time, filled with confidence and asserting my dominance.
It was a moment of silence until the female voice rang in my head, reminding me of its encouraging words.
[Master Noah, here are your stats:
Name: Noah
Beast: None
Mana: 70%
Abilities: Mana Wielding (Rank E)
Skills: Aura Shield (Rank E)
Overall Ranking: Rank E...]
I widened my eyes in excitement, yet held it within me as I brushed off the dust on my shoulders, which were picked up by the crowd that began charging the beast.
'It's still the same. There's not much information, and there's not much I can do.' Interacting with the window was a complete failure, and the calm female voice only seemed to read out what the window in my mind contained.
However, my mana had depleted by 30% and the fact left me dumbfounded. I began thinking of possible reasons that depleted my mana. Was I subconsciously using a skill or ability? I was unsure but that was the only reason I could think of.
It was during my moment of intense thought that the answer dawned on me like a falling piece of a jigsaw puzzle.
'Wait, aura shield?' It was a Rank E skill that stood out, totally describing the unusual glow everyone let off. It seemed to always be active, or at least only for inexperienced people like us. Its color differed across different people; some were white, red, orange, green, and, like mine, blue.
I took a quick look around my arm, as they expelled a blue flame-like aura. It was truly fascinating, sparking confidence and excitement within me. I clapped my hands and stared at the beast, its elevated white eyes staring down at us.
'Okay, whatever this shield does, let's hope it's strong enough against this beast's attacks.' I wiped off my sweat and took a look at Carl, signaling him. I raised my legs and began sprinting towards the beast.
Regrettably, the darkness hadn't become any brighter, and ascertaining the position of the beast was still slightly difficult. I took to my heels, noticing Carl gradually picking up speed behind me.
'Where should I attack?' I asked, expecting an answer from Carl.
'Aim for its nuts. That's probably the most vulnerable place we can reach right now,' he answered, giving off a sly smirk as he slightly chuckled behind me.
I smiled as well, disregarding his advice as I charged in without any plans. I truly believed I would find out once the time came based on the speed at which I had become stronger. My confidence flowed through my veins, as I leaped into the air, aiming for its eyes.
'That's a good spot,' I said, extending my index fingers of both my hands. It wasn't the coolest way to take the beast out but it would suffice, or so I thought.
Mid-jump, a dark spear appeared beside me, propelled from behind. It barely missed me, bruising me a little and its intense heat was discomforting.
I fell to the ground, a drop of blood flowing down my arm as I looked behind me. I saw a boy, who looked around 16 years. His eyes shone brighter than even the beast, and his Aura Shield extended greatly.
It was much like he was on fire but what baffled me the most was the unusual color of his Aura—white with occasional appearances of black flames.
It was scary, even menacing.