The first step to OCA
Max opened his eyes and found himself in a vast field. The cold breeze was touching his face, but his mind was spinning fast. Around him stood the tall buildings of OCA (Outcast Academy). Those buildings seemed to challenge his ambition. Hundreds of students were standing in the field, all with the same goal—to win the Beast Hunting Competition and get admission in OCA.
Max felt lonely among the crowd. Then his eyes fell on a boy. The boy was trembling, as if he was gripped by fear. His face had turned pale and his hands were trembling. Max went to him and gently put his hand on his shoulder.
"Listen," Max said, "who knows what will happen tomorrow? Give your all today. Tomorrow will be fine on its own."
The boy looked at Max. The nervousness in his eyes started to subside. He said slowly, "My name is Rudra."
Max smiled and held her hand and said, "I am Max. Let's win this battle."
Rudra nodded and his shivering stopped. Max realized that everyone here was trying to make their place, but courage and confidence were the biggest weapons.
Just then, his eyes fell on a girl. Her long golden hair was shining in the sun. She was shaking hands with the students one by one, but something strange was happening. Every time she shook hands with someone, the other person would scream and pull his hand back. Max was shocked to see this. There was a mysterious smile on the girl's face, as if she did not care about all this.
The girl slowly walked towards Max. She was looking straight into his eyes. When she came closer, she extended her hand without saying anything. Max hesitated a little, but he held her hand.
As soon as she held his hand, Max felt a jolt. A strange energy started running through his veins. At the same time, a system notification appeared in front of him:
"An unknown power has been detected. The power is being blocked."
Max's mind started spinning. He couldn't understand why this notification came. He looked at the girl, who was now staring at him in surprise. Her facial expression changed. She was startled at first, then a strange smile appeared on her lips. It seemed as if she was hiding something.
Suddenly, there was silence in the field. Everyone's eyes turned in one direction. A bald man was standing in the field. His strong physique and the dragon tattoo on his head made his dangerous image even more terrifying. He was wearing the OCA uniform. Behind him stood a boy with purple hair and pink eyes. He was completely calm, but there was a strange fear in his presence.
The bald man said in his deep voice, "You all are here for a reason. Getting admission in OCA is not easy. This is just the beginning. The Beast Hunting Competition will test your courage and strength. If you are ready, the game is about to begin."
Max looked at Rudra, then at the girl. This was his chance. He knew that OCA was not just an academy, but his last hope in life.
The bald man named Drakun pushed the boy standing behind him forward and said "Tell me everything from here."
A mysterious boy standing behind Drakun, whose name was Abhay, now stepped forward. His purple hair fluttered in the wind and his pink eyes were fixed directly on the students. He said, "You all will get an arrow. But remember, it is not just an arrow, it is your identity."
He raised his hand and said, "Identify weapon."
Suddenly something started glowing in the air. Arrows appeared in the air in front of each student and fell on the ground. The arrows were not ordinary—their tips were glowing silver and their shafts were dark purple.
"Listen to the rules carefully," Abhay began.
"Rule 1: No one will help anyone. If you help, you will be immediately expelled.
Rule 2: The arrow must go into the body of the beast. It is not necessary to defeat the beast, but the arrow must be yours. The arrow will recognize your fingerprints, and if you pass, your identity will be recorded."
Abhay picked up the bow, which was surrounded by purple energy. He aimed the arrow towards the sky and released it. The arrow flew and suddenly turned into a glowing purple sphere. The sphere kept growing larger and fell to the ground.
The ground changed as it fell. They were now standing in a dense forest. There were tall trees all around, strange movements lurking behind the bushes, and an atmosphere of something dangerous in the air.
"Your target," Abhay's voice echoed again.
There was some movement from behind the bushes. Suddenly a terrible beast appeared. It was a three-headed wolf, but much bigger than a normal wolf. Its ten legs were walking on the ground with heavy steps. Its glowing red eyes were fixed directly on the students. Its teeth were so big and sharp that they could tear through anything. There were deep wounds on its black skin, as if it had already been a part of some dangerous battle.
The Beast raised all three heads and roared loudly. Its voice was so loud that the trees trembled. There was a commotion among the students. Some tried to retreat, while some left their place in fear.
Max held his arrow tightly. Rudra standing next to him was trembling. Max put his hand on his shoulder and said softly, "Don't be afraid. This chance can change our lives. Everything depends on today."
The Beast's Tandava
There was chaos in the field. Injured students were falling everywhere, and everyone was using their skills to escape the Beast's attack.
But everyone's strength was proving insufficient in front of the Beast's steel-like skin.
Max has not attacked anyone yet He was standing in a corner and watching everything. Then a notification came from his system:
"New challenge received: Defeat the Beast."
Max thought in irritation,
"Does this system think I'm a superhero? That I will defeat him by flying or I will say that you die now, and the Beast will obey me and die, at least challenge me after seeing the power."
First step
Max finally gathered courage and went behind the Beast using his first skill "Flash Step".
He attacked with a sharp arrow, but it had no effect on the Beast.
The Beast turned around in anger and attacked Max, but Max escaped due to his speed. He stood at a distance and started thinking,
"How can this happen? Every attack of mine is going in vain. I have to do something else."
Remembering the new skill
At the same time, Max remembered that after his level increased, he had received a new skill: "Shadow Range." But he didn't know how the skill worked.
Max thought to himself,
"I have to give it a try. No matter what, I have no other choice now."
Using Shadow Range
Max looked at the Beast and shouted,
"Shadow Range!"
As soon as he said this, his energy merged with the Beast's shadow. Suddenly, the Beast's shadow separated from him and turned into a strange shape.
The Beast roared loudly, but he was unable to control his shadow.
Effect of the attack
Max noticed that his skill was weakening the Beast. He intensified his skill even more.
The Beast's shadow was now completely absorbed by his energy, and the Beast fell to the ground.
Max defeated the beast, then a notification came from the system:
System voice robotic
"5 experience points gained
Experience points: 10/30
72 hours life time gained."
Max couldn't believe it. 72 hours? He didn't expect this just for defeating a beast. He was so lost in this competition that he didn't even get time to think about himself. But what was this? His happiness doubled.
Questions were surging in his mind, but by then the scene in front of him had changed. On the other hand, all the students were shocked and worried. They were looking at the beast and wondering where it suddenly came from and how did it die?
In fact, when Max absorbed the shadow of the beast into his energy with his shadow range attack, everyone's attention was on the beast. No one could see that Max had done this. All this had happened in an instant, and now the students were just confused seeing the mysterious death of the beast.
Just then, Dracon and Abhay arrived there.
Dracon looked at the Beast and said, "Who did this? Whoever did this, come forward!"
Max's heart started to beat faster. Dracon's voice sounded somewhat scary, and Max's heart stopped on hearing that voice. He was scared, and his voice got stuck in his throat.
"What if I tell?" Max was thinking. "If I tell that I killed the Beast, I can be punished. Who knows they might even find out about the system."
Dracon said loudly again, "Who did this? Come forward! Otherwise I will not let anyone register in OCA!"
Max thought for a while and then decided. He remained silent, he did not know what was going to happen now.
But there was someone who was watching Max for a long time. He saw Max killing that Beast. This was the same girl whom Max met while searching for the Crystal Snake. Ever since this girl has been following Max.
What will happen next
Will Max tell the truth? Or will he stand silently and become the reason for not letting everyone go to OCA?
What will happen when Drakun finds out that Max did this?
Why is that girl following Max? Will she expose Max?