A scorpion of about 200 inches was spraying poison out of its stingers in waves. The liquid spewed like a rotating sprinkler, covering the area around it in a deadly mist. It was their first encounter with a poison-themed beast, and no one in the team knew exactly what would happen if the poison touched them—but they all knew it wouldn't be good.
Steve, however, wasn't too concerned. He didn't particularly care about why this huge scorpion needed to be killed; for him, this was exhilarating. Volunteering to take the lead, he joined his team as they rushed towards the beast. Waves of poison sprayed at them as they approached, forcing them to dodge and weave to avoid being hit.
When they were about ten meters from the beast, they made their move. The team used a dilapidated duplex as a staging ground, with each member taking up a position: Danso and Zuri on the ground floor, Steve on the second, and Aniyah and Neo on the roof.
The plan was simple but risky. Danso and Zuri would engage the scorpion from ground level, keeping it occupied. Aniyah and Neo would launch an aerial assault from above, while Steve would attack from the middle floor. The goal was to distract the beast long enough for Steve to deliver the killing blow.
Danso and Zuri charged in first. As they sprinted toward the scorpion, they deftly avoided the poison raining down. Dragging his twin axes along the ground as he ran, Danso created a cloud of dust that clung to the blades, seemingly increasing their size and weight. With a powerful swing, he slammed them into one of the scorpion's pincers, creating a loud clang.
Zuri followed close behind on all fours, her movements fluid and animalistic. She leaped in, claws glowing faintly, and slashed at the same pincer, leaving burning marks where her strikes landed.
On the roof, Aniyah grabbed Neo by the arm, activating her Air Step ability. She launched him through the air with incredible force, sending him hurtling toward the scorpion. Neo activated his Ice Armor, the dark mist surrounding him solidifying into an icy shell, and smashed into the other pincer with his reinforced fist, halting its advance.
With the scorpion fully distracted, Steve made his move. Breaking through a window on the second floor, he leaped toward the beast. His plan was to reach its head, but he miscalculated the distance—he was falling short. Panic began to set in as he plummeted toward the ground, but then he remembered the ability he had learned earlier.
Stretching his hand toward the scorpion, he activated the skill. A sudden force pulled him forward, sending him hurtling through the air at blinding speed. The momentum carried him close to the scorpion's face, but one of its pincers swung toward him.
Reacting instinctively, Steve stepped onto the pincer mid-air, using its surface as a platform to spin his body sideways. His twin swords sliced into the pincer, leaving deep gashes. However, the scorpion quickly retaliated, smashing him out of the air with its other pincer.
Steve was sent flying, his body spinning uncontrollably, but the team was ready. Danso knelt on the ground and offered his hands as a platform. Zuri landed lightly beside him, and together, they propelled Neo upward. Neo, with a burst of strength, grabbed Steve mid-fall and flung him toward the scorpion with incredible force.
Steve steadied himself in the air. Using his momentum, he spun like a wheel, his swords gleaming. One of the scorpion's pincers swung toward him again, but this time, his speed and strength were overwhelming. He sliced clean through the pincer, sending fragments flying, and landed directly in front of the beast's face.
The air around him was thick with poison, the droplets sizzling as they hit the ground. With his body still in motion, Steve activated his ability again, propelling himself forward in one final burst.
His sword led the way, glowing faintly as it impaled the scorpion's face. The impact was immense, and with a deafening crash, the beast collapsed to the ground, unmoving.
Breathing heavily, Steve pulled his hand free from the beast's head and raised his arms in triumph. "That was awesome," he said with a grin.
The team stood around him, stunned.
"Steve, do you have an ability?" Danso asked, his voice a mixture of awe and curiosity.
"Ability? Nah, it's just something I can do," Steve replied, brushing off the question.
"Something you can do?" Zuri repeated, raising an eyebrow.
Meanwhile, Aniyah approached the scorpion's body. Using her sword, she cut through its head and extracted a glowing, purple crystal. She examined it for a moment before turning to Steve.
"That's why this one was hard to kill. It's a rank three beast," she said, tossing the crystal to him."The one who kills it takes it"
Steve caught it, confused. "Rank three?"
Zuri stepped in to explain. "Beasts are categorized by ranks, from one to seven. One is the weakest, and seven is the strongest. The one we—you—killed was a rank three. We're haven't started hunting this level yet."
Holding the crystal, Steve felt a strange sensation run through his body.
[Energy source detected.
Absorb energy?
He stared at the holographic prompt, unsure of what would happen if he said yes. Whatever this crystal was, it clearly held immense power.
The team looked at him, each member pondering the same question: just what kind of potential did Steve hold?
Confusion swirled in Aniyah's mind. 'Was the information faulty? Why would they specify it was rank two when it was above it? Is it because of him?'
She turned her thoughts inward as she watched Steve hold the crystal. It was clear now that something special was going on with him.