Chapter 4— S-Rank Awakening.
Chapter 4—S-rank Awakening.
Kaelen decided to use the power growth crystals to his advantage. The system validated the crystal absorption. Kaelen unlocked a new technique: a divine speed boost.
For he had understood that to defeat this beast, chopping off its limbs would not be enough since it regenerated instantly.
He drew his divine sword, "The Demon’s Rage," combined with his gravitation spell to pin the beast to the ground. Meanwhile, Lyra was losing a lot of blood.
Worried about her condition, Kaelen asked the system what he could do to heal Lyra from her severe wounds.
[System: To heal her, you must use a portion of the crystals’ absorption to help her regenerate. If you agree, I shall begin.]
"Yes, go ahead," replied Kaelen.
The beast was still pinned to the ground, but not for long. With his gravitational power, he moved Lyra to safety so the system could begin its work.
The beast stood back up and charged Kaelen with its claws. Given its speed, Kaelen first used his shield to parry the attack. Then, he instantly cast the Gravity Press to slam the beast back down to earth under several tons of gravity.
While the beast was blocked and screaming, he raised his hand and invoked his reign of blood and fire: "Meteorite Cascade." The meteorites rained down in series upon the beast. It could no longer regenerate instantly.
"But who exactly are you?" asked the beast.
"I told you from the start," replied Kaelen.
The meteorites were still raining down. With his sword, he chopped off its head. The limbs of the beast disintegrated; it no longer regenerated.
The head and the limbs vanished into smoke. The system message displayed immediately:
[System: You have defeated the Beast of Gévaudan. Congratulations! Your rewards have already been allocated to you. You can now heal Lyra to 100%.]
Kaelen rushed toward Lyra and cast a spell to heal her wounds.
"Watch out, this might burn a little," Kaelen warned.
She screamed in pain. A white light burst from Kaelen’s hand, and her wound scarred over in no time. She was still unconscious; Kaelen made her drink a potion, thanks to which she woke up. Completely astonished, she saw that the beast had been defeated. She understood nothing; everything was a blur in her head. She pulled back from Kaelen’s arms.
"Who exactly are you? How could you defeat an S-rank beast?" Lyra asked.
The expression on her face showed she was overwhelmed by the events that had taken place. The secondary mage she thought Kaelen was had transformed into a god before her eyes.
"Do not be afraid of me. I will never hurt you. I am an S-rank mage. And I hope you will keep this to yourself."
"Thank you so much for saving my life. Now that the beast has vanished into smoke... normally we were supposed to keep a part of it as proof to claim the reward," Lyra said.
"Yes, don’t worry. I pulled out one of its teeth and claws, as well as the steel scales from the Snake King. Here they are, well-preserved," Kaelen replied.
"You foresee everything, don’t you? It’s surprising. Now we must get out of here; this dungeon still scares the hell out of me," Lyra admitted.
"Don’t worry, I will teleport us outside right away since the dungeon door is already open," Kaelen said.
He used his teleportation technique: "Dimensional Teleportation." A blue light flashed before them. Kaelen held Lyra’s hand, and they stepped inside. Within seconds, they found themselves back on dry land, right next to their horses.
"How were you able to do that? You must teach me!" Lyra asked.
"Alright, let’s go collect our gold," Kaelen said.
They each mounted their horse with a smile that truly showed they had survived something they hadn’t imagined. Beginning to ride through the forest with a newfound self-confidence, Lyra looked at Kaelen and thought to herself, a smile on her lips, "I guess I was wrong about him after all."
Kaelen noticed it.
"Why are you laughing?" Kaelen asked.
"No, nothing, just glad I’m not dead."
They emerged from the Black Forest as night fell. Since it was late into the night, they decided to set up camp for the night on the hill and lit a fire to keep watch.
"Wait, I have some travel rations in my bag. I’ll grab them, and we can eat," Lyra said.
She took the dried rations, prepared them, and put them over the fire for a few minutes. They were quickly ready. Lyra took them off the fire, and they shared them. They began to eat.
"Wow, this is excellent! So after every quest, is this what you do?" Kaelen asked.
"Yes, that’s almost our life. I thought that in your county..." Lyra started.
Kaelen could not explain the truth to Lyra because she wouldn’t understand this reality. He replied:
"No, where I grew up, there are no guilds. That’s why I’m here, to keep my family safe."
"I understand better now. Good night. Can I put out the fire?" Lyra asked.
"No, leave the fire. Good night," Kaelen said.
Lyra fell asleep. Kaelen stayed there, lost in his thoughts. He asked the system if he could see his condition back on Earth. The system showed him his body in the hospital, lying on a bed, his mother still beside him, holding his hand. He began to cry because he finally saw how much his mother truly cared for him.
"Mom, I promise to return and be a good son to you," Kaelen whispered.
The system stopped the broadcast. He took the opportunity to get a little sleep.
Upon waking up in the morning, Lyra was gone, but her belongings were still there. Kaelen stood up and noticed her disappearance. He began to search for Lyra. At the edge of the hill, she was there, practicing her swordplay. He approached her.
"What are you doing at this hour of the morning?" Kaelen asked.
"Can’t you tell? I’m training because I lost against that beast even though I’m level 9," Lyra replied.
"But blaming yourself isn’t going to make it any better; just give yourself some time," Kaelen said.
"You’re a mage; you can’t understand," Lyra shot back.
"Alright, we will train together, because I’m actually pretty good at sword handling," Kaelen proposed.
They chatted while training. After she grew tired, they resumed their journey. With their horses, they rode across the plains.
Lyra stopped at one point to observe some butterflies. Nature was truly beautiful; birds were singing, but they couldn’t linger to admire this beautiful work.
They continued their way until the city gates. They entered and headed straight for the guild. Arriving at the gates, the guards welcomed them back, as usual. They left their horses outside. This time, upon reaching the guild door, it opened by itself. They headed toward the reception desk.
"Welcome, Mr. Kaelen and Ms. Lyra. I see you survived the Beast of Gévaudan," the receptionist said.
"Yes, but it was Kaelen who managed to slay the beast, not to mention the Snake King," Lyra specified.
The room fell silent. All the other hunters were truly surprised by the young Kaelen’s prowess. The accountant shot back:
"It’s impossible that he managed to defeat those two giants all by himself."
"Here is your proof," Kaelen said.
He pulled out the teeth of the Beast of Gévaudan and the scales of the Snake King. She stood dumbfounded; she couldn’t believe her eyes. As she took the items for collection, she was trembling.
"For the Beast of Gévaudan, that makes 1,000 pieces, and for the giant snake, 500 pieces," she announced.
The crowd began to whisper among themselves: "Who is this kid?" "It’s his first mission, but it looks like it’s nothing to him..."
The guild director approached Kaelen.
"Hello dear sir, I am Sypher Despair. I am the director of this guild. I am delighted to make your acquaintance."
"Likewise, Mr. Director," Kaelen replied.
"Please, can you follow me into my office?" the director asked.
They began to follow the director to his office.
"Come in, please, make yourself at home. I am here to thank you for helping these villagers because many hunters perished in this dungeon. Thank you very much."
"We just did our job, Mr. Director," Kaelen said.
"To thank you for your bravery, the guild offers you this silver medal, according to our laws and codes, for you truly deserve it. And not forgetting Ms. Lyra, you deserve a bronze medal as well."
"I didn’t do anything special," she said.
"But you participated in this mission. So it is your right."
"Thank you very much, Mr. Director," Kaelen said.
"There is just one last thing remaining: we must verify your power level, if you permit it, of course," the Director requested.
"Yes, with pleasure, Sypher," Kaelen agreed.
They all stepped out of the director’s office together and advanced toward the mana testing machine room.
"Please sir, step forward and place your hand on the black sphere."
He stepped forward. Everyone in the room prepared to see his level through a magical viewing screen. He placed both hands.
And then, the system...