The three of them fell into a silent contemplation, but then Ken snapped, his voice sharp with urgency.
"Alright, you both. We don't have much time. Let's go."
Alya bit her lip, her anxiety palpable. "But how can we defeat those creatures? Just the two of us won't be enough."
A small, hesitant voice piped up. "H-hm, I-I can help?" It was Hoshina, still visibly shaken.
"And also, I think we should tell each other what magical ability we got. Sound great?" Alya suggested, trying to inject some normalcy into the dire situation.
"O-oh yeah, that sounds great," Hoshina replied, her fear still coloring her tone.
"I have healing magic, while Ken doesn't have any yet, but he is a really good swordsman. And what about you, Hoshina?" Alya explained.
"Oh, i-I can control ice." Hoshina lifted her hand, and with a faint shimmer, an ice ball appeared above her palm.
"Woah, that is awesome! Do you have any spells yet?" Alya asked, her voice filled with genuine amazement.
"I have one. I can summon a big ice ball to crush my opponent."
"Oh wow, that's going to be so useful," Ken said, already calculating its potential in a fight.
Alya, however, felt a wave of weakness wash over her, and she spoke a thought she instantly regretted. "If you can summon a big ice ball to crush your opponent, why did I have to save you, Hoshina? I think you should be the one to save us."
"Be-because I-I'm afraid," Hoshina stammered, tears welling up in her eyes. "Every time I see those creatures, I can't even stand on my own two feet."
Ken gently took her hand, gripping it tight, and his rage softened into a firm resolve. "But don't worry. Right now, you have us. We will protect you, but in return, you have to watch our back, okay?"
In an instant, Hoshina felt a warm, reassuring sensation spread through her. "Yeah, I'll do my best," she replied, a sudden flicker of determination in her eyes.
"Alright, now we have to find a creature for you both to kill." Ken's tone was all business now.
The three of them quickly exited the cave, beginning a desperate search for one of the unknown creatures. After a short while, they saw one.
The sight instantly caused Hoshina and Alya to drop down to the ground, barely able to stand. Ken, though still gripped by fear, tightened his hold on his sword. In front of them was a terrifying monster—a grotesque creature playing with a human body, starting to rip the lifeless form apart like a mere plaything before throwing it aside.
Ken looked at Alya and Hoshina, the fear of the sight reflecting in his eyes, but he forced the words out. "We can't let fear control us, you both! Quick, stand up!"
Alya, little by little, began to stand. But Hoshina couldn't move even an inch. Ken tried to help her up, but she immediately fell back down. Seeing her distress, Alya began to use her healing magic on Hoshina, trying to calm her racing heart.
It was then that the System notifications appeared before Hoshina and Alya once more, cold and absolute.
( System )
-You only got 5 hours left -and Failing to complete the mission will result in penalty.
"We don't have much time!" Ken declared, making a quick decision. "Alya, try to calm Ms. Hoshina down while I'm going to fight that monster. And when the monster is in its weakest state, please kill it."
"Alright. I'll try my best to calm her down, and please be safe," Alya whispered.
Ken walked up to the goo-like creature from behind and swung his sword at its neck. But the creature was fast and noticed Ken immediately. The goo-like body began to form sharp spikes on its back to block Ken's attack. Seeing this, Ken instinctively used his spell, the force of the resulting explosion blowing him away from the deadly spikes.
"Energy Slash!"
The slash cut into the creature, making it emit a piercing scream. Ken was blown back, landing hard on the ground. The creature turned its attention to him, and in a flash, Ken was hit, sent flying through multiple trees, losing a significant amount of blood. The monster began to form a goo-like arrow, ready to shoot at the downed Ken.
Suddenly, a voice rang out. "You thought that was me? Energy Slash!"
Ken's Energy Slash sliced into the creature again, cutting the same spot that the monster was trying to regenerate and exposing its core. The creature screamed once more. Ken immediately recalled his clone back into his body, preventing any backlash from the clone's impending destruction.
Then, Ken screamed, " Hoshina! Do it now!"
An immense ice ball, the size of a house, appeared above the monster. It quickly formed into a gigantic arrow and shot down, piercing the creature's core and destroying it completely.
"We did it?! Yes, yes, yes!! We did it, guys!" Alya cheered, relief flooding her voice.
"We don't have time to celebrate! Let's find another creature for you to kill next," Ken urged, already getting back on his feet.
After a while of walking, they spotted another creature. This one was as small as a human. Looking to their left, they saw five people also heading toward the creature.
"Hey! You three! This is our creature to kill! If you try to kill it, we'll kill ya three!" one of the newcomers yelled in a mad tone. The five of them walked up to the monster, their faces etched with arrogance.
"Look like we're going to have an easy time, huh?" one said smugly.
"Yeah, I thought for sure we were going to be in trouble," another replied.
The five of them raised their weapons in front of the creature's face. The leader swung his sword at the creature's neck, but then... he stopped.
"Hey, why did you stop? Quick, finish it!" his companion urged.
The man remained standing, utterly motionless.
"Hey! Can you hear me?" The companion reached out to touch the man in front of him, but then... the leader's head fell off.
Everything fell quiet. Even Ken, Alya, and Hoshina, hidden behind a large tree, were struck silent.
"Wait, what? How co..." The second man couldn't finish his sentence before his head was also decapitated. The three remaining people charged at the creature, using their spells to try and kill it, but then their bodies were simply blown off into little pieces.
The creature began to speak, its voice unnerving. "If you three don't leave, I will kill you too."
Hearing this, Ken, Alya, and Hoshina immediately turned and rushed away, running as far as they could. Ken, as he ran, thought to himself: How come there's a creature like this here? Who can possibly kill it?
After running for a long time, only two hours remained until the deadline. Hoshina, still shaking but determined, gave Ken her Rare spell scroll. Ken thanked her and opened the scroll.
( Rare ) Double Jump Be able to jump two times (no magical type requires)
Then, Ken lifted his ring, and an Epic scroll he had received from taking 5th place in a competition appeared. He quickly opened it.
( Epic ) Deflect Be able to deflect any energy attack to the opponent but can't deflect an attack that is stronger than you. (No magical type requires)
The scrolls began to flow and dissolve into Ken's head. In an instant, Ken was able to perform a double jump. He used it to leap up to a big tree and began looking around, quickly spotting a creature in the distance.
"Guys, follow me," he say.
Ken began jumping from one tree to the next, while the two girls followed below. After a short while, Ken stopped.
"Be prepared," he instructed. "I'm going to jump to attack the creature once we are in position. And Ms. Hoshina, I'm going to need your support."
"Got it," Hoshina replied, her voice steady now.
Ken jumped down and swung his sword down onto the creature's back, using his spell at point-blank range.
"Energy Slash!"
The close-range energy released tore a deep gash into the goo-like creature, exposing its core.
Ken shouted, "Ms. Hoshina!!"
Hoshina released her ice magic onto the ground and shouted her spell.
"Ice Ground!"
The ground surrounding the creature immediately turned to solid ice.
Ken shouted again, "Alya, now!!"
He simultaneously threw his sword to Alya. She quickly jumped up onto the creature's back and stabbed the exposed core with the blade.
BOOM! The core exploded, the blast throwing both Ken and Alya far away. Ken felt dizzy, but he saw Alya nearby.
Then, the System appeared once more, shining bright with its final message.
( System )
- Congratulations on completing your quest
- Rewards (Rare spell )