The beast stood in the clearing—its massive lion-like form twisted by corruption, thick with muscle and pulsing Zeir. Black horns jutted from its skull, curling like cruel hooks. Its eyes glowed an eerie violet, and its long serpent-like tail slithered behind it with unsettling agility. A heavy breath left its maw, carrying a metallic stench.
Eiji's voice cut through the tension. "Formation Delta! Engage!"
In unison, the team moved. Goro and Ren flanked left, Mika and Hana to the right. Eiji remained center, sword drawn. Akira crouched behind a knotted tree root, watching intently.
Formation Delta—he'd read about it in guild training manuals. It was a sweep formation meant to divide a monster's attention, keeping pressure from all sides. The flanks acted as distractions while the core attacked from the front.
Akira's blood burned with anticipation. Every part of him wanted to leap into the fight, to test himself, to contribute. But he remained hidden, focused, watching. Learning.
Goro charged first, swinging his massive war axe. The beast deflected it with a swipe of its clawed paw, sending a shockwave of force outward. Mika followed, blades flashing, aiming at the beast's exposed underbelly. She landed a shallow cut before the tail whipped around and knocked her back with a crack of force.
"Circle it! Keep moving!" Eiji commanded, moving with graceful precision. His blade met the beast's claws, sparks flying as steel met hardened bone.
Akira analyzed the beast's patterns—agile tail, quick head movements, strong defense on the left. He could see where openings formed and closed like clockwork. The team moved with practiced rhythm, but the beast was faster than anything they had trained against.
Ren tried to strike the back leg but was intercepted mid-step. The beast slammed a paw down, knocking him unconscious instantly. A crunch echoed.
"Ren's down!" Hana screamed.
The beast roared, Zeir flaring in waves, and spun in place. Goro was too close. The tail lashed, cracking his chestplate and sending him flying into a tree. He collapsed, motionless.
"Goro's out!"
Akira's hands tightened into fists.
"Keep pressure!" Eiji grunted. He leapt, slashing across the beast's eye. It screeched but didn't falter. Instead, it slammed its forehead into Eiji's stomach, launching him into a boulder.
Mika and Hana regrouped, trying to create distance. Mika's arm was bleeding heavily—three deep claw marks running down to her elbow. Hana's Zeir shield flickered from overuse.
Eiji stumbled back to his feet, blood on his lips. "Fall back! This... this is a nightmare! Regroup! FALL BACK!"
The remaining team members scrambled. Akira ran from his hiding place and reached Ren's body. He slung him over his back. Hana did the same for Goro. Mika supported Eiji.
They fled through the twisted forest, ducking beneath vines and over fallen logs, until they found a hollow cave beneath a tree. Akira lit a flare-torch. The warm blue glow spread over the group.
Panting filled the air. Eiji collapsed against the wall. Mika clutched her bleeding arm. Hana was pale and trembling. The unconscious bodies of Ren and Goro were laid out on cloaks.
"I've... never seen one move like that," Hana whispered.
Eiji groaned. "That wasn't a level 3. That... was almost level 2 in speed."
Akira examined the wounds. Ren's ribs were clearly broken. Goro's breathing was shallow. Mika's arm was deep into the muscle. Even Eiji's armor was shattered at the chest.
They all looked shaken. The Zeir radiating off the beast was immense. Unnatural.
Eiji looked up at Mika. "We need a plan. Something tight. Something smarter."
Mika, clutching her arm with her remaining hand, nodded. "We can try a two-phase collapse. Hit its legs, force it to drop, then strike its heart. It's in the chest—obvious Zeir source."
Goro scoffed and came back to life. He sat and everyone was happy he was back in the game.
As they discussed, Akira stood and stepped forward.
"I can help," he said quietly.
All heads turned to him.
Goro who hated him the most scoffed.
"What do you think you can do, 2.0 man? Carry another bag?" she snapped.
Akira didn't flinch. He breathed in, calm.
Then, with quiet conviction, he raised his hand.
"INVENTORY."
A glowing portal appeared before him. A black-violet swirl of compressed space. Gasps echoed in the cave.
"Spatial inventory...?" Mika breathed.
"Impossible," Hana whispered. "That's... that's a rare trait... reserved for—"
"High-tiered hunters," Eiji finished, his eyes narrowed in thought.
From the portal, Akira pulled out his twin blades—gleaming, beautifully balanced, and unmistakably enhanced.
"I'm not just a carrier," Akira said. "I can fight. And I've been watching. I know how it moves."
The others were stunned. Even Goro had no snark left in his mouth.
Eiji, still bleeding, nodded slowly. "Alright... Akira. You're in."
---
With a new plan formed, they moved silently through the forest. Akira supported Eiji until they reached the battlefield again.
The beast was there—restless, destroying trees, looking for prey.
"Akira," Eiji whispered, "you'll be our finisher. I'll be bait. Mika and Hana distract. Goro—don't miss your mark this time. We strike together. Ready?"
Everyone nodded.
The battle ignited.
Mika dashed forward, throwing a Zeir flashbomb that blinded the beast for a second. Hana hurled a spear of light at its flank. Eiji shouted and leapt onto its back, stabbing downward.
Akira crouched behind the beast, ready.
Everything moved fast.
Goro leapt from the tree above, aiming his spear at the beast's heart.
But he hesitated.
Too late.
The beast spun. His spear missed. It clawed his side, sending him tumbling with blood trailing.
Eiji was knocked aside again.
"NOW!" someone screamed.
But no one moved.
Akira exhaled.
*It's up to me.*
He dashed forward.
His blades gleamed in motion.
He ducked beneath the tail swipe, rolled across the beast's left leg, and slashed at the joint. It buckled. He leapt, using the bent leg as a springboard, and drove both blades toward the beast's chest.
It turned to counter.
Too slow.
Akira flipped mid-air and struck the pulsing Zeir core.
CRACK.
Both blades pierced deep.
The beast shrieked, thrashing wildly. Zeir burst in arcs. Akira twisted the blades and pulled.
The core shattered.
Light exploded outward.
Then silence.
The beast collapsed.
Dust. Heavy breathing. Stillness.
Then—
"HE DID IT!" Hana shouted.
Akira stood, breathing hard. Blood splattered his hoodie, but he stood tall.
Goro stumbled forward, half-conscious. "You... saved us, kid."
Eiji limped forward. "We owe you our lives."
They didn't report what Akira had done. Not to the guild. Not yet.
They helped each other home. Mika kept glancing at him in wonder. Goro didn't speak again.
Akira walked through the city as the gate behind him sealed.
He had pushed his limit again.
A Level 4... now a Level 3.
---
He opened the door to the apartment.
Yuna was waiting.
She saw him and pounced.
"Onii-chan!! I missed you! Tonight was scary!"
"Don't worry," he muttered. "Just get off me."
"Nope."
"Get off me."