Chapter 9 An Encounter With The Beast

"That's impossible, he took out James with one hit and he also has your ability."

"Quiet down Maverick. We have to deal with him. He's seen our faces." Rowan, the one with the steel-skinned ability and the strongest of the two said sternly, his disapproving gaze fixed on Jasper who had his guard up.

"What's your name kid?" Rowan asked coldly, his voice dripping with menace. Jasper, however seem unfazed by it and still kept his guard up.

"What? So you can know the name of the one who's going to kill you?"

Rowan chuckled, a cold glint in his eyes. "Feisty. I like that. I could work with a talent like yours. What do you say about coming with us? I can offer you wealth and abilities beyond your wildest dreams."

Jasper's response was laced with venom. "The last thing I will ever do is do business with the likes of you. Besides, you're gonna pay for what you did to that family." Immediately he said those words, his hands transformed into steel as anger course through his veins like liquid fire.

"Then you leave me no choice but to put you down." Rowan snarled, his voice dripping with malice as his hands transformed to steel. He charged at Jasper who dodged just in time, avoiding a punch that whizzed passed his face. Jasper counterattacked with a punch of his own, which landed squarely on Rowan's face, drawing blood as he crashed to the ground.

Rowan glared at the blood on his hand, his eyes blazing with fury, before unleashing a steel-reinforced kick that swept Jasper off his feet.

Maverick, the super-strong powerhouse, sneered as he approached Jasper aiming to grab him, but before he could do that, a kick to the face send him tumbling backwards as Mason appeared out of nowhere, his eyes blazing with determination.

"I'll handle him, you handle Rowan!" Mason yelled, charging towards Maverick, who was now on his feet and throwing a punch. Maverick dodged Mason's punch and countered with a kick that sent Mason flying across the field. Mason crashed into the wall, groaning in pain as he coughed up blood.

[-3 Hp]

[Hp - 17/20]

"What the hell!" Mason cussed, seeing the system message flash before his eyes. But before he could react, Maverick's fist came flying towards him. Mason dodged just in time and landed a jab on Maverick's jaw, drawing out more blood. Maverick's eyes turned red with rage as he wiped the blood from his mouth.

"You're gonna pay for that!" he bellowed, his massive fists clenched as he launched himself at Mason, his hands closing around Mason's waist like a vice. With a swift motion, Maverick lifted Mason off the ground and hurled him towards the wall with every boost he got from his ability. Mason's body crashed into the surface with a loud thud, the impact sending shockwaves through the air. The wall cracked and splintered and Mason's body came crumpling to the ground as he struggled to catch his breath.

[-4 Hp]

[HP - 13/20]

The system announced and Mason immediately realized that he had to do something before his Hp ran down to zero.

Meanwhile across the open field, Jasper was engaged in his own battle. Rowan's foot connected with Jasper's face, sending him stumbling backward. Jasper's eyes watered as he groaned, his vision blurring. Rowan sneered, his eyes gleaming with triumph. "You're better than I thought, kid, but too bad I have more experience than you." He snarled as he reached out to grab Jasper, but Jasper refused to yield.

With a fierce battle cry, Jasper stretched out his hand, his fingers splayed wide. A massive inferno erupted from his palm, engulfing Rowan in a sea of flames. The fire roared to life, its intensity growing with each passing moment. Rowan stumbled back, his eyes wide with shock and pain, as Jasper's flames surrounded him.

He groaned as the fire burned him, his skin charring and blistering. Desperate to escape the agony, he transformed his entire body into steel, hoping to withstand the flames. But instead of alleviating the pain, the fire seemed to intensify, its heat causing his metal form to glow red-hot. Rowan's eyes widened in shock as he realized his mistake.

Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and turned off the skill, his body reverting to its human form. But it was too late. Jasper seized the opportunity, rushing forward with a fierce battle cry. His fist connected with Rowan's face in a massive punch, sending Rowan crashing to the ground, knocked out cold.

"How about that for experience," Jasper quipped, standing over his defeated opponent.

Just as Jasper turned to help Mason, who was still struggling to get to his feet, the three neo-thieves who were inside the building burst out of the building, alerted by the commotion outside. Their eyes scanned the scene, taking in the carnage and the two young fighters. A deep frown spread across their faces as they witness the aftermath, and immediately they began to charged towards Jasper.

But just before they could reach him, Jasper stretched his hand and a brilliant red beam erupted from his hand and took out one of the three. The remaining two neo-thieves halted in their track, their faces etched with shock and disbelief.

"That's impossible!" One of the two exclaimed. "His hands are pure metal and he took out Rowan with James ability. So how can he use my ability? Unless... " The neo-thieves eyes within as he stumbled upon a terrifying realization.

"Don't tell me he's an original?" He bellowed, his voice trembling with fear.

Without hesitation, the neo-thief turned and broke into a sprint, heading towards the woods. Jasper gave chase but the remaining neo-thief blocked his path, unleashing a massive gush of wind that send Jasper stumbling backwards

Mason on the other hand breathed deeply, his heart racing with adrenaline, as he narrowly avoided a punch that whizzed past his face. He darted a glance at Jasper, who was still engaged with the neo-thief, and noticed one of the neo-thieves making a break for it.

"I've got to end this quickly," Mason thought to himself, his mind racing with urgency. "I can't let him escape, not after he's seen our faces."

Just then, Maverick charged at him, his massive fists swinging wildly. Mason side-stepped at the last moment, dodging the attack by a hair's breadth. Seizing the opportunity, Mason summoned every last ounce of strength and landed a punch on Maverick's head with incredible force. The punch connected with a sickening crunch, knocking Maverick out cold.

[You have defeated a neo-thieve]

[40 Exp Obtained]

Without hesitation, Mason broke into a sprint, racing towards the woods as he yelled back at Jasper, "I'll handle this! Don't worry about him!" His feet pounded the earth, his heart pounding in his chest, as he gave chase to the fleeing neo-thief.

Mason sprinted through the dense woods, his breathe heavy and ragged as he gained on the neo-thief. The neo-thief glanced back, his eyes widening in fear, and surged forward, dodging massive boulders that laid in his path. Mason followed suit, his breathing deep as he leapt over obstacles, his gaze fixed on the neo-thief's fleeing form.

As he closed in on the neo-thief, something strange happened, an animal unlike anything he had ever seen burst from the underbrush, its massive body barreling toward the neo-thief like a freight train. The creature, a gargantuan boar-like animal, towered over its prey, its jaws agape as it launched itself into a deadly leap. Time seemed to slow as the neo-thief's eyes locked onto the horror descending upon him, his scream cut short as the creature's teeth closed around his head, severing it with a sickening crunch.

The neo-thief's lifeless body crashed to the ground, blood gushing from the severed neck like a macabre fountain, painting the horizon crimson. The boar-like creature loomed over its victim, its eyes gleaming with a feral intensity as it continued to tear apart the body with savage relish, devouring the flesh with an unnerving voracity. Mason skidded to a stop, his heart racing, as he beheld the gruesome spectacle unfolding before him

As the creature savored its gruesome meal, its gaze suddenly shifted, locking onto Mason with an unnerving intensity. A low, rumbling growl emanated from its throat, causing Mason's heart to skip a beat as they lock gaze.

In that instant, Mason felt all the hair on his body stand as he knew exactly what he was staring at. A mutated beast. A term used to describe the animals who mutated long ago during the war with the dragon bloods after the mysterious stone shattered on earth. The mutation twisted and transformed the animals, granting them terrifying abilities and strength.

Mason had read about them on the news and newspaper but had never seen one in person. And now that he was staring directly at one, Mason couldn't help but feel a cold chill travel down his spine.

The boar-like creature was enormous, it's body a nightmarish fusion of boar, wolf and something else entirely. It's eyes glowed like hot coals, red as blood, as saliva dripped from its mouth in thick, sticky strands. Mason's heart raced as the creature growled, its muscles tensing before it pounced.

Time seemed to slow as the creature covered the distance between them in mere seconds, its razor-sharp claws outstretched. Mason's reflexes kicked in at the last possible moment, and he slid down, dodging the attack by a hair's breadth. But the creature's claws still managed to graze his arm, drawing blood as they ripped through his sleeve.

Mason landed hard on the other side, his eyes squinting in pain as he clutched his wounded arm.

[-2 Hp]

[HP - 11/20]

[You have encountered a Basic Mutated razor wolf]

[Skills - claw slash - burning bite]

[Host life is at risk]

[Defeat the basic mutated razor wolf and survive]

[Failure - death]

[Reward - random skill stone]

The system messages popped up before Mason's eyes, confirming his thoughts that this was indeed a mutated creature. And as Mason stared at the last two messages, he knew without a doubt, that this was a battle he had to win or risk dying along with system. And when it came down to that, he without a doubt, chose the former.

/////Tbc/////