My Tribrid System: More than a Monster

Chapter 194

"Uh... Ray? What are you doing?" Van asked as he stared at his best friend, who was basically pacing around their designated spot like an old grandpa of some sorts.

His hands were clasped behind his back as he kept looking up and down, staring at the different chaotic fights unfolding across the terrain.

Aspirants were dying like flies.

The weaker ones, at least.

It was glaringly obvious; an Advanced ranked beast was just too much for them to bear.

Only the stronger meta-humans on the field were actually able to take down these golems without facing lethal consequences.

He saw an Aspirant teaming up with another as they rushed forward, trying to catch the stone beast unaware.

With a swift swing of its leg, the creature caught one of the Aspirants off guard, and he was immediately sent hurtling into the air with a gaping, gruesome hole in his abdomen.

The remaining Aspirant froze in shock and was immediately about to be dealt with as a heel kick from above was rapidly descending toward him.

It was by sheer luck that the bulky instructor managed to reach the spot in time with a heavy tower shield in hand, which he placed forward, blocking the kick by sheer grit.

With all his strength, he managed to push the massive foot away, causing the beast to tumble backward for a moment.

Then, with a quick leap forward, the bulky instructor swiped with his shield, bashing it into the beast’s head with a sickening crack.

Before it could recover, earth spikes shot out from the ground where another Aspirant could be seen with his hands pressed firmly against the dirt.

The spikes tore through the beast’s eyes, causing it to crumple to the ground like a stack of cards.

Ray watched as the Aspirants fought valiantly, unwilling to give up their ground.

But he couldn’t take a single step for obvious reasons.

Hence, he resorted to pacing around the small area where both he and Van stood.

’What should I do? I definitely need those beast cores, but I can’t do anything. No one will be willing to kindly give me some; I have to earn it and, in the process, be forced to hunt. Argh... what a dilemma.’

Van just remained rooted to the spot.

His right hand was already clad in his intricate mechanical gauntlet while his eyes remained fixed on the frantic battle going on all around them.

Ray was still pacing, lost deep in thought, when Van suddenly gulped loudly.

His eyes widened in sheer horror. "Er... Ray?"

"Not now, Van. I’m cooking up something," Ray replied with a frustrated frown on his face.

His head was held down and his back was turned to the active battlefield.

"Ray?" Van called out again, his voice rising in pitch.

Ray didn’t give a response as he continued pacing around in deep thought.

He thought he knew what Van wanted to tell him.

As the good Samaritan his friend was, he probably wanted him to help the others and defeat the surrounding beasts.

But how could he tell him that he simply couldn’t at the moment?

When will his friend ever learn? Being good doesn’t really pay in this w...

"Ray! There’s a beast heading our way, you damn fool!" Van bellowed in a state of pure panic.

The tone and content of the message helped snap Ray out of his circling thoughts as he quickly spun around with a sharp twirl, but it was already too late.

He was whacked incredibly hard in the face, struck by a force so great that he was immediately sent flying like a broken doll through the air.

[-10HP]

Van stiffened in absolute fright as he stared at the red trail of blood spraying from Ray’s lips.

Then, with a stiff, mechanical turn, he glanced back at the beast now towering directly before him.

The creature was about three meters tall, which forced the short Van to crane his neck uncomfortably just to look at its face and, most especially, its glowing, singular eye.

The shadow of the golem loomed over him, the cold scent of damp earth and ancient stone filling his nostrils as he realized he was now the primary target.

He had watched the others battle long enough to realize that the eye was the weak spot.

’I-I can do this, right? I-I had helped defeat some beasts the last time, so-so I can definitely do this. I-I don’t need Ray to-to help...’

The beast’s fist shot toward the boy’s head with blazing speed, which caused the boy’s blood to run cold almost instantly.

"He-Help me..." he croaked out in sheer fright.

Bam—!

Boom—!

A cloud of dust blanketed the area, making Van close his eyes immediately to avoid the grit from getting into them.

Slowly, the said dust began settling back down, and when it did, Van could see Ray’s back in front of him.

The boy was holding the beast’s punch with both hands, trying his hardest to ensure no harm befell his friend.

The ground beneath his feet had now turned into a deep crevice as Ray kept grinding his teeth continuously.

He was sliding backward for a moment while his eyes burned with fierce determination.

"Uh... I don’t know what you are waiting for, but I would appreciate it if you blast its eye to oblivion now," Ray groaned out as he took in a deep breath and pushed the beast’s hand away with all his might, sending the golem staggering backward.

Hearing Ray’s shout, Van snapped out of his trance and cast a quick glance at his friend, who was panting hard with his hands on his knees.

The golem was just regaining its composure when Van steeled himself.

His eyes gleamed blue for a second, and almost immediately, a blast of energy surged forward with astonishing speed.

The projectile tore through the beast’s eye, turning the space where the orb had been into a hollow void.

The golem crumpled to the ground like the others around them.

Not wasting any time, Ray rushed forward and rummaged through the pile of rocks before pulling out a gleaming core.

A smirk creased his face as a plan immediately formulated in his head.

Turning to face Van, he held out the glowing core with both hands as if it were a fragile egg; in reality, it was much stronger than any shell.

"Wassup bro, what do you think about earning more of these beast cores?"

Van stared at him with a confused look on his face while he was still panting from the adrenaline.

"Meaning?"

Ray smirked and then pocketed the core, though in reality, he sent it straight to his inventory.

"I mean; let’s flipping grind."