Chapter 33: The tournament

Chapter Thirty-Three: The Tournament

Kael stared into Gina's eyes, his voice flat and unyielding. "What do you want?"

Gina crossed her arms, a smirk playing on her lips. "I told you, you wouldn't survive. Now, did you kill the Shadow Leopard? You should be lucky to have made it out alive."

Kael remained silent.

"I asked you a question," he said, his voice cold.

Gina tilted her head, studying him. "Hmm. I don't know."

She bent down, resting her hands on her waist. She mocked his tone, her voice dropping an octave. "What do you want?"

She straightened, rolling her eyes. "Okay, you're just so straightforward."

She turned, her back to him, her voice shifting into something more serious.

"Very soon, the tournament will begin. I'm a powerful Mutated Class hunter. Thousands of hunters from Geotequar will be joining to fight in an arena in space. Normally, only ten hunters are declared winners. No one can use beast souls outside Mystical Eraland — just raw abilities and power."

She paused, letting the words sink in.

"Before, the ten warriors would be given elite status and known as Geotequar's strongest Mutated Class hunters. But things have changed. The Survey Corps is preparing for a civil war with the Valdrex Empire in the next three years. They're recruiting a hundred beast hunters from the tournament. Thousands will compete. A hundred will be chosen."

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She glanced back at him.

"Normally, a hunter can choose to become a soldier at free will — as long as they have connections and money. But now, they're looking for the best of the best."

Kael cut in, his voice sharp. "Enough with the lectures."

Gina smiled. "Okay. The thing is, I want us to become a team. The both of us." She gestured to Connie, who stood nearby, arms crossed. "Connie hasn't reached the threshold to qualify. But you? I'm sure you're incredibly powerful. And cunning."

Kael's eyes narrowed.

This girl is strange. How does she know a few of my personalities?

"Hey, Gina, that's rude," Connie muttered. "Damn."

Kael staggered as he stood up, his body still heavy with exhaustion. "There's something I'd like to ask. Explain the beast soul classes. It seems to me that Elemental Class beasts aren't the highest."

Gina's expression flickered — just for a moment. Then she grew quiet.

Connie sighed, his eyes darting toward her. "After the appearance of the Blood Moon Entity, I believe it was Cosmic Class. Even if I didn't see it."

He turned to Kael.

"Okay. This is how it goes. We have four classes of beasts: Mutated Class, Elemental Class, Cosmic Class, and God Class — also called Territorial Rulers."

He held up his fingers as he counted.

"Mutated Class beasts are the lowest predators. They only have physical and biological abilities — strength, speed, extra limbs, wings. They're found in the Green Portal."

He continued.

"As a hunter, your body can bond with up to a hundred souls of Mutated Class beasts. That gives you an arsenal of souls, weapons, mounts, and transforms. But you can't summon them outside Mystical Eraland."

He paused.

"The soul weapons are meant to make hunting easier — to gain more beast genes, biogenes, and protect yourself so you can evolve faster. As for the rankings, there's Mythic rank, Epic rank, and Sacred rank. Those apply to all classes of beasts."

The grass rustled.

Gina sensed it first. Her blade materialized in her palm as she turned slowly.

"I hear something."

Connie summoned his blade, his body tensing.

A giant horned tiger burst through the trees, followed by two more.

THUDD.

THUDD.

THUDD.

The ground quaked. Trees splintered. The three monstrous tigers — ten meters tall — dove toward them, their jaws wide, their claws extended.

"Move!" Gina shouted.

She boosted, her body becoming a blur as she ran.

Kael moved like water, weaving through the trees, his muscles screaming. The tigers tore through the forest behind them, smashing everything in their path.

He turned to Connie. "What about the other classes?"

His voice was too loud. One of the tigers stopped. It swiped a tree, sending it flying toward Connie.

"Watch out!" Gina screamed.

Connie leapt. The tree grazed his back, splintering against his armor. He spun in the air, landing on his feet beside Kael.

The tigers roared. The hunt was on.

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End of Chapter Thirty-Three.