Features of a Beast: Gain aspects of an animal you have high affinity with. As the level grows, you will be able to develop more aspects and even become a hybrid creature.

Chisai said that was what his new skill said.

“Loyal, hard-working, energetic, kind, and hard to dislike, I can see it,” I mused. Chisai went pink, but Tatsuki shook her head with amusement.

“When you said skills, I thought maybe attack beams or something, but ant summons, mouse changing, dog ears, and super armour? It’s a bit all over the place,” she pointed out.

“System said each gem changes depending on who uses it, so it makes sense they’d be radically different for people,” Maria said and I tuned out as they went on to discuss if maybe each person was better suited to a certain colour rather than spreading thin over all of them.

I quickly decided to check off notifications.

Shield skill has reached level 6! Increased knowledge of shields.

One handed Blunt weapon has reached level 7! Better handling of weapons. 3 levels until passive!

Ice Affinity has reached level 5! Reduced effect of cold on body. 2 levels until passive.

Power Swing has reached level 6! One second stun added but effect can only activated every 1/20 chance. Skill will evolve in 4 levels.

“I mean, if it comes down to it, our roles should sort be important. Red gems on Maria could be a waste if shes healing or binding,” Tatsuki said, bringing me back to attention.

“I like the natural turn system, it’s very fair,” Chisai disagreed. Maria shrugged as King finished sorting desks against one wall and made the floor generally clean. Portal was nearby and seemed to be dancing with itself.

“Play it by ear, you gotta remember we aren’t always going to be escalating to higher and higher Zones. We will eventually find G-1 to G-4s in time. I think I’m getting to a point that a G-1 would be solo possible, but there would be less gems. If someone is feeling weak or needs a boost? I’ll take them to curb stomp some weak emotional areas,” I said calmly.

“So turn system for the most dangerous Zones we have access and preference for lower?” Maria translated.

“Exactly, we can’t risk becoming so heavy leaning on one colour that we get shut down by illusions or simple gimmicks or brute strength. Everyone should have a good base, before developing into a preferred area,” I then pointed to myself.

“Next gem is mine. Maria, make sure you crush your next gem. We could get a skill that could save our lives,” I said seriously.

We waited until Maria sent her scout out of the safe zone and she said it felt slightly easier to move this time. I assumed that was the level up.

I filled the others in on the new quest as we waited.

“Damn eyes... I’m pushing on,” Maria gritted her teeth. Tatsuki looked concerned but Maria waved her questions off.

“I got it. I’m a fucking eye in the sky,” she promised.

Chisai tapped his chin.

“Wouldn’t removing these rebels be helping this place? The rebel beasts attack the essence machines and such, so wouldn’t we just be speeding the process up?” he remarked and I shook my head.

“Only if we leave the place standing, which I don’t plan to,” I promised.

“Found something! It’s like a hall with a grand staircase, straight line ,but we’ll need to go past the eyes,” Maria shivered.

“Going back would be a waste of time and we got a safe room here,” I grinned. We shuffled into the dark hall and walked down, and away from the stairs which we had come up.

Maria wasn’t kidding. For about 30 meters or so, the walls had fleshy lidless eyes that snapped their bloodshot eyes to us. As we walked past them, it took me a moment to see that I had just stopped walking.

I tried to make my legs move but I couldn’t! It felt like the pressure of the staring was becoming actual weight on my shoulders.

Judgement stare debuff gained: Pressure on body increases by 1% for every eye looking at you.

I glared back and Observed them. I was assuming they were just bad decoration but I had been mistaken.

Eye of the Peer. Trap. G-3: A biological trap that has the power to send beams of energy at a foe to slow them. Does no damage.

There was movement at the corner of my eye. Tatsuki slowly inched forward, teeth gritted as she moved like a boulder towards the eyes.

“You got... a problem... with me?” she hissed, struggling to get her hand raised. What the hell...

I couldn’t even move a muscle! Then Tatsuki began to jab at the eyes. Slowly, my own body was able to move, as was the others. We began to stab, smash, whip, bite, and mace the eyes until each was a bloody hole.

“I hate people staring like they got nothing better to do,” Tatsuki huffed. I reminded myself that even though I had acid, fire, ice, and a giant shield... Tatsuki had the willpower to find ways to hurt me if she wanted.

From one of the eye holes came a blood soaked Green Gem. I reached for it.

A G-5. I grimaced and knew I would be knocked on my ass if I used it now. We were on a time limit before Tatsuki’s pass ran out of time. I wanted us off the school grounds before then, and waiting for me to wake up from a gem coma wasn’t helpful.

I slapped myself mentally. I was being stupid. Trying to rush on when I told Maria not five minutes ago that she had to use her gems because it could save us in a pinch. I had to lead by example. We went back and I crushed the gem to the watching audience.

“Well, here we g-” I fell back as my brain began to fizzle and I felt a nosebleed beginning as I passed out.

---

I blinked up at falling leaves, sunshine, blue skies, and snow. A rumble shook the earth as something like a comet smashed into the far snowy mountains. A green pulsing rock that exploded a mountain top, releasing bloody lava and burning rock as it vanished beneath the stone.

I was about to make some witty remark when blazing blue arrows smashed into my side, digging into my skin, before they exploded. I was sent flying into summer and the dark featureless person from before stepped out from behind a tree.

“Not enough juice. Gonna have to grind that for a couple hours until spinning arrows,” the person grunted.

“I don’t know how to do that,” I coughed as I sat up.

“You could if you learned to stop using Physical stat and started boosting Energy. Makes energy shaping my bitch,” the shadow grinned. It was shaped like my face, but the obsidian skin made it hard to make details out. The white eyes were creepy though.

“This is kinda cliche and I can’t believe I have to face my dark side,” I sighed. I Retraced as a large ball of energy smashed through the summer field like a wrecking ball.

“‘Oops!’ My hand slipped,” the shadow snorted. I flicked my hand and a Refined Holy Bomb flew at him. He caught it as if bored with an Energy shaped hand.

“This one of your little clean rocks? Waste of time, you know? Could have worked on so much better crap by now,” he pointed out.

Then it exploded, and the shadow man was sent spirling into Winter Wonderland. I pointed my mace.

“How about having some originality? You just gonna rip off the OG Gamer all day?” I taunted.

“Terra! Crush!” Dark Russ yelled. Nega-Russ? Anti-Russ?

I needed to name him if he squirmed away. A slim girl emerged from the earth.

“Okay, time the fuck out. How the hell did you get a summon? There’s no abyss auction here!” I demanded. Nega-Russ just grinned.

The earth spirit moved forward, her hands pulling up giant boulders to ‘crush’ me as ordered. The face was still as stone as well. No emotion flickered over this girl’s face.

“King!” I yelled, and a large poof of smoke appeared in front of me. The boulder was brought down before abruptly stopped.

“Woo! Go... King?” I trailed off as the smoke faded away to reveal an amazon woman with plated greenish armour over her flowing white robes. The woman looked at the earth golem with disapproval and her crown of wood that was carved to show ant mandibles shifted. Her body had some heft to it and showed her once soft weight of having kids have been toned enough to make a wrestler jealous

The short bob of white hair flowed in the silence before she spoke.

“Begone from Master Russel’s sight... pitiful earth,” King said in a blank voice before she shot forward and grabbed the golems head.

There was a crack and the golem crumbled.

“The fuck is that? What element?! You said there was no auction house!” Nega-Russ screamed. I shrugged.

“Ant element, but she’s also my bud so you can fuck off,” I said calmly. King smiled gentle but said nothing.

“I got this King, you got back before this guys tries something else,” I suggested and the woman shook her head.

“We are the ‘Antventurers’. We fight together, because as you put it? Honorable one on one duels are stupid when one’s life is one the line,” she remidned me coolly. Well, that was true.

Nega-Russ seemed to hesitate before his hand lashed out with a golden rope. I snorted and Charged. The Energy rope meant to bind me snapped as my own skill gave me movement debuff resistance.

It took me a second to work things out because I was beginning to see him tire rapidly.

“You’re the same exact level as me,” I said with a smile as he tried to fly away. I knocked him into a tree with a pebble discard.

“S-shut up!” Nega-Russ spun as he jumped to his feet.

“You can only get skills from your stats... and I can get them from Gems. You have nothing to grind against and I have endless Malice Zones. My skills are just better than yours,” I mused. He didn’t answer.

“That’s why you keep attacking me. You’re struggling to get more levels in your skills because hitting trees must run out of use real fast,” I said as King came to my side.

“Tch, I wouldn’t be grinning. You’re becoming a real jack of all shit but give it time. I’ll rip your heart out and drink it dry-” he began with a maniacal glee to his tone I crushed his skull.

“I don’t have time to befriend you. You’re annoying and I already have friends,” I said with disgust. The black shadow bubbled and sank into the ground.

You have defeated the ‘Sin of Envy: El Gusano’! All Stats increased by 1! Key to Envy has been added to inventory!

Well done, Russel. System believed in you.

The world began to fade once more.

---

I shifted and someone said something but I was still bleary in the head.

I sat up slowly as I pulled water from my inventory. I drank with relish, as I saw we were still in the safe zone.

“How long was I out?” I asked the group.

“About 15 minutes. I was getting worried!” Maria said with an exasperated tone. I smiled to show I was okay.

“I had to fight an evil me who was a total rip-off and whiner,” I explained. I got blank stared. I decided that keeping it back like Ichigo had done with his Hollow side was...

Just a stupid thing to do. If I lost and sinful things got out? The first ones to suffer would be my friends. If I didn’t tell them while safe from prying ears in the zone, then they’d be blind to danger I had put them in. That would basically cause them to worry or distrust me.

Fuck that noise.

I told them about my mental stat reward and the inner world.

“Sins... and you got a key?” Maria said seriously. I guessed she would be a bit more invested in the idea than Chisai or Tatsuki.

“Yeah... let’s see,” I pulled the key out and it appeared in my hand. The key was a simple brass thing with a winding spiked worm that slithered inside the hole and down the key’s edge. It made holding it... very painful if I squeezed.

Key of Envy. Item. G-rank: A key that changes a Malice Zone to give increased EXP as long as the foes are of higher strength. 48 hour cool down. 10 EXP price.

Risky item. I guess if I ever wanted a Shonen training montage... this would help. I put it back in my inventory.

My new skill was, interestly, a passive. I didn’t get many from Gems oddly.

You have gained ‘Armour’ skill!

Armour. Passive. Lv.1: Increased defence and speed while wearing heavy protection other than a shield.

The fact that this skill didn't say ‘metal’ or ‘natural’ armour meant this skill just chucked them under the same umbrella.

G-5 was pretty useful it seemed.

“We should clear out the staircase and maybe a bit beyond but we shouldn’t waste time,” Tatsuki reminded us, and her new gloves shifted as she flexed her hands. She was eyeing the safe barrier as if expecting it to come crashing down any moment.

I sat up and took the lead once more, King at my side. I eyed her.

“I feel a hell of a lot safer with you now,” I teased. King merely clicked her mandibles once. As we walked passed the now dried blood of the Judgement eyes, I made a note Tatsuki was up for next Gem grab. The next turn in the hallway led us to a brightly lit hall with a staircase that split midway to go up two different ways.

There was a golden gate in front of the stairs with a nameplate.

Rising Star Gate: Those with inadequate potential will be terminated.

I approached and saw two chained Rebel Beasts behind what seemed thick glass barriers on either side of the hall. In front of the gate was a single place to place one’s hand. Tatsuki spoke up from behind.

“I got good grades and I’m praised for my awards in Karate... I could get us passed?” she offered. I eyed the hand scanner and the two beasts.

“We need to get the beasts but it looks like these two get kept for clean up,” I pointed to the prisons. One had a baseball bat symbol above the door like the one Tatsuki had given me to put in my inventory.

The other had a wooden sword. It was Maria who spoke up.

“Captains of the baseball team and the kendo club are massive dicks. They bully new members and basically treat them like crap. I heard they basically get treated bad so they can make way for friends,” she scowled.

I blinked.

“Would they be rebels? Sounds more like grunts,” I said confused.

“The teachers try to stamp it out but no one really comes forward with evidence,” Tatsuki agreed.

“In my club, none of that happens,” she said as if making sure we didn’t throw her in with the other groups.

“So, what do we do? Fighting one was really hard!” Chisai said nervously. I eyed the pedestal and smiled.

“The secret to being a powerful wizard, Chisai...” I looked at him. He blinked back.

“-is to cheat,” I smiled. Maria went pale.

“Not break the puzzle,” I reminded her with a wink.

---

It was a simple plan because complicated ones didn’t really work. Chisai created a ledge far above the door. Maria and he would be carried up there by King to act as long range casters. The beasts might be able to climb but hopefully we could yank them off before they got too high. Tatsuki and I would be kiting as they were picked off.

The downside that no plan was perfect. The beasts could have super jump or a long range attack. They could overpower us too quickly for Maria’s heal or if we had to run, the casters would be left behind on the ledge but I had given them the P-whistle for that.

I put my hand on the stone and it blared red.

No student match. Intruder. Security released.

A whiny voice trilled over a hidden intercom. The beasts exited their chambers and the ground below the far left one fell into a crumbling hole as King’s tunnel, dug from the hall, gave way. Being the kind soul that I was, the couple of Flamefrost ice blocks I had King carry down broke its fall.

I turned to remaining Rebel beast as it prowled around us. It’s fellow creature screaming as the ice burned it. I could smell charred flesh.

“Sorry, Fido, I got to unmake your reality. It’s a bit of a crapsack,” I smiled and it charged, drool and foam dripped from under the cloak.

Tatsuki and I charged.

Lightning and light screamed from overhead.

---

“Completely off the radar?” Torue blinked again. At her side, her fellow worker sighed.

“The kids dead. His Hollow detector must have been damaged and on the fritz. The Hollow must have it in his stomach and moving between the human world and the Hollows’,” Kuna dismissed. Torue moved back and her heavy chain around her neck rattled.

“So cruel...” Torue sighed but disconnected the signal. The constant data stream was a jumbled mess and Captain Mayuri would... not like distractions. She tapped furiously as the report was sent off about a possible scout party but even she knew it would be turned down.

This no-named reaper just wasn’t worth risking another one for. If it was a noble or a seated officer, they would be scouring local mortal new channels, websites, cameras... the whole lot but not for this one.

“I suppose it’s better that way. If he came back, he might still have to die for his crime,” Kuna pointed to an open report.

Torue leaned over as quietly as she could and stared as she read. The smiling face of a picture did not match the words she read.

“Murderer?” she whispered and the disconnected signal on her screen seemed to blinked accusingly.

---