"Yes. You heard me!" His tone was grave as he began to explain, "Calamity Beasts are given the title of Calamity because their sole desire is to release Calamity onto our world. In a fight against them, even if they are killed, as long as the fight causes large devastation, it's a win to them!"
"But we didn't know and…" Sasha tried to reason, but she was cut mid-sentence.
"Now you know!" The chubby man smirked before he added, "Hunters and Explorers should not aid Calamity Beasts in causing devastation in our environment. If they do, they will be punished, and yours is…" he trailed off while Sasha began having goosebumps.
"You and your team's Pioneer title, exploration points," Sasha trembled, fearing the next words that would come from his mouth, "your relic items, including relic gems, are all confiscated." Sasha slumped to the ground in despair.
"The value in them will be used to repair the damages. You are dismissed!" he added, eyes cold, leaving no room for argument.
Sasha struggled to stand, her mind reeling around possible solutions, but beneath all that, a defiance was bubbling before certain memories crushed it.
Her brother had obtained one of the Core Relics used in Gravel City. He would have gained fame and great wealth, but all that was attributed to some other people. When she confronted him about it, he said that it wasn't worth it. Let them have it.
Now that she thought about it, maybe her situation was similar to his.
She managed to get back on her feet, defeated, feeling downcast and hating the whole exploration.
'They are just making us learn the hard way,' she thought. 'I need to call my brother. Maybe there is something he can do to help me!'
Sasha tried not to be in denial. From the beginning, there were things that happened that were events of learning, drills in her skull to take note for future exploration.
The first was the unexpected beast in the ruin that was said to be clean, to never fight explorers when exploring new ruins, to learning that Calamity Beasts can evolve to adapt to hunters' talents, to also learning that Calamity Beasts have incredible danger sense, to now knowing that no matter how brave you are in confronting Calamity Beasts, there will be punishment if the environment is destroyed.
All these are learned the hard way, and things you learn the hard way are rarely forgotten. Even though this last one still didn't make sense because if the Calamity Beast was too powerful, how could a hunter prevent them from causing destruction?
But she could understand that if hunters were given a green card, they would be more of an agent of destruction than saviors. She knew there was that itch in the back of her head to let loose, to see how far her wild lightning could go.
'I need to find my brother. I can't lose everything.'
***
Elias's eyes snapped open. He felt fine, no pain, and his hand was stronger than ever. With it, he pushed himself up.
A nurse was standing before him. "Please come with me!" he said, and Elias followed him to another room. A bathtub filled with white gel awaited.
"This will be your last treatment!" he said before going out. Elias was tired from the healing and the sleeping. He sighed, checked that he could remove his shirt, and did so before sliding inside.
Like a subtle massage on his muscles, Elias's lips curled into a smile. "Ahmmm!" A moan left his mouth. They knew he would be less energetic and knew this was the answer.
Elias had never felt like this before—refreshing and soothing sensations throughout his body. He turned and twisted to make sure every organ felt the same.
An idea came to him: he should immerse his head and enter into meditation. The moment his head was submerged, he felt like he was suspended in a heavenly state, and then he went into meditation.
He still felt the good feeling and also saw something different. The ripple that spread from every organ and came back no longer returned.
The ripple went away and merged with the surroundings, and Elias felt he was improving internally. He focused on every organ and realized it was the same for all, especially in his left hand—the injured hand was healing at record time.
Elias went on to have a united core; his consciousness lay dormant, and the good feeling never stopped.
Later, Elias opened his eyes. The gel he was in had turned to water now. He stood, and the water slipped off his body, leaving no moisture on him. Elias should have been elated, but a shadow cast on his face—uncertainty and anxiety were growing within him.
He pushed away those feelings to enjoy the moment and walked out of the bathtub. A new uniform was by the side; he put it on with ease, as his left arm was just a little weaker than normal.
A letter lay by the side—a message.
***
Five figures stood before the 100-foot-tall ruin gate. They had been there for two hours, having small talks. Sasha's hand was on the gate while she held a stone in the other. Anxiety was written on her face.
The other two were worried and upset, except for Buddhist Hand. His greatest gain, and one that he valued, was his development. He cared not for the points or the fame. In fact, he had long relinquished the ownership of the relic gem to Sasha.
Anita, Dicing Edge on the other hand, was like Sasha. She was anxious; without the points from here, she would have a setback.
Each one of them reeled about their misfortune but hoped it would be repaired.
Buddhist Hand frowned. His talent had just stirred—not activated, but like a sudden ripple that waved within him. His hand rested on his chest, goosebumps on his skin.
'This feeling. I know its kind!' he thought with hidden trepidation.
Sasha's eyes snapped open. Her hand left the gate, and she too unconsciously rested her hand on her chest. Her talent had just stirred; the ripple waved in her.
'Why now? I didn't feel it before. What changed?' she wondered. In unison, she and Buddhist Hand looked behind them.
Sani Elvin frowned as he raised his head. He felt goosebumps, but nothing about his talent stirring. "This is not a plague!"
Vera Lance was the most observant among them. As the sniper, she noticed every movement amongst them. She checked her hand as she noticed goosebumps on Sani Elvin, and she was shocked—she was covered in them, more vividly, yet her senses didn't feel it.
'What is it? I can't feel it because I'm B rank?'
She too turned toward where they were looking.
Everyone's reaction was subtle except Anita's. She went pale. C rank, but she felt it. She had felt this kind of feeling more times than she could count. And her body was reacting; her hand wanted to reach for her sword, but she held back.
The closer the presence came, the stronger the urge to hold her sword. There was only solace in that. That was the only thing that would make her feel safe. She was sweating, her hand moving but she was holding it back.
A silhouette appeared, and her hand lunged to grab her sword, but a hand wrapped around her neck. The feeling vanished, shielded away from her.
"You are late!" Sasha's voice rose beside her.
***
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