But Jayden shook his head. "No, that's impossible. I found it when I was passing by the forest," he said calmly
Jacob furrowed his brows. "You found it?"
Jayden nodded. "Yes, along with an E-Rank beast. They both lay beside each other, dead. I think they must have been engaging in a fight, before something else came to kill them. Another Beast,"
Tasha's eyes widened. "Something killed a C-Rank beast? But wouldn't that mean... It's a B or A-Rank?" she asked, her tone laced with disbelief and fear. Afterall, she was only a level 21 human, and she knew that fighting a C-Rank beast would be foolish. She would die without even knowing how.
Jayden shook his head. "No, I doubt that. If there was a B-Rank beast in the forest. the EVA would have found out about it. And they would hunt it down,"
Tasha exhaled. "Yeah, that's true,"
"I think it could have been a pack of Howlers," Jayden continued. "Afterall, a C-Rank beast wouldn't stand a chance against 1 D-Rank and like 12 other E-Rank beasts,"
Tasha nodded, she had managed to calm down. Jayden's explanation seemed plausible enough for her. But Jacob wasn't convinced
"So how did you come across it? Jacob asked. "What were you even doing in the forest?"
Jayden sighed, he stole a glance at Harleen but she looked uninterested in the conversation. Which meant she wasn't going to expose him, which also meant he could carry on with his lies.
"Like I said before, I found it when I was strolling through the forest," Jayden replied. "Everyday, when I go out to jog. I stop by the forest and explore it for a while... it reminds me of my mum,"
Jacob exhaled. He knew Jayden liked to go out into the woods, it had become an habit ever since he was little.
But that didn't mean he could just approve. "Jayden, the forest is a dangerous place. You shouldn't be going there at all,"
Jayden nodded. "I know, and that's why I always go in the morning, when all the beasts would have gone into hiding,"
"I think the E and C-Rank beasts were killed overnight. Because I found blood all over the place," he added. "Anyways, I immediately hailed a cab and had them bring the corpses home, just after Harleen left for work. So I made a feast with the C-Rank beast, and kept the E-Rank in the freezer so Harleen can cook it some other day,"
Jacob sighed, Jayden's story was really convincing. Every fact and information fell in place, but he felt something was off. A C-Rank beast corpse wouldn't just be sitting in the middle of nowhere. It was a valuable thing, even to other beasts.
He opened his mouth to speak "But..."
"That's enough, Jacob," Harleen cut in. "I think Jayden deserves a break from the questions,"
Jacob nodded with a wry smile. "Of course, sure" he muttered
Jayden sighed in relief and looked at Harleen, in a silent gaze of gratitude .
Tasha noticed this, but didn't say anything. She already knew something was going on between Jayden and her mother... some kind of sworn alliance.
The family continued dinner as normal, and after a while it came to an end.
After dinner, Jayden helped clear the dishes. Harleen insisted on doing the washing, so he and Tasha made their way upstairs.
At his door, Tasha paused.
"Jayden?"
He turned.
She smiled. "Thanks for dinner,"
Jayden nodded with a smile of his own. "It was my pleasure. Have a good night,"
Tasha chuckled. "You too," she said softly, and disappeared into her room.
Jayden entered his and flopped onto the bed. Exhausted. Today had been the most stressful day of his life.
He had acquired his first beast energy. He almost died... again. He single-handedly prepared a feast for the whole family. And he delivered a heartfelt speech, one that still made him feel weird.
"Damn.. What a day," he muttered and opened the system interface. He had some unfinished business.
*Name: Jayden Starrk
*Race: ???
*Level: 5
*Exp: 50/240
*Hp: 260/260
*Ep: 120/120
*Strength: 58
*Speed: 46
*Agility: 34
*Stamina: 47
*Perception: 38
*Defense: 38
*Charm: 22
Stat points: 10
[Heart Rate: 45 Bpm]
*Health Regeneration [Passive]
*Beastlord Aura [Passive/Active]
*Beast Gene Integration [Active]
*Partial Transformation [Active]
*Dragon Eye:
-Type: Active
Primary abilities:
-Inspect: Host can focus his gaze on a target, be it an object, person, or beast and gather extensive information on them.
-Energy Detection: Host can see the energy signature(Aura) of beings, allowing him to detect hidden enemies and track energy patterns and residues.
-Precision: This is a precise positioning skill that allows the user to lock onto a target with unerring accuracy. When activated, the user's vision becomes heightened, allowing them to track their target with ease even at high speeds or abruptive environment.
-Thermal imaging: Ability to see the heat signature of living and non-living things. This can be further applied as a see-through vision.
*Note: Skill doesn't consume Energy points or Stamina. It is activated by thought and can be used at will]
*Beast Energy Acquisition
* Telekinetic Force
Jayden sighed in satisfaction upon reading the information on his new skill. With the Dragon Eye' he wouldn't require the analyser anymore. And there were many other perks the skill gave.
"This skill is pretty useful," he muttered. "I wouldn't have to worry about invisible Beasts anymore. Plus, I can get information on people as well. Probably see their level and Abilities,"
"And I think I have an idea of how the precision and aura reading works," Jayden added. "All in all, I think it's a good skill,"
[Glad you like it. Hehe] Luna muttered
"Yeah, but I noticed a massive increase in the Exp required to level up," he groaned. "From 100 to 240. What gives?"
Luna scoffed. [You haven't seen anything yet, it's only going to get worse]
Jayden sighed turned to face the ceiling. "Well, it's not really a problem. I'll just have to hunt more beasts," he muttered, before his gaze landed on the available stat points.
"All right, time to distribute," he muttered and took a glance at all his stats. And after just a few seconds, he gave the order.
"Add 5 points each to stamina and agility,"
[+ 5 stat points added to Stamina]
[+5 stat points added to Agility]
______
*Strength: 58
*Speed: 46
*Agility: 39
*Stamina: 52
*Perception: 38
*Defense: 38
*Charm: 22
Stat points: 0
______
Jayden exhaled and closed the tab, he had decided to distribute the points to stamina and agility because he felt they were lacking. After his fight with the Greater Wolverine Stalker, he discovered that the partial transformation skill depended greatly on stamina.
Which meant, the duration he would be able to retain a transformation was in the hands of how much he could endure the physical strain. Which also meant, for the skill to be effective. His stamina had to be impressive.
Jayden crawled into his blanket and was about to close his eyes, when the system screen suddenly appeared in his line of sight.
*New Seasonal Quest Available
[Beginner steps: Integrate 3 Beasts Genes within three months]
*Rewards: New Ability Unlock
Jayden groaned. "You have to be kidding me."
The next morning came quick, mostly because Jayden spent the whole night thinking. He was thinking about how he would complete his new quest, and gain from it in the process.
He could acquire countless amount of Beast energy if he pleased. But he could only acquire that of E-Rank beasts, and they don't possess abilities yet. Which meant he would then have to start looking for crystals to upgrade the rank.
So he decided to rather increase his level, so he'd be able to acquire the energy of D-Rank beasts and above, who have abilities. And even at the moment, he only had one integration slot left. He needed two more.
But right now, he wasn't thinking about all that. He was rather thinking about the events of yesterday. How he had almost died, how he transformed... twice. But most importantly, how he took a big, emotional step with the family.
His mind drifted from the bloody clash in the woods to the moment he felt his humanity slip… and then return again. But more than anything, he kept circling back to one thought:
How close he had come to dying. Again.
And this time, what scared him wasn't the idea of dying.
It was dying alone.
No real relationships. No solid friendships. Not even a whisper of romance. Just vengeance, survival, and a bitter cold obsession with getting stronger.
In life, most people do things for themselves, yes. But sometimes, people do things for the people they love. Which is why, when they are about to die. They die knowing they loved... And they were loved.
Jayden lay on the bed, his gaze fixed on one spot in the ceiling. He had woken up a long time ago, but he remained still, just thinking.
"You know, I wonder what mum would think of me now," he muttered to no one in particular. "She'd probably have expected me to live a normal teenage life. Have a girlfriend.. Sneak out to parties.. Get drunk for no reason. But I don't have one.. I'm too fixed on revenge that I forgot what it was like to live... to care for someone,"
He sighed.
"In the end, most people… they don't just live for themselves," he muttered quietly. "They fight, they grow, they protect, for the people they love."
His voice was soft, fragile.
"But me? I don't even have someone I'd say goodbye to."
He turned his head slightly, still on the bed, staring at a beam of light creeping in through the blinds. The silence was thick, until Luna's voice broke through like a knock at the door of his thoughts.
[It's not too late, y'know,] she said gently. [The EVA aren't going anywhere. But… time is for you. You just might miss out on all the fun things life has to offer]
Jayden chuckled. "Wow, my life is so messed up to the point that an Ai is giving me real life advice,"
[Haha, very funny] Luna said in a sarcastic tone. [But I'm very sure that most humans.. especially in the 21st century talked about their problems to Ais. They literally chatted with Ais as though they were chatting with actual people. Do you know why?]
Jayden smiled wrly. "Why?"
[Because they have no life] Luna scoffed. [They clearly had no real friends to talk to, no courage to interact with real people. So they rather burden the Ai with their ridiculous lifestyle issues... Heck some even started looking for Ai girlfriends]
[That's so sad, Jayden] she tutted. [Don't end up like them. Get a girlfriend... Go to parties... Jerk off if you have to.. Just get a life]
Jayden raised his eyebrow. "Jerk off?" he asked in curiousity.
[You know., Wanking... Petting the cat... Beating the meat... Cuffing the carrot.. Whatever else that means touching yourself] Luna stated
Jayden was even more confused. "Touching myself? But I touch myself everyday,"
Luna sighed. [You clearly have no idea what I really mean, do you?]
Jayden shook his head. "I don't. Other than touching myself, I don't know what the other terms mean,"
Luna sighed deeply. [I can't believe this, you're still innocent. But don't worry, I can fix that]
Jayden furrowed his brows. "What do you mean, innocent? And what are you fixing?"
[Hehehe] Luna let out a mischievous giggle. [You'll find out soon enough]
Jayden shrugged. "Whatever, Luna. I don't have time for your... shenanigans today. I have things to do," he muttered, slowly sitting up
[Hm, are you going hunting?] Luna asked
Jayden shook his head. "No, I'm still a bit tired from yesterday. Plus, it's Saturday. There might be people wandering about the forest.. Campers or even hunters. I can't have anyone see me when I'm hunting,"
[Okay, so what then? More slacking]
Jayden exhaled. "Actually.. yes. You said to live my life, right? Well, slacking off is the first step to joblessness," he said with a grin
Luna scoffed. [You think I care if you laze around? Haha, keep dreaming. Infact, I want you to slack off, that way I'll be able to teach you all you need to know about being... A mature teenage boy]
But Jayden didn't reply Luna, he stood up from the bed and put on some clothes. Then he wore his sneakers and headed out of the room.
"Well, whatever it is. It can wait. Right now, I need to complete the daily quest," he muttered and left the house, jogging into the city.
Two hours later, Jayden returned to the house, barely sweating. He had run all the way to the central park, and back. But he didn't even feel an ounce of strain. At the park, he made sure to complete the rest of the task by climbing a tree, and lifting something heavy enough.
*Daily Quest Complete (3/3)
[Run a total of 7km] (Complete)
[10 Exp received]
[10 Stat points received]
Jayden exhaled, seeing the notification, he distributed the points equally to both stamina and speed. Then he took a deep breath, before entering the bathroom.
After a long bath, Jayden dressed in a simple tee and shorts and made himself a bowl of cereal. The house was quiet, Jacob was out, Tasha and Harleen had gone shopping. Leaving only himself and Jessica left in the house.
He leaned against the counter, spooning cereal into his mouth, his thoughts churning.
"Yesterday was a lot…" he muttered. "I gave one hell of a speech."
[It was cute. You looked like a dad giving a toast at Thanksgiving]
Jayden ignored her, he finished his cereal and made his way to his room. Collapsing on the bed, he stared at the ceiling again, sighing.
"So this is what slacking off feels like…" he muttered. "It's kinda... boring."
[That's because you're doing it wrong] Luna said smugly.
Jayden chuckled. "I'm slacking off wrong? Very hilarious,"
[But it does. Slacking has its rules. You need to engage in proper degeneracy... games, shows, mindless novels. Throw your life away like a pro.]
Jayden smirked. "Sounds like you've got experience."
[Please. I was made to be chaotic. I'm the OS: Original Slacker] Luna replied
Jayden shook his head in pity... for himself, Luna was just too eccentric. "You are one wacky artificial intelligence, Luna,"
[Awwn, thanks] Luna said. [Now, pick your poison. Personally, I recommend reading novels... or watching movies. And I have some good ones I can get you started with]
Jayden raised an eyebrow. "Is this also part of your 'Teaching' to make me a 'Mature teen'?"
[It is] Luna said in excitement. [And I promise you'll love it. Hehe]
Jayden chuckled, Luna was just too comical. But he enjoyed her weird company. "Fine, but first I need to do something," he stated, thinking back to yesterday's dinner.
Even after his heartfelt speech, Jessica still seemed upset with him. He didn't seem to know why at first, but then he remembered what had happened between them all those years ago.
Jayden knew that as a guy, he needed to fix things and get along with Jessica again. she still looked at him like he was something dangerous.
Jayden stood up from the bed and took a deep breath, he didn't know how to approach or even talk to her. Talking things out wasn't exactly his strongest suit. But he was going to try anyways.
"Man, I can't remember the last time I had a proper conversation with Jessica," Jayden sighed. "She's hated me ever since... ever since that day,"
[Who? The one with bigger boobs?] Luna asked casually
Jayden was speechless, he didn't know Luna could be so shameless. "You really need to have your motherboard checked," he muttered
[Did you just insult my motherboard?] Luna bellowed
But Jayden ignored her, he was too busy thinking. Thinking about how to make a girl, who hated his ass, like him again. His eyes had landed on something sitting in the corner of his room... two dusty blue joysticks, tangled in their own wires like old memories.
He stood and walked over to them, picking them up with a thoughtful look.
Covered in dust. A little worn.
But they still worked.
He grabbed a cloth and started cleaning them off. When he hit the power button, a soft blue light flickered.
A slow smile spread across his lips.
"Yeah… this could work."