Beast Evolution Forge

'Hey, what did you do to me?' 

He asked, finally exiting the sewers and entering a section of the city that few people visited. 

[I don't understand the question.] 

'Don't play dumb with me; you know exactly what I'm talking about. Why did I kill my friends without showing any mercy? I would never kill anyone.' 

[I didn't do anything to your emotions; that was all you. Think back: how have you felt toward the people who accused you? What did you want to do to them?] 

He began to reflect on his life on the streets and how he was mistreated there for being smelly and begging for money. This led him to hate humanity even more; it fueled his rage, and he often fantasized about killing everyone who had wronged him. These thoughts calmed down when he discovered the system, which distracted him from his miserable life. He felt as if he had let go of that rage, but he was mistaken. The first sign was at the crepe shop; his urge to kill after encountering someone who had wronged him was intense, but he managed to hold back. 

However, when it came to his friends, it was his breaking point. He tried his hardest to control himself, but they just kept talking; they couldn't keep quiet, and so he snapped and gave in to anger. 

"Haha, I thought I was over this, but it seems I still harbor a deep hatred for them. I need to be careful from now on; meeting more people like that could actually break my mind." 

[Yes, you should control yourself more, but I should tell you that something was lifted when you killed your friends. It was like a chain binding you. I'm not entirely sure, but if my hunch is correct, this may be bigger than you think.] 

"Yeah, it doesn't make sense for everyone to suddenly hate me without any proof. I'm sure a player is behind this. Maybe I should meet Kana and ask her about all this. She was the one who accused me, after all, and that look she gave me back then... ugh, whatever, let's focus on why we came here." 

It didn't take him long to find the tree, but something was off; the air he sensed was foul and sticky, as if something terrible had happened. As he got closer, he noticed many dead animals and a Christian cross carved into the tree. 

"What the fuck." 

Before he could process everything, a kick to his head sent him flying and crashing into the tree. 

'What? Who kicked me? I couldn't sense them.' 

His vision was blurred from the impact. He heard many voices but couldn't focus. Only after a few minutes did his senses gradually return, and he could hear them talking about him. 

"Why did you kick him so hard?" 

"What the hell are you talking about? That was a normal kick, barely any power behind it. Tch, weak bastard; if he dies, I'm in trouble." 

'Ugh, shit, did I let my guard down? No, whoever kicked me is just way stronger than I am. This might be bad.' 

His vision cleared, and he saw five players standing in the distance. He didn't try to move; he just observed for now. They didn't seem to pay attention to him, and he took this chance to slip away. This was a place he knew too well; they made a mistake taking their eyes off him. 

One of them looked at the tree, realizing he was gone. 

"Uh, guys... he is gone." 

They all turned sharply; he was truly gone. 

"Fuck." 

They went after him, but he was hidden in a place they wouldn't find, a secret entrance at the base of the tree that led underground. He concealed himself there, his mind still reeling from the effects of the kick. 

'Dammit, what should I do now? Those guys are too powerful for me to fight.' 

[The animal you mentioned, find it, immediately.] 

'Right, let me call him.' 

He snapped his fingers in a certain rhythm, doing this for about 20 seconds before stopping. It was silent, but it didn't take long for his little friend to appear at the entrance. It sniffed first, ensuring it was someone it recognized, and after a few seconds, it jumped toward him, making happy noises. 

"Hahaha, whoa there, little guy, easy." 

He caught it and began patting it as it rolled around on his lap, displaying its joy at seeing him after such a long time. Their peace was soon disturbed by an attack that nearly buried them. He managed to crawl out, but they were waiting for him; this time, they surrounded him, leaving no room to escape. 

'Guess we are screwed.' 

He held his little friend close to prevent it from getting hurt. 

"Okay, man, enough. Just come back with us. I'm not sure what you did, but it can't be worth all this trouble, right?" 

He looked at the one speaking; he appeared young, but his eyes seemed to read him. He was very intelligent. 

"...what rank are you guys?" 

He asked, standing up slowly without showing any signs of struggle. They looked at each other before responding. 

"Why does that matter? Just come back with us; my patience is growing thin," the one who kicked him said, clearly annoyed by the situation. 

The girl among them walked up to him, sensing no hostility from him. She approached and tickled his little friend. 

'Hm? She is usually hostile toward people, but she opened up to it? Interesting.' 

"Hi, my name is Jolly; it's nice to meet you. I'm sorry we are being harsh toward you; we are just following orders. You asked what rank we are; give me a sec... here." 

She handed him her player license, and he looked at her name, rank, and age. 

"Apprentice rank? Really? The energy I sense from you is quite strong, so this is a real player, huh?" 

He returned the license and examined the others. They all appeared friendly except for the one who had kicked him. 

"Yeah, we are low-ranked players, but we try our best." 

'Yeah, I remember seeing a list of player ranks years ago; Apprentice is the second-lowest rank, but this... this power is truly from one of the weakest? Just how strong are the higher ranks?' 

He looked at her once more and decided to see if she would listen to him. 

"Can we talk?" 

"Sure, is this about why the association is after you?" 

"Yeah... I'm not a player yet; I only recently awakened in a town far from here. I came this morning to register, but things were more complicated than I thought. I heard you need an ID to enter the test, so I went to register. The woman at the desk told me to grab this strange orb, which I did, but then it broke. She looked at me with a strange expression, and moments later, I found myself being chased as if I had done something wrong." 

She considered his words, looking at him. By his shabby clothes, his story made a lot of sense, yet she sensed he was hiding something else. 

"If that's true, then why did you run? They didn't say they wanted to hurt you, right? So why run?" 

He sighed, realizing there was no point in hiding the truth. 

"It would be faster if I showed you. Can you give me your hand?" 

She hesitated, scrutinizing him closely, but ultimately decided to trust him. He gently took her hand and gradually poured his mana into her body, only to be pushed back by its unexpected force. The others, thinking he intended to harm her, tried to attack him, but she told them to stop. 

"What was that?" She stood up and walked back to him, looking at her hand, intrigued by the sensation. 

'It's strange; he transferred some of his energy into me, and I was repelled. Why? I need to know.' She positioned herself directly in front of him, staring into his eyes, waiting for his answer. 

"Do you know something called corrupted mana?" 

"Corrupted mana?" 

The intelligent one also approached, his curiosity piqued. 

"Why are you asking about something like that?" 

"Just tell me. I'm not a player, but I have my suspicions about the association." 

The guy who kicked him could no longer hold back; he attacked, punching Vell to the ground and knocking out a tooth. Vell glared at him, his eyes faintly glowing, like a beast ready to strike, and his little friend exhibited the same signs. 

[Will you tame this weasel?] 

'Yes.' 

[Activating skill...]