God of Destruction: Living Among Mortals

It was the third and final day of training, before the two entered their first F-rank dungeon. Nova and Adam were on the eighth floor, where the floor had been reconstructed to display holographic F-rank Beastarian wolves to fight the two individually.

Nova stood at the edge, rolling his shoulders, as Adam was beside, breathing heavily to calm himself. The room was cold, accommodating the Beasarian wolves, since these ones specifically were made for the tundra.

Adam's breath produced a nervous, puffy cloud. His eyes were darting around, scanning everything, trying to act like Nova. He was available to map out the fight somewhat in his head, his vision wide and sharp.

Marcus stood on a raised platform, arms crossed, his usual suit swapped for a fitted black training outfit that made him look like a black panther. "Today is the last day of training," he said, voice low, cutting through the cold. "You're trained to fight, humans and monsters. But this will be your first real dungeon run. You won't have hiding places, like the ones in the tournament's maze," his eyes smirking towards Nova, who returned the gesture. "This is the real thing. These wolves are mean, they are agile, and they don't give a singular fuck about your feelings. So be careful. Be cautious. And start when the buzzer hits."

The floor vibrated as two holographic wolves materialized, their fur illuminating the silver coat, eyes glowing red. Each was the size of a small bear, claws scraping the ground, leaving small sparks.

Nova locked eyes with his, its snarl vibrating through his chest. Adam's wolf crouched low, tail flicking, sizing him up like prey.

The buzzer hit, the metallic sound activating the wolves to go hunt.

Nova's wolf lunged first, a blur of sharp fangs and muscles. He sidestepped, barely, the beast's claws grazing his arm, tearing a shallow cut. Blood welled up, but he grinned through the sting.

"Alright then, let's dance," he muttered, dropping into a crouch.

The wolf circled, growling, its holographic form glitching slightly at the edges. Nova didn't wait. He charged, feinting left, then drove his fist into its ribs. The impact violently trembled up his arm, but the wolf barely flinched, snapping its jaws an inch from his throat.

"By the way," Marcus spoke up, slightly grinning, as if amused already. "The beasts in the dungeon weren't exactly at their full power. But these are. So, be careful."

Dang it, it's much more powerful than I realized. Nova thought, stopping the tremble in his arm. I need to focus more if I have any chance at defeating this thing.

Across the arena, Adam was struggling. His wolf had him pinned against a rock, its teeth snapping at his face. "No, no, no," Adam said, his voice cracking.

He activated his ability, Adaptive Hide, and in an instant, his skin hardened, his entire hand became a claw, instead of his fingers, which deflected the wolf's claws as it slashed through his chest.

As the wolf shoved back, the muscles on his body bulging slightly, he managed to roll out from under it, scrambling to his feet.

"No-Nova, you good?" He yelled, his stutter returning, his voice shaky.

"Barely," Nova grunted, dodging another slash.

His wolf was faster than he'd expected; its movements were unpredictable, like it was reading his every step. He ducked under, grabbing a holographic rock and smashing it into the beast's skull.

The wolf staggered back, its form flickering, but it recovered just as quickly, lunging at him again. Nova's instincts kicked in, his divine reflexes trying to surface beneath the bind that he had set for himself, but his mortal body was too slow.

He took a claw to the thigh, the pain searing through him in waves. "Damn it!" he screamed, stumbling back, as the blood soaked his cargo pants.

These were my favorite cargo pants, you ugly fuck. He thought as his mind became more irate by the second.

Adam, on the other hand, wasn't doing much better. His wolf had him on the defensive, circling him like a shark. But the kid was adapting. His hands sprouted short, curved claws, mimicking the wolf's.

He slashed wildly, catching the beast across the muzzle. It howled, the digital screech made both of their ears ring. Adam's eyes light up with that spark from yesterday, not stuttering anymore.

"Come on, you bastard," he growled back at Wolf, trying to appear as if he were the alpha. He drove forward, his claws sinking into the wolf's shoulder, tearing through the holographic flesh.

The beast recoiled, but not before raking Adam's side, leaving red streaks across his shirt.

Nova's wolf came at him again, jaws wide, with more than ten thousand PSI. Nova rolled, hitting the ground hard, and grabbed a piece of holographic ice. With a yell, he drove it into the wolf's side, twisting it deep.

The beast yelled, its form glitching violently, but it didn't go down. Nova's heart pounded, his breath rough. He tackled the wolf, wrapping his arms around its neck, squeezing with everything he had.

The beast thrashed, claws tearing at his back, but Nova held on, roaring through the pain.

Adam was in over his head. His wolf had him pinned down again. Its weight was crushing his chest. His ability started to falter, since it was only F-rank, and also because his mana was running out. His skin began to flicker between scales and normal flesh, which wasn't good.

"Nova!" he gasped, voice tight with panic. The wolf's teeth grazed his shoulder, drawing out blood. But then Adam's eyes flared, and his body shifted as fur sprouted along his arms, thick and coarse, mimicking the wolf.

He roared, shoving the beast off with a burst of strength and slashing its throat with claws that resembled steel. The wolf staggered, its form dissolving into static, then collapsed, fading into the floor.

"Nice one, kid!" Nova shouted, still wrestling his own wolf.

The beast snapped at his face, its breath hot and grim, extremely fucking sour and bitter. Nova's muscles screamed, his grip slipping, blood dripping from his back.

He didn't have Adam's fancy ability, which made him jealous on the inside, since he had more potential than him, according to the amplitude sphere, but he hadn't awakened. His inner self told him to be patient, but he couldn't help but be impatient. This urge to have an ability was gnawing through his mind and body, messing with his emotions.

Ignoring Adam's ability and using his grit, instinct, and a stubborn refusal to lose. He shifted his weight, using the wolf's momentum to flip it onto its back. And with a guttural yell, he drove his fist into its skull, again and again, each hit cracking the holographic frame.

The wolf's form flickered again, glitching, and finally shattered, dissolving into a cloud of digital ash.

Nova collapsed onto his knees, panting, blood and sweat mixing on his face. Adam stumbled over, clutching his side, his shirt torn to shit.

They looked at each other, both battered, bruised, and bleeding, but at least alive. Adam grinned, shakingly.

"We... did it," he panted, no stuttering, just relief.

Nova smirked, wiping the blood from his lips, then said, trying to be funny: "Barely. I mean, you almost got eaten there."

"Says the guy who looks like he went through a meat grinder," Adam shot back, his voice slightly stronger now.

Marcus clapped once, sharp and loud, from the platform. "Not bad," he said, stepping down. "You're both still breathing, which is more than what I, frankly, expected."

Nova pushed himself to his feet, wincing as his thigh burned. "What's next? Another wolf? Two?"

Marcus's grin was sharp, almost predatory. "No, you've earned your shot. Tomorrow, you're hitting your first F-rank dungeon. So, get some rest; you'll need it."