I am Just an Average Tamer

Just as Kai exchanged that cold grin, a beast lunged from behind, jaws wide open for a fatal bite.

But Vex intercepted, pouncing from the side with a vicious hiss.

Her claws ripped through the beast's neck, blood spraying as it collapsed before it could touch Kai.

Kai didn't flinch.

He was already moving.

Twin daggers gleamed in his hands. In a flash of movement, his figure blurred, vanishing from sight—

And reappeared behind the burly man, blades slicing through the air, aiming for a lethal strike across his back.

But the man twisted just in time, grabbing Kai's wrists mid-slash with a bone-crushing grip.

"Too slow," he growled.

"What—"

Crack!

Before Kai could react, the burly man lifted him like a doll and slammed him into the ground with a thunderous crack.

The impact sent up a cloud of dirt.

Then—

WHAM!

Kai was yanked up by the collar and hurled several meters across the clearing, crashing into a tree trunk.

The other lackeys regained their courage at the sight.

"He's just a kid!" one shouted.

"Finish him!" barked another.

"Haaah!"

Kai slowly pushed himself up, blood trailing from the corner of his mouth—but his eyes burned brighter than ever.

The half-mask clung to his face like a second skin, hiding the twitch of doubt in his jaw. Across the clearing, the burly man tightened his grip on his war axe, blood still fresh on the blade.

"I knew someone was tailing us," the man said, voice like a boulder rolling downhill. "Didn't think it'd be a brat."

Kai didn't answer.

He vanished.

A blur.

His daggers sliced through the air, aimed for the man's flank. Fast. Clean.

But not fast enough.

CLANG!

The axe swung up, blocking the strike with brute force.

Sparks scattered.

Kai flipped backward, boots skidding across the dirt. His arms ached from the blow.

"Cute tricks," the man growled.

He rushed in—not like a warrior, but like a beast.

Wild. Heavy. Every step thudded like thunder.

Kai ducked the first swing—barely.

The second came low.

Too slow.

He caught it with the flat of his dagger, but the force sent him flying, crashing through a bush and slamming into a tree.

Crack!

Bark cracked. His back screamed.

"Fast," the man admitted, stomping forward. "But speed don't mean shit when you're made of paper."

Kai struggled to his feet, wiped the blood from his lip.

'Stay calm. Aim for openings.'

Whoosh!

He hurled a senbon.

Whoosh!

Then another.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Then three knives—each aimed at joints, soft parts.

The man blocked two. One grazed his arm.

"Argh!"

He hissed, more annoyed than hurt.

Kai dashed forward again.

His blade flicked toward the man's knee.

The burly man twisted—took the stab—and slammed his axe down.

CRACK!

The ground split.

Kai tumbled away, panting.

The gash on the man's leg barely slowed him.

'Tch! He's too durable… and too strong...'

Kai's eyes flicked to the shadows.

"Vex!" he called.

The Phantom Lynx burst out, claws ready, fangs bared.

She lunged.

The man snarled and spun, his axe arcing like a crescent moon.

Vex barely dodged, the tip slicing through fur and skin.

Kai used the distraction, trying a feint—left, right, dagger straight for the neck—

But the man caught him.

With one hand. Like a child snatching a toy.

He lifted Kai and slammed him into the dirt.

Thud!

Once.

Thud!

Twice.

Crack!

Bones cracked.

Then.

He threw Kai like a ragdoll.

Thud!

The boy hit the earth hard, coughing blood, pain spiderwebbing through his chest.

Everything spun.

His vision blurred.

Body ached.

Vex tried to attack again but got swatted aside, yelping as she tumbled into the bushes.

The fight was over.

Kai couldn't move. Couldn't breathe.

The burly man spat to the side, then turned and walked back toward the others. "Let's move."

And the forest, for a moment, fell silent.

The last echo of footsteps faded into the trees.

Kai didn't move.

He couldn't.

His body was screaming, but his mind—his mind was quieter than it had any right to be.

He could still hear the snap of that man's axe. Still feel his ribs crack.

He turned his head with effort. Vex lay slumped in the grass, her breathing ragged, blood soaking into the dirt beneath her.

Kai's throat tightened.

"Get back," he whispered.

The little Lynx vanished into soulspace with a flicker. He was alone now.

Utterly.

His hands dug into the dirt as he pushed himself up—only to collapse again.

A grunt of pain slipped out, low and bitter.

He stared at the dirt, breathing hard, his arms trembling. Blood from his lip dripped to the ground, one drop after another.

"…Pathetic."

He said it before he even thought it.

Then he tilted his head to the sky, eyelids falling shut.

"…Damn it…" he muttered. "Damn it all…"

His fingers curled into fists.

"They just come and take the people I care about—and I can't do a damn thing."

He tried to stand again.

This time, he got halfway up before his legs gave out. He hit the ground hard, dust puffing around him.

"How pathetic can I be…" he whispered.

His hands scraped the dirt, nails digging into the ground as if he could tear up the earth itself.

"If I can't protect anyone… what the hell am I even doing?"

His mind reeled—flashes of Ghost, the boy who shattered him at the tournament, who moved like a storm, who crushed him without effort.

He would've taken them down.

He would've saved her.

Kai's voice dropped, hollow.

"I kept saying he stole my name…"

A bitter laugh escaped his throat. Dry. Joyless.

"It never even suited me."

Kai dropped his forehead to the dirt.

The silence buzzed around him.

"I tried… I really tried…" His voice broke. "But I'm not him. I'm not even close."

Tears mixed with the blood on his face, trailing down unnoticed.

"I'm really worse."

And then—

Something cracked.

Not in the air.

Inside him.

Like a bottle breaking.

And the wind stirred.

Softly at first. Then sharper. Faster.

He didn't notice it.

Didn't notice the grass flattening in waves, or the small stones skittering away from him.

He was too busy shaking.

"If only—if only I was stronger—"

Crack!

Lightning danced across his fingers.

"If I had power, just once—just this once—!"

The wind screamed.

His breath caught as pain shot through his chest.

A sharp, burning twist.

He gasped. Then fell forward onto all fours.

A panel hovered in front of him, but he didn't see it.

But the words were there.

[<Ding!>]

[<New Skill Acquired: Beast Merging>]

Then the world snapped.

Something surged through his veins.

[<Ding! A strong merging desire found>]

[<Merging starting!>]

His fingers twisted, nails hardening into claws.

Fangs pierced through his gums.

Horns pushed from his skull.

His skin took on a hardened blue-gray sheen, scaled and jagged like a dragon's.

Muscles tensed—flesh tore—then reformed.

His breath deepened. His heartbeat thundered in his ears.

His pupils narrowed to slits, and the moment his eyes opened—

They glowed.

Electric blue.

He rose slowly, the ground beneath his feet scorched black.

His shadow stretched behind him—distorted, clawed, horned.

And then—he roared. Hoarse. Inhuman.

A sound that tore through the forest and sent flocks of birds scattering into the sky.

"I'LL KILL THEM ALL—!"

The world around him shivered in fear.