My Tribrid System.

"I see, in other words, you used Qi to sense its aura," Tahir asked.

"There is something bigger than Qi, something greater, but I think it's not time yet," John answered while standing up. "By the way, the beast is close," he added.

"How did you know?" Tahir asked.

"I set up Qi traps—traps that triggered a lot while coming. They're not for attack but rather to tell me when someone is close."

"Wow, that's cool. Think you can teach me that?" Tahir asked.

"Yeah, that is if we survive this fight. Before you can join me on this hunt, I need to know how strong you are. How much of your power did you use fighting Arcane, and how much did you use against your master?" John asked with a serious tone.

"When I fought my master, I started with 50% and then moved up to 100%. After the fight with him, I promised I'd never ask Silver for help again unless it's a life-or-death situation. In short, I used nothing less than 30% of my power on Arcane," Tahir answered.

'What... He is stronger than I think,' John thought.

John thought.

"Did your master go all out?" John inquired.

"No, he didn't. The only reason I could get the upper hand was the bone poison and Qi overload. Even if Silver and I fought him together, we would lose woefully," Tahir said seriously.

"Can you use your blood poison at will, or is every drop of your blood a poison?" John asked.

"That's personal. I was trained to not trust anyone. I'm afraid I can't answer that. But don't worry, I wouldn't poison you. And even if I did, the antidote would always be with me," Tahir replied.

"Release your aura a little; let your power seep out—50% of it," John instructed.

Sigh, "I hope this is your last request," Tahir replied as he let go of his concealment a little. The entire atmosphere felt thick, and the weak beasts around were finding it hard to breathe as they all raced for safety.

"This aura... this is dark; this is pain," John said, surprised yet unfazed by the thick aura. And this isn't Qi he's releasing? Does he not know about it?

"Hey, Tahir, did they teach you and Silver Kengen?" John asked.

"No, what's that?" Tahir replied.

Ahh, so he's doing it unconsciously, John thought. "It's nothing; I'll tell you when it's time," he told Tahir.

"Then don't ask me anything you're not going to teach me, old man," Tahir said, a little annoyed.

"Let's have enough rest. Tomorrow we'll set out to get the beast," John said as he gestured for Tahir to get inside the tent.

---

Back at the Academy

"Hey, have you seen Tahir?" Kris asked Esha as he saw her heading to her dorm.

"No, I haven't, but I'm sure he's fine," Esha answered.

"I just checked John's office and can't find him," Kris said while walking off.

Kris and Esha were discussing when two ability users started to surround them.

"What is all this nonsense?" Kris asked angrily.

"Nothing, we don't want trouble; we just want to know who the devil is. Don't give us a crappy excuse about not knowing anything about him. You see, someone is offering a large sum of money for whoever can reveal the devil's real name," one of the attackers said.

"I see, so this is what all this is about," Kris replied.

"Yes, so once you give us his identity, we'll let you and the weak girl go," another attacker added.

"Hell no! I don't know the devil, and even if I did, do you think I'd betray my comrade?" Kris answered.

"You brought this upon yourself," one of the attackers said as fireballs started to rain down.

Lifting her hand, Esha created a barrier just in time to protect herself and Kris. Seeing this, one of the attackers went to attack from behind her. Not wanting to let his opponent have the upper hand, Kris moved at top speed to intercept him.

Not wanting to give his opponent the advantage, Kris swiftly evaded the fireballs. Everyone was surprised he wasn't using the same ability he had in the competition—everyone except Esha, who knew how it worked. Kris hadn't touched any ability user except Esha. Right now, he was left with only a defensive ability and no offense.

Reaching his opponent, Kris quickly moved behind him and delivered a strong punch to his head, knocking him down.

"Yes! I've successfully touched him," Kris thought.

Kris had just successfully touched an earth ability user, granting him earth and mud.

Mud was actually the opposite because earth is just hardened soil combined with rock.

Filling the entire area with mud, everyone was taken aback. No one had seen an ability like that before. The attackers were confused, and that was all Kris needed to win. Signaling to Esha, she pushed the reach of her barrier further and slammed it into the two attackers in front of her. The force was too much, and both were slammed right into the wall.

Kris already had his target in sight and immediately used his earth ability, sending earth discs at his opponent. The impact from the discs was overwhelming, knocking him out as well.

"I won't warn you again: whoever tries to attack us won't be as lucky as these ones. I'll make sure to kill you, and it would be an act of self-defense," Kris announced, anger filling his tone.

The attackers helped themselves up and retreated.

"What is wrong with everyone? I'm here worrying about Tahir, and all they want is to identify who the devil is?" Kris asked no one in particular.

"Let's head toward the others; they might have a way out of this madness," Esha said as they both walked away.

"Yes, sir. Master Kris is still in the school, and so far he hasn't told anyone our family secrets," a masked man said, monitoring Kris from a dark alley.

Tahir was jolted awake as John signaled for him to cover his mouth while pointing outside. Immediately, Tahir peered outside and saw a large bull beast with dark crimson eyes.

"The beast came faster than anticipated. We have to be extra careful, or we're dead," John said silently.

Tahir just nodded.

[New Quest: Defeat Legendary Tier Beast]

[Reward: Instant Level Up]

Immediately, Tahir saw this, and his eyes flickered as a golden opportunity presented itself.

"We have to take it down before it evolves or finds us. But first, we need to find a way to draw its attention elsewhere," Tahir whispered to John.

Understanding Tahir, John triggered one of his explosive traps, and the explosion drew the beast's attention.

How many traps can that old man set? Tahir thought to himself.

The beast roared and charged toward where the explosion came from.

"Now!" Tahir muttered as he took off. John followed suit, not wanting to waste time, and ran past the beast, trying to grab it by its horn. Tahir used his strength to lift the beast, but it was stronger. Lifting its head, the beast slammed Tahir into the ground. Just as it was about to step on him, John set off another trap. Once again, the beast turned toward the explosion.

Tahir seized the opportunity, pushing himself up and running after the beast.

"Wait, Tahir!" John called as he ran alongside him. "Can you stall the beast? I want to try to set my Qi trap on it," John added.

"Yes, I'll try to hold it down for at least two minutes," Tahir said.

John and Tahir went separate ways as Tahir ran in front of the beast, activating a blood wall while infusing Qi into it.

The beast slammed its head into the blood wall, surprised by its strength.

"Now!" Tahir screamed as John immediately appeared beside the beast, placing his hands on its legs and stomach.

Immediately, Tahir shifted from the beast's side as John triggered the traps. A loud explosion echoed, and the entire area was covered in smoke, accompanied by the large groans of the angry beast.

"Is it dead?" John asked, and Tahir shook his head. He could tell the beast was still alive because the quest was still active.

"Prepare yourself for the attack," John said. The beast moved fast from the smoke, charging toward John and Tahir.

"It's fast!" Tahir muttered.

Sidestepping, Tahir managed to evade the attack, but something else happened: the attack somehow reflected, leaving Tahir with a deep cut.

"What? I could swear I dodged that attack," Tahir said as he held his injury while his vampire nature kicked in.

"I see. The beast has an ability; it can create an illusion before an attack," John observed.

He looked at Tahir, who nodded in response.

Tahir had already used his God's Eye.

[Race: Bull Beast]

[HP: 49/70]

[Ability: Strong Illusion: Can use this ability to fake an attack]

[Type: Legendary Tier Beast: On the brink of evolution]

"John, can you create more traps?" Tahir asked.

"Yes, but I need an opening," John answered.

"Get ready then!" Tahir said as he prepared for the beast's attack once more.