My Tribrid System.

Cornering the beast with a blood wall, Tahir was able to halt its movement as John moved at lightning speed to execute his plan again. Immediately, the trap was set, and a large explosion went off, bigger than the first. The beast was injured, and Tahir saw his opportunity to use his sword, activating his technique.

"One sword style: painless slash," Tahir muttered as he let the slash go.

The attack was too fast for the beast to notice it had been hit. The beast charged again, but with each movement, it grew weaker until it collapsed, unable to walk anymore.

"Don't worry, I'll make your death painless," Tahir said as he delivered a slash fast enough to decapitate the beast.

"You used the bone poison, right?" John asked as he walked toward the beast.

"Yeah," Tahir replied, already checking his stat screen.

[Quest completed successfully]

[Reward: Instant level up]

[Additional reward: 20 Exp and a new blood skill]

"This is good," Tahir thought to himself.

John was using his dagger to cut through the beast until he reached the core, where he found the crystal and took it.

"Here, take this. You deserve it," John said, tossing the crystal to Tahir.

"Nah, I think it's yours. You've been tracking this beast for a long time. It doesn't seem right for me to take it," Tahir said, walking toward John.

"I have a lot of Legendary Tier crystals. Keep this one," John said as he packed his tent.

"We're leaving. We've stayed long enough," John added, finishing his packing.

"Thanks. You said you've got a lot of crystals. Can I have some? I can buy them if you want to sell," Tahir said.

"Sell? That's a good idea, but no. You're my student, so I'll just give them to you," John replied.

"So how exactly are we going back?" Tahir asked.

John didn't answer. He pulled out a teleportation device, typed in coordinates, and opened a portal. He signaled for Tahir to step in. Tahir entered, and John followed suit.

"I need to check my stats later," Tahir thought as he headed back to his dorm.

---

Back at the Shadow Fang Dojo…

"Master, Tahir just reached out to me. He said he'd be coming back during the military holiday," a man who was Tahir's personal assistant told the leader with a respectful bow.

"That's good news. We'll prepare for his return. I can't wait to see how strong he's grown," the master said with a smirk.

"I'll tell everyone to prepare immediately," the assistant replied, bowing before leaving.

"Tahir, I hope you've grown strong enough. Your assassin training isn't finished yet," the master thought to himself.

---

Back at the organization where Cassy worked…

"When is that good-for-nothing girl bringing the swords?" one of the organization leaders asked.

"She said when they go on break, which I believe is two weeks from now," another leader replied.

The first leader stood up and walked around the room thoughtfully before giving his orders. "Send some of our capable people after Tahir's friends. They should not attack until given orders, but they should monitor them closely. Follow them wherever they go, even back to their hometowns. Let's see if we can uncover anything interesting."

"Understood. I'll send the best we have," the second leader said, nodding before walking off to carry out the orders.

---

As Tahir made his way back to the academy, he couldn't shake off the feeling that he and his friends were being watched. His heightened senses, a result of all his struggles and training, had been on edge for the past few days. Every time he turned a corner, he felt eyes on him. It wasn't paranoia—it was experience. He knew the sensation well enough by now.

There were people following them, and he needed to do something about it.

His thoughts drifted to the countless battles he'd fought, not just on the battlefield but within the school itself. He'd faced challenges that pushed him beyond his limits, had to deal with those who resented his abilities, and survived being hunted by both enemies and so-called allies. His fight with the beast today was nothing compared to the constant battle for survival he'd faced in school.

The pressure had been relentless, and at times, it felt like the school wasn't a place to learn but a cage, a battleground where only the strong survived.

Tahir clenched his fists, thinking of the recent fight and how his struggles had brought him to this moment. That beast was nothing compared to what he'd been through. The fight had been brutal, but so had everything leading up to it. His life had been forged in blood and pain.

And now, someone was targeting him and his friends. He couldn't allow that to happen.

As these thoughts raced through his mind, he sent out a quick message to his group, arranging a meeting. Soon, he found himself standing outside, waiting for Cassy, Esha, Zahra, Jude, and Kris. As they approached, he gave them a nod.

"Tahir, you're finally back!" Cassy greeted, smiling.

"Yeah, it's good to see you all again," Tahir said. "I've been busy, but I've got something I wanted to share with you all."

They found a quiet spot and sat down. After catching up, Tahir got to the point.

"We've got a problem. I've noticed that we've been followed recently. Someone's keeping an eye on us, and I don't know who they are yet. But we need a way to stay in touch without relying on the academy's system," he explained.

His friends exchanged worried glances. "You're sure?" Jude asked, his face tense.

Tahir nodded firmly. "I'm sure. So, I came up with a solution."

He pulled out a set of wrist tags, almost identical to the school's tags but modified. He handed them to each of his friends.

"What's this?" Zahra asked, inspecting hers closely.

"It's a replica of the school's wrist tag, but I've tweaked it. These are only linked between us and aren't connected to the academy's system. We can use them to communicate privately, no matter where we are. It'll keep us connected, especially if things go south."

"How did you pull this off?" Jude asked, curious.

Tahir shrugged with a grin. "It's just something I could do. Don't worry, it'll help us stay connected when we need it most."

The group exchanged glances, clearly impressed. Kris gave a small nod. "This is a good idea, Tahir. We'll need it, especially with everything going on."

"Why do you think someone's following us?" Esha asked, her voice tinged with concern.

"I don't know yet," Tahir replied, his expression darkening. "But it's only a matter of time before we find out. We just need to stay prepared."

They spent the next hour discussing their plans—how to avoid attention, their next steps, and how they'd manage if something went wrong. Tahir made sure to keep the focus on staying united and ready for whatever came next.

As they wrapped up their conversation, Tahir stood up. "I've got to head out. I have a few things to take care of before the day's over."

"All right," Cassy said. "Stay safe."

Tahir nodded and walked off, his mind now focused on what lay ahead—meeting his master, but before that, he needed to create armor, and he was going to use the crystal given to him by John.

Tahir made his way to the forger's smith shop located within the academy grounds. The familiar scent of burning coal and hot metal filled the air as he stepped inside, where the rhythmic clang of hammers against metal echoed off the walls. The shop was a hub of activity, with students working diligently at their stations, each immersed in their own forging projects.

The smith, a burly man with soot-smudged hands and a friendly demeanor, looked up as Tahir entered. "Ah, Tahir! It's good to see you back. What brings you to my humble shop today?"

"I need to forge something," Tahir replied, his voice steady. "I'd like to use your equipment."

The smith raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "That's no problem, but it'll cost you a few credits for the materials and the use of my tools. How much are you willing to pay?"

Tahir reached into his pocket, pulling out his credit card. After typing in some amount of money, he showed the man his wrist tag. "Will this be enough?"

The smith examined the amount and nodded. "That should do nicely. Just remember to respect the equipment and don't waste any materials. We've got a lot of students coming in and out, and I can't afford to lose supplies."

"Understood," Tahir said, determination coursing through him as he melted the iron while preparing his crystals. It was time to forge and memories of some of his product back at the dojo was flowing to his head as he couldn't help but smile.

The scent of the melting iron was even more intriguing as he was monitoring The metal so as not to over melt it.