System's POV
chapter-252

Three years had passed since the great battle at the Valbarra Archipelago…

The sound of hurried footsteps echoed across the forest floor.

"We can't hold on much longer!" a teenage boy shouted. "All of you, run away!"

"Don't be stupid! How can we leave you behind?!" A teenage girl raised her hand to summon a Rank 2 Forest Wolf, helping the boy face off against the Rank 4 Alpha Bear that had suddenly ambushed their group from the rear.

The Forest Wolf tried to get the Bear's attention and even succeeded in doing so. However, it miscalculated the Bear's strength and speed and suffered a serious injury after being swept away by its sharp claws.

"Run!" the boy shouted as he grabbed the girl's hand, pulling her as he dashed.

Two of their members had already died from the Bear's sneak attack, leaving only the two of them behind.

The Forest Wolf tried to block the Bear's path, but it was of no use.

The Alpha Monster easily grabbed the Wolf's head and crushed it effortlessly, making the Avatar turn into particles of light.

Once an Avatar died in battle, its death was permanent, never to rise again.

But, it was still able to give the two teenagers half a minute head start to flee the Bear, who was now charging at them from behind.

'We can't outrun it,' the teenage boy thought as he heard the Bear's roars coming from behind him.

As a last desperate effort to protect his party member, he grabbed her body and used his back to shield her from the incoming blow.

But at that exact moment, a blur flew past him.

When the boy saw the fluttering blonde hair that only lasted for a few seconds, he suddenly felt hope bloom in his heart.

The teenage girl with long blonde hair threw a pouch at the bear's head, making it explode.

A red dust emerged from it, making the Rank 4 Alpha Monster roar in pain as finely sliced, dried red chili peppers exploded on its face.

"Run!" the blonde girl shouted, urging the two teenagers to run away.

The two, who had been given a second chance at life, didn't hesitate to follow her orders to run away.

The blonde-haired girl glanced at the Alpha Bear before she, too, ran away.

She didn't hesitate to escape, knowing that this was a monster far too powerful for her to face alone.

Suddenly, a loud roar spread in the forest as the Bear's brown fur suddenly changed to red.

Although it was still having a hard time opening its eyes, it made a mad dash toward the fleeing girl, who had challenged its pride and dignity.

The Bear's strength and speed increased drastically, so even if the teenage girl zigzagged through the trees in order to create an obstacle for the bear, it was of no use.

The Bear simply smashed through these trees, destroying them like a juggernaut.

She glanced behind her to look at the Bear that had gone berserk. Because of that, she didn't notice the tree root in front of her, tripping her as she ran.

The Alpha Monster, whose vision had gradually cleared, raised its paws in order to crush the Human in front of it.

Just as its claws were about to land on the girl's body, something big grabbed it from behind and pulled it away.

The girl's eyes widened in shock when she saw a Giant Skunk-like monster slam the Bear's body on the ground as if it was a wrestler.

Knowing that it was not enough, the Skunk jumped and body slammed the Bear, using its elbow to smash the Alpha Monster's face.

The two monsters tousled, grappled, and bit on each other's body, making dirt and trees fly in every direction.

While this was happening, a voice sounded in the girl's ears, making her turn her head to look behind her.

"Sister, you should always pay attention to where you are going." A ten-year-old boy, with short black hair and green eyes, knelt beside the fallen girl and used a handkerchief to clean her bleeding knee.

A moment later, he poured a healing potion over it, allowing the injury to heal at a rapid rate.

"Zion!" Shasha hugged her brother, whom she hadn't seen for three years, tightly, refusing to let him go.

"It's good to see you again, Shasha," Thirteen said as he hugged his sister, and patted her head. "Don't worry. Everything is going to be fine now."

"Z-Zion! There is a black snake on your neck!" Shasha, who noticed that a black snake was looking at her, stuttered.

Tiona was only a few centimeters away from Shasha's nose, and if she decided to bite the girl, Shasha would not be able to dodge her strike at such a close range.

But the little snake had no intention of doing so and was merely looking at the beautiful teenage girl whom her Master had called sister.

"Don't worry. She's my Beast Companion," Thirteen replied as he pulled back to lightly rub Tiona's chin with his finger. "Her name is Tiona. Tiona, this is my sister, Shasha. Please get along with her."

Tiona nodded her head and flicked her tongue in Shasha's direction, as if telling her that the two of them were now friends.

Shasha recognized that the black snake was a Domini Mortis, which was the main reason why she panicked.

But after hearing that she was her brother's Beast Companion, she finally regained her calm and looked behind her brother.

The rumbling sound had finally come to a complete stop, proving that the battle had finally ended.

The Bear was still alive, but it couldn't move because Giga Chad, in his Titan Form, was seated on its back, making sure that the Bear had nowhere to go.

"What do you want to do with the Bear, Sister?" Thirteen asked. "Do you want to kill it?"

"Yes," Shasha replied firmly. "It has killed many people, and it will continue to kill if left alone."

"Too bad, Cristopher isn't here," Thirteen muttered as he looked at the Rank 4 Alpha Monster. "Also, too bad, it's only an Alpha Monster and not a Sovereign."

If it were a Sovereign, Thirteen wouldn't hesitate to kill it since it would give him one Apocalypse Point after doing so.

Since it wouldn't give him any benefits, he decided to let his sister kill it, giving her a chance to get an item from dealing the last blow to the monster.

Thirteen was surprised when Shasha summoned a blue sword that was at the peak of the Bronze Grade.

Although it wasn't a rapier, it was slender enough to be used by a fencer like her in battle.

With a decisive thrust on the monster's eye, Shasha drove her sword deep into the monster's head, hitting its brain.

Giga had already dealt serious injuries to the Bear, so it didn't even have the strength to resist the teenage girl's thrust, which would end its life.

Half a minute later, the Bear finally breathed its last.

Giga didn't hesitate to open the Bear's chest. After retrieving its Core, he gave it to his Master.

"Good job, Giga," Thirteen praised the Chad Skunk, who, after traveling with him for three years, had evolved into a Rank 5 Sovereign.

After praising one of his most loyal companions, Thirteen handed the Core to his sister.

Shasha didn't reject her brother's gift and accepted it happily.

"Don't consume it right now," Thirteen said. "We might find a Rank 5 Monster, which will be several times better than this.

Shasha nodded in understanding, knowing that absorbing a Rank 5 Core was most ideal before breaking through the Rookie Rank.

"I don't have a place to store this Core," Shasha replied. "Hold it for me for the time being, Zion."

"Okay," Thirteen didn't hesitate to store the Core inside his storage before holding his sister's hand.

"Tell me your current situation as well as the mission that was given to you here in Solterra," Thirteen said with a solemn expression on his face.

Just like what he did with Cristopher, he would send her sister back safely to Pangea regardless of the difficulty of the mission she currently had.

Shasha had full trust in her little brother. In her heart, he was someone she respected and looked up to.

After hearing what his sister's mission was, Thirteen remained calm.

But deep inside, he felt a bit worried since Shasha's mission was quite vague.

'I guess I need to know more about her current situation,' Thirteen thought. 'Maybe that will give me a clue about how to complete her mission.'

At the same time that his sister had finished saying what her mission was, the ten-year-old heard a notification inside his head, prompting him to open his status page.

< Unique Quest! >

Quest Category: Chain Quest

Quest Name: The Thirteen Trials

< Final Trial >

— Prevent the Moon Princess from getting corrupted.

< Reward >

— Your Destiny Bond Skill will gain an upgrade.

— You will be able to summon your Beast Companions in Pangea

— You will be allowed to impart Martial Skills, as well as Rune Equipment to three people outside of your Family

— You will finally be able to return to Pangea.

Unlike the time when he was with Cristopher and the others, he didn't receive the same mission that Shasha possessed.

This only meant one thing.

'Since the rewards are quite good, I guess this is going to be another difficult mission,' Thirteen thought.

Instead of being happy, he was genuinely concerned because his mission gave him anxiety.

It was the same anxiety he felt when his Hosts were about to meet their end in the hands of people and beings who did not wish for them to exist.