[Flashback]
"Pst! Hello."
"Kaito, wake up, dude wake up."
"…and that is precisely why they're called colored weaponry. Odd name, sure, but sufficient enough for those who didn't pay attention in class… like Sir Kaito over there."
The whole class erupted with laughter right after.
Kaito slowly lifted his head from his crossed arms, blinking away the haze. The teacher's mockery slid off him like it always did. It had become routine, almost scheduled. He straightened in his chair and forced his focus forward, jaw tightening as he tried to salvage what little dignity remained.
Unfortunately, late night training had worn him out. As a Zero Grader the only thing he relied on is extraordinary physical endurance and knowledge. With those intact, trait less or not, he believed he could still catch up with the others.
"I tried to wake you, boy you snore like a lion."
To his left side sat someone familiar, Haruka. But this time her hair was short, tide with a red ribbon forcing her blonde hair behind.
Just as always her school uniform was neatly worn, standing out as one the most popular girls in the school.
"Is that so?"
"Would you please pay attention in class." the teacher yelled.
"Sorry!"
"As I was saying," the teacher continued, pacing, "Corrupted Core Spirits evolve at a rate far faster than human beings. Every single day, they hunt one another, eliminating the weak. Meanwhile, humanity grows slower. Weaker."
"What are you trying to say, that they can surpass us." one of the students asked with ignorance.
"Don't ask me, go say that to the one who wrote this textbook. Biologist Onward Binglem was one of the scientists who studied the nature of the Corrupted Core Spirits. Page Three hundred and forty one, Chapter four, Section five, shows an illustration of "The Life-Cycle of a Corrupted Core Spirit."
"Firs-"
"Psst!....Haruka."
"Huh?"
"I kinda forgot my textbook."
Without negotiations Haruka slid her desk next to Kaito's. Sharing the same textbook that displayed this cycle the teacher is yepping about.
On top of the cycle was a deceased body of a human. As obvious as every student in the class knew, the body ends up disintegrating, the ash ends up forming the flesh of a Corrupted Core Spirit. Followed by something that made the whole class to exchange whispers and glares.
A tall creature that took the form of a human, tall, shady, and a enormous hole that seemed impossible for the creature to be still living.
[Present]
"A Hollow."
Indeed, the rumbling of the herd must have been a ritual that activated negative energy that allowed the to merge. Counting was unnecessary, it was pretty obvious there where thousands of Corrupted Core Spirits forming the herd. If they did merge, if that creature standing infront of Kaito, really is a the herd that always made him terrified, his in big trouble.
He clenched his hand, tightening his jaws as realization struck.
"No wait."
Something else doesn't seem well. Thousands of Corrupted Core Spirits fused, most of them possessed energy words could explain, and yet now this creature down there lack the Core energy. Could it be the enormous hole in it's chest, or maybe it's suppressing energy.
"But why?"
That isn't important right now, retreating immediately is the number one priority.
CRACK!
"Huh?"
Something has fallen from cliff, resulting in a cracky sound. The creature turned at the direction of the sound witnessing a fallen rock. Then it slowly raised it's head upwards noticing Kaito's presence.
Kaito blinked, and he regretted doing so. The moment his eyelids shut, opening them to witness the creature up close.
"Grrrrhh.." it growled.
"What tha-"
The two beings stared at each other up close, just from it's expression, it was very clear it needed to test it's new power.
BOOM! The ground exploded. Stone shattered where he'd been standing, the shockwave flinging him backward, his shoulder slammed into a rock, vision bursting white at the edges. As dust settled down, he was sitted down against the boulder he crashed onto coughing blood. Such terrifying speed, it all happened before he even noticed.
The creature's arm was buried in the ground, fingers sunk deep into the surface as if it were soft. It pulled easily slowly, fragments raining down, mixing with the fog. So that's how strong it is. Supressing it's energy in order to gain super extraordinary strength.
Kaito pulled himself upwards, right hand placed on his left arm. He raised his right hand, blue aura flickering weakly, like a flame in wind. The creature noticed the glow. It leaned forward, hands swinging forward then vanished.
"Damm*t it"
He was slammed into the ground from the ground, the impact driving the air out of his lungs.
An unimaginable pain detonatted through his back as the surface cracked beneath him. He barely managed to roll before the secong strike caved inn the spot where his head had been. He immediately scrambled up, avoid an assault that was suppose to stab his ribs.
Double Dash!
He immediately retreated far enough to make a distance between them. The creature's presence crushed him down, staring at the creature was more suffocating than when it was a herd.
Blue energy flared around Kaito's hands, but without enough time to concentrate on perfectly honing it, it flared weaker and unstable. The creature was already on the move, it's massive frame blurring as it closed the distance with terrifying speed.
He slammed his palm into the ground.
BOOM!
Blue energy detonated outward in a crude shockwave, tearing the ground in order to make a smokescreen of dust. Buying enough time to cross his forearms just in time, blocking the creature's assault.
CRACK!
He clenched his fist, managing to uppercut it felt hopeful, but it only made things more difficult.
"GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHH!"
"Huh-?"
An enormous amount of pain rushed through his stomach as the hollow gave him a powerful kick that sent shockwaves along the battlefield. "GAH-!" The impact sent him flying jerkily backwards, crushing onto a boulder that cracked the minute he landed.
[-64 HP]
His HP dropped violently, blurring his vision and almost losing consciousness. It had no energy, yet every movement felt like a moving thunder. On top of that there has to be something that hole represents, what does it do? The hollow took a step closer, swaying it's arms in circles.
"That doesn't look good."
It lunged, tearing through with unimaginable speed, hands swaying even faster.
Kaito activated "Double Dash", blue aura surging through out his body, managing to keep up with the creature's speed, they both met head on. The swaying right hand that was suppose to tore Kaito's arm, had been avoided just in time, the fist that was suppose to hurt didn't put even a scratch.
Blows exchange quickly than the human eye can catch, as obvious as it seemed they where evenly match in speed, or did they.
Red aura began glowing around the creature, boosting it's speed, outmatching Kaito in all attributes. "It activated double dash?" Speed, was suppose an obvious answer for what it just did. But it seemed it's strength had also improved.
Double dash is skill that temporary gives the user two times their average speed only. As for strength it's something unheard-of, meaning the Hollow might had increased it's speed and strength.
BAM!
Kaito landed an energy ball that exploded immediately upon impact.
Tri-ring!
[Core Energy:1/100]
Silence followed, enough to make Kaito satisfied, with his energy drained, he won't stand a chance.
"Is..it dead?!"
ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOARRR!!!!
Anger twisted its features, the red pinpricks of it's eyes burning brighter. It's roaring made the ground shake, Corrupted Core Spirits near retreated far from the battlefield.
Kaito haven't learn his lesson about blinking during a battle this risky, the end results of blinking came out rather painfully.
He couldn't tell where the pain came from, his whole body burned as if he were on fire. Crimson ichor spat from his mouth, neither his legs or arms bother to respond, blood sprang as the creature freely pulled it's arm from Kaito's back. He collapsed onto the ground, finger baarely twitching as the system's interface revealed how fatigue had invaded.
That was it, hell was finally calling for him. All that grinding, hiding, refusing to give up in a place everyone believe was inhabitable, was all just for nothing. He was now sure ,he did the right thing to do by avoiding the herd after all. The first time he set foot here, he was nothing but a worthless "Zero Grader".
To be honest, being left in the Corrupted lands has woken his eyes. In this world power meant everything, the weak are eliminated, making room for the strong. And the strong grow stronger by eliminating strongest. Just as "The Core Weilders Society " they use the weak and decide whether they are worth it or not.
The modern government has grown corrupted and crew, compared to what's happening out here, nothing is different. Kaito wanted to grow strong, strong enough to protect his loved ones. Strong enough to be recognized as someone worth the life of a "Core Weilder". Strong enough to make enough money to pay for Mira's school fees.
Mira?
That's right he never got to tell her goodbye. If he dies here, who will look after her, who will she be left with?
WOOOOSH!
The Hollow turned back as it was about to leave, it's eyes catching what shouldn't be possible.
Kaito's body violently jerked upright, boots barely touching the ground. He shone bright, too bright, blinding the creature's vision as he placed his hands together, green distored energy surged immediately, swallowing the Hollow whole until nothing is left. The blinding light disappeared right after, Kaito's body fell slowly as if something is pulling him down.
"W..what just happened?"
Before he could ask himself anymore questions, the system blinked immediately enough to catch his attention.
Tri-ting!
[Corrupted Core Spirit eliminated]
[+500 Corrupted Souls]
"No way."
Yes way, he received a price that he deserves. All that hard work really wasn't just for nothing.
Although expected the reward to be one "Corrupted Soul" or at least five this is just way too much. Thus, with this amount of income he can buy both weaponry and the ring. "Hm."
His body laid down the ground, too tired to move as fatigue had coated him. His injuries somehow recovered, not fully though, but enough to stop losing too much blood.
His lips finally remembered how to smile.