We were walking in the forest. It had only been ten minutes after we were sent deep into the woods. Armored with leather armor and armed with swords, a bow, and a gun, we walked deep into the woods as we chatted with one another.

“We’ve been walking for ten minutes already, yet we still haven’t encountered a single demonic beast.”(Josh). He was swinging his sword around in boredom.

I hope we don’t encounter one at all. And I’m supposedly the strongest one here, yet I’m the one who’s scared the most. I don’t show it, though.

“They’re scared of your smell, dude.”(Mark). He said as he laughed.

“Don’t start a fight again, or else.”(Julia). Julia readied the arrow she was holding as if getting ready to shoot them if they make more noises. Should I talk about something, I wondered.

“Ahem. It’s a good thing that the weather was good again today, isn’t it?”(Daniel). I wonder if this is enough to start a conversation until we encounter a demonic beast. This should distract us from boredom, and for me, my anxiousness.

“Ugh, the weather is good, yeah, but it's scorching hot here, is that better for you?”(Josh). He complained right after I talked.

‘Hot? Him? Hot? This guy’s whole appearance’s basically shouting that he has a bloodline related to fire, yet he's hot? Or am I wrong?

“Josh, you have a fire-related bloodline, don’t you? Why are you hot?”(Daniel). I’m trying to trap him with my words if he’s really got a fire-related bloodline. He’s unpredictable. That’s why I need a safety plan to counter him when needed.

“What?! Are you stalking me or something? That’s disgusting!”(Josh). He looked at me with disgust while covering his chest with both of his arms.

“What!?”(Julia). I don’t know why Julia’s shocked, but she was looking at me with betrayed expression. I felt Mark distance himself from me, while Cassey has a bright face with her smile reaching her ears.

“I wasn’t! Look at him! His whole appearance is basically shouting that ‘Hey! Look at me! I’m a fire boy!’. Now tell me that I’m wrong.”(Daniel). I said with an embarrassed face. Seriously, what did they just thought of me.

Cassey’s face returned to her boorish expression while Mark was still in the distance.

“Oh, now that you think about it. Good guy Daniel, I didn’t know you had it in you.”(Julia). She patted my hair like I was a dog, but she didn’t stop. She only got rougher and rougher.

“Hey! Stop it.”(Daniel). I shrugged off her hands away from my hair.

“Omg, your hair. It’s so soft. Why haven’t I petted you before.”(Julia). She was looking at her hands with a shocked and perverted expression. This woman’s bad news, I thought.

“Back off, oka-“(Daniel). Suddenly more hands went to my hair, touching, pulling, and petting them. It was Cassey, Josh, and Mark. I pulled my head towards the ground, evading and shrugging their hands off.

“Wha-What the hell?”(Daniel). My hair was ruined. It was all over the place. My hair now looks like the mushroom cloud when a bomb is detonated. They're all just looking at their hands, also shocked.

“Is that your bloodline? Hair soft something something?”(Josh). He said without looking at me.

“Omgggg, your hair, it feels so soft! What conditioner do you use? I have to try that toooo!”(Cassey). Her eyes were sparkling.

“Duuude. What is that hair made of? Are you secretly a sheep? You’re a sheep hybrid, aren’t you?”(Mark)

“Shut up, dude. Look what all of you have done to my hair. I look like some hobo now.”(Daniel). I try to fix my hair with both of my hands.

“Come here. I’ll fix it for you.”(Julia). She got closer to me, but when she’s about to reach my hair, I brushed off her hands.

“Don’t even think about it. I know what you’re planning.”(Daniel). I squinted my eyes on her, clearly telling her that I’m not buying it.

“Let’s just continue walking.”(Daniel). I continue to walk. It would really be better if we encounter something right now.

‘Maybe I should wear a hat or something after we get back.’(Daniel). I thought.

Ten minutes had passed when we finally managed to encounter a demonic beast. It was a demonic boar, and It is smaller than a regular one. After we spotted the beast, we quickly hid in the bushes close to us.

It was bigger than a regular boar, almost two times the size. It has four eyes, two of both sides, and on top of that, it has a horns on top of its forehead and two razor-sharp tusk-like teeth sticking out of its mouth. In class, we were taught that the more horn it has, the stronger it becomes.

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“Hah! Finally!”(Josh)

“Dude, can you whisper.”(Mark)

“Shhh.”(Julia)

“What’s our first move, Jul?”(Daniel). I asked as I get ready to pound on the beast.

“Jul? Ahem. Cassey, shoot its right front leg. I’ll shoot the right-back one.”(Julia). She then looked at me, Josh, and Mark.

“The three of you will attack after we shot.”(Julia). All the three of us nodded in response at the same time.

“Okay, In 3.. 2.. 1..”(Julia). She shot her arrow, and Cassey also fired her hand pistol with a suppressor.

“Go!”(Julia)

I went to its front, while Josh and Mark went to its sides. By this time, we had already fortified ourselves and our weapons. I didn’t attack after getting close to it. I need to be cautious of its horn. Once either of them got its attention, I’ll attack too.

‘Josh’s sword is glowing with fire. Is that his bloodline’s power?’(Daniel). I thought. Unlike us regular Enhancers, those with bloodline don’t need anyone to teach them their bloodline’s power. They either learn them naturally, or their kin will teach them.

“Josh, attack it first. It’ll distract it. Once you attack, we’ll pound too. Julia and Cassey will support us.”(Daniel)

“Un!”(Josh). He nodded.

“DIEEEEEEEE!!!”(Josh). He shouted as he attacked the demonic boar. He successfully managed to attract its attention.

“Josh, next time, don’t shout. It’s annoying and will only attract unwanted attention.”(Julia). She said as she shot another arrow on the boar’s head.

“SHUT UP! I DO WHAT I WANT!”(Josh). He attacked again.

Mark and I attacked its sides. Although it managed to see and blocked me, it didn’t manage to stop Mark’s blade.

Josh attacked again when it whaled from pain. Cassey shot on its head. She made sure to fortify the bullets first. She managed to hit the head and pierce its eye.

The beast didn’t fall. Instead, it only gets stronger. It’s raging from anger.

‘This isn’t good.’(Daniel). I thought as I stacked my fortification on myself.

“All three of us need to take this beast down before it gets too wild.”(Daniel). I rushed towards its head. I decided that I’ll tank its attacks.

“Daniel, Be careful!”(Julia)

With me attacking its head, blocking its sight, and distracting its attention Josh and mark continued attacking its sides, and when it turns towards them, I followed.

When it attacks me with its teeth and horn, I step back and block with my sword. This is also when they start pounding it like crazy, making its attack weaker with less momentum. We continued this cycle for five minutes until it was powerless enough to stop attacking and started wobbling. This was when we decided that we’ll focus on the attack more. A couple of minutes later, it finally fell.

“huff… huff. Huff gasp.” We pant in simultaneously.

Then I felt a weird sensation. I don’t know how to describe it. Or where to pinpoint it. I didn’t mind much of it, though. It went away afterward. And I also felt stronger than before, so maybe it was normal.

“Fi-finally we did it. Daniel, I misjudged you. I didn’t think you had it in you.”(Josh). He was on his butt as he looked towards me and talked.

“Yeah, dude, I thought you’re going to be in the way. I didn’t expect you to take the lead. Except for Josh, I still think that you sucked. AHaha”(Mark)

“You. Ahaha.”(Josh). Josh didn’t argue but started laughing with Mark. He was probably too tired to start arguing with Mark.

“Good job, Daniel.”(Julia)

Unlike the three of us, both Julia and Cassey weren’t that exhausted.

“What do we do with its body, though? I heard that a demonic beast’s body could be sold for materials.”(Daniel). I looked at its big body, maybe we could sell it, but we don’t have the means for transportation.

“You could, but low ranking demonic beasts’ material is incredibly cheap. The association has soldiers to keep the stock in the market really high for low-ranking demonic beasts’ materials. It would be better if you take an extermination mission instead.”(Josh)

“I see.”(Daniel)

“We did a good job.”(Julia)

“If it weren’t for my precision, all of us would have been killed.”(Cassey). She bragged as she puffed out her chest.

“What do we do with the body? If we leave it alone, it might attract demonic wolves.”(Daniel). I asked Julia.

“I honestly don’t know. We can’t bury it as it takes too much time. Burning it inside a forest isn’t a good idea.”(Julia). She pondered.

“I can burn it without causing a forest fire.”(Josh). Josh got up and went towards the body. A moment later, the body caught on fire and started burning. But we can’t feel any warmth from it.

“Why can’t I feel any heat coming from it?”(Cassey)

“It only burns the target. Even if you touch it, you won't get any burn.”(Josh). He said with a prideful face.

‘Being an ME must really feel incredibly good. Being able to surpass the majority of Enhancers with just your bloodline’s power.’ I thought to myself.

“That’s crazy dude, I envy you. I’m still against you being the leader, though.”(Mark). Unlike earlier, they both seemed not to hate each other as much as before. Is this what they say? Enemies becoming friends in the face of danger? Something like that.

I asked Julia what her bloodline is. She said she could control her blood as a weapon or shield. This makes her a manipulator while also focusing on body enhancement. Josh is also in the same boat.

“Let’s take a rest first, and then we continue hunting.”(Julia). She said as she sat down on the ground beside me.

“Daniel, you have a cut!”(Julia). She noticed the wound at the side of my body. I didn’t feel it because of the Regeneration Spell’s effect, slowly regenerating it and acting as a mild pain killer. The injury will probably disappear in about half of an hour from now.

“It’s alright, and it will disappear soon.”(Daniel)

“Okay, but if it started hurting, tell me, okay?”(Julia)

“What? It will heal in an hour or something. Don’t worry too much.”(Daniel). I reassured her.

“Wow, can the both of you not flirt here. There’s a time and place for things like this.”(Cassey). She crossed her arms.

“Ugh, this is the norm for the both of them. No matter where they are, in the classroom or in the cafeteria, doesn’t matter where. They would sometimes disappear by themselves too. Get used to it.”(Josh)

“Dang dude, nice.”(Mark)

“Don’t make it sounds so weird! We always go out and buy some stuff, usually ice cream. But, I would be the one who will always pay for everything. I didn’t even manage to buy a phone yet, but now I’m broke.”(Daniel)

Julia suddenly hit me in my wound.

“Ouch!”(Daniel)

“You have it rough, dude.”(Mark)

“Romantic”(Cassey)

This weird conversation continued for five more minutes. After we recovered our strengths, we started hunting for demonic boars again as they are easy to kill. Hours later, we finished hunting our ninth demonic boar with two demonic foxes. After we killed the last one, I felt something weird again. It was the same feeling I felt earlier, right after we killed the first boar.

The feeling got stronger and stronger, and then out of nowhere. Something appeared in front of me in thin air.

-Reached Level 3. Unlocking system’s visual-

Then, I fell on my butt.