Beast Master: Hard Mode

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Chapter 6 Level One, Finally (And Also Almost Electrocuted)

Kai was deep in a dream about instant noodles when a loud crash jolted him awake.

He sat up so fast that his head hit the low ceiling, and a wave of pain shot through his skull. Pugzooka, who had been sleeping on Kai's feet, rolled off the cot and landed on the floor with a soft thump.

"What the—" Kai rubbed his head and looked around.

Another crash came from the main shop area, followed by a low groan.

Kai didn't think. He grabbed Pugzooka—who was still half-asleep and very confused—and ran out of the storage room.

The sight that greeted him made his heart stop.

Old Man Heston was lying on the wooden floor near a table that had been knocked over. His face was pale, and his breathing was shallow. A few glass jars had fallen and shattered around him, spreading colorful powders across the floor.

"Old man!" Kai dropped Pugzooka and rushed to the old man's side. "What happened? Are you okay?"

Pugzooka landed on his feet and shook himself awake. "Did someone die? Please tell me no one died. I'm too tired for funerals."

Heston tried to speak, but only a weak wheeze came out. His hand trembled as he pointed toward the table.

Kai looked up and saw a piece of paper lying on the table, held down by a small jar of dried mushrooms. He grabbed it and read the words written in rough, messy handwriting.

"Old man. You haven't paid for months. We took the girl. She stays with us until you pay 300 silver coins. Don't try anything stupid. — Rino."

Kai read the note twice, then a third time. His blood ran cold.

"They took Mira," Kai said, his voice quiet.

Pugzooka hopped onto the table and read the note upside down. "Three hundred silver? That's... that's a lot of money, isn't it?"

"It's an impossible amount," Kai said.

He helped Heston sit up and guided him to a nearby chair. The old man's hands were shaking, and his eyes looked wet, though no tears fell.

"When did this happen?" Kai asked.

Heston took a deep breath and steadied himself. "Earlier. While we were sleeping. They must have broken in through the back." His voice cracked. "I didn't even hear them. I'm old. I'm useless."

"You're not useless," Kai said firmly.

"Then why did they take my daughter?" Heston buried his face in his hands. "I couldn't protect her. I couldn't do anything."

Kai waited a moment, then asked the question that mattered. "Who is Rino?"

Heston looked up, and his face twisted with anger and fear. "A thug. A bully. He's been terrorizing Dustwell for the past two years. He and his gang go from shop to shop, demanding 'protection money.' If you pay, they leave you alone. If you don't..." He gestured at the broken jars and the overturned table. "This happens."

"And Mira?" Kai asked.

"Collateral," Heston said bitterly. "He takes something valuable to make sure you pay. Sometimes goods. Sometimes..." He couldn't finish the sentence.

Kai clenched his fists. "Where is he? Where does Rino stay?"

Heston shook his head slowly. "Don't even think about it, boy. Rino is a Beast Master. A strong one. He has fifteen beasts under his command, and his men are just as dangerous. You can't just walk in there and demand Mira back."

"So what do we do?" Kai asked. "We can't just leave her there."

"We pay," Heston said. "Three hundred silver. I have some savings. Not enough, but maybe... maybe I can borrow from the other shopkeepers."

"How long will that take?"

"Weeks. Maybe months."

Kai looked at the note again. "And Mira stays with them that whole time?"

Heston didn't answer. He didn't have to.

Kai felt something rise in his chest. It wasn't anger, exactly. It was something heavier. He barely knew Mira. She had been nothing but rude to him since he arrived. She called him names, glared at him, and made it very clear she wanted him gone.

But she didn't deserve this. No one did.

"I want to help," Kai said.

Heston looked at him with tired eyes. "You can't, boy. You're new. You have one beast, and that beast is the size of a shoe."

"I'm standing right here," Pugzooka murmured. Neither of them heard him.

"Then tell me how to get stronger," Kai said. "How does a Beast Master become strong enough to fight someone like Rino?"

Heston was quiet for a long moment. Then he sighed. "Leveling up. That's the only way. When your beast fights and wins, both the beast and the master gain experience. They level up. They get stronger."

Kai leaned forward. "Stronger how? Like... superhuman strength? Can I punch through walls? Shoot fire from my hands?"

Heston almost smiled. "Nothing that dramatic happens instantly. But your body improves. Faster reflexes. More endurance. Your senses sharpen. And your beast gains new abilities or upgrades the ones they already have."

"So if Pugzooka fights and wins enough times, I'll get stronger?"

"Exactly."

Kai looked at Pugzooka. The little beast was sitting on the table, licking his paw like a cat.

"Did you hear that?" Kai asked him. "You need to fight."

"I heard," Pugzooka said into Kai's ear. "I also heard him call me the size of a shoe. That hurt my feelings."

"Your feelings can recover later. We need to level up."

Heston stood up slowly, using the table for support. His legs were still shaky, but his eyes had a new determination. "I know a place. A forest on the edge of town where weak beasts gather. It's where new Beast Masters go to learn."

Kai stood up too. "Let's go."

"Right now?" Heston asked. "It's the middle of the night."

"Mira doesn't have time for us to sleep," Kai said.

Heston stared at him for a long moment. Then he nodded. "You're a strange kid, Kai. But I'm starting to like you."

"Everyone does," Kai said.

"No one does," Pugzooka face said so.

-

An hour later, the three of them stood at the edge of a small forest just outside Dustwell. The moon was high and bright, casting silver light through the trees.

Heston carried a lantern and a walking stick. Kai carried Pugzooka, who was complaining about being woken up twice in one night.

"This is animal cruelty," Pugzooka muttered. "I need sleep. I'm growing."

"You stopped growing months ago," Kai said.

"That's rude and also false."

Heston stopped walking and pointed ahead. "There. Do you see them?"

Kai squinted into the darkness. Three small creatures were gathered near a fallen log, sniffing at something on the ground. They were about the same size as Pugzooka, with gray fur, long tails, and ears that twitched constantly. Their eyes glowed faintly in the moonlight.

"What are those?" Kai whispered.

"Sparkpaw Cats," Heston said. "Common type. Low level. They're not very dangerous, but they have a nasty shock if you get too close."

"Shock?"

"They generate electricity in their fur. Nothing too strong at this size, but it stings."

Kai looked at the Sparkpaw Cats, then at Pugzooka. "You can take them."

Pugzooka looked at the cats, then back at Kai. "There are three of them."

"You only need to fight one."

"And the other two will just watch politely?"

Kai didn't have an answer for that.

Heston stepped back and leaned against a tree. "This is your fight, boy. Command your beast."

Kai opened his mouth to ask how, but before he could speak, a blue screen appeared in front of his face.

[ BATTLE INITIATED ]

[ SELECT YOUR BEAST'S ATTACK ]

[ 1. VICIOUS BITE ] - A powerful biting attack. Deals physical damage to the target.

[ 2. STINK BOMB ] - Release a devastating odor that confuses and weakens the enemy.

Kai read the options twice. "Stink Bomb" made perfect sense—Pugzooka already smelled like death. But "Vicious Bite" sounded more aggressive.

He looked at Pugzooka. The little beast had stopped complaining and was staring at the Sparkpaw Cats with focused eyes. His tail wasn't wagging. He was ready.

"Use Vicious Bite," Kai said.

Pugzooka didn't hesitate. He shot forward like a tiny cannonball, his little legs carrying him across the grass faster than Kai had ever seen him move.

Behind Pugzooka, a strange thing happened. A shadow appeared—a large, ghostly image of a set of sharp teeth, floating in the air just behind the little beast. The shadow moved with Pugzooka, matching his every step.

Pugzooka leaped at the nearest Sparkpaw Cat and sank his real teeth into its side. At the same moment, the shadow teeth bit down too, passing through the cat like a ghost.

The Sparkpaw Cat yelped and stumbled backward. It looked confused, like it had felt something but wasn't sure what.

"That looked so cool," Kai whispered.

Then he waited.

The Sparkpaw Cat shook its head and stared at Pugzooka. It didn't look hurt. It looked annoyed.

"It didn't work," Kai said.

"It did something," Heston said. "Just not enough."

The Sparkpaw Cat hissed, and its fur began to stand on end. Small sparks of electricity crackled between its fur, blue and white and angry. The air around it started to hum.

"Uh oh," Pugzooka said.

The cat's eyes glowed brighter. The electricity grew stronger.

"RUN!" Heston shouted.

Kai didn't need to be told twice. He sprinted forward, scooped up Pugzooka in one motion, and ran past Heston without looking back. Behind them, the Sparkpaw Cat let out a screech, and a bolt of lightning shot into the spot where Pugzooka had been standing.

The ground sizzled.

"That would have hurt," Pugzooka said from Kai's arms.

"That would have killed you," Kai corrected.

They ran until the forest was far behind them and the Sparkpaw Cats were just tiny glowing dots in the distance. Kai stopped, doubled over, and gasped for air.

"We need... weaker beasts," Kai said between breaths.

Heston, who had somehow kept up despite his old age, nodded. "Follow me."

-

They spent the next two hours searching the forest for the weakest possible opponent.

Heston knew the forest well. He led Kai past patches of glowing mushrooms, across a small stream, and into a damp, dark part of the woods where the trees grew close together.

"There," Heston whispered, pointing at a rotting log.

Something was moving under the log. Something small and slow.

Kai crouched down and saw a fat, pale creature with tiny legs and a round body. It was about half the size of Pugzooka, and it looked like it had never won a fight in its life.

"Larvae Grub," Heston said. "Common type. Very low level. Basically harmless."

Kai looked at Pugzooka. "Can you beat that?"

Pugzooka studied the grub. "I mean... probably? It's a worm."

"It's not a worm. It's a larvae. And it's your ticket to leveling up."

The blue screen appeared again.

[ BATTLE INITIATED ]

[ SELECT YOUR BEAST'S ATTACK ]

[ 1. VICIOUS BITE ]

[ 2. STINK BOMB ]

"Use Vicious Bite again," Kai said.

Pugzooka ran at the Larvae Grub, the shadow teeth appearing behind him. He bit down on the grub's soft body, and the shadow teeth bit down too.

The grub wiggled.

That was it. Just a wiggle.

"Did it work?" Kai asked.

The grub stopped moving. Then it rolled over onto its side and went completely still.

A blue screen popped up.

[ VICTORY! ]

[ ENEMY DEFEATED: Larvae Grub (Common) ]

[ EXPERIENCE GAINED ]

[ LEVEL UP! ]

[ Kai Zang - Level 2 ]

[ Pugzooka - Level 2 ]

[ NEW SKILL UNLOCKED: Basic Beast Command ]

[ SKILL UPGRADED: Vicious Bite → Vicious Bite+ ]

[ SKILL UPGRADED: Stink Bomb → Stink Bomb+ ]

Kai stared at the screen. Then he felt it.

A wave of something washed over his body. It wasn't painful or scary. It was like stepping into a warm shower after being cold for hours. His muscles relaxed. His head cleared. The cuts and scrapes on his arms from the cave and the forest faded slightly.

He felt... good. Better than good. He felt refreshed in a way that didn't make sense.

"That's it," Heston said, watching Kai's face. "That's what I meant by getting stronger. You feel it, don't you?"

Kai nodded slowly. "Yeah. I feel it."

Pugzooka was jumping around on the grass, full of energy. "I feel great! I could fight ten more grubs! I could fight a hundred!"

"Let's not get crazy," Kai said.

But he was smiling.

For the first time since he arrived in Veridia, Kai felt like he wasn't completely helpless.

He still had no money. He still had no plan. And Mira was still trapped with a thug named Rino.

But he was one step closer.

And that was enough for tonight.

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