Capítulo 5: The Stage 3 Profound Beast!
The group of boys marched up the mountain peak, as they sang in unison:
"You can't always dodge the beast's attack, but if you try sometimes, you just might find you get a few more scratches, but you're still on your feet!"
Shinji led the group, holding a piece of beast skin. Lucy would have led them, but he couldn't read the map. Tsukino, on the other hand, refused to mingle with the group, citing the lack of a plan.
Shinji's perfect smile masked his inner thoughts:
'This is bad! I read that only grade 3 Tama Artists and above can take care of stage 3 profound beasts, and the difference between grade 3 and 2 is like that of heaven and the deepest part of the abyss. If only those books told us how to deal with real-life situations instead of telling us that 25 multiplied by 4 is equal to 100!'
He wanted to curse whoever introduced the concept of education on Kokoro Island, telling him that schooling without giving experience is like swimming in a wide ocean – one is bound to sink.
However, he maintained his calm facade, looking over to ask for assistance.
"Hey, Lucien! Do you have a plan to handle this? Rumors say your mother is from one of the clans from the inner city."
Lucy, walking on the dirt path instead of using the rocks like the others, raised a brow at Shinji's question.
Before he could speak, Tsukino raised an objection, her face disgusted.
"Are you seriously asking him for help? He'll just make a plan that benefits himself!"
A few others supported her idea, muttering about Lucy's ruthlessness. However, Shinji just laughed it off, along with the majority of people who were singing together with him.
He cast a disdainful gaze at Tsukino, "You're thinking of trusting someone in a time like this? We're only together out of desperation. If those guys above us tell us to kill each other, I won't hesitate to kill the guy next to me, and so would he. I just want to live another day – nothing else matters!"
The crowd following him cheered at his words, and Tsukino's face cringed.
Her brother was a cripple, and ever since she was young, she had always cherished human life, even though sometimes people disappointed her.
"Doesn't it hurt? Don't you wish to go home together with the person beside you? I, for one, want to die with someone special beside me."
Shinji sneered at her. "This is why they never bring girls into age regiments."
Tsukino's anger flared up, and she gripped her katana. "How dare you look down on us! Just because I'm the only girl here doesn't mean I won't kick your butt! Have you known that what boys can do, girls can do better!"
Shinji smiled from ear to ear. "That's right! Girls are far better than us, and should be here dying while we stay at home waiting for our wives to come back after 20 years! We boys are forced to take responsibility from a young age. Everyone is always expecting something from us! When something bad happens, they always suspect us! I've never seen girls get laughed at for fighting each other; everyone gives them all the attention in the world. When we boys fight, not much is said about it – sometimes they even laugh at the looser."
"When it comes to opportunities, men always have it harder, and to top it off, wherever you go, women are always given a better advantage than us! Have you ever seen a female samurai?! They're all shinsei! Is it a fault that we don't get pregnant?" (1)
"Sometimes, I wish this world was in reverse, so I can stay home and wait to die! Judge me for being crazy, but responsibility sucks!"
The moment Shinji's words faded into the mountain, a loud growl shook the whole mountain, answering him back.
His expression turned completely ashen from fright:
'That must be the stage 3 profound beast! Those bastard Tama Artists gave us fake maps; the profound beast isn't at the top of the mountain! It's on the way to the mountain!'
Tsukino quickly stored the barrage of words she had for Shinji, understanding that this wasn't the time to preach to men about how physically strong women were. Just like everyone else, her eyes moved to look at Lucy, who was staring at the valley below the mountain.
"The plan is simple," Lucy said.
"Let's dig traps in the valley, and after resting, we'll go aggravate the beast before luring it into the traps."
Setting traps was easy since they had brought some wire tapes. If that didn't work, they would dig a big hole, and when the profound beast went in, they would roll rocks from the mountain side into the hole.
Like it was a wedding celebration, the group headed to dig the hole, taking turns whenever one was tired. It didn't take long to finish a hole that would fit at least ten men.
As they prepared to ascend the mountain again, they encountered an unexpected guest waiting for them at the edge of the mountain: the mountain itself.
A gigantic, eerie brown eye, triple the size of the group in height, stared back at them. The idea of fleeing did cross their minds, but it would only prolong their inevitable demise.
Fear had gripped the group. There were a bunch of mortals with nothing special to offer except their youthful bodies, capable of laboring in the fields for up to 50 years.
Lucy, however, remained composed, suggesting, "Why don't we go around and climb up the beast again, attacking it from the top by digging a giant hole until it's dead? We'll all work together, as we need to create a massive hole to kill this beast. If the hole is tiny, it would be like poking ourselves with a needle – it would only hurt for a little while."
The group exchanged skeptical glances, wondering if Lucy's mentality was sound. Creating a hole big enough to kill the beast would take nearly a year, and who's to say the beast wouldn't throw them off and stomp on them?
Despite the absurdity of the plan, Shinji walked over to Lucy in support:
"Guys, if we don't do this, those Tama Artists will kill us. You've seen how ruthless they are. They sent us to die, but I don't want to do that."
Shinji's earnest words, however, failed to resonate with the group as he had hoped. Tsukino, though, was moved, her determination to return home was clear.
"We have to defeat this beast, no matter what! All we have to do is believe in ourselves, and everything is possible!"
Lucy gazed at the mountain peak with dark expression on his face, "Believing in ourselves won't solve anything!"
Tsukino sneered at him. "Stop being jealous that no one was moved by your words. How could a guy with no regard for human life ever understand the strength of working together and believing in ourselves?"
Lucy's lips curled into a slight smile at her words. He only cared about the opinions of two people in his life – one was dead, and the other was in a world he couldn't dream of reaching.
He sighed, his gaze fixed on the mountain peak, and replied to Tsukino:
"At times like this, we have to believe in God. There's only so much we can do, while God is powerful and mighty."
Before Tsukino could rebuke his words, Shinji voiced his support:
"Lucien is right! I've lived on the streets my whole life, and I know how messy things get when we just believe in ourselves. Sometimes, believing in a mysterious force guarding and protecting us is enough to give us courage, even in the darkest of times."
The group finally found their resolve, expressing their determination through loud cheers.
Lucy swiftly interrupted them, "Scholar, let's head to the location marked on the map. I think that's the weak spot of this beast."
Shinji had no right to disagree, and Tsukino only agreed because the majority of the group was already siding with the two boys. As they marched towards the mountain peak once more, their singing echoed through the air.
However, when they reached the designated location, they were greeted by a flat rock surface, which sparked dissatisfaction among some of the group members.
"Tsk, we wasted hours coming here! We should have used that time to hunt the herbivores we saw along the way!"
"You're right! Why did we have to follow the words of the son of the 'Akaki Yojo'!"
"He's just as wicked as his mother!"
Lucy's brows furrowed in rage upon hearing their words, and he was tempted to put an end to the trio. However, he remembered his mother's words to stop acting impulsively whenever she was insulted and focus on the bigger picture.
Lucy grasped his giant silver hammer and walked over to the middle of the rock surface. With a powerful swing, he brought down the two claws of his hammer against the rock surface.
Clang!
A crisp metallic sound echoed through the air, accompanied by sparks dancing in the air. Lucy's action seemed foolish, until a small crack spread across the rock surface.
Shinji was the first to support him, and soon more people began to dig apart the rock surface. They wanted to believe in what Lucy believed in – God, or whatever it was.
None of them noticed Lucy's gaze directed at the sky, where a little red bird perched. Upon closer inspection, one could see that the bird resembled Akane, Lucy's mother.
Although Lucy couldn't get a clearer look, he was convinced that it was one of the people who made his mother's life a living hell.
'Aunt, the day I make you pay a thousand fold for what you did to my mother will come. Just wait patiently, I'll be coming!'
...
(1) Shinsei - mages in light words.
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