BOA 2

(2: The Beast)

*Shatter*

The window broke to pieces as a small chair was rammed through it. Khalid cleared the glass and jumped through the window to the balcony just outside.

And he saw the world.

The fast wind and sternly hot weather of Egypt relentlessly reminded him of the reality he is up against and the world he returned to.

He never checked his appearance till now but he is thin and pale, his hair is long to his shoulders and he has grown a light beard that he never used to have. His black hair covered most of his features which was a plus for him anyway.

And now it was his chance to look down the balcony and what he saw was a road of crowded cars and a major accident. Some of the cars were burning and the people seemed to have long since abandoned the scene. There were people on the other buildings looking through the windows and panicking from the movements of some strange creatures down the street. No matter how Khalid tried to look at them, he wasn't able to spot or identify what they are.

"... ICU Lobby is empty… Three monsters have come through the elevator somehow. Those bastards are around somewhere… I just heard the sound of some glass breaking. Please, send some help here."

The communication device made sound again and the speaker seemed to be panicking. Khalid realized that there is someone nearby and hurriedly looked around for the door to this balcony. Lucky for him, he found the door closed but it wasn't as secured as the ICU door.

To remove such an obstacle, all he needs is the Inner Force.

Gather, Sync, Will, Bend, Wield, Unleash.

*Break*

The door was blasted with a single punch flying through the hallway making a terrible noise.

"Tsk, too slow, too inefficient."

He lamented the fact that he can't control his Inner Force the same as before. His Inner Force hasn't reached the threshold to fully show its least amount of potential at that so in order to exert it, he has to go through the six basics every time to use it.

Agonizing as it is, now was not the time for such negativity. He is no longer alone. The door that he blasted away had drawn the attention of a strange thing.

Looking ahead, there was an empty hospital hallway ending with an elevator door and a creature standing in the way.

It looked human but on a closer look, it was merely humanoid. Its face resembled a disgusting mix between a rat and a man with its body being hairy exactly like a rat and its physique resembling one for sure. More to that limbs were thin and nimble with visible big claws for hands.

It screeched, not just in anger but also in pain. It looked at Khalid and locked onto him as its target. It screeched again then started to charge against him with a malicious intent easily seen through its red human-like wrathful eyes.

Khalid never believed to meet such a thing in this World. A world with little knowledge of the supernatural side of things let alone Monsters and Inner Force. Just as he once thought, his mission seemed to be revolving around what is happening around here.

He lowered his posture, took his stance, and didn't pudge from his place against the raging monster. Once the rat monster closed in on him and jumped with its mouth wide open displaying its dirty lines of teeth, Khalid moved… or barely moved. He only made the bare minimum of movement and with one arm, he pushed the rat monster past him towards the balcony… down the street.

Twelve floors from this place till down there and he saw the rat monster screech to its death with the look in his eyes showing more agony than the one it already had.

Silence took over the place and Khalid was thinking of what just happened. Such a creature isn't supposed to be here. The more he looked at it, the things he saw down the street perfectly resembled that rat monster.

"Goddammit!"

There are more of those things and the people around are in danger, he can't ignore it anymore.

< Congratulations! You have slain your first Monster! >

"What?"

Yet the oddities were not over yet. Another message similar to the one he can see from those marks appeared before him. He waved at it away with his hand to see what kind of thing it was but as he did, it disappeared and another appeared.

< Check out your "Unawakened Traits" to unlock a Domain Trait. >

———————————
« Unawakened Traits »
- Spirit Vaporization
- Repulsive Retribution
- Deep Concentration
- Vigorous Physique
- Sword King
- Sage of…
…
..
.
———————————

"Hold up… These Traits are still here… this means I am returning to my body with my after all that time with everything my Master taught me?"

There is a huge difference between a Dormant Trait and one that hasn't existed yet. Dormant Traits are like talents that exist but haven't shown any effect yet, it is like someone who has an aptitude for swordsmanship but hasn't discovered that yet. This means that everything he achieved back in the world he came from was transmitted to this weak fragile body and all he needs to do is to just awaken it.

This is scary.

He knows his powers well and if he was to let them go wild… No, will the Outer Force of this World allow such absurdity to happen?

While the Inner Force is used to control the Outer Force, the Outer Force has its own limitations that it applies to the Inner Force Users. His brother from a while ago told him that there are changes in the Breath of this World which is a term that refers to the Outer Force. If the Outer Force of this World is stimulated by something…

Khalid stopped thinking at this point not because he was interrupted but because he didn't want to even imagine this possibility. This will complicate his mission way too much.

He looked at his "Unawakened Traits" and started scrolling down. The list was actually very long with abilities and possibilities that reminded him of the old times. Still, he was looking for his most important Trait.

"This situation is dangerous! I doubt this world will have a decent weapon for me to use and I have never tried a firearm so let's skip all those combat traits. I need a growth trait, my best one… here it is."

———————————
..
…
- The Beast
…
..
———————————

He moved his hand and confidently selected "The Beast".

He didn't need any other Traits that boost his defense and constitution when he has this one. It is a reckless choice but one he is confident with nonetheless.

———————————
« Traits »
[The Beast] <Unique>
→ ???
→ ???
→ ???
→ ???
[Mark] <Special>
→ Mark of Truth
→ Mark of Holding
[Unawakened Traits] <???>
———————————

"Hah! As expected."

The trait was surely awakened but clearly not fully active yet. He would have been better to select a minor trait rather than a "Unique" one but he knows what he's doing. A fully functional Trait won't give him all the potential he truly needs and in truth, he just needs only four of his previous Traits. The others are just easy to regain on his own.

No matter, he has to keep going now.

He walked in the hospital corridor with silent steps and careful attitude, it wasn't long for him to discover the second anomaly or monster whatever that was. This thing looked exactly like the first but it hard tattered parts of clothes on it not as if they were stuck but rather as if this creature tried to wear them.

But that wasn't the problem, this creature was a bit different than the one before it as it was holding a short rusted blade in its hand and it was bloody and dripping. Once it saw Khalid, the creature simply moved with a screech waving the blade at him.

"Stupid!"

This was much simpler than the one from before. Such a creature has a physique enough to overpower Khalid by a single charge but it rather chose to pull a dexterous move such as swinging a blade which it clearly wasn't efficient at.

Khalid simply stepped back once then twice as the creature swung its blade around recklessly as well. Seeing a fire extinguisher just past an arm's reach from him, Khalid hurriedly pulled it off the wall and swiftly rammed it into the face of the creature causing it to fall flat.

Disarming it was a piece of cake. All Khalid needed to do is to stomp on the hand holding the blade and cause it to leave the weapon behind in order to retreat and now the creature was disarmed while Khalid picked up the blade. By the next second, that blade was back with the creature resting deep into its skull.

"Hmph."

Khalid found a hospital trolly nearby with a few sheets on it. He took one and used it to wipe the blood that splattered on him. He then went ahead to grab the blade once again but as soon as he extended his hand to do so, he noticed something even weirder.

On the back of his right hand, he thought he almost saw a strange pattern. No, he saw a pattern for sure on his skin that was hardly visible. He tried to take a closer look only to start feeling that this symbol looked like a circle with something like a compass drawn in it.

"What is that?"

He felt strange by the unfamiliar pattern under his skin. Such a thing must mean something for sure and as he did try to use the residual amount of his Inner Force to enforce his sight, another window suddenly popped up.

———————————
[Mark of Holding] <Gift>
- Mark to hold, recall and hide away
- Limit: 1
———————————

"A Gift? And it allows me to do things?"

Gifts are different from Traits. A trait is a thing that people train and control due to a personal aptitude and talent but a Gift is something that transcends sense in a way even if it wasn't almighty.

More to that, there seems to be another gift at play here.

———————————
[Mark of Truth] <Gift>
- See the Truth of things
———————————

If the explanation was this vague, then it has to be because that brother of his who is usually too stingy with explaining. Khalid sighed in mild frustration as he decided to put those two Gifts to the best use possible. This [Mark of Truth] doesn't even seem to be costing him that much Inner Force, all he needs to do is to focus his Inner Force on his eyes and it shall work on its own.

"Let's see…"

———————————
[Rusty Blade] <Trash>
- Dull, Chipped, Rusty
———————————

"Alright alright, you're one Gift with some attitude I see." Khalid laughed and turned to the monster he killed. "Shoe me…"

———————————
[Ratman] <Abomination>
- Traits: [Feral Mind], [Bite], [Medicine]
- A Deformed Mutation of some sort with traces of Chaotic Infection.
———————————

"A what?"

Khalid almost freaked out not because he didn't understand a thing but rather because he perfectly understood what it means.

First, he recognized the first and the second trait but he didn't understand why a human trait would be registered in a monster. He knew monsters, fought against them, and can tell them apart by category but he never heard of a thing called "Abomination" before.

More to it, the term Chaotic Infection was seriously disturbing. This thing… Why is it on Earth?

"My mission… dammit!"

He understood what his mission is now, or so he thought. Whatever the accuracy of his assumption, he needs to find the source of the danger and end it.

As he grabbed the Rusty Blade, he looked at it and decided to put the other gift to use. Supplying a bit of his Inner Force to the Mark on his hand was the only method he knew of how to use the Marks and it actually worked. The Mark, which looked like a triangle inside a circle, appeared faintly on the side of the blade before fading away as well.

*Shrieeeek*

He wanted to understand what it does but the world around him wasn't moving at the same calm pace he has. From another hallway connected to the floor's lobby, one more of those Ratman creatures was drawn in by the smell of the blood and came running on both its hands and legs. Khalid's mood was still recovering from reading the description about the other Ratman yet he didn't show any hesitation at all.

*Swoosh*

He raised his hand with the blade and in a single swing, he launched the blade at the monster diagonally causing it to obliterate the inside of the creature just as it landed inside its open mouth.

The Third Kill!

Khalid was about to go ahead and retrieve the blade but he thought of the Mark and simply raised his right hand forward.

"Come!"

*Swoosh*

Without even much effort, the blade returned handle first with absolute ease.

"Woah!"

Khalid expected the functionality but haven't experienced the effect. There are many Inner Force Techniques that may have a similar effect but this is way too effective and if he raises his proficiency with the Inner Force, he may utilize it in many different ways.

"So what's what Gift feels?"

He met people and supernatural beings before with such gifts but it is his first time using one. And speaking of supernatural creatures, he heard the sound of another making him turn and…

*Swoosh*

"PLEASE STOP!"

But it wasn't. Khalid barely made it in time to stop himself before throwing the blade as the person who appeared over on the other side of the lobby completely collapsed behind a counter table.

"YOU MAD?!"

The man, who was still hiding in cover, shouted half angry and half afraid but Khalid wasn't really interested in the matters of a normal human.

"Come out." He called.

"The hell, man…"

The man peeked out from behind the corner while holding a metal stick with a pointy end as if he twisted the top of some bottle hanger.

"You… medical staff?" Khalid asked.

"Goddammit, get out of here man. The monsters, they are… they are… holy shit!"

The man was talking in a low tone at first but what he saw shocked the living ghost out of him.

"I took care of them. Are you staff?" Khalid asked again.

The man's eyes were staring at the monsters lying around but he barely managed to reply.

"Yes… sir… Yes, sir."

"You are aware of this hospital situation and layout?" Khalid asked again.

At that time, the man looked at him directly and nodded.

"Good. I heard you call twice on this thing. I don't think there are any more monsters on this floor…"

"N- No. A third one…" The man spoke hastily.

"Already took care of it." Khalid pointed at the window.

"Fuck!" The nurse seemed baffled by how unshaken Khalid was as he saw the open balcony door at the end of the hallway.

"Do you know what floors those things invaded?" He asked.

"You… you can't be serious, man. Those things are bad news." The nurse seemed seriously against going for the monsters.

Khalid sighed and rubbed his brows with his free hand.

"Listen… what's your name?" Khalid asked.

"George. Private George."

"Private?" Khalid frowned, "Isn't this a military rank? You said you're hospital staff or something."

"Yes… this is the Military Hospital so…" George tried to explain it but he assumed Khalid should have the idea clear now.

"Military Hospital? Why am I…" Khalid was even more confused but he overlooked the fact, "Military Hospital should have military people with… what were they called? Guns, right? Is there no military to stop those monsters?"

"This is the middle of Cairo, man. The army is out there… never mind, we just need to hide or hold our position or whatever!" George urged Khalid to stay.

"So help is not coming soon."

"It's already on its way. The security guards are holding them back."

"They won't make it in time." Khalid seemed stressed about the existence of monsters and refused the offer to stay, "I need to get to the monsters before they get to the people. You must guide me."

"Holy fuck!" Gorge was stressed and couldn't think straight either, this was supposed to be a boring workday, no monsters or dungeons or any of this shit.

"If you won't, I'll have to go on my own. I heard on the device where they are but I don't know where it is."

"Alright, fine." George said, "Mr. Hunter, the problem is that I can't get out of here because this is my post basically. Listen, if you help me open the door to the security room where I can access the Cameras, I'll be able to guide you through the radio."

"Alright, lead the way."

George was being reluctant but that's the best he could do. As a recruit in the army, he was super lucky to be a nurse in the military but the military duty came in the worst form possible, against monsters.

George took a last look at these dead monsters before walking back the way he came from and reached a room closed with a reinforced door.

"Here is the secur…"

*BANG*

The whole time Khalid was following George, he gathered enough Inner Force without George noticing and directed it into a strong kick against the door.

"FUCK!" George jumped away in fright as he saw Khalid walk inside to inspect the room.

"No danger, come in." Khalid said.

"Of course there is nothing dangerous here, that fatso closed the damn door on his way down."

George went in and walked towards the large screen at the end of the room powering it up and taking the chair. In a few clicks, he managed to access the Hospital's security camera.

"Alright, this floor is clear." He said.

"Good, what about the ones up and down." Khalid asked.

"Above us is clear… below us… the fifth floor. Fuck! That's a lot of them… holy…"

George couldn't help but gasp to the sight of the monster assaulting eating the dead body of another nurse.

"This is…"

Horrifying as it was, he found Khalid holding his shoulder.

"Guide me there."

"But…"

"Before there is more of this."

Khalid seemed to be confident making George only nod. If he is capable of taking down this amount of monsters, he is going to be fine.

"Alright, give me your radio." George took away Khalid's radio communicator and started calibrating it, "I set it on a channel only us can speak on. I'll monitor the security channel and update you."

"Good work."

"Also… there should be some weapons in this room. Where…" George looked around and saw a fortified locker but it was empty as…

*Crackle*

With the sound of glass shattering, George couldn't help but curse as he jumped away. On the other side of the room, Khalid seemed to be breaking something.

"Stop destroying stuff!" George said but he found Khalid pulling out an Axe from the firebox.

"Found a weapon." Khalid said as he measured the balance point of the Fire Axe to hold it properly.

"Goddamn… well, I think this will work."

"I'll be going now. Block the door for your safety."

"Alright… Good luck, Mr. Hunter."

Khalid narrowed his eyes hearing the name for the third time now. He guessed a Hunter has to do with hunting a monster but he didn't want to dwell on unnecessary details.

He nodded and walked out and made sure that George barred the door with something heavy.

The radio in his hand started making noises before the voice of George came out from it.

"Alright. You better head to the elevator. I'm trying to access its camera so be on guard." George said.

"Where is the elevator?" Khalid asked.

"What… how the hell did you get on this floor if you don't know where the elevator is?" George asked.

"I don't remember. Guide me to the elevator." Khalid's reply carried an unamused tone to it.

"Alright, alright. Go to the lobby where we met, take the eastern hallway, the one with a distinctive floor tile color and keep going."

"I understand."

Khalid walked with the axe resting on his shoulder as he tried to move his long hair a little bit to the back so his vision gets clearer. Meanwhile, George in the security room was calling the other medical staff members on the radio to check if anyone was in trouble or any monster sightings nearby. He even stated that he got the help of a hunter who seemed to be a patient in the hospital.

"Send him to the operation room! We need someone to protect the staff while the surgeries are on."

"Please send him down to the second floor. We need to evacuate the patients before anything else."

"Please, we need help in the lobby. The monsters are trying to break in."

The calls for help flowed to George making him panic now that he gave people a ray of hope.

"W- Wa- Wait! Mr. Hunter! You with me?" George called Khalid.

"I called the elevator!" Khalid replied.

"Please wait… there is trouble everywhere down there. The operations ward, the patients' rooms, the reception hall… everyone is calling for help... they…"

"George."

"They are everywhere, man. You need to…"

"George! Turn off the other radio and listen." Khalid became sterner while saying so.

"Yes… Mr. Hunter."

"It's Khalid."

Now that George managed to control himself, Khalid became calmer.

"Alright, Khalid."

"I want you to be calm. You are my eyes and ears…"

*ding*

"… for example…"

*Swoosh* *Swoosh* *Split*

"… you could have accessed the Elevator room and told me there is a monster inside."

What George saw on the screen was something akin to wonder. Khalid didn't even panic against a monster jumping at him from the elevator and took it by two clean attacks with the heavy Fire Axe.

He used the other end of the axe to drag the monster away from the elevator and George saw it from the ceiling camera while sweating in beads.

"You're with me?" Khalid asked.

"Holy… crap!" George said, "I'm so sorry… I didn't… I shouldn't…"

"It's alright. Keep it together, you are my eyes and ears with those monsters. You get it?"

"Yes, totally, Khalid… Hunter Khalid."

"Good."

From his point of view, Khalid could see the inside of the Elevator and seeing that George is not panicking yet again, it meant that he has no eyes inside yet. Khalid could see a corpse in there. It seemed like a female nurse from the uniform.

"Sorry, George." Khalid said as he went in and dragged out the corpse.

"What…" George said but as he saw Khalid dragging out a corpse, he went through the five stages of panic in a single daze.

"Seems like a nurse. She panicked, ran to the elevator, pressed any number and the monster invaded this floor because of her. Corpse is eaten, signs of struggle but…"

Khalid went on analyzing causing George to freak out even more.

"Stop! Just… stop!" George called it.

"Hm… Sorry."

Seeing that it was his fault this time, Khalid went into the elevator and didn't even say a word.

"Which floor?" He asked.

"The fifth is the nearest. The operation rooms need to be protected…"

"No. That's a waste of time." Khalid shook his head.

"…" George didn't speak waiting for Khalid to finish thinking.

"Guide me to the nearest monsters. If I get rid of them, there would be no need to protect anything." Khalid said.

"Offense is the best defense… I get it."

Khalid nodded without saying much.

George set the elevator to the nearest monster after checking the cameras and it started to descend.

< You acquired [Axe Technique: Common] >

< You acquired [Combat Technique: Common] >

< Your Force score is now 1. You acquired [Force Affinity: Common] >

———————————
« Profile »
- Name: Khalid Salah
- Strength: 0.7
- Agility: 0.8
- Sense: 1.1
- Force: 1
———————————
« Traits »

[The Beast] <Unique>
→ ???
→ ???
→ ???
→ ???

[Mark] <Gift>
→ Mark of Truth
→ Mark of Holding

[Axe Technique] <Common>

[Combat Technique] <Common>

[Force Affinity] <Common>

[Unawakened Traits] <???>
———————————