The Animagus: From Hunter to Monster

Chapter 71 Survive!

Buji clenched his fists tightly beneath the sheets of the bed he lay on, forcing himself to look away.

Then, her voice broke the silence, and attracted his attention once more.

"You're awake."

He turned back to her, meeting her piercing gaze.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then, she closed the book she was reading and leaned forward slightly, resting her elbow on the bed.

"You were out for a while," she said, with an unreadable tone.

'Did she knows already?' Buji thought.

"It's being two days you were rushed to this clinic as a very sick person," she said and looked at him. "But I know there's more beyond being sick."

Buji forced a smirk. "Make me understand what you're saying. Go straight to the point."

"The point I'm trying to make is that you are a different person now."

Buji grinned slightly, showing his white teeth. "Guess I'm just built to be always different."

Maybe he had expected Kira to laugh.

But she didn't.

Instead, her eyes studied him, too perceptive, and too sharp.

"You changed," she murmured. "That's the point I'm trying to make."

Buji's breath caught in his throat.

She knew. Right?

Maybe not everything, maybe not about the system, but she could sense something.

His mind raced, searching for a way to shift the conversation—

And then Kira did something unexpected.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, folded piece of paper.

Without a word, she placed it on his lap.

Buji frowned. "What's this?"

Kira stood up, brushing her skirt into place. "I picked it up on my way here. I guess it fell from Instructor Hay's files cause he was the only one in the passageway as at that time."

"I advise you read it when you're alone." She said and raised her head. "Also, you can help me return it to your Instructor when you're done."

And with that, she turned on her heel and walked out of the room, her movements as graceful as ever.

Buji watched her leave, his fingers slowly tightening around the note.

His pulse was still racing—from the system, from the transformation, from her.

He exhaled sharply, forcing himself to focus.

Then, he called upon the system's screen again.

[Optional Quest received—Unlock the Full Power of the Emberheart's Core!]

[Due to the Player's condition, and involvement in the raid, he missed two daily quests and is offered this optional Quest as a way of refilling them as they will also affect his physique.]

[Alternative Quest—survive as long as you can until the expiration of six hours!]

[Warning—One of the quests must be accepted!]

"Uhm...accept the alternative quest."

"..."

"..."

"..."

[Alternative Quest activated!]

"Hmm," Buji hummed, his heart pounded but he kept his cool.

But it wasn't right anyway. He had missed the daily quests not because of his own doing, but because of the situation he had been in—the solo raid. So, the system should let him rest a bit.

'I wonder how this quest will turn out to be. Good enough, it isn't a punishment—maybe a refilment quest.

His blood ran cold as the notification flashed once again in front of him.

[Quest: Survival Mode Initiated.]

[You will be transported to an unknown environment for six hours.]

[Survive!]

"Uhm. Is this what it had mean by I will need to survive for six hours?"

But he was answered by a swirling force which suddenly gripped his entire body.

"Wait... I'm still sick!" Buji cried out, the paper Kira gave him falling off his hand to the ground.

A violent pull yanked him off his bed, his stomach flipping as his surroundings swirled circularly, and his sight blurred into nothingness.

The last thing he saw was the bed he has been lying on in the hospital fading away—

Then, darkness.

Pain shot through his ribs.

His vision blurred.

But the system didn't care.

[Survive: 5 Hours, 45 Minutes Remaining.]

Buji groaned.

This was going to be a long six hours.

Time blurred into a hellish game of survival.

For hours, Buji ran, dodging the titan's relentless attacks. He didn't think of returning its attacks, cause that might mean his death.

Every time he thought he had a moment to breathe—

BOOM! Another fiery explosion.

Every time he tried to hide—

CRACK! The titan tore through his cover like paper.

His body was covered in burns and scrapes. His clothes were torn, singed, and soaked in sweat.

But somehow—somehow—he was still alive.

His agility and reflexes were the only thing saving him.

His mind raced, constantly analyzing the titan's attack patterns, predicting its movements, dodging by the skin of his teeth.

But fatigue was setting in.

His legs felt like lead. His breaths came in ragged gasps.

And the titan—it wasn't slowing down. It still has millions of strength points, he guessed.

So, it didn't need rest.

It didn't feel fatigue.

It was relentless.

BOOM!!

A fiery shockwave sent Buji sprawling across the ground. His body slid, stopping at the edge of a sheer cliff.

He blinked rapidly, dazed.

The Lava Titan loomed over him.

It raised its molten arm, preparing to strike the final blow.

Buji tried to move—his body wouldn't obey.

His mind screamed at him to run—but he was at his limit.

The titan's fist came down.

'And that is the end of my story...'

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

At that exact moment—the system seemed to come to his rescue.

So, it wasn't the end of his story. Rather, it was the end of time.

[Alternative Quest Phase Expired.]

A blinding light erupted around Buji's body.

The world distorted.

Everything vanished.

And then—

He woke up, jolted upright, breathing heavily.

He was back in the hospital room.

His eyes shifted to the ground where the paper Kira had given him lay, and he stretched his hand and picked it up.

As he picked it up, he saw that it wasn't just a paper. It was more like a informative slip.

The paper drew his attention the more. He saw the title, and thought, what could it be about.

Then, the first line of the content made him more curious.

It read:

"It happened twelve years ago—"

That was when he was five years old.