The Sector 4 Arena was packed!
News of the Suicide Duel had spread through the academy like wildfire. It wasn't every day that the school's biggest loser challenged one of the wealthy elites. Students had skipped lunch crowding into the stone bleachers baying for blood. They weren't there to see a fight they were there to see an execution!
In the VIP box separated from the noise by a shimmering barrier of mana Elara Vance sat with her arms crossed. Her silver blonde hair caught the artificial arena lights. Next to her a few other top ranking students were making bets on how many seconds Jace would last.
"I give him ten seconds" one said. "The Gale Hawk is fast."
"Five" another laughed. "The Dust Mite will probably die from the wind pressure alone!"
Elara didn't speak. Her eyes were fixed on the entrance tunnel where Jace would emerge.
She remembered the shattered granite dummy in the woods. She remembered the piercing crush marks. Show me she thought.
Show me if that was a fluke.
Down in the arena pit Kaelen Thorne stood in the center waving to the crowd like a gladiator.
His Gale Hawk circled above him letting out shrill cries that excited the audience.
"Where is he?" Kaelen shouted his voice amplified by a microphone spell. "Did the trash run away?"
The heavy iron gates on the opposite side creaked open.
Jace walked out. He wore his worn out academy uniform looking calm and composed. There was no beast beside him.
"He didn't even summon it!" someone in the crowd yelled. "He's giving up!"
Kaelen sneered. "Smart choice Rolan. Get on your knees apologize and I might let you keep your legs."
Jace stopped ten meters away. He looked up at the circling hawk then leveled his gaze at Kaelen. "I'm here for the credits Kaelen. Do you have them?"
Kaelen's face turned red. "Referee! Start the match! I'm going to cripple him!"
The referee a bored looking instructor raised his hand.
"Standard Duel rules. Incapacitation or surrender. Begin!"
"Dive!" Kaelen screamed instantly. "Tear his face off!"
The Gale Hawk folded its wings and dropped from the sky like a green missile. The wind shrieked around its talons which glowed with mana. It was a kill shot!
Jace didn't flinch. He didn't dodge. He simply raised his hand and whispered a single word.
"Tank."
A beam of white light shot from Jace's forehead intercepting the diving hawk.
"BOOM!"
The ground shook as something massive materialized in front of Jace! The Gale Hawk slammed into it not tearing through flesh but bouncing off with a metallic clang that rang through the entire arena.
The hawk screeched in pain tumbling backward in the air its talons numbed by the impact.
Dust swirled around Jace obscuring the view for a moment. As it settled the laughter in the stands died instantly.
Standing in front of Jace was not a Dust Mite.
It wasn't even the Iron Jaw Beetle from the night before.
It was a monstrosity!
The creature was the size of a compact car.
Its carapace was no longer just dark chitin it was a sleek polished fusion of organic matter and black steel. Spikes protruded from its leg joints and its mandibles had thickened into hydraulic crushers. It looked less like an insect and more like a war machine forged in a heavy metal factory!
[Species: Steel-Plated Stag Beetle]
↳ Rank: D (Peak)
↳ Mutation: Heavy Metal Armor
"What... what is that?" Kaelen stammered taking a step back.
"That" Jace said stepping out from behind Tank's massive bulk "is the reason you owe me money."
"Kill it!" Kaelen shrieked panic edging into his voice. "Wind Blade! Cut it to pieces!"
The Gale Hawk recovered flapping its wings frantically. It unleashed a barrage of crescent shaped wind blades. They flew through the air sharp enough to slice through tree trunks.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
The blades hit Tank's shell and shattered!
Sparks flew but there wasn't even a scratch on the black metal. Tank didn't even flinch.
The Defense stat provided by the mutation was absurd. To Tank these attacks were nothing more than a gentle breeze.
"Is that it?" Jace asked. "My turn."
He pointed at the hovering hawk. The distance was an issue for a beetle or it would have been if the hawk hadn't lowered its altitude to launch the wind blades.
"Tank. Crushing Mandible."
The beetle moved. For a creature so heavily armored its burst of speed was terrifying! Its legs churned the arena sand propelling it forward like a battering ram. It didn't aim for Kaelen it aimed for the beast.
The Gale Hawk tried to ascend but it was too late. Tank leaped a gravity defying jump powered by its massive hind legs.
"SNAP!"
The sound was nauseatingly loud. Tank's steel mandibles clamped around the Gale Hawk's right wing.
The System notification flashed in Jace's mind.
[Skill 'Crushing Mandible' Activated]
↳ Defense Penetration: 100%
With a sickening crunch the steel jaws sheared through bone feather and mana protection! The Gale Hawk shrieked a sound of pure agony and plummeted to the ground thrashing in the dirt with a severed wing.
Tank landed heavily shaking the ground and pinned the thrashing bird under one massive spiked leg. The beetle hissed its mandibles opening wide hovering inches above the hawk's neck.
The arena was dead silent. Even the referee had forgotten to breathe.
Kaelen fell to his knees his face pale as a sheet. His connection to his beast transmitted the pain and the fear directly to his mind. "Stop! Stop it! You'll kill him!"
Jace looked at the referee. "Match?"
"Winner... Jace Rolan!" the referee shouted his voice cracking.
Jace snapped his fingers. Tank stepped back releasing the crippled hawk. The beetle retreated to Jace's side standing guard like a loyal sentinel.
Jace walked over to the trembling Kaelen who was clutching his chest feeling the phantom pain of his beast's injury. Jace extended a hand.
"The credits" Jace said coldly. "Now."
Kaelen scrambled for his datapad his arrogance completely evaporated replaced by terrified obedience. He transferred the funds with shaking fingers.
[Transaction Complete: +10,000 Credits]
"Pleasure doing business with you" Jace said. He turned and walked toward the exit Tank skittering ominously behind him.
Up in the VIP box Elara Vance stood up. A rare genuine smile touched her lips.
"He didn't just break the stone" she whispered to herself. "He evolved a trash beast into a tank in twenty four hours!"
She turned to leave. She needed to find out everything about Jace Rolan.