Soul system:Return Of The SSS-Ranked Troublemaker-Chapter 36: Jeju Island (12) Beast’s.

Zion exchanged a glance with Calvin, and they both nodded.

"I’m not interested," Zion said firmly.

K smirked, tilting his head slightly. "How boring~"

Zion ignored him and gestured for the group to move on. "Let’s go."

As they walked, Yin’s thoughts churned. Why didn’t you fight them, Zion? His fists clenched involuntarily. You know damn well you could’ve beaten them. So why...?

Before he could dwell on it further, Zion’s voice broke through his thoughts.

"Hey, look!" Zion pointed toward a large black bag dangling from the high roots of an ancient tree. "That bag probably has some materials in it!"

He then turned to the group. "The real question is—who knows how to climb a tree?"

Yin raised his hand without hesitation. "I can climb it," he said in a neutral tone.

Zion grinned. "Alright! Do your best!"

Wasting no time, Yin grabbed onto the thick roots and small ledges of the tree, pulling himself upward. As he climbed, he noticed something odd.

The tree’s surface... it’s wet?

He ran his fingers across it, feeling the sticky texture. Curious, he sniffed his hand.

"Honey...?" he murmured.

Brushing off the thought, he continued his ascent. But as he neared the bag, his entire body was now coated in the sticky substance.

Weird...

Reaching out, he grabbed the bag only for it to suddenly slip from his grasp.

"Huh?!"

The bag plummeted, and as it did, it disturbed something massive hiding above it.

A giant nest of killer bees.

The air instantly filled with a deafening buzz as the swarm erupted from their nest, furious and ready to attack.

Before Yin could react before he could even scream they descended upon him, stinging him relentlessly.

Hundreds of stingers pierced his skin in seconds. His body seized up, and his vision blurred as venom flooded his system. His grip on the tree failed, and he plummeted to the ground with a dull thud.

"YIN!"

Sera was the first to reach his side, panic in her voice as she knelt beside his unmoving body.

"Are you okay?!" she asked frantically, shaking him.

No response.

"He’s not responding!" she screamed.

"Shit... a nest of killer bees?!" Calvin’s mind raced. His eyes darted toward the treetops then widened in alarm.

"It must be them!" he yelled.

From the canopy above, five shadowed figures emerged. Their tails flicked, their elongated nails glinted in the dim light, and pointed animal-like ears twitched as they observed the scene below.

Zion turned, his breath hitching.

He could feel it.

A suffocating, murderous aura one drenched in pure, unrestrained bloodlust.

The five figures leaped down from the trees, landing gracefully. They were women half-beasts.

Zion’s eyes widened, veins popping on his forehead. "Half-beasts!? Who the hell are you!?" he yelled, instinctively shielding his team behind him.

A tall, muscular woman with wild brown hair smirked. She wore a crop top and skirt made of animal hide, exuding an aura of dominance.

"It seems you’ve walked right into our trap," she said, her voice dripping with amusement.

Calvin tapped Zion’s shoulder, whispering urgently, "They’re the half-beast clan of Leipzig. They’re infamous for their ability to control and communicate with animals... and their deadly poisonous claws."

Zion’s mind jolted with a sudden flash of memory. Leipzig... My family used to help a clan there. Could it be them? No that half-beast aunt wouldn’t do something like this. And that little girl...

He clenched his fists. Why can’t I remember her face?

The tall woman pushed back her hair, revealing a red, pointed cat-like marking on her cheek now thicker, more defined than before.

She took a deep breath and licked her lips, eyes gleaming. "You smell delicious~"

Zion barely had time to react. A powerful fist smashed into his stomach.

"Brk—!" He coughed up blood, his body launching backward, crashing against a tree.

"Sera, now!" Calvin shouted.

Sera dashed forward, pressing all five fingertips together. "Seal!" she yelled, activating her ability.

The tall woman barely flinched. Instead, she chuckled. "A debuff-type ability? How cute."

Her smirk widened. "You humans rely on abilities to survive, training for years just to catch up. But a young half-beast? Even without training, our physical strength alone is enough to crush you!"

She flexed her fingers, revealing long, sharp nails dripping with venom.

Zion gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stand. "Damn it... she’s not bluffing."

Ability: Seal

Type: Debuff

Effect: When the user presses their fingertips together and touches a target, they can seal an ability for as long as they can maintain the hold. However, sealing awakened powers comes with severe drawbacks, potentially backfiring on the user.

Zion staggered to his feet, wiping the blood from his mouth. "That fucking hurt."

"Are you okay?!" Calvin called out.

"Yeah, I’m fine," Zion replied, his tone steady despite the pain.

"That’s good" Calvin barely had time to react before a devastating punch sent him crashing into the very tree Zion had been slammed into earlier.

"Shit are you okay?!" Zion shouted.

"Y-Yeah... I’m good. Take them out, quick!" Calvin stammered, his voice shaky. He clutched his face, panic creeping in. "Where the hell are my goggles...? I can’t be seen without them..." He curled into himself, shielding his eyes with both hands.

Karina stepped forward, preparing to engage. But before she could react, a powerful hand gripped her head like a vice.

"S-Stop it!" she gasped, struggling to break free.

Her resistance was futile. In an instant, she was hurled through the air like a ragdoll.

"Shit!" Zion cursed, his body moving instinctively. He leaped forward, bracing himself to catch her and lessen the impact. Even so, the force was overwhelming. The two of them crashed against a tree, the impact shaking Zion to his core.

Karina lay motionless.

Zion groaned, forcing himself up despite the searing pain. He clenched his fists, his eyes burning with fury.

"SERA, KEEP THOSE SEALS UP!" he roared.

Now standing face to face with the towering half-beast woman, Zion glared up at her, his veins pulsing with adrenaline. The fight had just begun.

"Gaze."

Zion’s voice was cold and steady as he activated his ability. His eyes locked onto Masha, their sharp glint revealing no hesitation.

Before making a move, Masha smirked. "Before we start, you should know... you’re the first to endure my punch. That alone earns you the right to hear my name from my own lips." She straightened her posture, lips curling arrogantly. "I’m Masha."

"I don’t need your name," Zion responded, his voice as cold as ever.

Though... something about that name sounded familiar.

Masha wasted no time, lunging forward with claws drawn. Zion ducked, evading her first swipe before retaliating with a sharp series of punches to her stomach.

But she barely flinched.

"That all you got?" she taunted before flipping backward, landing on all fours like a predator ready to pounce.

In an instant, she sprang forward, slashing wildly with razor-sharp claws. Zion barely had time to react, snatching a thick branch from the ground and using it to block her attack.

Snap.

Poison oozed through the claw marks as the branch disintegrated in his hands. Zion tossed it aside, cursing under his breath.

"Shit. One hit, and I’m done... I knew the Kitler Youth Program was insane, but to allow abilities like this?" His mind raced.

Masha licked her lips, eyes gleaming. "What’s wrong? Come here, little peggy!"

"I’M NOT A PEGGY I’M A HALF-ELF!" Zion shouted back.

"Oh~" Masha’s expression shifted, her voice suddenly sultry. "Elves are actually my type~."

"The fuck? Are you flirting right now?!"

"Who knows~" she teased, crouching low.

Before Zion could react, she hurled two stones at him. He dodged effortlessly, but Yin who had just woken up wasn’t as lucky.

"Ugh... what happe—" THWACK! A stone smacked his head.

THWACK!

A second one.

Yin collapsed again, completely knocked out.

Zion gritted his teeth. "Tch... this is getting annoying."

Masha took advantage of the distraction, launching herself at him, claws gleaming in the dim light.

But Zion’s eyes sharpened.

"Lock."

The moment the words left his lips, his shadow surged forward, wrapping around Masha mid-air.

Her body froze.

"W-What the hell is this?!" she snarled, struggling against the unseen force.

The other half-beasts prepared to jump in.

"STAY OUT OF THIS!" Masha snapped, voice filled with fury.

Meanwhile, Yin groggily tore the red cloth from his forehead, tying it around Masha’s restrained hands. Combining Zion’s Gaze ability with Zero’s shadow immobilization, he seized her bound form, shifting his weight expertly.

"Ippon Seoi Nage."

With unwavering determination in his eyes and a smirk on his lips, Zion executed the throw perfectly, slamming Masha into the straight way.

Masha crashed onto Calvin with a heavy thud.

"OUCH!" she groaned, rolling off him.

But then something shifted.

The hands covering Calvin’s eyes slipped away.

At that moment, a blinding black light erupted from his pupils, raw energy bursting outward in a violent shockwave. Trees in his line of sight disintegrated instantly, reduced to mere ashes in the air. The ground beneath them split apart, scorched by creeping black flames.

Zion barely had time to react. He threw himself aside, heart pounding as the destruction ripped through the battlefield.

"What the hell?!" he thought, his eyes wide with shock.

Then, in a single motion, Calvin’s hands shot forward, grabbing his missing black goggles. He slammed them over his eyes and just like that, the light vanished.

The world fell into silence.

The forest was left in ruin. Charred, shattered trees. A burning wasteland of black flames.

And yet... those flames didn’t flicker like normal fire. They seemed almost... alive.