Bloodstar System: Infinite Evolution Through Beast Slaughter

Chapter 5: They Let a Seedling This Good Drop Out?

Two in the afternoon.

The shrill whistle rang through the factory again, cutting through the short stretch of peace.

The workers groaned as they climbed up from the floor. One after another, they pounded at their sore backs, feeling as if their skeletons were about to fall apart.

Outside the factory, the heavy engine of a truck rumbled to a stop.

"Work is here!"

Brann’s roar worked better than the whistle.

Several workers cursed under their breath as they picked up their tools. Their steps were still unsteady.

"Again? They really do not treat us like people."

"I swear my arms do not belong to me anymore."

Joren opened his eyes and rose from the ground.

The strength gained from adding points filled every corner of his body. The exhaustion from the morning had vanished, replaced by an even stronger hunger.

He rolled his wrist. His knuckles cracked in a crisp string of pops.

The truck’s rear panel slammed down.

This time, what came out was not a Brutebull.

They were smaller, pig shaped Voidbeasts, black from head to hoof, their skin carrying a metallic sheen.

Ironhide Boars.

Their hides were thick and their bodies were tough. Ordinary blades had a hard time breaking through their defense, making them much more difficult to process than Brutebulls.

Ten in total.

They rammed restlessly against their cages, letting out low, heavy grunts.

Joren licked his lips.

His eyes gleamed.

"Stay sharp, all of you!"

Brann shouted toward the control station.

Rowan, the worker in charge of the electric shock, had a pale face. The enamel cup in his hand kept trembling. The intense work that morning had nearly wrung him dry.

"I know," Rowan answered weakly, forcing himself to focus.

Boom.

The first Ironhide Boar was dragged into the electric shock area.

Rowan rubbed his eyes. His mind was muddy, and he worked almost entirely on muscle memory built over decades.

He pressed the button.

Zzzzt!

Electric light flashed.

Without even looking, he pressed the switch to open the gate.

The whole process was a little too fast.

The heavy metal fence slowly rose.

Joren tightened his grip on the short blade and walked forward.

He was just about to finish it cleanly, the same way he had in the morning, when something changed.

The Ironhide Boar that should have been lying stunned on the floor suddenly convulsed.

Its tiny eyes, squeezed narrow by layers of fat, snapped open.

Violence and madness filled them.

"Ow!"

A sharp scream that sounded nothing like a pig’s cry tore through the factory.

It had not been stunned.

"Fuck!"

Brann’s eyes went wide at once. The cigarette fell from his mouth.

"What the hell did you do?"

The factory exploded into chaos.

"Run!"

"Move! Move!"

The workers threw down their tools and scrambled desperately toward the corners.

The Ironhide Boar shook its head and climbed up from the ground. Its crimson eyes locked onto the nearest living thing.

Joren.

Two streams of thick white vapor burst from its nostrils. Its hooves scraped madly against the hard concrete, producing an ear piercing screech.

The next second, its massive body became a black cannonball, charging straight at Joren with a foul, bloody wind.

That kind of force could punch straight through a wall.

"It is over! Everything is over!"

Brann’s face drained of color, and his heart seemed to miss a beat.

His mind buzzed until there was nothing left in it.

Regret crashed over him like cold seawater.

Damn it.

He could already picture the mangled mess that would be left behind.

And yet.

Facing that fatal charge, Joren did not move.

He did not even take half a step back.

In the eyes of everyone watching, the boar’s hideous face and its approaching tusks were reflected clearly in his pupils.

His body sank slightly.

He took a standard blade stance.

The hand holding the knife was steady enough to make the air around it seem still.

The strength he had just gained surged through his limbs and bones, giving him a confidence he had never felt before.

Come on.

The foul wind struck his face and whipped the loose hair across his forehead.

Brann shut his eyes.

He could not watch.

He could not save him either.

It was too fast.

The blade flashed like lightning.

Joren’s knife struck the side of the Ironhide Boar’s neck with perfect accuracy.

Ssshrk!

The five points he had added to his Combat Rank showed their value at that moment.

Power drove through the blade and slammed into the Ironhide Boar’s body.

Its tough skin split open, revealing dark red muscle beneath.

The huge beast jolted. A choked sound stuck in its throat.

But it did not stop.

Momentum dragged it forward.

A sharp light passed through Joren’s eyes.

He lowered his body, followed the wound with his blade, and whipped the edge upward.

Pshk!

The tip cut cleanly through its windpipe.

Hot blood burst out and splashed over Joren.

The Ironhide Boar’s head dropped. Its heavy body smashed into the ground, kicking up dust.

It twitched a few times, then stopped moving completely.

From the beginning of its charge to the moment it died, only three seconds had passed.

Across the factory, everyone watched without making a sound.

The fleeing workers stopped where they were.

Brann opened his eyes and found his mouth hanging open.

He killed the Ironhide Boar instantly.

Was that not something only an Awakened Warrior could do?

Could this kid actually be an Awakened Warrior?

Rowan had collapsed beside the control station, his pants soaked.

If Joren had died because of him, his life would have been over.

If he went to prison, what would happen to his family?

Thank God.

Joren flicked the blood from his blade and looked down at the dead Ironhide Boar.

[Ding!]

[Feralborn Ironhide Boar killed successfully!]

[Bloodstars gained: 1.0 points.]

Joren watched the number on his status panel change.

Bloodstars went from 0 to 1.0.

Killing an electrified Brutebull had only given him 0.5 Bloodstars.

That Ironhide Boar just now had been alive and moving, and after he killed it with one blade, it gave him 1 whole Bloodstar.

The stunned Brutebulls in the morning had clearly been larger, yet each only gave 0.5.

Did living Voidbeasts drop more Bloodstars?

The Ironhide Boar’s massive body lay on the ground, dust still settling around it.

The factory stayed deathly quiet.

The workers who had scattered in terror now stood rooted in place, staring at the fallen Ironhide Boar and at Joren beside it, his body splashed with blood.

Brann rubbed his eyes. The cigarette butt had fallen to the floor, and he had not even noticed.

The anger he had shouted at Rowan moments ago had been doused clean away.

He looked at Joren as if he were looking at a ghost.

In the morning, Joren had killed Brutebulls quickly, yes, but those beasts had all been stunned.

This Ironhide Boar had been alive.

It had charged with enough force to crush a man flat. Brann had thought Joren was done for.

The result?

Three seconds.

Joren had ended it.

Was that still something a human could do?

A few workers standing closer by took half a step back without realizing it. Their tools were clenched tight in their hands.

When they looked at Joren now, respect and fear sat together in their eyes, tangled with disbelief.

Brann drew in a deep breath and forced down the shock in his chest.

He walked toward Joren, then stopped before getting too close.

Joren stood there calmly, covered in blood, his breathing still even.

Brann swallowed.

Are the people at OCA blind?

They let a seedling this good drop out?

With the strength Joren had just shown, entering a top academy should have been guaranteed.

Brann smacked his lips, glanced again at the Ironhide Boar’s corpse, then turned toward Rowan, who was still dazed.

"Hurry up. Move this pig out of the way. Do not delay the rest."

Even Brann did not notice the faint respect in his own voice when he gave the order.

Rowan jolted back to himself and hurriedly nodded. He called the other workers over, and they rushed forward in a fluster.

As they carried the Ironhide Boar’s body away, their movements still trembled. No one dared to get too close to Joren.

After that heart stopping accident, the factory slowly started running again.

But in everyone’s eyes, Joren was no longer the same person.