Crystal Core

A tall guy with a huge body build came to Blake's side, and was about to lift him, when Blake suddenly sprang up from the ground, pulled the dagger from his stomach, and swiped the blooded dagger horizontally, like a credit card. However, a thin, red, string line appeared on Don's throat, leaving a slow trail of blood, spilling down his neck.

Don covered his neck to stop the blood, but his effort was futile.

Blake, with the side of his cloth covered with his blood, looked like a ferocious devil, making the rest of the boys, including Jerry, run for their life.

The coldness in Blake's eyes made Jerry's hair on his nape stand erect. He had to run for his life.

Blake, who was standing, suddenly fell and lay flat on the ground. 

"Fool! Bunch of cowards," Blake muttered with a pale face. 

A string of texts appeared in his eyes, which made his heart stop. He knows something either in his favor or against him is about to happen.

*** 

[WARNING! Body possession begins…]

*** 

Blake suddenly felt the different tortures he suffered at the seashore but in reverse order. He nearly gave up this time because of his injury. After a while, the text appeared in his eyes.

***

WARNING! Primary Host Control Lost: –1%.

Primary Host Control: 8%.

Secondary Host Control: 92%.

***

Blake finally relaxed, but the crisis of what is to come as he loses more control made him anxious.

Empress Hecate didn't appear this time. Blake stood up shakily and found out that his bleeding had stopped, although not healed.

He trod staggeringly, swaying like he was drunk, with one hand covering his injured stomach.

After walking into the forest for a while without seeing any of those scary beasts, he sat down behind a rock. However, the world just showed him that the living must have something to worry about. His stomach grumbled, which made him walk deeper into the forest. He needed food, and the fruits in the forest were unknown to him. If he eats some unknown fruit and abruptly dies of poison, it's going to be a comical story instead of a tragic one. His only option is hunting animals. 

He came across a cave after walking deeper into the forest. By now, he has noticed something strange. No beast was around the area. He came to a logical conclusion. He thought the students took the opposite direction to hunt beasts. Unknown to him, his assumption was off the track.

The cave reminded him of that ape. He was contemplating if he should go in. Suddenly, a sound, like the clapping of thunder, followed by an intense vibration of the ground, jolted him. 

"Is that not the sound of the ape…no, it is more powerful than the ape," Blake mumbled while looking in the direction where the sound originated with apprehension. 

After waiting for a while, he saw a white horse, although not as big as the gigantic ape, it was at least seven meters tall. It was battling a strange bull with blue skin. The earth was quaking. Their fight was unintentionally shifting towards Blake.

Blake, without any choice, jumped into the cave. He also made sure not to wander too deep into the cave. The fight became fiercer while they were moving toward the cave, making Blake regret his decision. They will bury him alive at this rate. He peeked at them, planning to run out when they were not watching their surroundings.

When he noticed the fight had reached its climax, they wouldn't be bothered about a small fry like him, so he decided to run. However, Hecate popped out of his body and said, "Don't go. If you leave now, you will be squashed into pulp," 

"But they are not looking," Blake said coldly, still angry about her for trying to possess him when he was injured.

"Look carefully," Hecate said, pointing at the battlefield.

Blake observed meticulously this time around, which made him see something that shocked him. Dust, wood shreds, flying rocks, and uprooted trees were being pulled forcefully to the ground, instead of flying disorderly.

"Increased gravity," Blake muttered in shock.

"Sharp senses and fast thinking," Hecate complimented with a pleasing smile.

"But I thought Awakens does not possess elements?" Blake asked confused.

"There is always an anomaly. Moreover, it's not new, just that it has not been discovered. They possess rare and exclusive elements at a certain point. Gravity is one of them," Hecate said with a smile that made Blake vigilant.

"Why do they have elements?" Blake asked, although wary.

"You should be thinking of other things and leave that for the future. You might get rewarded from their fight," Hecate enunciated, still smiling with her ruby eyes blinking in the dark cave.

Right at that moment, the cave shook with some stone fragments falling.

Just when he believed the cave was about to collapse, the vibration ceased. He peeked, seeing the fallen body of the horse.

*** 

[Crystal core of an Awaken beast discovered!]

*** 

Blake poked his head from the cave, and he saw the injured blue-colored bull. It was taking a nap with blood flowing from its body.

'I'm to kill a hundred of those big monsters in 200 days–199 days?' Blake thought as his cheek spasmed. 

"This is your chance. Get the crystal core. It possesses the original gravity element. You might never have this chance. You will lose your opportunity to obtain the gravity element if you leave now. Moreover, if you want to kill crystal core beasts, you will need an element as an Awaken– gravity," Hecate said seriously.

"Won't it affect my future elements? I want something like lightning," Blake asked skeptically.

"It wouldn't," Hecate said solemnly.

"That gigantic bull might wake up and annihilate me," Blake said gravely.

"There's no reward without risk," Hecate returned the grave tone.

"What do you gain from all this?" Blake asked after much thought.

"When I get your body, I will have the elements," Hecate said honestly, making Blake's face distorted in a nasty grimace.

"There are other people. What do you want with my body? We can be close friends after you take other people's bodies, but can you please leave my body?" Blake pleaded.

"There are two reasons. Firstly, the Universal system has partially merged with you. As for the second reason, you will find out in the future," Hecate said with a smile.

Blake was frustrated with her, but she had a point. He will need something to kill the crystal-core Awaken beasts. 199 days are around the corner. He steeled his heart and walked towards the dead horse. 

Everything went easily. He used the dagger which Jerry used to stab him to tear the head of the horse and retrieved a basketball – size gem-like core. He snuck away, but just as he was a step from disappearing into the forest, the gravity multiplied, making it feel like his body was filled with lead.

With all the strength he could muster, he turned back. He saw the bull walking towards him slowly, making the earth rumble.

He was hoping for Hecate to appear, but she didn't.

'I've been tricked. Second chance, and I'm unlucky? If I survive this, I will control my fate by being powerful,'