The Arena (2)

'Come on, come on, come on!' Mian cried out in his head as his legs scrambled for purchase in the tough floor of the arena. The hardened stone beneath his feet crunched as the tough pads of his feet pressed down on it. A power that was not there a couple days back exploded within him as he propelled himself forward at a speed that was enough to keep the raging bull away from him for the time being.

'Hana! Help me!' He cried out internally, mentally sending his pleas to the miraculous system that resided within his body.

[The Evolution System has detected that the host is in imminent danger.] Hana's comforting voice suddenly rang out in Mian's mind, bringing with it a flood of relief that washed over his wildly beating heart.

'Yes, of course I'm in danger! Help me!' He cursed and swore as he ran along the curved wall of the arena.

"ROAR!!!" The bull let out a guttural bellow as its eyes turned blood red.

[Scanning threats in the immediate vicinity... One threat has been found.]

-Berserk Blood Bull.

-D Class difficulty.

-This creature has the Blood Berserker Ability that allows it to draw upon its blood to vastly enhance its base stats.

-This creature will consume the blood of its fallen foes and preys in order to boost its strength.

-Chances of winning the current confrontation: 34.7%.

___

[Due to the immense gap between you and your current foe, the functions of the System will be temporarily unlocked, despite you not fulfilling the unlock conditions. The safety of the host comes first before anything else.]

As Mian's mind went over the mental projection that had popped up in his mind, he kept on running frantically. By this time, Dion had already gotten up and was coming around to intercept the bull. His muscled bulged at the seams of his skin, his fur bristling wildly as he prepared to pounce on the creature that threatened their safety.

Just as he did pounce, Mian felt a flood of energy burst through his body. He suddenly gained a boost of speed as a foreign force seemed to take control of his body. As Dion landed across the back of the Blood Bull and sunk in his claws, Mian turned around, facing the bull that was barreling straight at him!

"What are you doing? Get out of the way!" Dion saw this, and with wide eyes, shouted for Mian to jump out of the way. Mian ignored him, however, his mind on something entirely different. Before his eyes, an almost invisible line of information seemed to float.

[Evolution Points: 7.]

This Berserk Blood Bull that was coming at him like a speeding chariot seemed to have undergone evolution at least once, and still held a probability of undergoing yet another evolution. Because of this, the bull had a whooping seven Evolution Points available! If Mian could kill this bull, then all those points would land in his lap, instantly empowering him in more ways than Dion could imagine!

Mian took a moment to gulp in his fear as he readied himself. A second later, he exploded forward, the newly empowered muscles in his legs bursting with energy as he threw himself at the bull! At the last moment, he threw himself to the floor, sliding beneath the bull's stampeding hooves in one smooth motion.

"Raaaarrr..." The bull intended to roar, but instead, it gave out a drawn out half groan, half wheezing sound as it threw its head up. The next moment shocked not just the crowd, but even Dion, and Mian himself!

A huge fountain of blood burst forth from the throat of the bull as it collapsed onto its side, with Dion smoothly jumping off it. He stared at the dead bull for a couple more seconds before turning to his newest friend with shock evident in his eyes, slowly walking towards him.

"Since when could you do that?" Dion asked with wide eyes as he stared at a harshly breathing Mian. Mian's claws were covered in drops of blood, the split second of his claws in the throat of the raging bull having been enough to cover them in the thick blood.

In the short moment where he had slid beneath the bull, his hand had shot up, dragging his barely sharp claws through the neck of the bull. Normally, his blunt claws wouldn't have been enough for him to pierce the tough hide of the bull, but with the motion and momentum that propelled the both of them forward, digging his claws though the thick hide was just plausible.

"I-I..." Mian was a bit lost for words as the high of his adrenaline rush faded from his body. The rush of the moment, combined with that boost of energy, and the temporary calm that had enveloped his mind, all thanks to the Evolution System had been what truly enabled him to do what he had done. On a normal day, he would have been too much of a coward to do anything remotely close to that.

"...And the winners are the pair of demi-humans!" The announcer's voice suddenly cut into their conversation. The crowd that had previously gone silent at the death of the Berserk Blood Bull suddenly erupted with a wave of cheers, momentarily deafening the pair of demi-humans that were standing at the edge of the arena.

"The blood of their fallen opponent has bathed the floor of the arena, marking the first kill for the day! As usual, that warrants an extra meal, so rejoice, demi-humans! You get a free meal!" The man roared, his voice cracking as he kept pushing it to the limits of what it could do.

"Please return to your corner of the arena. Your next match will be tomorrow. Rest well, because your opponent will be even tougher!"

With strained minds and muscles, the two boys retreated through the doors where they had emerged into the arena from, each with different thoughts on their minds.