MY F-GRADE BEAST IS THE STRONGEST

MIRA SILAS

Airis stared towards the rocky ceiling, trying to determine where the scream had come from.

He hesitated as his chest was still hurting, and the last thing he needed was another dangerous encounter before recovering from his injuries.

Then he heard a man's voice.

"Stop struggling and hand it over. You won't get another chance!"

Airis frowned. That didn't sound like someone fighting a beast.

He hurried towards the cavern's entrance and climbed the rocky slope, ignoring the pain in his chest. His Spirit Beast followed close behind.

"What do you think you're doing?" a young woman shouted. "I hunted that thing myself. You didn't lift a finger to help me!"

The man laughed coldly. "And what are you going to do about it? There are three of us, and you're alone."

Airis stopped behind a large rock.

Three men against one woman?

"Last chance, girl," another man said. "Hand over the beast core and your supplies, and we'll let you leave."

"Go to hell!"

A scuffle followed, then the sound of someone hitting the ground.

Airis gritted his teeth. He had barely survived the Shadowfang Leopard, and his chest still hurt whenever he moved too quickly. Getting involved with three armed men was the last thing he needed.

He could return to the cavern and continue recovering.

Then the woman cried out in pain.

"Damn it. Why does trouble always find me?"

His Spirit Beast climbed onto his shoulder, its violet eyes fixed on the slope ahead.

"Don't tell me you're expecting me to do something about this."

The creature remained silent.

"Of course you are."

Airis continued climbing until he could see the clearing below.

Three young men surrounded a girl dressed in worn hunting clothes. A leather pack lay beside her, and one of the men held a small pouch taken from it. A cut marked her arm, but she still gripped her hunting blade defiantly.

"Give it back," she demanded.

The man smirked. "Come and take it, then."

One of the men stepped closer.

"Still feeling brave?"

"Get any closer and find out."

He struck her across the face. She stumbled, and another man grabbed her arm, forcing her to drop her blade.

"That's enough!" he snapped. "We don't have time for this."

As he bent to retrieve her weapon, his companion reached for her pack.

Airis clenched his fists. He had no obligation to risk his life for a stranger, but watching the men torment her reminded him of how helpless he had felt when his father abandoned him in the wilderness.

He couldn't just walk away.

His Spirit Beast suddenly raised a claw and pointed towards the clearing.

Airis followed its gesture. It was pointing at the shadows stretching across the rocky ground beneath the men.

He became confused why his spirit beast would point towards that direction before something clicked in.

‘Shadows... Darkness... My ability!’

He remembered moving the shadow beside the tree roots during his training. It had taken considerable effort, but he had done it without relying on his Spirit Beast.

Could he do it again?

His gaze settled on the man reaching for the girl's pack.

His mind began to think as he noticed he only needed to make him lose his balance.

Below, the girl twisted free and reached for her the weapon the man was holding but another man lunged towards her.

"Stay down!"

Airis had no time to hesitate.

He focused on the shadow beneath the man reaching for the pack, gathering what little mana he could control.

Nothing happened as his chest began to ache.

"Come on..." he whispered.

He concentrated harder. A faint darkness gathered around his fingertips, and the shadow on the ground twitched.

Airis held his breath as the shadow stretched across the man's path.

The man took another step.

His foot caught against the distorted shadow, and he crashed face-first onto the rocky ground. The pouch flew from his hand.

Everyone froze.

‘I did it!’

Airis stared in disbelief. He had actually used his ability against someone.

But the excitement quickly vanished as pain shot through his chest. His concentration broke, and the shadow returned to normal.

Below, the fallen man scrambled up.

"Who did that?"

"Watch where you're stepping, idiot!" his companion snapped.

"Something grabbed my foot!"

Before they could argue further, the Shadow Beast leaped from Airis's shoulder onto the rocks.

Its violet eyes glowed, and a thin blade of darkness shot towards the man that was holding the blade.

"Ah!"

The blade cut across his upper arm, tearing his sleeve and drawing blood.

"What kind of beast is that?" he shouted, stumbling backwards.

Airis watched in surprise. His Spirit Beast had used the same attack that had wounded the Shadowfang Leopard, though this time it had struck a healthy target.

The girl seized her opportunity. She snatched up her hunting blade, kicked the fallen man back to the ground, and pressed the weapon against his throat.

"Stay down."

The man obeyed.

The third attacker backed away, staring at his injured companion and the small black creature on the rocks.

"What the hell is going on here?"

"Forget it!" the injured man snapped. "Let's get out of here!"

"What about the beast core?"

"To hell with the beast core!"

The third man turned and ran. His companions quickly followed, leaving the clearing in a hurry.

Airis let out a shaky breath.

He had done it. He had helped someone using his own ability.

Unfortunately, his body had other ideas.

His hands trembled, and the pain in his chest worsened. He tried to straighten up, but dizziness washed over him.

Just a little longer. I only need to get back to the cavern...

His Spirit Beast hopped onto his shoulder.

"...You…could have warned me that using my own ability would hurt this much…," Airis muttered.

The creature stared at him with its violet eyes.

"Yeah, I know. You're not going to answer."

He took a step, but his legs nearly gave way. His earlier injuries, combined with the effort of manipulating the shadow, had left him exhausted.

"Damn it..."

His knees buckled.

Before he could hit the ground, someone caught his arm.

"Hey! Are you all right?"

Airis raised his head. The girl stood beside him, her hunting blade lowered.

"You look like you're about to pass out."

"I'm fine," he muttered.

His legs gave way again.

"You're a terrible liar."

She helped him sit on a nearby rock while he struggled to keep his eyes open. She glanced at the little creature on his shoulder before looking back at him.

"My name is Mira Silas," she said. "And I think you owe me an explanation about what just happened."

Airis managed a tired smile.

"Can I explain after I stop feeling like I'm going to die?"

Mira sighed. "Fine. But don't you dare pass out on me just yet."

Airis tried to answer, but his vision blurred. His head drooped, and Mira quickly caught him before he fell.

The last thing he felt was her arm supporting him as darkness swallowed his vision.