Cybernetic Evolution System

Eight hours later..

I collapsed on the grass, barely feeling an ounce of strength in me to move.

"Haa... Haa..."

System.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

┗ Weapon Mastery - Sword: Apprentice(79%)

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Training for eight hours earned me an additional 20%.

I spent an extra hour recuperating before struggling to open my storage bad and took out a pocket watch to look at the time.

2:05 pm.

I stored the pocket watch away.

I got back up to my feet.

I still needed to use Cybernetic Synchronisation on the remaining members of CR1's family so I could return home to get some rest.

Each use of the trait left me unconscious for thirty minutes, which was why I had delayed it until I was done training.

Now that I'm done with my training, I had to get them or else there was a risk that someone might uncover and raid their burrow to complete a quest.

I telephatically summoned Felix and the others.

They quickly arrived before me.

"I'll be going to rescue the rest of your family right now."

[ Fusion Compatibility: +10% ]

[ Name: CR1

Fusion Compatibility: 100%. ]

[ Fusion Compatibility: +20% ]

[ Fusion Compatibility: +20% ] ...

I felt rewarded as I watched CR1 Fusion Compatibility reach 100% and the others were shooting through the roof.

If it continued like this, then I wouldn't have had to wait a day and a half before all of them reached full Fusion Compatibility.

I opened my storage bag and stored all of them within it.

With a telepathic command, Felix transformed into a Cybernetic Swift Horned Panther Jet mode.

I hopped on and we swiftly soared into the skies.

***

Things were worse than I had presumed.

Four students surrounded the Sabre-tooth Rabbit's burrow.

I had already dismounted Felix, summoned him into my beastspace, and hid on a branch behind one of the trees.

Their clothes were mired with dirt and swords stained with blood, signifying that they had battled and slaughtered Magical Beasts before arriving here.

I didn't make any haste movements.

I continued to observe because any student capable of entering Zone 2 was powerful in their own right. They might have created a group to handle a challenging task.

I quickly recognised them.

They were from my Class - Class Three.

The Windcrest clan.

Only one of them was in the top 20.

For the rest, I didn't remember their names.

I didn't keep tabs on those who were weaker than me.

I would rather turn into a pillar of salt looking ahead than glancing at those who are playing catch-up behind me.

I wondered why they were hunting Sabre-tooth rabbits.

Although they were the kind of quests that could be refreshed instantly, regardless of the number of Sabre-tooth rabbits that were submitted, the merit points acquired from going hunting them were better wasted on more difficult tasks with greater rewards.

With the team gathered, it would be easy for them to collect between 1,000 and 2,000 merit points in a day.

If I hesitated any longer, CR1's family would be slaughtered, and with them, my chance to improve our fusion compatibility.

I sprang out from hiding place, leaping from tree to tree.

Wind Rush!

A faint gust of azure wind gathered around my legs and waist, propelling me forward with an even greater speed.

Swooossshh!!

***

[ Third Person P.O.V. ]

Four students gathered together around a burrow beside a tree.

They were all dressed in the Grand Avalon Academy Combat Uniform.

"Isn't 30 Sabre-tooth Rabbits enough to cover up what we're doing?" a boy with black hair, a pointed nose, and fair skin asked.

"It's not enough," Kiran responded, shaking his head. "Those guys will not leave any stone or even a leaf unturned once they uncover that their task has been completed by someone else."

"We have already confirmed that those who were meant to complete yesterday's mission hadn't done so. Instead, it was turned in by someone else. This means that the person who had done this isn't specifically targeting us."

"So rather than reporting, it's best we make take advantage of today's task by turning it in ourselves. However, with our team, it would be too suspicious for us to eliminate only a small number of Sabre-tooth rabbits."

"That way, when today's group are ready to complete the task and uncover that it's already been handled, and inform the others who had experienced the same thing as well, they will surely call for a meeting."

"We can also inform them that we haven't completed our tasks. This will help ease their suspicions about us. That's why we're going to divide the merit points among ourselves for safekeeping."

Kiran looked at them with a solemn expression.

No one is to know about this. And I understand that you already know the consequences of what would happen if they do."

They all nodded in understanding, wearing serouis expressions.

They were all descendants of the Windcrest Clan, and in times like this, where they all shared a similar goal, no one was stupid enough to sell them out themselves.

They knew that once the other noble descendants found the crack in their armour, they too would be mercilessly targeted.

"Let's get this over with, so we can exit the dungeon quickly. Although we won't be the prime suspect, it would be troublesome if were encountered them on our way out," Kiran said.

"Take positions and ensure that none of the beasts flees."

Kiran unsheathed his blade as he approached the burrows.

The others also unsheathed their blades.

Sabre Tooth Rabbits were incredibly agile and could outrun Awakener of equal strength.

However, their defences were frail, and they could be killed easily.

Since none of them knew whether the Sabre Tooth Rabbits within the burrow were early or mid-stage Rank One Lesser Beasts, they could only proceed cautiously to avoid wasting their strength.

Kiran raised his blade above one of the holes.

Wind Cyclone!

He cast an intermediate spell.

An azure wind appeared, revolving around the blade's edges.

"This would decapitate a few and force them out," he muttered.