SSS Ranked Beast Tamer: My EP increases with girls-Chapter 25: CH 0: A Penalty

The first thing Dave saw as he woke up was the numerous amount of messages hovering above his vision. They flashed relentlessly like an annoying banner he couldn’t escape from.

[You have not completed your mandatory daily quest, you will now suffer the consequences of your actions]

His groggy eyes squinted at the text, a curse slipping from his lips. "Shit!" he muttered, running his fingers through his messy hair.

He flicked through the messages, his heart sinking deeper with every line. It wasn’t the sheer volume of notifications that struck him, but the messages that was portrayed to him.

[A level one penalty has been given!]

[The user will be attacked by a certain number of beasts in all four directions; the north, east, west, and south]

[Each attack will occur in an hour to each other, and during the time of attack, the user’s stats and abilities would cease to work]

[If the user gets injured to the point where his HP is critical, the punishment will stop and all powers will be restored]

[But if the user is able to survive all attacks without reaching a critical level, then a special reward will be given]

[Do note that your powers will be active during any other time except only during the beast attack]

Dave’s heart thudded in his chest, a sense of unease washing over him. The punishment wasn’t just a loss of his ability to tame beasts; it was far worse than he had expected. He would also lose his stats which included his maxed out strength, speed, and endurance.

The very stats that made him feel powerful, that made him feel different from everyone else, would be completely stripped away. He would be a mere human, vulnerable to anything and everything around him.

He dropped back onto the bed with a sigh, staring at the ceiling, trying to wrap his mind around it. The hours ahead would be brutal, and the system seemed intent on making it even more harder. Multiple thoughts ran through his head, but one question kept on looping in his mind: How the hell was he supposed to survive this?

The fact that the system would stop the punishment if his life was in danger didn’t bring him much comfort. It was as if his very existence was now on the line, and any mistake could mean his death. Stripped of his abilities, he would have no edge against whatever beasts were coming for him. He was on his own, just like everyone else.

Another thought then flickered into his mind, one that lingered even as he let out another heavy sigh. What if it was possible? If Simbi could fight without any overpowered system abilities, and Gunther could hold his own in the face of danger, then why couldn’t he? The thought settled in his chest with an odd kind of clarity. He wasn’t alone. They weren’t born with these abilities, and if these set of people, along with other humans could survive and thrive, so could he.

He took a deep breath, pushing the anxiety in him back down. It wasn’t the time to wallow. His goal was simple: survive the attacks, stay alive, and regain his powers later.

’No more hesitation. I’ll go through with the day’s task, and whatever comes next... I’ll face it head-on.’ Dave said, believing in himself.

With a determined mindset, Dave pushed himself off the bed, his mind made up. His body might not have the strength it usually did, but his willpower, his determination, was still his to command. And that was enough. Or so he thought.

The punishment would come soon, but he wouldn’t run from it. But that he could anyway. He’d fight, not as someone with a system, but as someone who had the heart to keep going, no matter the odds.

As Dave pushed himself off the bed, he heard the door creak open. He turned just in time to see Gunther step into the room, his usual commanding presence filling the doorway.

"Alright, men, get ready! We’ll be leaving in thirty!" Gunther’s voice was firm, not waiting for any protests or questions. With that, he turned and quickly left, his boots echoing down the hallway as he went.

The moment the door swung shut, the room came to life. Chris, along with the other men, scrambled out of their beds, their movements swift as they prepared for the day ahead. They all knew what was at stake. The journey was going to be long, demanding, and filled with uncertainty, but there was no time for hesitation.

Dave watched as the others bustled around, gathering their stuffs and getting ready for whatever lay ahead. His mind wasn’t on the journey just yet, though. As he cleaned himself up and dressed, he couldn’t shake the weight of the system’s penalty still hanging over him. He was trying not to let it consume him, but the reality of what he was about to face, those beast attacks coming from all directions still lingered in the back of his mind like a shadow.

After a quick but efficient morning routine, everyone gathered at the dining area, the table lined with food for them to take before they left. There wasn’t much time for conversation, but there was a brief moment of calm before the storm. Simbi and Ella had approached him as he sat down to eat, plates of food in their hands.

Simbi smiled and slid into the seat next to him. "Hey," she greeted softly, her voice warm.

"Hi," Dave said, offering a smile in return. He turned to Ella, who was standing next to the chair, looking at him expectantly. He gave her a quick nod, which she returned with a grin before sitting beside him.

Simbi glanced at him, her eyes lingering for a second. "So, are you prepared for today’s expedition?" she asked, her tone light but with a hint of concern, as though she knew the weight of the mission but didn’t want to press it too much.

"Never have I been so prepared," Dave replied, his voice steady, even though a knot of tension had settled in his stomach. He was determined to face the day, no matter how grim things might seem.

Ella, however, wasn’t picking up on the undercurrent of seriousness in his words. With a playful grin, she leaned in slightly, her voice teasing. "Why do you need to prepare? I’m pretty sure with your superhuman fists, you can take out any opponent you see," she said, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

Dave couldn’t help but laugh at her carefree attitude, the sound escaping him more easily than he expected. The joke was just what he needed to break some of the tension. But in the back of his mind, he knew that the Dave she knew yesterday was not the same man sitting here today.

Little did she know, the one who would walk out of that door was someone who had been forced to face a very different reality, she will soon regret being teamed up with Dave. Her future self would look back and realize how little she understood what was coming.

But for now, Dave just smiled, the weight of the situation temporarily lifted by their light-hearted banter. How things will turn out, no one knows. A single action from someone could change things, a sudden relationship between two complete strangers could go a long way to save them, and it might also kill them.

Though Dave and the two girls were smiling, neither of them knew what a specific group of people were planning.