SWNOVELXO Chapter 16: this little beast sure is fast
Shortly after, Grant left the hospital, a faint smile on his face. Every few years, the Normandy Kingdom finds an espers with an A-level talent like Angela. But not everyone chooses to join an espers academy, and not everyone is willing to be bound by the military. Alan's quick agreement had saved him a lot of effort.
Grant didn't notice the flock of Ravens flying overhead, hundreds of meters above the military base. In a hidden corner of Kasnia Town, a man in a black robe smiled slightly as he saw Grant emerge. "I've found you!" he muttered before dialing a number and speaking softly into the phone, "Lord Followers of God, there's a situation in Kasnia Town, southeast of the seventh main city. I request the mobilization of additional Followers."
On the other end of the phone, a raspy voice responded, "Is this intel worth it?"
The man known as Raven replied, "Based on my surveillance, there seems to be someone in the military hospital absorbing a high-grade ability crystal."
"Oh? The intel agents in Kasnia Town will assist you. Identify the person absorbing the ability crystal. If necessary, you may utilize hidden agents and puppets. If their talent is exceptional, sacrifices are acceptable. Raven, if you succeed, the position of the Ninth Follower will be yours!"
Raven's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Understood!"
As Raven plotted his next move, hundreds of kilometers away in the seventh main city, a bus was departing toward Kasnia Town. Onboard, a fair-skinned young man stared out the window, lost in thought.
On the highway, a massive two-story passenger bus sped along, carrying nearly two hundred passengers. After over an hour of watching the scenery outside, Anthony grew tired and closed his eyes to rest.
As he began to drift off, the bus suddenly jolted, and then there was a harsh screeching of brakes. If not for his seatbelt, Anthony might have slammed into the seat in front of him.
"What the hell? Can't you drive properly?"
"Are you crazy? Can't you warn us before you brake like that?"
"Ow, my head..."
The bus was filled with shouts and complaints.
Then the driver shouted back, "Everyone shut up! There's a beast up ahead. Anyone who keeps yapping will be thrown off the bus!"
Hearing that there was a beast, everyone immediately quieted down. Over the past two hundred years, the Normandy Kingdom had seen eight White Mist Zones appear on its soil, with an additional fourteen surrounding it. These zones had swallowed up an eighth of the kingdom's land. Only the towns protected by the Watchmen were safe; everywhere else was considered a danger zone.
After the appearance of these zones, train and airplane travel through dangerous areas became increasingly risky, leading to their eventual abandonment. This made traveling much more troublesome. For regular civilians, road travel by car became the primary mode of transportation.
To minimize risks, large passenger buses like this one were used, and each driver was an espers, trained to ensure passenger safety as much as possible. Despite these precautions, the Normandy Kingdom's population continued to decline, now standing at less than 600 million—a 60% drop compared to two centuries ago.
However, compared to other countries, the Normandy Kingdom was relatively fortunate. Some nations were entirely engulfed by the White Mist Zones due to their small landmass. For instance, there was once a prosperous neighboring country with nearly 100 million people, but 120 years ago, the twelfth White Mist Zone appeared, covering 90% of the country, wiping it out overnight.
Now, the global population has dwindled to less than 2 billion, less than 30% of what it once was. While some humans naturally awaken as espers, many more animals do, making the roads between towns dangerous, even with regular patrols by espers teams. However, absolute safety could never be guaranteed.
The driver addressed the passengers again, "Stay in your seats. I've reported the situation to the Watchmen. Any espers here, come down and help me out. I'm a retired Watchman, a D-level espers with superhuman strength. If that beast isn't too strong, we'll take it down."
With that, the driver pulled out a large machete from somewhere, showing that this wasn't his first encounter with a beast.
Anthony scanned the passengers, his gaze settling on a tall, thin man and an elderly man. Since awakening his ability, Anthony had gained a new power: the ability to perceive certain things, like detecting the presence of espers. He could distinguish between ordinary people and espers. However, the tall man showed no signs of moving, clutching his seatbelt tightly, clearly terrified. As for the elderly man, he looked to be in his seventies or eighties, and with his frail frame, stepping outside would be a death sentence.
Anthony had once thought that all espers were strong, but now he realized that wasn't true for everyone. Less than a quarter of all espers became Watchmen. Some joined small espers teams to hunt beasts in danger zones, but most lived ordinary lives in the cities, with abilities that were often of little practical use.
Anthony thought to himself that if those espers from yesterday's bus were here, that beast would likely already be in pieces. Seeing that neither man intended to act, Anthony stayed in his seat, but he directed his gaze through the window at the beast outside.
About a hundred meters ahead on the highway, a dog-like beast blocked the road, its body showing signs of mutation. Patches of dark brown fur were interspersed with scales, and its scorpion-like tail ended in a sharp stinger. The beast was as large as a fully grown lion.
As the driver got out, the beast bared its sharp teeth and growled menacingly, sensing the espers's power but hesitating to attack.
Beasts below B-level generally didn't have names, not because humans refused to give them, but because they couldn't reproduce, making them less significant. Only the terrifying beasts above B-level that survived initial encounters received names.
"The body shows signs of transformation, likely a beast-type mutation. Beast-type monsters usually have strong physical abilities, but their special abilities need to be tested. Alright, little mutt, let's see what you've got!" The driver analyzed the situation before taunting the beast by beckoning it closer.
After a moment of hesitation, the beast could no longer restrain itself and began to advance, closing the distance between them. When they were less than ten meters apart, the driver suddenly charged at the beast with a loud shout.
Pouring his espers power into his arms, the driver swung his machete with all his might, aiming for the beast. The beast dodged the attack with a quick side jump before lunging at him.
"Clang!"
The driver reversed his grip and blocked the beast's claws with his machete, sending sparks flying from the impact.
The experienced driver let out a low growl and managed to fling the demon hound away. With a quick flick of his alloy machete, he chuckled, "Trash ability, at best a C-rank. But this little beast sure is fast."
Provoked by the driver's taunt, the demon hound snarled again and lunged forward, engaging the driver in battle.
The passengers on the bus watched in shock and awe. Although news reports often covered espers fighting beasts, very few had witnessed such a battle in person, and for many, this was their first time seeing it up close.