My Tribrid System: More than a Monster

Chapter 123

”It’s not really surprising, especially considering the fact that you just awakened a dormant ability,” Kai remarked, shrugging off the weight of Van’s revealed grade.

”Okay, our little group is surely growing at both a shocking and surprising rate.” Ray let out a nervous, airy chuckle as he rubbed his temples, lost in deep thought.

”Where exactly are you all even rushing to? We’ve barely been here.”

Van laughed briefly as he turned back to his workstation and manually powered on the ancient monitor.

”It’s not our fault that we only have less than ten months to show our true potential; otherwise, we would be discarded by the Corps,” he noted grimly.

He paused for a second, his expression darkening, then added,

”Who knows? The Aberrants might not even give us that much of a chance. We need to be on our toes at all times, and I certainly don’t intend to be left behind in the dust.”

Kai stroked his chin, a small, confident smile flashing across his face.

”Think about it. We’ve got a werewolf dude, a crystal-wielding grade 6 meta-human, and finally, a tech guru with the unique ability to communicate with machines. Isn’t that an awesome lineup?”

”And completely mismatched,” Ray added, his tone somewhat somber.

”Also,” Van said, spinning his chair around to face them with a sudden intensity. ”Ray, I need to know something specific.”

”Sure, what is it?”

”Your werewolf ability. Is it really just a simple transformation ability, or is there something more lurking beneath the surface? Usually, I wouldn’t care as much since I trust you implicitly, but we need to be prepared for any eventuality.”

Ray stared into his friend’s eyes for a few silent moments before offering a shrug.

”You guys were the ones who labeled it a transformation ability; I never actually said that. I don’t know how I acquired it, but all I know is this: I can transform into an authentic werewolf. Not a fake, not a magical copy, but the real thing. That’s the extent of my knowledge.”

”Oh,” Van muttered, let out a soft sigh, and then shook his head. ”Well, it changes nothing for now, I suppose.”

”Quick one,” Kai butted in, directing his attention toward the inventor. ”Just how potent is that new ability of yours?”

Van lifted an eyebrow before rubbing his temples as if trying to organize his thoughts.

”It... Well, it’s good, I guess. The primary advantage is that I can communicate with and exert control over any machine or piece of tech I physically touch. I could alter the base code written on it, and the ability also helps me assemble complex technology much faster than before.”

He thought for a few more moments and then added with a smirk,

”I can also hack into almost anything.”

Ray and Kai exchanged knowing glances before both broke into a smile.

”It seems someone has been quite busy getting to know their ability inside out.”

”I wasn’t just doing only that,” Van said.

He gestured for the duo to come closer before he twirled around and began typing rapidly on his keyboard.

”I was also conducting some research about Ray’s werewolf side. Though I trust him with my life, we need to be prepared in case anything goes wrong. I found out a few interesting things.”

Now that Ray was standing closer to the desk, he stared at the glowing computer with a conflicted, skeptical expression.

”Where did you even get the money to afford a rig like this?”

Van didn’t even look up, acting as if he hadn’t heard the question, but he replied anyway.

”Got it as a sub-gift from the instructor. It’s her old computer that wasn’t even working properly, but I tweaked the hardware. Anyway, back to what I discovered.”

With a decisive click on a button, a detailed article was instantly displayed on the screen in front of them.

”... People like Ray, who are part human and part werewolf, are technically called Hybrids.”

”Wait, how can you be so sure that I’m part human and part werewolf?” Ray countered.

”I could simply be a werewolf who happens to have the power to shape-shift into human form.”

”You could be that, theoretically. But the reason I’m so sure about my theory is simple... you were never a werewolf, bro. You have been purely human for every single second I’ve known you.

I was glued to your side, going anywhere you went for years. Never once did I see an actual werewolf turn you or even scratch you.

So, my logical conclusion is that the rock creature thing that fused with you granted you werewolf DNA, which was then stabilized by the machinery inside you. Which makes you part werewolf and part human.”

’Part celestial too. I’m not just a hybrid, but a Tribrid... unfortunately, or fortunately?’ Ray mused silently, the weight of his third bloodline pressing against his thoughts.

”So? Is that all you managed to dig up?” Kai asked, squinting as he tried to make sense of the dense strings of data and old articles scrolling across the monitor.

”Actually, no,” Van replied, his fingers hovering over the keys.

”I also stumbled upon some archived discussions regarding ancient werewolf sightings.

They are said to possess enough raw strength to literally split mountains. Not all of them, of course, but the ones who reach the peak of their power.

From what I’m seeing with Ray’s progress, he is rapidly approaching that terrifying level. But the massive downside to all of this is the grim fact that he might lose his humanity at any given point.”

Kai froze, his expression clouding over.

”Meaning?”

”Meaning that he could eventually turn into a full-blown monster—a creature that craves human flesh like a mindless beast,” Van added, turning his chair to stare at Ray, who didn’t elicit even a flicker of emotion at the terrifying prospect.

”But... the silver lining to all of this is,” Van continued, finally turning away from the computer screen.

”If he learns how to master his power and becomes something more than a mere monster, he could actually be the ultimate key to winning this entire war against the Aberrants.”

”There’s one glaring problem, though,” Kai pointed out, crossing his arms.

”Will humanity even accept him if they witness his full, unfiltered transformation? People fear what they don’t understand.”

Ray finally stood upright, casting a sharp, brief glance at Kai.

”And I don’t recall ever telling you that I cared about what humans think, did I? People are always prone to wagging their tongues whether you do something good or not. So, let them talk. All I want to do is vanquish every last Aberrant, and that’s it.”

Kai shook his head, his tone growing more serious.

”You don’t understand the scale of it. If push comes to shove and you’re labeled a threat, the big guns will actually step in.

There’s no way you can take on all the Captains of both military branches, let alone the heads of the Big Four. Let’s not forget that there are also global factions in this world with power levels just below the Big Four themselves.”

Ray just leaned his head to the side, a warm, almost predatory smile caressing his face as faint sparks crackled deep within his irises.

”Let them come. Anybody who dares to stand in the way of me eliminating the Aberrants will suffer the exact same fate as those creatures. They don’t scare me, and they never will.”