Jayden stared at the system screen for a moment, standing still in the devastating trench he had just carved through the forest floor. Then he stared at his trembling hands, a wild, euphoric grin spreading across his face. He didn’t have some mystical comic-book energy field; this was raw, unadulterated biological evolution. He had achieved true super speed. And he could run as fast as the speed of sound. Real Sonic Speed.

A flash of blue light illuminated the trees, and Skye materialized beside him, her tail swishing with excitement.

Master was moving fast! Like Skye! she cheered, projecting a wave of immense pride into his mind.

Jayden chuckled, his chest heaving as the adrenaline settled. "Thanks, Skye. But I still need to get the hang of it. Do you mind if we stay in the forest a bit longer so I can practice?"

Okay! she chirped brightly. Skye would love to practice with Master!

"Alright then," Jayden said, dropping back into a runner’s stance. The world around him didn’t slow down this time; instead, he commanded his muscles to accelerate.

Then he bolted.

He pushed his beginner speed to an absurd extreme, covering what felt like 500 kilometers of dense, winding forest terrain in roughly two seconds.

He continuously increased his stride, accelerating further and further into the green blur of the woods. His newly doubled Agility and massive Perception stat allowed his mind to process the environment fast enough to effortlessly weave between massive redwood trunks and leap over ravines.

Jayden felt like he was flying. It was euphoric. He felt the pure and uncomplicated joy of a body doing something it was built for and having the capacity to appreciate it.

Suddenly, a streak of sapphire light flashed into his peripheral vision. Skye had joined him. She easily pulled up alongside him, matching his blistering pace to lead an unspoken, unintentional race.

Jayden grinned, the wind roaring in his ears. It was on.

He pushed harder, digging deep into his stamina to close the gap. But every time he almost caught up to her flank, she would effortlessly increase her stride, putting another considerable distance between them. She was obviously holding back, casually bounding through the trees as if she were simply going for a brisk jog. She was teasing him.

Jayden knew he wasn’t even close to her level... she had surpassed supersonic speeds weeks ago. But he pushed himself to his absolute limit anyway. And eventually, he hit his top speed.

The forest blurred into a tunnel of colors. Everything else disappeared. There was only the rhythmic, booming sound of his footfalls shattering the earth, the violent wind tearing at his skin, and the simultaneous pumping of his arms and legs. It was incredible. He and the Sapphire Sonic were a synchronized blur of light and displaced dust, weaving a precise, high-speed pattern through the wilderness.

"So this is what it feels like to be a speedster," Jayden murmured, his voice instantly whipped away by the wind.

But after running at Mach 1 for a while, a new sensation began to creep in.

Heat.

A fierce, blistering resistance that was entirely different from standard air pressure.

It was friction. And the longer he sustained the speed, the more the heat built up around his body.

"Luna, what is this?" Jayden asked mentally, gritting his teeth against the rising temperature. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

[It is basic physics, Jayden] Luna replied calmly. [Friction is a normal constraint for all speedsters. If you do not wish to spontaneously combust, I suggest you stop running or at least reduce your acceleration]

Jayden didn’t hesitate. He dug his heels into the dirt, skidding to a violent halt in a wide clearing, carving two deep trenches in the soil.

He looked down and immediately started slapping at his legs; the fabric of his jeans had caught fire. He quickly patted out the small flames, panting.

Sensing he had stopped, Skye halted miles ahead, turning back in a flash of blue to meet him. What’s wrong, Master? Are you okay? she asked.

"I’m fine," Jayden breathed, dusting off his charred pants. "I just need to rest a bit." He forced a smile. Then he turned hie focus back to his system guide. "Luna, what can be done about this? Can I never run at full speed again?"

[You can] Luna explained. [But you must apply aerodynamics and thermal resistance. The Sapphire Sonic has a naturally aerodynamic biology, and she is protected by her innate kinetic force... that blue light aura that shields her from atmospheric friction. You do not possess that aura. You are relying purely on physical super speed. Therefore, you need external protection]

Jayden thought for a moment. Then he came up with something. "What about my tactical suit? It has thermal regulation and heat resistance functions built into the weave."

[Yes, that should suffice perfectly] Luna confirmed. [Specialized suits are what most humanoid speedsters utilize to bypass atmospheric friction]

Jayden didn’t waste another second. With a thought, he equipped his dark tactical suit from his inventory. The sleek, reinforced fabric molded over his physique. Skye watched the wardrobe change with wide eyes, her tail thumping.

Are we going for another run, Master? she asked excitedly.

Jayden was about to agree when a brilliant idea struck him. They were standing in a forest teeming with beasts, and they both possessed an ability that could cover massive territories in seconds.

"Actually," Jayden said, a sly grin forming under his mask. "How about we have a little competition? A race."

Really? Skye jumped up and down, doing a mid-air flip. Skye loves racing!

"But this isn’t just any race," Jayden added. "You have to kill beasts, too."

Skye paused and tilted her head. Kill beasts?

"Yes," Jayden said. "We’ll run through the forest. I’ll take the East sector, you take the West. We both go hunting at full speed. The first person to kill and gather thirty beasts right here in this clearing wins."

Yes! Let’s do it! Skye was absolutely pumped now. Running and killing were arguably her two favorite activities in existence. Master is on! she declared. But then, she sat back on her haunches, narrowing her eyes like a shrewd business executive.

But first, Skye has a condition. If Skye wins, Master has to give Skye ten... no, twenty beast crystals after the race! And Master must give Skye ten crystals every day for the next month!

Jayden blinked, genuinely stunned. She was barely a cub, but her bartering skills were insane. He wasn’t about to be a pushover, though.

"No way," Jayden countered. "If you win, you get ten crystals immediately, and at least five every day."

Skye shook her massive head stubbornly. No. Skye wants fifteen crystals after the race, and seven daily.

Jayden couldn’t help but chuckle. He thought about the negotiation he had not been expecting to have with a three-month-old legendary beast in a forest clearing.

He looked at her for a moment. She looked back at him with the patient certainty of someone who has identified their position and has no intention of leaving it. She really stood her ground when it came to her snacks.

"Okay, fine," he said. "We have a deal. But the seven daily crystals won’t be given all at once. I’ll divide them up and give them to you little by little throughout the day."

Skye processed the terms, tapping her chin with a massive paw... a remarkably cute gesture for an apex predator. Then she nodded firmly.

Skye agrees.

"Alright, get ready," Jayden said. Skye turned to face the dense foliage of the West, while Jayden turned East. He unleashed his Lycan claws on his left hand and his bone knuckle-claws on his right. Then...

"Go!" he yelled. And almost immediately...

BOOM!!!

They exploded from the center of the clearing simultaneously. The sheer kinetic force of their dual launch generated a massive shockwave that flattened the surrounding grass.

Jayden became a dark blur weaving through the eastern woods. With his tactical suit regulating the heat, he didn’t feel a single spark of friction. He pushed straight to Mach 1, hunting like a bullet.

The beasts never even registered his presence. He would spot an F-Rank Howler or a D-Rank gator, and within a fraction of a second, he was upon them. A single, high-speed slash to the throat carried such explosive kinetic weight that it instantly decapitated his targets.

Jayden killed, grabbed the corpse, ran it back to the clearing, and bolted back out in a span of seconds. It was a thrilling test of both speed and endurance. The power trip was intoxicating.

When Jayden dropped his eighteenth and nineteenth corpses into his pile, he glanced over at Skye’s designated spot in the clearing. It was completely empty.

There wasn’t a single corpse.

Jayden frowned. "Is she having trouble finding beasts on the West side?" he thought. Brushing the thought aside, he bolted deeper into his sector, hunting frantically. He had a race to finish.

He found a pack of Howlers and dismantled them before they could even draw breath. He continued his high-speed slaughter until he finally dragged his thirtieth kill into the clearing and dropped it onto his massive pile.

He stood up, brushing off his hands with a triumphant chuckle. He had won.

Or so he thought.

Sitting on the opposite side of the clearing was Skye. She was casually licking her wrist, and piled high beside her was an absolute mountain of dead beasts. It was significantly larger than Jayden’s pile. There were easily close to fifty corpses.

Jayden’s eyes widened. "How—"

Ding!

The System immediately chimed in to confirm his defeat.

[Bonded Beast (Skye) has eliminated 52 targets]

[Base Exp Earned: 1,500 Exp]

[Soul Bond Bonus (x2). Base Exp has been doubled]

[You have received +3,000 EXP]

[Exp: 7160/7500]