My Tribrid System: More than a Monster-Chapter 103: The Smell of Another (2)

Chapter 101

"What—?"

«Yes. That is why the scent feels so familiar; it is because you emit a similar essence, though yours is just a little different.»

Upon hearing Bruce’s grim confirmation, Ray spun around instantly.

The blurry vision that had plagued him moments earlier cleared, allowing his focus to sharpen as adrenaline surged through his system.

Unfortunately, even with his heightened awareness, he couldn’t spot anyone who looked particularly suspicious.

He searched and searched, his eyes scanning the crowded hallway frantically for any anomaly or unusual activity.

Right now, he was unable to track the target effectively with his nose; the stifling aroma of heavy colognes and the saltiness of human sweat hung thick in the air, messily interfering with his primary sense of smell.

"Hold on. This c... fuck!"

He suddenly realized with a jolt of frustration that he couldn’t use the specific skill he had intended to activate.

He was about to trigger ’Thermal Vision,’ a powerful ability that allowed him to perceive the unique auras of those around him.

It was the very same skill he had utilized to gain the upper hand against Captain Jake.

During their spar, the man’s aura had been on full display before Ray’s eyes.

Every time Jake prepared to perform an action, his aura would shift or telegraph the move a split second before the physical strike, which was how Ray had managed to keep the veteran officer on his toes.

The only downside? After a minute of continuous use, a debilitating, heavy headache would wash over him.

Unfortunately, he had pushed himself to the absolute limit by maintaining the skill for longer than sixty seconds, which was the direct cause of his nosebleed.

And now, the specific scent he had been chasing was fully gone from the air, leaving Ray stunned and rooted in place.

’This is bad... incredibly bad.’

****

A few minutes later, Ray found himself back in the relative safety of his room.

The others had not yet returned from the training hall, so he began pacing back and forth, his mind a whirlpool of worry.

His nose had already stopped bleeding; on his way back, he had discreetly used ’Purification Pulse’ to cleanse his system and mend whatever minor internal strain he had suffered.

His gaze remained fixed on the floor as he moved from one corner of the small room to the other.

Tak. Tak. Tak.

"How on earth is another werewolf in the Aspirant Corps? How did they even manage to get in here? Wait... doesn’t that mean the werewolves are already—"

The realization made his heart skip several beats.

He grabbed his silver hair tightly, the strands slipping through his fingers as he spiraled into concern.

’This is not good at all. What if they are nothing but trouble? What if they are even stronger than I am?’

".... What if, just as I caught a whiff of their scent, they also caught mine? But if they did, wouldn’t they have stopped to confront me? Why didn’t they?"

«Perhaps the werewolf is simply inexperienced and hasn’t trained their nose to such a sophisticated extent?» Elyon chimed in, offering a mental shrug. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Bruce, I know you claim to have lost much of your memory. But isn’t there any way you can recall the different classifications of werewolves? I mean the hierarchy. The earlier I understand the ranks, the quicker I can prepare and find a way to scale my own strength against them."

"..."

Ray was met with a wall of silence; the werewolf spirit didn’t offer a reply.

This caused the boy to clench his hands in sheer frustration as dark, jagged images began flashing through his mind—violent thoughts of chopping a certain someone into pieces out of pure agitation.

«It seems like you are forgetting a crucial detail, though,» Elyon finally decided to take the reins of the conversation.

"And what is that?"

«You aren’t strictly a werewolf. You are a Tribrid, not a purebred lycanthrope. Because of your mixed nature, there is a strong possibility that the other werewolf was simply unable to perceive your presence.»

Elyon paused briefly before adding:

«Also, stop comparing yourself to one race. Even though Bruce and I kind of make up your power, you are still not of a single race.

You are of three races, which makes you a Tribrid. Just focus on growing stronger and mastering your abilities. When we get to that bridge you are worried about, we will know how to cross it.»

"...."

Ray exhaled sharply as he finally stopped his frantic pacing.

He moved straight to his bed and collapsed onto it, the springs creaking under his weight.

’Why do you have to make sense? But yeah, I need to stop constantly getting worried. One step at a time; just like mum says,’ Ray mused.

He squeezed his hands against the bedsheets, crumpling the fabric hard as he tried to ground himself.

’... I firstly have to take down the Aberrants. And if the werewolves want to stand in my way, I will take them down too.’

«Good.» Elyon nodded, a small, knowing smile playing on his face.

"Ah. Need to get a bit of rest before the gear training," Ray muttered.

He turned over onto his belly and shut his eyes, hoping to steal a few moments of peace before the next grueling session.

****

Meanwhile, in another part of the facility...

Clack. Clack. Clack.

"Haaa..... Haaa..." Heavy pants escaped a person’s mouth as they dashed through the corridors, seemingly in a massive hurry to reach a destination.

Their eyes remained fixed ahead, but a sharp memory flashed through their mind, causing their brows to furrow in deep confusion.

’What was that scent from earlier? Every being has a distinct smell attached to them, but the scent I perceived... it didn’t seem to belong to a single entity.

I picked up the scent of a werewolf, a human, and something else entirely from them. It’s mixing into something... something weird, strange, and almost terrifying at the same time.’

The figure paused their internal monologue for a moment, weaving around obstacles as they attempted to arrive on time.

’.... Damn it! Why did I have to be called by the authorities so urgently? I was given a strict timeframe to get there. If it wasn’t because of that, I would have tracked that person down immediately.

What is going on in this human world? Why are things so... so grim? And what was that presence? Who was that fellow? I need to find out,’ the boy declared inwardly.

His jet-black hair, which was neatly combed back, didn’t even waver despite the fact that he was running at top speed.

His dark eyes remained fixed ahead, a permanent frown etched between his brows.

’But one important thing still remains,’ the boy thought.

A small, imperceptible smile crossed his face, which slowly widened into a mischievous grin.

’Humans have so many beautiful ladies!’

Skid—!

"I’m finally here. Let’s see why I was called."

The boy came to a sudden halt in front of a heavy door.

With a sharp, stabilizing exhale, he gave it a firm, authoritative knock.

Tok. Tok.