My Tribrid System: More than a Monster-Chapter 94: Caught?

Chapter 92

It had now been ten minutes since Ray left the library, and currently, he was standing inside a massive training hall.

The facility was considerably wide and enormous, designed to fit hundreds upon hundreds of people comfortably.

Humanoid-looking steel dolls lined the perimeter, each deactivated and awaiting a command to strike.

A heavy punching bag—the same high-durability type used for standard Aspirant training—hung above the floor, suspended by an incredulously long, reinforced chain.

The moment he stepped inside, the air around him seemed to shift.

He instantly pulled off his shirt and tossed it aside, letting it land haphazardly on a nearby treadmill.

His lean, defined muscles and abs were now on full display as he walked toward the punching bag with a predatory focus.

"I know I will mostly be battling Aberrants, but I still want to test something," he muttered, coming to a halt a few feet away from the target.

Though a pair of protective gloves lay on a bench to the side, he didn’t even cast them a glance as he shifted into a combat stance.

He held his hands out in front of him, beginning to lightly bounce on the balls of his feet.

From left to right, he shifted his rhythm, equally distributing weight to his legs to maintain perfect balance.

Without warning, he exploded forward.

His speed was definitely greater than he had realized; he materialized in front of the bag within the single blink of an eye.

Not wasting even a fraction of a second, his hand shot forward, smashing into the side of the dense punching bag.

For some reason, the heavy object didn’t move an inch from its original position.

Yet, Ray was unrelenting.

His fists began striking the bag from different angles and sides, his hands moving in a blurred frenzy as they crashed into the surface like an unrelenting wave against the hull of a ship.

Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang—!

Each consecutive punch caused loud, echoing bangs to permeate the air.

Drops of sweat were already beginning to form on his temples, glistening under the hall’s fluorescent lights.

"Move, move, move damn it!"

Bang, Bang, Bang—!

"Fucking move!" he roared, cocking his hand back behind him for a fleeting moment, gathering every ounce of strength.

BANG—!

His fist smashed into the bag with all his might.

The air grew still for a moment, as if the room itself were holding its breath.

Then...

Creak—!

The heavy chain groaned under the tension, and the bag was finally forced ten inches backward.

A satisfied smile flashed across the Tribrid’s face as he stepped back to observe the punching bag swinging rhythmically back and forth.

He was currently panting softly, sweat slicking his brow, but he didn’t mind.

He breathed a sigh of relief at this small achievement.

Turning his head to face one of the dormant humanoid dolls, he began striding towards it with renewed purpose.

"Now that the warmup is done," he uttered, stepping behind a doll and placing his palm firmly on its cold back.

A small, rhythmic purple glow appeared.

{Aspirant recognized. Activating...}

{Please select the grade at which the doll should battle.}

’Trisha is at grade 5.4, eh?’ Ray thought, his eyes narrowing.

"Grade 5.6," he commanded aloud.

{Registered. Doll is activated and ready for battle.}

"... Time for what I truly came here for." He smirked and quickly leaped backward, landing gracefully in the center of the hall.

The doll began marching forward like a real human.

Its overall build was strikingly similar to a person’s silhouette, though far more polished and shiny due to its reinforced steel body.

Soon enough, it stood a mere two meters away from Ray.

"Show me what you got." Ray smiled, gesturing for the doll to initiate the first attack.

Without hesitation, the doll exploded forward at blazing speed, crossing the distance between itself and Ray within a second.

Around its metallic hands, jagged earth was beginning to form at an alarming rate.

In a flash, a dense earth gauntlet encased the doll’s fists, and it didn’t delay in swinging a heavy blow toward Ray’s face.

"Halo veil."

After a bit of practice, Ray had realized that his skills could be triggered with either a focused thought in his head or spoken words.

He no longer had to manually scroll through various system tabs to access his abilities.

Swooosh—!

The air shifted violently between the two combatants as a bright white light formed with startling speed.

Before the earth-shattering punch could connect with Ray’s head, a glowing, circular shield appeared between them, and the doll’s fist was caught hanging uselessly in mid-air.

Unable to press further, the doll’s fist felt as if it were caught by an invisible hand, something solid and unyielding that refused to let it push forward.

However, Ray had underestimated the machine’s tactical programming.

It quickly leaped a few inches back, and without hesitation, the ground shifted slightly beneath its metallic feet as it blasted forward again.

Ray didn’t remain stationary this time; his eyes narrowed as he also bolted ahead to meet the doll in the center of the hall.

"I might not have weapons, but I still have my claws."

[Lunar Claws activated]

Clang—!

The combatants collided in the center with a deafening metallic ring.

Ray’s hands had shifted, sprouting fierce claws that looked sharp enough to shred solid steel.

The talons met the doll’s earth gauntlet in a spray of fierce sparks.

Before Ray could counter, an earth spike shot out from the doll’s second palm at blistering speed.

Given how close they were to one another, it seemed inevitable that the spike would impale the Tribrid.

But then—

Lightning crackled fiercely around Ray’s feet.

With a deafening bang, he darted away, dodging the spike by a wide margin and allowing it to crash uselessly into the reinforced floor.

BANG—!

Ray exploded forward again, materializing before the doll within a heartbeat and giving it no time to react.

In one fluid movement, he slashed his claws from the side, aiming to rip into the doll’s shoulder.

But as if sensing the impending strike, the machine shifted.

From the corner of the hall, the training walls twisted and moved, sending a dozen spikes of earth toward Ray at breakneck speed.

’Shoot! This doll is incredibly fast even at this level.’

Left with no other choice, Ray leaped away from the doll and was forced onto the defensive.

He blurred across the hall, clashing with the incoming spikes.

His hands moved in a frantic haze as the projectiles began falling one by one like flies.

Despite the danger, a grin slipped onto his face as he continuously swatted the spikes aside.

One projectile remained.

For this, he kicked off the ground, vaulting into the air for a brief moment.

With a perfectly timed roundhouse kick, he sent the final spike flying back at the doll. He wasn’t finished yet.

Lightning crackled around his hands with intense energy, illuminating his claws and turning them from a dark black to a brilliant, electric blue.

[Sparkshot Activated]

Thrusting his hands forward, two consecutive bolts of lightning burst out, rocketing toward the doll alongside the redirected spike.

In response, a thick wall rose from the floor, clicking into place and enabling the doll to block the attacks with ease.

"Fool."

Ray’s voice wafted from behind, causing the doll to spin around toward the new threat.

But then—

Crackle—!

Boom—!

Two strikes of lightning smashed into the doll’s back, lifting it off its feet.

The machine was sent skipping across the ground continuously for several seconds before finally coming to a halt.

"Haaa... Haaa... Haaa..." Ray breathed, the electricity slowly dissipating from his fingertips.

"Impressive."

A feminine voice echoed through the vast training hall.

"Ba... thump."

Ray’s heart instantly skipped a beat, and his eyes widened in sheer horror.

’Fuck. I have been caught.’