Speed Is King

[Affirmative. Bestow is a Beast Master exclusive talent which allows him to strengthen his allies at the cost of his own power. All bestowed skills and tamed beasts would disappear from the Beast Master permanently.]

Elliot's eyes shined brightly as he gaped in wonder. Although the cost of bestowing was ridiculously expensive, it meant that he could give his sisters a few of the skills which he didn't really need so that they could have a measure of defense!

"But I only have fifty measly points. I need to make Brock's antidote and I need a Beast-Link with either Brock or Winter at least. That's fifteen. I have thirty five points left. What should I spend them on?" Elliot wondered. "What about the item shop? Any new things there?"

[New Items for sale in the Level 2 Shop:]

[Extra Large Mystery Box - Contains five random items.] [Cost: 30 points]

Elliot's eyes flashed with greed when he saw the Extra Large Mystery Box.

"Let's get that Extra Large Mystery Box and see if my luck holds out!" Elliot decided. "Even if I get a bunch of crap, I can easily kill and tame more wild beasts nearby to gain another level or two. Hawk, get me that Extra Large Mystery Box please!"

[Acknowledged.]

[Opening Extra Large Mystery Box]

[Received 1x Medium Attribute Candy]

[Received 1x Extra Large Random Attribute Candy]

[Received 1x Extra Large XP Candy]

[Received 1x Extra Large XP Candy]

[Received 1x Extra Extra Large Random Attribute Candy]

"Ca-candies???" Elliot's upper lip twitched slightly. "I spent 30 points for CANDIES?!"

[Affirmative.]

"... '¦ '¦ Gah. But at least I got XP candies. I'll get a few points back when I gain level. Fine. Consume them all! Assign Medium Attribute Candy to Strength!" Elliot instructed Hawk the AI.

[Acknowledged.]

[Received 0.4 Strength from Medium Attribute Candy.]

[Received 1.6 Looks from Extra Large Random Attribute Candy.]

[Received 1600 XP from Extra Large XP Candy.]

[Received 1600 XP from Extra Large XP Candy.]

[Received 3.2 Beast Affinity from Extra Extra Large Random Attribute Candy]

[Congratulations, You have levelled up to level 31!]

"The Beast Affinity is fine, but looks'¦ Who cares about looks? If I got the 1.6 assigned to strength instead'¦ Ah well. That's that." Elliot muttered to himself as he considered his gains. "A slight loss. I could have gotten better worth out of my 30 points if I spent them on other things."

Unbeknownst to him, Monkey King just choked on his tea upon hearing his words. "3.2 in Beast Affinity and he considers it a bad deal. Is his intellect really at 2 points? How can he be such a numbskull?" Monkey King muttered to himself.

"Get me Beast-Link with Winter, get me the Hell Venom Anaconda antidote for Brock and dump the remaining 15 points into Strength please." Elliot ordered Hawk the AI.

[Acknowledged.]

For a moment, Elliot's body heated up slightly as a strange power coursed through him. However it disappeared soon after.

Elliot frowned lightly as he tried to sense the change in his body.

"I don't feel anything. Hey Winter do yo- WHOA!" As soon as Elliot redirected his focus from studying the change in his body to his external surroundings, it suddenly felt as though his world just expanded.

EVERYTHING came into much greater clarity and detail. Sounds, smell, and especially his vision.

"Yes Master?" Winter asked.

"Uhh. Do you feel anything different?" Elliot asked.

"No. Everything feels the same. There is no danger from anywhere. All that's left is another half day's worth of travel before we reach my territory." Winter replied.

"Right. Okay." Elliot said. "Tell me if you notice any large or rare beasts."

"Yes Master."

Elliot wanted to gain another level before the aliens came. But that was his second priority. His first priority is getting to Winter's lair high up in the mountains.

He had deemed it suitable for him to make his stand against the alien beast tide that was sure to arrive.

Although he had killed most of the Armored Kaijin Tribe and thereby weakening the damage the alien beasts would cause in California, the Armored Kaijin Tribe weren't the only tribe to make California their base of operations.

There were other tribes as well, even if they were not designed for such a large area of dominance. They were either lacking in power, or lacking in reproductive speed. Either way, they were destined to be the 2nd and 3rd tier beast power in California.

Still, 2nd or 3rd tier power was still plenty strong to wipe out Elliot and his little gang. He needed an easily defensible base if he wanted to survive the week.

After one week, the madness that caused the beasts to go berserk would lift, and they would retreat to settle down, giving the human survivors an opportunity to take a breather and hunt for the precious, life-saving supplies that the aliens would drop.

Supplies that Elliot intended to secure for himself and for his sisters. And if his forceful method caused many Californians to lose out and eventually die off due to a lack of weapons and resources, well, too bad.

He had done them a favor by killing off the Armored Kaijin Tribe. They could consider the resources payment for a job well done.

The first drop would be in a town near Winter's lair, which was also one of the main reasons why Elliot chose to bunker up there.

As soon as the week was over, he would strike south to the town called Evergrande, secure the Resource Box with the powerful laser rifle, and then strike east to another town called Mirvac to secure the second Resource Box which would contain 2 strength pills that could strengthen a person's strength by 2 full points.

Both were crucial items which he intended to give his sisters for self-defence..

Elliot looked at the beautiful scenery around him and sighed. The forest had slowly receded and they were once again in the grasslands between the volcano and the mountain range where Winter made her home.

The fresh air and the idyllic sounds of birds chirping, insects buzzing and the gentle breeze rustling through the grass and the leaves of the trees that dotted the grassland was extremely calming for Elliot's soul.

"This is it." Elliot thought to himself. "The final moments before the end of the world as we know it."

He glanced at his sleeping sisters and smiled gently. He would let them enjoy their blissful sleep just a few moments longer.

After that, he had to prepare their minds to accept the horror and inevitable sense of doom that would fall upon all human beings when they finally see the aliens and listen to their terrifying announcement.

However, to his great shock, just as he was about to wake up his sisters exactly an hour before the apocalypse was due to happen, the skies suddenly started to burn and catch fire!