The golden light of the setting sun bathed the beach in a warm glow. Kei stood by the shore, his Resonant Mask pushed up onto his forehead, a thoughtful expression on his face. Before him hovered his Resonant Shield, a shimmering, nearly invisible barrier of compressed soundwaves. It hummed faintly, vibrating with energy as he tested its properties.
“Alright,” Kei muttered to himself, kneeling to examine the shield. “Let’s see what makes you tick.”
He placed his hand against the shield’s surface, feeling the faint ripple of vibrations push back. When he pressed harder, the shield compressed slightly before rebounding with an almost elastic force.
“It’s like a spring,” Kei noted, his curiosity piqued. “But how strong are you?”
<hr>
Testing the Shield
Kei crouched lower, deactivating the shield and then reforming it flat above the ground. He placed his hands at its center and applied pressure. The shield bent slightly, the vibrations compressing under his force, before springing back with a sudden burst of energy.
“Oh, that’s cool,” he said, his eyes lighting up. “I bet I could bounce something off this.”
Unbeknownst to Kei, a beast mutated by unstable Essence was lurking nearby. Its grotesque, twisted form emerged from the jungle, its elongated limbs and glowing yellow eyes fixed on Kei. With a guttural snarl, it lunged toward him, its claws outstretched.
Kei looked up just as the creature slammed into the shield. The compressed soundwaves rebounded instantly, launching the beast into the sky with an audible BOING.
“What the—” Kei began, his mouth hanging open as the creature soared into the distance, a faint twinkle marking its disappearance. Moments later, a familiar chime echoed in his mind.
<hr>
The System Notification
[Essence Beast Defeated: +1,200 XP]
[Equipment Dropped]
Kei blinked, processing what had just happened. He turned to see a shimmering piece of equipment materializing on the sand nearby. Slowly, a wide grin spread across his face.
“Did that just...?” Kei trailed off, standing and dusting off his hands. “Best. Skill. Ever.”This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
<hr>
Mia’s Reaction
From her spot under a nearby tree, Mia had been observing the entire event unfold. She leaned on her twin-blade scythe, her expression an uncharacteristic mix of disbelief and reluctant amusement.
“You launched it,” she said flatly.
Kei hummed gleefully as he walked toward the dropped item. “Yep.”
“And it gave you experience?”
Kei bent down, inspecting the equipment with a grin. “And loot!”
Mia crossed her arms, shaking her head. “I’m not sure whether to be impressed or worried.”
Kei stood up, holding the item aloft triumphantly—a sleek pair of boots that shimmered with faint golden light. “Check it out!”
<hr>
Equipment Obtained
[Springsteel Boots]
<ul>
<li>Quality: Rare</li>
<li>Effect 1: Increases agility by 5%.</li>
<li>Effect 2: Reduces fall damage by 50%.</li>
<li>Effect 3: Adds a slight bounce effect when landing, reducing impact force.</li>
</ul>
Kei slipped on the boots, bouncing experimentally on his toes. “Oh yeah, these are awesome. I’m basically a kangaroo now.”
Mia pinched the bridge of her nose. “You’re going to use those to do something ridiculous, aren’t you?”
Kei grinned. “Oh, absolutely.”
<hr>
Experimentation Continues
The next half hour was spent testing the shield’s capabilities further. Kei experimented with its bounciness, altering the frequency of the vibrations to adjust its resistance. He discovered that increasing the frequency made the shield firmer, while lowering it made it even springier.
At one point, Mia joined him, her skepticism giving way to curiosity. She threw objects at the shield, watching them rebound in various directions, while Kei gleefully narrated each bounce like a sports announcer.
“This thing could be a game-changer,” Kei said, catching a coconut Mia had launched at him. “Imagine setting it up in a fight—BOING! Enemy’s in the air, and bam, they’re landing right into a trap.”
Mia tilted her head, watching as Kei threw the coconut at the shield again. “Or, you could use it strategically to deflect attacks and counter with precision.”
Kei waved dismissively. “Yeah, yeah, strategy. But let’s not forget the fun factor. This shield’s got personality.”
<hr>
Reflection
As the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of orange and purple, Kei deactivated the shield and sat cross-legged in the sand, admiring his new boots.
“You know,” he said, his tone thoughtful, “sometimes I feel like the System’s just giving me stuff to see how creative I’ll get.”
Mia leaned on her scythe, a faint smile tugging at her lips. “Or it’s testing how much chaos you can cause before someone tries to stop you.”
Kei laughed, the sound blending with the gentle crash of the waves. “Either way, I’m not complaining. This day was a win.”
Mia sighed but didn’t disagree. The beach fell quiet again, save for the sound of the waves, as the two companions settled back into the calm of their strange and ever-evolving world.
<hr>
Their training continued, punctuated by moments of levity and discovery, each one reminding them that even in a world filled with chaos, there was always room for creativity—and a little fun.