Chapter 6: Test

  Meliodas and Tyka moved cautiously through what was generously called a forest. This was not the stretch of palms and sunlit beaches Meliodas had imagined when he thought of the academy’s main island. Instead, the land was harsh and dry, closer to a desert woodland than a tropical paradise. Scarred, twisted trees clawed at the sky, their bark cracked and pale, cacti grew in stubborn clusters between tall, brittle grasses, and the earth beneath their feet was hard and unforgiving.

  The test itself was deceptively simple or so it seemed. They were given a map and a single instruction: traverse the designated zone. Professor Bernard had been clear about one thing, however. The area was classified as a wild zone, meaning monsters roamed freely within its borders, that was the real complication.

  For Meliodas, that meant one thing, mistakes would not be forgiven here.

  Meliodas had seen monsters before, of course. Stories, sketches, even distant sightings were not uncommon. But he had never truly fought one. His training under his father and sister had consisted of controlled sparring, disciplined, measured, and never life-threatening. Most of his education had focused inward rather than outward: meditation, efficiency, and precise Straum manipulation.

  Meliodas glanced over at Tyka and immediately recognized the problem they had discussed earlier. Hiding Tyka was, frankly, impossible. The vegetation was sparse and too low for the giant, offering little cover, and Tyka’s massive frame stood out no matter how carefully they moved.

  They had talked about this before setting out. Tyka’s solution had been simple: move fast, and if anything appeared, crush it. Meliodas hadn’t liked the plan, but alternatives were scarce, their destination they needed to reach was only five kilometers away from the start point. At Tyka’s pace, they could have cleared it in ten minutes, they had been moving for over twenty.

  If it weren’t for Meliodas, Tyka would have already reached the far edge of the wild zone. The heat was relentless, and Meliodas’ physical conditioning was far from exceptional. Every few minutes they had to slow or stop entirely so he could catch his breath.

  Sweat dripped down Meliodas’ temples as he came to a halt, panting, his voice strained when he finally called out.

  “Tyka… can we take a break here?”

  Tyka barely slowed. “Oh, come on, bro. We’re almost there. You can push through.”

  Meliodas shook his head, forcing himself to straighten. “I can’t, and it's unwise to keep going like this. If we run into monsters while I’m exhausted, I’ll be useless. We should slow down and walk the rest of the way, for safety.”

  Tyka let out a low chuckle. “No need to worry, your highness. I’ll protect you from anything.”

  He grinned, then added casually, “If you want, I can just carry you.”

  Meliodas stared at him for a moment, then sighed.

  “You’re hilarious,” he said flatly.

  Meliodas pushed himself upright and looked over at Tyka. The giant had already sat down, legs stretched out, basking in the blistering sun as if it were a pleasant breeze rather than punishment.

  “You really are out of shape, man,” Tyka said casually. “I get that you’re a support type, but your condition is abysmal, bro.”

  “I know,” Meliodas replied as he walked over and sat beside him. “Because of my Straum capacity, my training focused more on control and efficiency than physical conditioning.”

  “That’s not wise, bro,” Tyka said, shaking his head. “I thought your father was someone important. My mom always used to say, what good is all that Straum if you can’t handle basic tasks?”

  “Your mother is a giant,” Meliodas said dryly.

  “Yep.”

  “I would rather not imagine what your mother considers a basic task.”

  Tyka laughed. “Nothing special. Carrying boulders around the village, moving stone for repairs, you know, the usual, she’d also make me haul water from the river every day.”

  “Tyka, carrying boulders is not normal,” Meliodas frowned. “The water buckets, maybe, but the rest”

  “Why?” Tyka asked, genuinely confused. “The water was way heavier.”

  “That’s not possible,” Meliodas muttered. He paused, then looked up at him. “How big were your water buckets?”

  Tyka held his hands apart. “About your size, bro.”

  “…What?”

  “That’s not that big,” Tyka said, shrugging. “I could’ve used the normal buckets my dad had, but that’d be a waste of time. I’d need three or four trips. With my mom’s bucket? One trip.”

  Meliodas stared at him in silence.

  “Hah,” he finally said in disbelief. “Why not just live closer to the river if you need that much water?”

  Tyka blinked, then burst out laughing. “Because the river’s cursed, bro.”

  “…The river is what?”

  “Cursed,” Tyka repeated, completely serious now. “Monsters come out at night. Big ones. Mom said the water was worth the risk, but living there wasn’t.”

  Meliodas slowly leaned back, exhaling. “Of course it is.”

  “Don’t worry,” Tyka added cheerfully. “She killed most of them.”

  “That doesn’t make me feel better.”

  Tyka grinned. “It should.”

  Meliodas suddenly felt something shift in the ambient Straum and shot upright.

  “What’s up, bro?” Tyka said, glancing at him. “You get scared or something?”

  Meliodas looked at him, serious. “Incoming. One—no, three. We can’t stay here, the grass is too tall.”

  He scanned their surroundings quickly, eyes settling on a more open stretch of terrain where the brittle grass thinned and the ground turned rocky, offering clear sightlines.

  “There,” he said.

  “Come on, bro, stop panicking, I don't feel anything,” Tyka replied.

  “Tyka. Let’s go.”

  Tyka studied him for a moment, confusion flickering across his face. This wasn’t the shy, winded Meliodas he had known so far.

  “…Okay. Your call, bro.”

  They both moved fast, sprinting toward the clearing, no trees, just sun-baked rock and open ground.

  Meliodas glanced nervously over his shoulder as they ran. They reached the clearing in less than a minute.

  “Wow, bro,” Tyka said, turning to him. “Since when can you move that fast?”

  “It doesn’t matter right now,” Meliodas replied, breathing hard. “Prepare for battle, Tyka.”

  Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Calm down, bro. I can’t feel—”

  He stopped mid-sentence.

  “…You’re right, about a hundred meters out.” Tyka clicked his tongue. “Damn, your senses are good.”

  He stepped forward, planting himself squarely in front of Meliodas, his broad frame completely blocking the sun.

  “Alright,” he said calmly. “You’ve got my back.”

  “Yes,” Meliodas answered.

  Tyka’s body began to glow, a stony gray light spreading across his skin.

  Meliodas had read about Tyka’s aura before, but only now did he truly understand it. The half-giant’s Straum wasn’t just strong, it was dense, heavy, like standing beside a living wall.

  Meliodas shifted to the side, careful to keep Tyka between himself and whatever was approaching. From there, he had a clear view.

  The grass they had just come through began to move.

  Not randomly, three distinct paths cut through the tall, dry blades, bending and parting as something advanced toward them. The movement was steady, deliberate.

  Meliodas felt a spike of nervousness rise in his chest, but he caught himself.

  Breathe.

  Deep breaths. This is what you’ve been prepared for.

  The grass burst apart, two figures emerged.

  Beetle-like creatures, each about the size of a mid-sized dog, their bodies coated in a sandy, grainy shell that blended almost perfectly with the dry terrain. Their heads were broad and low, each crowned with a thick horn. When they lifted their mandibles, rows of jagged teeth were revealed, slick with saliva as they hissed and scraped them together. Their tails dragged behind them, long and segmented like a scorpion’s, but instead of a stinger, each ended in a strange, bulbous growth that resembled a twisted plant bud, faintly pulsing.

  Meliodas’ breath caught.

  These weren’t beasts wandering by chance.

  They were hunting.

  Meliodas glanced at Tyka. They locked eyes for a brief moment, then nodded to each other.

  Tyka moved first.

  He broke into a run toward the nearest creature, closing the distance with surprising speed. He leapt forward to engage it head-on, and for a split second Meliodas felt a jolt of panic—

  Tyka was swinging with empty hands.

  Then Meliodas noticed it.

  Tyka’s Straum flared, his aura surging down his arms and pooling around his clenched fists as he swung, as if gripping an invisible weapon. Just before impact, the Straum condensed and manifested, a massive stone warhammer formed in Tyka’s hands mid-swing.

  Crack.

  The sound echoed sharply across the clearing as the hammer struck the beetle’s armored shell from the side, sending the creature flying. It crashed into a nearby stone formation with a dull, grinding impact.

  Tyka had barely completed his swing when the second beetle lunged.

  It surged forward, low and fast, jaws snapping as it aimed straight for Tyka’s neck.

  Meliodas reacted instantly.

  Three small fiery orbs manifested around him, hovering for a heartbeat before he sent one streaking forward into the space between Tyka and the charging creature. The orb stopped midair—and burst.

  A wall of fire flared into existence, erupting outward in a sudden blaze. The beetle recoiled with a shrill screech, its advance halted just short of impact. Almost as quickly as it appeared, the wall vanished, leaving scorched air and a moment of stunned hesitation.

  That moment was enough.

  Tyka discarded his hammer and lunged forward, grabbing the creature as the flames faded. The two collided, locked in a brutal contest of strength, claws scraping against his skin as Tyka strained to overpower it.

  Another orb flew.

  This one slammed directly into Tyka’s back.

  Fire washed over him, not burning, but sinking inward. He felt his nexus surge, heat flooding his limbs as strength roared through his body. With a shout, he lifted the beetle, preparing to smash it into the ground but the creature reacted.

  Its tail snapped upward, the plant-like end unfurling as rows of jagged teeth opened wide. In a sudden, violent motion, it shot forward and struck true—teeth sinking deep into Tyka’s shoulder.

  The giant didn’t budge.

  With a brutal roar, Tyka slammed the creature into the ground, the impact cracking stone beneath them. The beetle screeched in agony as its armored back shattered, its softer underside exposed.

  Tyka seized the tail still embedded in his shoulder and tore it free with brute force. Blood sprayed as he hurled it aside, then drove his fist down again and again into the creature’s exposed belly. Each blow crushed bone and ruptured flesh, wet impacts echoing across the clearing as dark blood burst outward with every strike.

  The screeching stopped.

  Meliodas barely had time to register it.

  His gaze snapped toward the first beetle Tyka had sent crashing into the rocks, it was gone.

  Panic flared.

  His focus slipped for just a heartbeat.

  That was all it took.

  He felt the air shift an instant before it struck.

  Something whip-like cut through the space behind him, fast and precise. Meliodas reacted on instinct, forcing his remaining orb forward. It flared, expanding into a wall of fire—

  Too slow.

  The monster’s tail slammed into his side, the impact ripping the air from his lungs and hurling him across the clearing, straight toward Tyka.

  Shit, Meliodas thought as the ground rushed toward him.

  He barely had time to register the fall before a massive hand closed around the collar of his robes, stopping his momentum dead.

  “You okay, bro?” Tyka asked, setting him down carefully.

  Meliodas sucked in a sharp breath, clutching his side. Pain shot through his arm as he tried to move it.

  “…Shit. It’s broken,” he muttered.

  Tyka glanced at him, then grinned. “No worries. Thanks for the save though, nice fire wall.”

  Meliodas clenched his teeth and pushed through the pain. The lingering warmth around Tyka faded as the orb withdrew from his body, returning to orbit. Once again, three fiery spheres floated around Meliodas, steady despite his shaking breath.

  Tyka’s massive stone warhammer manifested once more at his side. The head of the weapon rested against the ground as he planted one foot atop it, looming over the clearing. His gaze never left the monster as it circled them, snarling, testing, waiting.

  Then it moved.

  With a sharp hiss, the creature lunged, not straight toward them but in a jagged zigzag, wary of the hammer’s reach. It darted left, a wall of fire erupted beside it.

  The beetle recoiled instantly, leaping the opposite way, only for another firewall to burst into existence there as well.

  Confused, trapped, the creature hesitated for the briefest instant.

  That was enough.

  Tyka launched himself forward.

  The hammer came down in the same spot he had struck before. This time there was no resistance. The armored shell shattered outright, the force tearing straight through the creature’s body. It split in two as blood sprayed across the stone, the remains collapsing lifelessly to the ground.

  The clearing fell silent.

  Meliodas stared, momentarily stunned. He had known Tyka was strong, but this, this was brutality given form. As Tyka roared in victory, Meliodas stared toward him, awe and unease twisting together in his chest.

  A brief memory surfaced, sharp and unwanted.

  This kind of power. This ferocity.

  Where had he seen it before?

  He pushed the thought aside and focused on Tyka, who waved at him with a broad grin, Then collapsed.

  “Tyka!”

  Meliodas sprinted forward, urgency burning through his fatigue. When he reached him, the giant lay sprawled on the ground, his skin slick with cold sweat, never a good sign.

  Meliodas’s gaze snapped to the wound on Tyka’s shoulder. Where the creature’s teeth had torn into flesh, the skin was punctured, blood dripping steadily from the injury.

  “Shit,” Meliodas muttered.

  He dropped to his knees beside him. “You okay, Tyka?”

  Tyka let out a weak chuckle, though his smile trembled. “Don’t… feel so good, bro. Can’t really feel my body.”

  “You’re going to be fine,” Meliodas said quickly, forcing steadiness into his voice. “It doesn’t look lethal, probably paralytic poison. We’ll rest here. Let it pass.”

  He hoped he was right.

  As Meliodas tore a strip from his robes and wrapped a crude bandage around Tyka’s shoulder, his expression suddenly darkened.

  “What is it?” Tyka asked weakly. “I’m dead, right?”

  “Didn’t you feel three presences?” Meliodas asked quietly. “Not two.”

  Tyka’s brow furrowed. “Yeah… why?”

  A second later, his eyes widened. “Fuck. Where’s the third?”

  As if answering his fear, the ground beneath them shuddered.

  Meliodas felt it through the ambient Straum first, a violent disturbance rushing toward them beneath the earth. He pushed through the pain and forced himself to his feet.

  The rumbling stopped.

  Where the trail of torn soil ended, the ground split open. An aperture tore wide as something massive forced its way up, first a thick, hairy leg, slick with dirt, chitin, and muscle, emerging from the earth like a nightmare being born.

  “Shit,” Meliodas breathed.

  As the creature fully revealed itself, Meliodas’s worry shifted into something colder, fear.

  He stared at the massive arachnid, its body the same dull color as the dirt it had emerged from, perfectly camouflaged until it moved. It stood as tall as Tyka, its eight legs thick and powerful, each one nearly as long as Meliodas himself. Coarse, blade-like hairs lined them, sharp enough to tear through flesh with a single sweep.

  Its head was worse, two enormous jaws protruded from its mouth, layered and serrated, grinding against one another like living chainsaws.

  Fuck. His thoughts spiraled. What do I do? What do I do—think, think.

  Panic clawed at his mind.

  I can’t do that.

  If he did, his Straum would drop to nothing. He’d be useless. Dead weight.

  But there was no other option.

  Ah, shit. Fuck it.

  Deal with the immediate danger.

  That’s what his father always said.

  “Meliodas,” Tyka said, panic creeping into his voice. “What is it? I can’t see it properly.”

  “Nothing to worry about,” Meliodas lied as three fiery orbs manifested around him once more.

  He clenched his broken arm, forcing the pain aside, and fixed his gaze on the creature. It hadn’t moved yet, its massive jaws slowly grinding against each other, saliva dripping as it watched them. Meliodas felt a surge of anger. The thing looked pleased, almost amused, as if savoring the moment before the kill.

  He screamed at it, trying to drown out his fear. “Come on! What are you waiting for?”

  The spider began to move.

  Slowly.

  One of the orbs shot forward, erupting into a wall of fire between them. The creature didn’t even hesitate. It walked straight into the flames without flinching.

  Worth a shot, Meliodas thought grimly.

  The spider kept advancing, step by step. Meliodas’s mind raced. What do I do? What do I do?

  He could feel it now, the creature tasting his fear. Its saliva dripped faster, jaws grinding louder as it closed the distance.

  When those massive, serrated jaws finally loomed over him, the spider let out a piercing screech and opened them wide.

  “Meliodas!” Tyka shouted, panic breaking through.

  Before the jaws could close, a shadow streaked past the creature.

  The spider froze.

  It looked up.

  Fear rippled through it, sharp and unmistakable.