Forty minutes later, Fisher and his students were positioned on a small hill that overlooked a musty cave. The area behind the forest, where they had come from, quickly turned into rocky, mountainous terrain, and the soft green grass was nowhere to be found. There were still trees, but it was mostly rocks and dirt, with a bit of white sand mixed in.  It was like what one would find at the base of a mountain, but the surrounding areas were nothing but trees and plains. There were no mountains in sight, which begged the question of how sand got here in the first place.

“You see? Juncea aren’t like other bees. They don’t have a nest in the sense of a beehive since there aren’t any trees nearby large enough to support their large weight, so they use a cave," Fisher explained. He wasn’t whispering. “There's no need to worry about hiding yourself. They already know we’re here.” 

“How do they know that?" Riki asked.  He tightened his grip on his axe.

“They have lookouts and scouts. I guarantee you a juncea saw us when we left the clearing. There’s no need to hide because even though they’re monsters, they have honor. They won’t attack first unless they’re in their mating rituals, and the last time that occurred was a few months ago. The next one isn’t supposed to happen for three months, so we’re good. Now let’s go.” 

Fisher stood up from his crouched position and made his way down the hill to the cave. The six mentees followed, their shields ready and their weapons gripped tight. Only Servi was totally calm. Feral acted like he was in complete control, but the blood dripping from the numerous sharp stingers shook him. And the other four were getting close to panicking. Silverado’s breathing increased tenfold, almost to the point where he was hyperventilating. Riki and Rakkire closed their eyes for a moment as they took a deep breath. Desperado rubbed the surface of his shield in an unprofessional and hasty manner.  

Fifteen juncea stood outside. The monsters' sharp blades on the end of their legs clacked against each other like they were clapping. Their large wings buzzed loudly and incessantly. Their sword-like stinger sometimes dragged against the ground as they flew in a pattern, making geometric shapes of all different sizes that Servi didn’t know the meaning behind. She asked Fisher, and he said they were rings.  

Rings? Itarr was as confused as Servi, who only shrugged her shoulders.  

By now, they were within ten meters of the closest one, and once they crossed an invisible threshold, all of the juncea stopped. One by one, they turned to look at the seven intruders who wished to test their strength against the might of a juncea.  

“Juncea. I am Fisher Jin, and my students wish to test their skills against the members of your race!” the former Justice Captain yelled. The dark, dank cave was slightly illuminated by the sun, and Servi saw thirty more juncea inside. Some were lying on the ground, and others buzzed aimlessly. Large raw chunks of bloody and pungent rotten meat were sat away in the corner, and two or three juncea were cutting at it with their stingers and claws. But once they heard the declaration, they all rushed out in a neat and organized manner.

“Fisher, is this normal?” Sweat poured from Riki's face.  He imagined his chest exploding from a simple thrust of their razor-sharp claws, covering his cousin in a gory mess.  Those awful, vivid scenes never left his mind when he shook his head a moment later, so he squeezed his hand until the pain forcibly cleared those gory mental pictures.

In a matter of moments, all of the juncea became organized in a square-like formation. A single juncea stood at the front. It was large, but Feral had it beat on the height department.  But the beast had something Feral didn't, and that was a body full of bloody scars, which stared down Fisher and his students. The beast had certainly seen its fair share of battles to the death. Its sword-like stinger was cracked, but fresh blood dripped from its claws. After raising them, the leader juncea clashed them against each other before producing a buzzing noise with its wings. A moment later, the two dagger-like antennae on the large juncea’s head began to slam against each other.  

“It is. That’s the ruler of this colony. The toughest and strongest this group has to offer. He has recognized our challenge and is telling the rest of the hive," their mentor answered.

“Can they understand us?” 

“Yes and no. Juncea can’t understand our words, but they can understand our actions. Do you see that? It means to stand back,” Fisher answered Servi's question and pointed to the large and scarred juncea that was stabbing the ground with its broken stinger. A moment later, it swiped it up, slinging dirt and rock towards the group.

Servi’s group walked backwards while two juncea floated towards them. The two monsters were close together. Suddenly, they both jabbed their stinger into the ground and began to move. A minute later, the two juncea flew back to the formation, and Servi saw what they were working on.  

It was a square arena, and it was of decent size. Servi assumed what it would be used for. A moment later, Fisher confirmed her assumption.  

“This is the arena. If you leave the ring, you lose.  If you lose your life, you lose. To be honest, I didn’t account for this.” 

“What do you mean?” Desperado's voice cracked with panic.

“Usually, juncea like to battle to the death, and there is no way to forfeit. They only use this format when there was an incident or event that resulted in the many deaths of their hive members.” 

Like the day I arrived? If what Fisher said was correct, then that was a mating ritual I interrupted. And there were a lot of bodies. I guess this was my fault, but maybe it’s a good thing.  But hold on, this isn't anywhere near where I first encountered them.  Maybe they left? Whatever, it's not like it matters to me.

"It’s a bit contradictory, but even though our foes have chosen this format, the juncea still won’t forfeit if they’re in danger of losing or dying. It goes against common sense if you think about it, but this is good, though. If you ever feel like you’re in danger of losing, then you can just leave the arena. It’ll be your loss, and I won’t have to jump in,” Fisher paused for a moment, then continued from where he left off.  "But I will jump in if I need to."

“So we can't kill them?" 

“You can. A proper fight is what all juncea want, and they won’t try to leave the arena once a match is started. They strive for combat, but somewhere along the way, they learned of honor. Like I said, as long as it’s not during a mating ritual, then juncea won’t attack you. Even if they’re starving and dehydrated. They will, however, attack wild animals and other monsters,” Fisher answered Servi. 

“Why do they do that? I do not understand these creatures,” Feral continued to stare at them with his alligator-like eyes.

Fisher answered him. “That I do not know. I just know they won’t attack a person who’s walking down the road minding their own business. But, as I said, they will try their hardest to kill you if you do end up fighting against them.” 

Why would they fight to the death even after a bunch of them were killed? It doesn't make even the smallest amount of sense. Itarr said after thinking about it. Servi only shrugged her shoulders.

Their mentor turned to the mysterious girl, who was able to use skills without speaking. “You’re up first, right?” 

The sun shone down on Servi and her black hair. With a quick nod, she drew her blade and stepped into the drawn arena. The dusty dry ground cracked and crunched below the weight of her steps, and she pointed her sword directly at the group of juncea.  

Good luck, Servi. I won’t interfere. Itarr said. She knew there was no possible way for her beloved to lose, so she wanted to enjoy the battle while taking in the variety of emotions that were sure to be released.  After all, it was the perfect learning experience.

“If you want to cheer, I have to ask you to refrain from doing that. To the juncea, battle is sacred and something that must be observed, but never reacted to,” Fisher took a seat on the ground, placed his sword beside him, and removed his helmet. The two Koena and Dwarves did the same, sans the helmet. Feral sat on his shield after it slammed into the ground, sending up a wave of thick dust. He intended to send a shock of fear through the juncea army standing before him, but it failed spectacularly. Such an elementary intimidating technique wouldn't work on them. If anything, it only served to piss them off.

The leader turned around to its fellow monsters before clacking its weaponized appendages together. Then, it spun back around. It pointed one of its legs, with its razor-sharp, bladed edge, at Servi while his two antennae smashed into one another. 

Shocked, Fisher spoke a single word. “Impossible.” 

“Why, what’s wrong? Is she in danger?”  Silverado spoke with urgency and worry. He nervously gulped when the biggest juncea flew into the arena.

“I have never seen a leader of a colony step into the ring.  They usually stand back and watch, but...” 

I wonder if he can sense the strength coming from Servi? If that's the case, then it's likely he wants to prove himself.  

“Then shouldn't we do something?!” Rakkire went to get up, but Fisher shook his head. Riki grabbed his cousin's hand and dragged him back down. 

Fisher held a hand and pointed to Servi, who had her shield up and ready with the flat edge of her blade resting on it. "You don't need to worry about her. Just take a look at her stance, and know that she's ready for whatever comes her way." After he said that, Fisher became quiet and watched Servi's fight with the rest of his students.

Servi, is this normal? Itarr asked.

“I don’t know. I didn’t expect the big one to challenge me. Regardless, it’s going to die,” Servi clanged her sword against her shield. Her foe returned the noise with a rattle of its sharpened legs.

The air was quiet and thin with a hollow breeze, and the only noise Servi heard was the buzzing wings of the monster in front of her. She wasn’t even sure if she was breathing. 

The leader of the colony stared down its opponent.  Its instincts told it that a mighty monster, disguised as a human, was standing just a few meters away.

For Servi, she was staring at another obstacle that needed to be overcome. Its ‘soul,’ Servi wasn’t exactly sure it was accurate to call it that because, according to Momo, monsters were spawned into the world in a place where Skill Energy was plentiful, would soon be deposited into her ring. The energy that fueled the juncea would soon empower her, and she would grow stronger and faster.  

Why am I even doing this?! I said I didn’t want to stand out, but I have the strongest urge to prove myself. And it's like I want to kill.  Why?! A moment and a headache later, she blinked. There’s no use in worrying about it now. All I can do is take out the monster in front of me.  

A nearby leaf from a forest floated down ever so gracefully. The moment its green surface touched the hard ground below the two fighters, the juncea launched forward with its broken stinger, aimed at Servi's heart; its wings beginning a symphony of determination to prove itself.

Standing completely still, Servi saw every single motion the monster would take. She slowly lifted her left arm into the correct position and waited for the perfect moment. Dust and rocks scattered and flew from the intense speed of the murderous beast's wings. The instant the broken stinger came within millimeters, Servi pushed her shield arm forward with as much strength as she could muster.

The juncea was pushed back through the air, but it wasn’t deterred. It instantly flew forward and retaliated. This time, it used its deadly legs. Servi deftly blocked the attacks that came while waiting for the right moment.  Meanwhile, the audience, both monster and man, saw an orchestra of yellow sparks that confirmed the battle they saw was a fierce one.

Silverado and the others were able to follow the attacks, but they didn’t believe in their ability to block each and every stab and thrust as Servi did.  

That’s right. If your stinger doesn’t work, then you’ll use your legs. If that fails, then you’ll use your antennae.  

Servi pushed back as an attack was coming and hopped away. The moment the juncea lowered its head and clacked the antennae together, she knew she won. Relying on her favorite skill, Soul Essence of Primal Combat, she knew just what was going to happen.  

This attack is nothing but a decoy. The juncea is going to jam its broken stinger into the ground at an angle and use the momentum to quickly cut me in half.  Sorry, but I'm not the one who's going to die.

Servi acted like she was going to dodge out the way and thus waited for the right moment. The buzzing of the juncea’s wings became louder and louder as it got closer. Servi put some weight on her left leg in preparation to jump right, and the juncea took this moment to execute its failed plan. Its future murderer just smiled, letting her teeth show like a wild animal about to enjoy the act of killing her prey. Her red eyes looked down upon the forthcoming sacrifice in bliss and wanting.

Twenty seconds later… 

“Impossible,” Silverado exclaimed with wide eyes and an open mouth. And he wasn’t the only one. Everyone there except for Fisher stared in disbelief and disgust. Riki and Rakkire had to fight back the urge to vomit.

Servi, the mysterious enigma of a girl, walked out of the crudely drawn ring with a sword in one hand and a stinger in the other. Blood covered a part of her blade, and she sheathed it inside her shield. The juncea laid dead behind her, having been hacked bloody and raw as if it was the discarded toy of a mad butcher. The two antennae were ripped out, the razor-sharp legs were violently cut off. The numerous wings on its back were brutally plundered from its owner and slowly dyed red by the blood on the ground.

But that wasn’t all.  

The juncea was dead after Servi’s first attack, which bisected it to reveal a beautiful red soul that only she could see. But she wasn't satisfied with that.

After all, I have to make sure it’s dead, right?  The lust for blood and death ravaged part of her mind as her sword kept swinging and swinging, with each slice and swipe taking off a hefty chunk of meat and body. The arena was enveloped in an uneven mix of blood and organs as her ruthless post-mortem attack came to an end. The last thing she did was cut off the stinger. Battered and broken by both time and her, she wondered if she could get even ten dupla out of it.

But she didn’t have to care about that.  

With a gentle toss, the stinger landed right next to Fisher.

“There you go! One stinger,” Servi paradoxically smiled at her most hated enemy. The joy of battle and taking a life once again surged inside her body. Her heart, pumping faster than ever, and her mind, wanting to experience the thrill of killing, worked together to give her an indescribable feeling of euphoria. At that very moment, she yearned for battle. She wanted it. She needed it. The vast amount of endorphins that flowed through her body wasn’t natural, but she didn’t notice.

Let’s just face it. I’m a monster. I don’t know my past, but I do believe I’m a failure of a person.  Is this my true self?

Servi felt the tinge of a headache, and a light switch went off. Whenever she felt pain in her head, her mood was inevitably about to change. So Servi braced herself. An incalculably small amount of time later, her cheerfulness and smiling face disappeared. She wasn’t sad, but she wasn’t happy. Instead, she was disgusted.  

It’s like someone took what I was feeling and made it disappear. But that’s impossible, right? How can the emotions I'm feeling just up and disappear? Unless....

She shook her head, erasing those dark thoughts that were filling up her mind, and stared at Fisher. He offered a soft smile and a gentle compliment.

“Congratulations on passing,” he said. When Servi fought, Fisher stared at her with a glare intense enough to burn a hole through a tree.

There wasn’t a single wasted movement, and she read her opponent perfectly. I didn’t even know a juncea could fake a charging attack like that, especially considering his stinger was broken... But why did you ravage its corpse? Was it out of rage or anger, or did you want to completely obliterate your opponent, even after it died? Servi, just who are you? Fisher’s mind kicked into overdrive with the number of questions he desperately wanted to ask. But he figured since he couldn’t ask now, he’d ask later.  

“Thank you.” Replied Servi. She sat down beside Feral and took out a small cloth from her pouch via her ring.  Her face held a fake, happy smile, but her mind anything but.

Why am I so fucked up? Why do I suddenly enjoy killing?

A second headache later... 

It happened again. Even though I was just upset, those feelings just disappeared.  I feel like a puppet...