My Tribrid System: More than a Monster

Chapter 111

”Back to the werewolf world? Oh my gosh. You’re a werewolf?”

Without even turning around to face the intruder, Ray felt his heart thudding violently against his ribs as his fingers gripped the edge of the table.

His gaze drifted toward Felix, whose pupils had dilated into thin slits and whose fingers were already beginning to elongate into wicked, dark claws.

It looked as though the teen werewolf was prepared to permanently silence whoever had just interrupted their sensitive discussion.

Taking several deep breaths to steady his nerves, Ray slowly lifted his head to see who had stumbled upon them.

He paused, his eyes narrowing in immediate recognition as the tension in his shoulders shifted from fear to pure disbelief.

”Chloe?”

****

”Chloe?”

The girl, who had been staring at Felix with an intense, unblinking curiosity, slowly turned her head to look at Ray for a few seconds before shifting her focus back to the teen werewolf.

”So I’m right? You are a werewolf too?” Chloe asked, her voice hushed but sharp as she narrowed her gaze at Felix.

’Too? Does she already know about brother’s true identity? Come to think of it, it looks like brother recognizes her from somewhere,’ Felix mused, his primal instincts slowly receding.

Taking a few more breaths, his claws gradually retracted back into his human-looking fingertips.

”What are you doing here, Chloe?” Ray demanded, a deep frown of concern and annoyance etched onto his face.

”Tsk! What does it look like? I came here to find something to read when I spotted you and this... this stranger sitting in the back. I came over to say hi when I accidentally overheard your conversation.”

’Overheard our conversation? But that should have been impossible with the fea—’ Ray cut his own thought short as his eyes landed on the table’s control panel.

Felix’s hand was unknowingly resting directly on the singular button meant to toggle the privacy settings.

Seeing this, Ray angrily swung his hand forward, smacking it against the werewolf’s knuckles incredibly hard.

”Ow! What was that for?!” the werewolf shouted, his voice cracking as he began rubbing his hand to soothe the stinging pain.

Ray didn’t bother to reply instantly.

Instead, he reached out and firmly tapped the button to reactivate the noise-cancellation field, watching the indicator light glow red.

”Fool. We are lucky that it was only Chloe who stumbled upon our conversation. Otherwise, we would have been in deep shit with the Academy brass.”

”Tch!” Felix scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest defiantly before leaning back into his chair.

Chloe stood by the table, staring at this tense exchange in a heavy silence.

Finally, clearing her throat to break the awkwardness, she turned her full attention back toward Ray.

”I have been meaning to talk to you ever since that gate incident, Ray.”

The Tribrid lifted an eyebrow in genuine confusion.

”Huh? What could you possibly want to talk about?”

Glancing between Ray and the brooding Felix, Chloe shuffled forward a few steps, closing the distance between them.

”I’m just curious. How are you both here? Who are you both, exactly? I always thought werewolves were just myths and legends from old stories. So, how is it possible that you are standing right in front of me?”

”Just because you haven’t seen something with your own eyes doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist,” Felix replied smoothly, casting a brief, sideways glance at the girl.

Ray remained deep in thought for a long moment, observing Chloe’s body language with a calm, analytical eye.

”Sorry. I can’t say anything more. I don’t really know you, Chloe, except for your first name. We have only met twice; the first being during the initial assessment and the second during the gate incident. I don’t feel comfortable telling you anything personal about me.”

Chloe was visibly taken aback for a moment, recoiling as if she had been slapped.

However, she quickly regained her composure, her expression shifting.

”I see.”

Her gaze slowly traced down to the ground as she clenched her fists subtly against the fabric of her uniform.

Her face hardened into a mask of grim, desperate resolve.

Felix remained silent, observing the two of them like a predator watching a play.

”I—I—I want to ask you for a favor,” Chloe finally croaked out, her voice trembling slightly without her even lifting her head to meet his gaze.

Ray cocked an eyebrow, his curiosity piqued despite himself. ”What kind of favor?”

Taking a series of deep, shaky breaths, Chloe finally lifted her head to stare deep into Ray’s eyes, her own shimmering with a mixture of fear and determination.

”Can—can you also turn me into a werewolf?”

...

”Wait, what?!” Ray and Felix shouted in unison, the sheer shock of the request nearly causing them to fall backward off their seats.

The human girl had just made an absurd, life-altering request that sent them both reeling in confusion.

They looked at her with open mouths, struggling to process the words.

”What did you just say?” Ray asked, certain he had misheard her.

Chloe closed her eyes for a moment, taking in a sharp, lung-filling breath to steady her heart.

”I want you to turn me into a werewolf, too.”

Now, Felix was significantly more intrigued.

He leaned forward, his elbows resting on the table as he peered at her.

”Why? Why on earth would a human want to be a werewolf?”

Chloe didn’t even bat an eyelid at him; all her focus remained locked onto Ray as she prepared to give her answer.

”Be—because I’m too weak!” she shouted through gritted teeth, her voice cracking with the weight of her frustration.

”Huh?”

Tears suddenly welled up in Chloe’s eyes as her lips quivered slightly, her composure finally fracturing.

”I-I... my ability is so weak that I can’t even think of fighting an Aberrant toe-to-toe. If it wasn’t for you, Trisha, and Kai, I would have died in that gate at the hands of the very creature I sought to take down.”

She paused, sniffling at intervals as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

”I came to this Corps with the singular aim of growing stronger, yet it’s been a month and a half and I don’t even have the strength to defeat an Advanced rank beast, let alone a one-spined Aberrant. I-I don’t want to die, Ray. Please, help me and turn me into a werewolf too so I can gro—”

”I’m sorry, it’s impossible.” Ray cut her off coldly, the sudden sharpness in his voice causing her to flinch as he rose out of his seat.

Felix traced Ray’s movements with his eyes, staying silent for once.

”What?” Chloe muttered weakly, her shoulders slumping.

Ray let out a heavy sigh, his expression softening just a fraction. ”I don’t have the power to turn you into a werewolf. So I’m sorry, I cannot fulfill your request.”

”Bu-Bu—”

Felix stood up as well, walking toward the girl with a more serious demeanor than before.

”That’s right. We don’t have the power nor the authority to turn anybody into a werewolf... yet.”

With that finality hanging in the air, Ray turned around and began walking away.

After taking two steps, he stopped and spoke over his shoulder, his voice echoing slightly in the quiet corner of the library.

”I won’t ask you not to tell the authorities about our race. You are free to do so. I might be part werewolf right now, but one thing still remains: I was, and I still am, human. What brought me here is my drive to vanquish all Aberrants, and I will surely accomplish that mission.”

He paused to think for a second, his gaze flickering toward the exit before he added,

”... Van isn’t physically strong. He can barely defeat a grade 1 meta-human, let alone an Aberrant. But his intelligence helped us to defeat the creature in the gate.

He contributed in the small way he knew best. In the same way, you should find what you are good at. Maximize that potential and maybe, just maybe, you could also help in this war.”

”Until we meet again,” Ray said.

He walked off with Felix trailing behind him, leaving Chloe rooted in place.

She stood there—shocked, distraught, confused, and yet, a small, flickering spark of hope remained in her eyes.

’Find what I’m good at and maximize it? What even am I good at?’