The night air in the Northwest Rocky Hills was fresh and cool. Stirring the thin low-hanging white fog that clung to the rocky earth.
Nightclown sprinted across the uneven paths. A grey and blue blur against the monochrome landscape.
The fight was a routine now. He wasn't really exploring. He was farming. Grinding. He was turning the Stone Imps into currency, item, and experience.
His dual-form weapon, the shapeshifting marvel of Toonworld engineering, was critical. He spotted another cluster of five Stone Imps ahead. Hunched bodies scraping granite with blunt claws.
Nightclown didn't pause. He charged and struck them. His [Thunder Nunchaku] hit one of the monster's head. Making it fall into a daze. With rotating stars above its head.
[Steal!]...
[Successful attempt!]
[Item acquired: Mana Crystal (x1)]
He immediately shifted his weapon instantly from [Thunder Nunchaku] form to the extended reach of the [Lightning Spear]. And thrusted it. The spear pierced the imp cleanly through its rocky chest. It dissolved into gravel immediately.
The other four were enraged and attacked him. But Nightclown easily evaded their attack and moved to plunder and finish them.
It didn't take him long to defeat the Imp. And disintegrated them into gravel.
[Stone Imps (x5) defeated!]
[Experience Gained: +350 XP!]
He gathered the loots... Additional 512 Coins and three [Mana Crystals] from the successful steals. The process was cold and efficient.
Cammy, the loyal, semi-sentient [Toon Camera Recorder], hovered silently above his head. Its single lens fixed on the violence. Capturing every precise movement and particle of dust for the movie project.
Nightclown pushed deeper into the Northwest Rocky Hills. The geography here was simply a backdrop for slaughter. His focus was singular... to maximize gains before the clock hit zero.
He encountered larger groups... Seven. Then nine. Then a massive encounter with twelve Imps, clustered around a low, dark cave entrance.
The larger groups demanded greater tactical finesse. He used rapid strikes. Focused entirely on disrupting their formation. And prioritizing the crucial [Steal!] checks.
He was on a kill streak. The rocky ground were slick with the fine grey residue of dissolved Imps. He was breathing hard. But his focus never wavered.
The timer on his HUD showed 00:01:45 remaining. One minute and forty-five seconds. He was engaged with the final Stone Imp of the night.
The last Imp attempted a desperation lunge. Nightclown dodged easily with a small step. And then pivoted sharply. The [Lightning Spear] was formed. Thrusting forward. Piercing the monster and turning it into gravel.
The chime rang. Loud and triumphant. Cutting through the silence of the Toonworld night.
[You have gained a Level!]
[Current Level: 14]
The surge of energy was minor but noticeable. A comforting internal expansion that immediately refreshed his spent reserves.
He quickly scanned the ground. All imps were down. He grabbed the scattering of coins. And checked his system.
[==Consumables==]
[ o Coins: 2239]
...
[ o Raw Material: ... Mana Crystals (x21)]
He looked at his Watch.
[Time remaining: 00:01:05]
Not enough time for another encounter. He waited instead. Until the world dissolved around him.
...
Jester landed back in his bed in Oakhaven. The night view of the cartoonish Rocky Hill was replaced by the quiet hum of his small apartment. The Toonworld Watch on his palm returned to its dormant state.
He took a deep breath. It was an excellent night. Great harvest. And, the footage for the movie should be solid. Covering night adventure, information gathering, and high-tempo combat.
He adjusted his focus to the present. It was 00:02 AM. He had some hours before he needed to be up for school. Sleep was a necessity.
...
The next morning, Monday, felt quite normal at the beginning. Jester had completed his usual morning rituals... a rigorous calisthenics routine, a cold shower to jar himself awake, and a quick breakfast of fresh toast.
He walked to Oakhaven Academy and joined the morning civil class as usual. Math. Not exactly his favorite one. But it was a necessity he supposed. Math classes were mandatory for all students. Transcendent or otherwise.
The classroom was large. Featuring wide windows overlooking the main academy courtyard. Designed to hold forty students. More than enough for their current twenty five students and one teacher state.
Jester sat near the windowless wall. With Vale next to him. Jotting down music score on his notepad instead of calculating derivatives.
Daisy sat across the aisle. Chewing the end of her pen. Already frustrated by the equations.
The teacher, Mr. Thistle, droned on about integrals.
Jester was tuning out. Thinking instead about how to efficiently spend his Toonworld time tonight.
Everything seemed fine... when the atmosphere suddenly fractured.
It began with a sound. One that was less an audible noise. And more like a physical wave of distortion. It shook the teeth in Jester's head.
ROOOOAR!
The sound was deep. And immensely heavy. Overlaid with a scraping, grinding quake that made the concrete floor shift violently beneath their chairs.
"What in the hell was that?" Daisy hissed, Dropping her pen.
Mr. Thistle stopped mid-sentence. His face turned pale. "Everyone remain calm! It's likely..."
He didn't finish the sentence.
The massive exterior wall of the classroom, the one facing the courtyard, exploded inward. Pulverized by sheer kinetic weight. Dust, brick shards, and fractured mortar blasted across the room.
Several students screamed. Their bodies were struck by debris.
And... standing in the newly formed gap, where sunlight should have poured in, was something enormous. Terrifyingly huge.
It was a demon. A creature of raw, terrifying malice. And it was gigantic. It stood roughly eight meter tall.
A monstrous humanoid figure with thick, dark scaled hide. Its head was the grotesque deformation of an elephant. Its tusks were dripping with black ichor. Its hands ended in colossal, crushing fists.
The air around it felt suddenly cold and heavy. Smelling strongly of sulfur and burning oil.
The Elephant Demon leader paused for a sickening moment. Its malevolent eyes were scanning the second floor room they were in. As if recognizing the easy prey.
Chaos detonated in the room. Students shrieked. Tripping over chairs in a desperate attempt to flee. Away from the demon.
"DEMON!" A student screamed.
Instantly, the academy's defense systems activated. A dull, high-pitched alarm began blaring across the school.
Mr. Thistle, despite his terror, fumbled and brought out his Soulheart Gear... an abacus shield. Which immediately set defensive formations. Three blue force fields popped into existence around the injured students.
But the speed and scale of the invasion was overwhelming.
The massive Elephant Demon was the spearhead. But it wasn't alone. Through the hole it made, Jester could see the courtyard was already swarming.
Smaller, faster, and more agile demons were flooding the campus. Loping, terrifying figures with matted fur and ripping claws.
The battle had already begun elsewhere. Distant sounds of magical explosions. Loud shouts. They indicated that the teachers were engaged.
A figure of sharp authority could be seen appearing through the classroom gap. It was... Ms. Cyantrace, the Headmaster.
She was utilizing her Soulheart Gear, a glowing rod. Which she wielded like a blur of solid light. She slammed it like a wave of pure force into the Elephant Demon's chest.
The giant creature grunted. Stumbling back several steps. But it didn't seem to be affected much. It responded with a roar that cracked the remaining window panes.
Ms. Cyantrace wasn't alone. She was already surrounded by her own squad of transcendent teachers. They formed a tight defensive perimeter. Drawing the focus of the largest demons away from the exposed students.
Jester watched the battle erupting in the courtyard. An impossible clash between the armed, trained teachers. And the unrelenting tide of demonic flesh.
But even as the Headmaster and her colleagues fought valiantly, Jester's eyes were drawn to the perimeter breach.
Three demons had detached from the main force. And were heading straight for their classroom.
The nearest was a towering, muscle-bound fiend. With heavy grey fur and a perpetually snarling muzzle. It was a Werewolf Demon. A creature that looked like a nightmare sculpted from rage.
The Werewolf Demon leaped into the classroom. Tearing through the debris. The students caught in the open hallway shrieked.
Mr. Thistle moved forward and blocked the demon with his abacus shield. But he was not a high tiered combat teacher. The Werewolf Demon easily slammed its hand and threw the teacher away.
Jester's focus narrowed with sickening clarity. He saw Sunny, his classmate from his Rogue specialization class, frozen with fear. The Werewolf Demon moved with blinding, brutal speed. It covered the distance in two strides.
There was a wet crack and a choked cry.
The Werewolf Demon didn't use claws or teeth. It simply delivered a monstrous backhand strike. The sound echoed flatly in the chaos.
Sunny's body was sent flying. Crashing against the back wall with enough force to crush the brick. He didn't move again. He was instantly, brutally... dead.
A cold, blinding rush of pure rage flooded Jester. The casual violence was a nightmarish reminder. This was not a safe Toonworld encounter. This was his current real world. This was the threat-filled Sherra.
Sunny, his familiar classmate, a fellow Rogue... He was now a crumpled mass of ruined clothing and gore.
"YOU BASTARD!" Jester roared. A primal sound that cut through the screams. The [Thunder Nunchaku] snapped into existence in his hand...