The pressure in the air did not fade. Instead, it multiplied. Without warning the sky and air cracked open across the city. Not just once, but dozens of tis.
Circular distortions tore into reality above streets, rooftops, and shattered intersections. From within them poured distorted light and the stench of blood and rot.
They were portals and monsters began to erge again.
They dropped into the city like rain made of claws and fangs.
Hulking beasts with plated hides crushed cars beneath their weight. Lean, many-limbed creatures skittered across walls and ceilings. So scread as they appeared. The others ca out silent and just started hunting.
The city erupted. Screams followed almost instantly. So players caught off guard and died before they even understood what was happening.
Survivors who had been hiding in buildings were torn apart when monsters burst through walls or ceilings. They froze, unable to move, and were ripped open where they stood.
But not everyone fell imdiately. Those who fought back did so without hesitation.
Blades rose, guns fired, and skills activated. Blood soaked the streets again.
The ones who survived were not lucky. They were determined. Their eyes were empty of doubt. Killing no longer felt wrong to them. It felt necessary and familiar. So even smiled as they cut monsters down, as if violence had beco proof of their existence.
Sean was among them.
A horned creature lunged at him from a shattered storefront. Sean stepped forward instead of back, his sword flashing. The monster’s head left its body before it could finish its roar. Blood sprayed across the pavent.
Connor crushed another with his shield. The monster’s bones caving inward as he followed with a downward strike. Neither of them slowed.
Their levels climbed. So did their hunger.
On the other side, the group of four moved like executioners through the chaos. The shield-bearer took the front, absorbing the attacks that would have killed others. The spear-wielder impaled monsters from behind him with precise and lethal thrusts. The agile woman vanished and reappeared in flashes of steel and blood. The caster ended fights quickly with her spells detonating monsters into ash or freezing them.
They did not help anyone or hesitate.
They killed and moved on.
—
Clyde and Mina did not stay.
The mont the first portal opened, Clyde made the decision.
"We can’t stay in one place," he said. "Ten minutes at most. After that, we move."
They slipped out of their cover as the city descended further into chaos, weaving through alleys and collapsed corridors.
Clyde chose paths that broke lines of sight and avoided open spaces. Mina followed close, her steps light and her senses stretched tight.
They moved again and again. After ten minutes they relocate, hide, observe, then move again.
Monsters passed near them more than once. Clyde killed only when necessary. Mina backed him up without hesitation.
Eventually, they entered a plaza that had once been an open comrcial area.
And there, standing intact amid the destruction, was sothing that did not belong to this chaos. It was a vending machine.
It was tall and black, its surface smooth and unmarked by damage. Soft bluish mist leaked from its seams, drifting around it like fog. Strange symbols pulsed across its display. The air around it felt heavy with condensed magic power.
Mina slowed, eyes widening.
"What is that?" she asked.
They had never seen one before.
Clyde stopped a few steps away and studied it in silence. His eyes traced the symbols, the energy flow, and the structure of the device itself.
After a mont, he spoke. "This is a device that allows us to purchase items like skills and equipnt."
Mina blinked.
"So... our Coins," she said slowly. "That’s what they’re for?"
Clyde nodded.
"Yes."
He stepped forward.
"Let’s spend them."
They didn’t hold back. The machine responded the mont Clyde interacted with it. A list of items unfolded across the glowing display, categorized by type and rank. There were armor, weapons, consumables, and skills.
For now, Clyde ignored everything else. Armor ca first.
They spent a large portion of their Coins without hesitation.
Mina selected a Rank B light armor set. The pieces ford around her body as she equipped them.
Flexible dark plates layered over reinforced leather that was thin enough not to hinder movent but dense with defensive enchantnts.
Mina read the description and knew that the armor reacted subtly to incoming force, dispersing impact and reducing damage from blades and claws. It also enhanced agility and reflex response, syncing with her movents.
Mina flexed her fingers, then rolled her shoulders.
"It’s... light," she said, surprised. "But it feels solid."
Clyde nodded. "Good for you."
For himself, Clyde chose a Rank A armor set. He spent a lot of Coins imdiately.
The mont it activated, dense black and silver plates manifested around his body, interlocking seamlessly.
The armor carried a deeper weight of active magic power. Clyde read the descriptions and found out that it amplified his defense beyond his normal limits, reinforced resistance against physical and magical damage, and passively enhanced endurance and stability.
It was not flashy in looks but had absolutely amazing effects.
Clyde felt the difference imdiately. The armor settled onto him like a second skin, responding to his magic power without resistance.
He let out a long sigh, feeling more relieved now that he got this kind of protection.
"This will do for now."
Mina looked around, then back at Clyde.
"People are coming," she said quietly.
Clyde already knew.
He could feel it.
They turned and moved again, leaving the vending machine behind.
—
Ray finally entered the area. His arrival was quiet, almost unnoticeable among all the chaos that happened, except for the woman pinned in front of him.
The Demon Sword was embedded deep in her chest, the black blade protruding from her back. She was still alive but barely. Her hands trembled as they weakly clutched at the weapon, blood bubbling at her lips. Her eyes were wide, unfocused, frozen in pure terror as she stared up at Ray’s face.
Ray smiled.
It was not wide or dramatic. Just a small, crooked curve of his lips, like he was mildly amused by sothing trivial.
"You should’ve run," he said calmly.
Then he pulled the sword out.
The woman collapsed to the ground with a wet sound, blood spreading beneath her body that eventually went still. Her eyes remained open, staring at nothing.
A notification appeared imdiately.
[Skill Acquired: Apex Mark Detection]
Ray paused.
He tilted his head slightly as information flowed into his mind.
The sensation of a tug ca a second later. Subtle but unmistakable. Like a hook sunk deep into his chest, pulling him toward a specific direction.
"So that’s how it is. This is the interesting man you’ve been telling ," he muttered.
His grin widened.
Ray rested the Demon Sword on his shoulder and looked toward the ruined city. His eyes narrowed as he focused on the direction the pull ca from.
"The Apex, huh? the strongest person here," he whispered.
He stepped over the woman’s body without another glance and began moving imdiately.
Sowhere ahead, the strongest man in the area was waiting and Ray intended to reach him first.
—
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