The morning train blew a thick plume of white steam into the early sky. Inside the passenger car reserved for E-Rank adventurers, Trevor and Alister sat across from each other as the locomotive rumbled along the tracks leading out of Terra Nova.
Alister stared out the window before turning to Trevor. “So... before we get to the sector, what do you think about our next destination?”
Trevor leaned back, resting his arm against his heavy black briefcase. “Well... this whole thing still feels like a trial period for being adventurers. Honestly, it's pretty boring. We need to climb up another rank as soon as possible.”
“Well, E-Rank mandates higher targets,” Alister said, grinning. “It’ll be a much better challenge to test our actual strength and skills.”
Static hissed through the speaker mounted on the carriage ceiling as the train conductor’s voice echoed across the radio.
“Attention all registered E-Rank parties! Today’s expedition will take place in the open plains beyond Sector 2. Note: Evaluation today will be based strictly on combined party performance and total loot yields.”
When the steam train ground to a halt at the frontier stronghold, the heavy iron gates lifted to reveal a sprawling savannah bisected by two wide, shallow rivers.
Unlike the eastern continent, Gaia Pangea had been isolated from intelligent civilization for millennia, giving rise to aggressive, prehistoric variants of wild fauna. Massive wild bisons with heavy horns wallowed near the water, while packs of razor-fanged hyenas prowled the tall grass. Flocks of towering, territorial flamingos lined the riverbanks alongside armored giant crocodiles.
A Guild Observer on the outpost tower raised a brass megaphone. “The hunting field is now open! Remember the schedule: hunting will pause at noon for lunch at the stronghold. Field operations will resume from 1:00 PM until 5:00 PM sharply! The return transport departs at 6:00 PM!”
The guild officer unrolled a parchment board detailing the target materials:
Hyena Fangs
Bison Horns
Flamingo Feathers
Crocodile Leather
“Let's go!” Alister called out as hundreds of adventurers charged out into the wild plains.
Trevor reached into his coat, pulling out a set of heavy skinning daggers. “Good thing I brought proper knives for harvesting this time.”
Alister kept pace alongside him, drawing his brand-new wand. “I've read about Terra Flamingos in natural history books. Their leg muscles are dense enough to shatter steel boots with a single kick!”
“Is that so?” Trevor smirked. He pressed a hidden biometric trigger on his briefcase's side handle. “Then let's speed things up—Gunblade Mode.”
With a series of sharp metallic clicks and pneumatic shifts, the black briefcase unfolded and reconfigured itself in less than a second, extending into a sleek, dark-steel hybrid sword with an integrated firearm mechanism.
Alister’s jaw dropped mid-stride. “Woah! Trevor... did your briefcase just turn into a blade?!”
Before Alister could get an answer, a pack of wild hyenas lunged out from the tall grass. Without breaking stride, Trevor raised the weapon, aligned the optical sight, and pulled the rear trigger.
THWIP-BANG!
A compressed bullet infused with kinetic energy fired from the barrel, piercing the lead hyena directly between the eyes from thirty meters away before it could even leap.
“Hey! That's a musket!” Alister yelled in amazement.
“Nope,” Trevor said coldly, stepping over the fallen beast. “Muskets are primitive. This is a gun.”
Moving down to the riverbank, Alister pointed his wand at a flock of charging four-foot flamingos. “Quagmire!”
The soil beneath the birds turned into thick, trapping mud, locking their massive legs in place. Alister followed up immediately with a swift, chantless lightning spell that crackled across the water, paralyzing the trapped flock instantly.
Meanwhile, Trevor whirled through the field like a force of nature. Using his Gunblade, he sliced through armored crocodile hides, parried charging bisons, and shot down leaping hyenas with deadly, surgical precision.
Nearby adventurers stopped in their tracks, watching Trevor’s fluid swordplay in sheer disbelief.
Over near the shallow river, Alister unleashed a blinding wave of electric magic into a swarm of giant crocodiles.
“Look at that kid!” a nearby swordsman shouted, pointing at Alister. “He’s wiping out an entire crocodile streak!”
“He's casting high-tier lightning magic without chanting a single line!” another adventurer gasped. “And he's fighting on the frontlines using just a wand?! Is he really a mage?!”
Up on the observation tower, Guild Observers held spyglasses to their eyes, writing furious notes on their clipboards—their eyes glued directly to the strange, transforming weapon in Trevor's hands.
By 5:00 PM, the horn sounded for the end of the hunt. When the results were tallied at the stronghold counter, Apex Squad sat indisputably at the top of the leaderboards.
Their combined haul was staggering:
33 Flamingos
38 Hyenas
32 Bisons
35 Crocodiles
A total of 138 beasts harvested in a single day.
The Head Inspector stared at the massive pile of hides, horns, fangs, and feathers, flipping through their registration logs in disbelief. “Wait... you two were just promoted to E-Rank yesterday?!”
“Yes, sir,” Trevor replied neutrally.
“That is correct, sir!” Alister added proudly.
The Head Inspector shook his head in awe. “These numbers are beyond remarkable for a two-man squad. Once we arrive back at the Guildhall tonight, you'll be fast-tracked for another promotion!”
“Yeeeees!” Alister cheered, pumping his fist into the air.
By 6:25 PM, the steam train pulled back into Terra Nova's central station.
Inside the Guildhall, Apex Squad handed over their vast collection of materials. The payout clerk counted out heavy stacks of Terra Coins—a massive bounty totaling 4,140 Terra Coins (the equivalent of 1,035 Ravinian Gold).
Both their personal licenses and their party registry were officially upgraded to D-Rank, complete with expanded access to perimeter zones and common drop markets.
As Alister was gleefully pocketing their cash reward, two stern guild guards approached their counter.
“Trevor Van Heimer?” one guard asked. “The Guild Master requests an immediate private audience with you in his office.”
Trevor kept his expression neutral, though beneath his high collar, Eelon’s internal core hummed with a quiet warning vibration. “Lead the way.”
Up on the top floor of the Guildhall, Trevor was escorted into a grand, oak-paneled office filled with ancient blueprints, weapon racks, and glowing magical runestones.
Sitting behind a massive mahogany desk was a heavily built dwarf with a thick, braided silver beard and sharp, keen eyes—Guild Master Harknard, an S-Rank adventurer and legendary master craftsman.
Harknard leaned forward, his stone-hard gaze fixed directly on Trevor's briefcase. “Sit down, lad.”
Trevor remained standing, his posture composed but alert.
“The inspectors sent me their field reports today,” Harknard began, his booming voice echoing in the quiet room. “They described a brawler wielding an unrecognizable mechanism that shifts between a heavy case, a blade, and a projectile shooter. Mind showing it to me?”
Trevor hesitated for a brief second before pressing the grip. The briefcase clicked and extended smoothly into its Gunblade form, the dark futuristic alloy glinting under the office lanterns.
Harknard stood up from his desk, walking slowly around Trevor. His eyes were wide with pure fascination, examining the flawless seam lines, the absence of visible mana conduits, and the impossible precision of the machining.
“Is there a problem, Guild Master?” Trevor asked calmly. “I assure you, I use it strictly within guild guidelines.”
“I am S-Rank Adventurer Harknard,” the dwarf said softly, almost in a whisper. “I have worked as a master weapon craftsman and runeforger for over six decades... and I have never seen a weapon crafted like this in all my years on Gaia Pangea. Where on earth did you acquire such a masterpiece?”
Trevor didn't blink. “It's a long story. It's a family heirloom—an invention passed down through generations of my lineage.”
Harknard ran a calloused finger a millimeter away from the barrel, not daring to touch it without permission. “Magnificent... sublime craftsmanship. What do you call this piece?”
“We call it Rubix,” Trevor replied smoothly.
Harknard looked up, his eyes shining with the unbridled curiosity of a scholar. “Lad... would you allow me to keep this in my workshop for just twenty-four hours? I only wish to inspect its mechanical joints and alloy composition.”
Trevor’s eyes narrowed slightly. “And if I decline? Will that negatively impact my standing or career with the guild? This design contains strictly guarded family secrets.”
Harknard stared at him for a long moment before letting out a hearty, booming laugh that shook the dust from the bookshelves.
“Hahaha! Fair enough, lad! No, of course it won't affect your standing! I am simply a giant nerd when it comes to sophisticated weaponry and ancient engineering. If you say no, I respect your privacy as a fellow warrior and craftsman.”
Trevor let out a quiet breath, pressing the grip trigger as Rubix collapsed smoothly back into its harmless black briefcase form.
“Thank you, Guild Master,” Trevor said with a brief nod. “If that's all, I'll take my leave. Hunting all day makes a man hungry.”
“Very well, young man,” Harknard smiled, waving a hand toward the door. “Good luck on your future quests. I'll be watching Apex Squad's progress with great interest!”
Trevor turned and walked out of the office, closing the heavy oak door behind him.
As he walked down the quiet stone hallway toward the bustling main hall where Alister was waiting, Trevor felt a slight chill run down his spine. This world's current era was nowhere near ready to understand 45th-century cybernetics or dimensional technology.
That had been a dangerously close call for his identity—and one he couldn't afford to repeat.