The night was pitch black, the dense canopy of the Goblin Region blocking out the stars as Trevor and Alister pushed through another grueling nocturnal hunt. Working in synchronized, brutal efficiency, they culled another twelve goblins from the undergrowth before returning to their makeshift camp.
Alister dropped the spatial bag's contents near the crackling campfire, tossing down their latest haul:
Goblin Staves (4x)
Goblin Spears and Shields (4x)
Goblin Bows and Quivers (4x)
Goblin Coins (40x)
Goblin Metal Fragments (23x)
Goblin Necklaces (4x)
Goblin Earrings (2 pairs)
While Alister unwrapped a warm, melted-cheese burger from his pack and took a satisfying bite, Trevor tapped the side of his temple, engaging his internal HUD.
"Eelon, scan these accessories," Trevor instructed.
[Scan Complete: Goblin Accessories]
[Goblin Necklaces (4x)]: +12 Intelligence each
[Goblin Earrings (2 Pairs)]: +10 Agility per pair
Trevor scoffed, crossing his arms. "That's crap. Even if I wore all of them, identical stat items don't stack. Only one necklace and one pair of earrings will actually take effect."
[Affirmative,] Eelon’s synthesized voice chimed quietly in his auditory cortex. [Bio-etheric signal overlap and redundancy prevent stat stacking for duplicate accessory categories.]
Alister chewed slowly, swallowing his bite before tossing the wrapper aside. "Well, that settles that. I'm going to sleep right after this."
"Okay," Trevor replied, keeping his cybernetic eyes scanning the perimeter. "I'll keep watch while you sleep."
Before Alister could settle back against his bedroll, the rustling of heavy underbrush broke the quiet of the woods. A four-person party stepped hesitantly into the flickering circle of firelight.
The leading man raised an open hand, speaking in a cautious, weary tone. "Hi, fellow adventurers. Sorry to disrupt you; we mean no harm. My name is Xian, the party leader, and my team is Tasha, Nigel, and Mona."
Alister narrowed his eyes, resting a hand near his wand. "What do you want?"
Xian gestured behind him toward two limping figures leaning heavily on each other. "If you don't mind, we're hoping to share a camp with you for the night. Our vanguard, Nigel, and our archer, Tasha, have both been injured."
Trevor looked the newcomers over, his mechanical optics registering their fatigue, blood-stained bandages, and exhausted postures. "Be our guest. Plunderers are scattered everywhere in this sector."
Relieved, the weary party set to work, quickly pitching a small tent for their wounded:
Xian: Wielding a heavy Two-Handed Sword.
Mona: Healer Priestess.
Nigel: Vanguard.
Tasha: Archer.
A few moments later, Mona was busy inside the tent, softly tending to Tasha and Nigel's wounds. Meanwhile, Xian walked over to the campfire, sitting down across from Trevor and Alister to share the warmth.
Xian stared at the dancing flames for a long moment before speaking up. "What's your story, guys?"
"Well, two of our party members were killed by a Kokuryu," Trevor answered flatly, his voice entirely devoid of emotion. "One died by sheer recklessness, and one died of our own miscalculations."
"We were caught off guard," Alister added, shaking his head. "It happened way too fast. And you? What's your story?"
Xian let out a bitter, exhausted sigh. "We were on a high-tier hunting deal targeting a Mighty Goblin. We were right about to finish off the monster—it was already badly wounded and barely moving."
Trevor narrowed his eyes slightly. "Go on."
"Suddenly, another party showed up out of nowhere," Xian continued, his fists clenching tight against his knees. "They attacked Tasha from behind without warning, and Nigel jumped in to back her up. Both of them got badly injured. Mona burned through all her mana trying to heal them during the chaos. Seeing we were completely outmatched, I made the call to pull back and retreat."
Trevor tilted his head. "They didn't chase you after you retreated?"
"Actually, no. Their target wasn't us—it was the Mighty Goblin itself," Xian said grimly. "They finished off the beast and grabbed all the loot while we were running for our lives."
Alister scoffed, his face twisting in disgust. "How cowardly is that?"
"We call that kill-stealing," Xian explained, his voice low. "They wait in the shadows until the boss is nearly dead, then they ambush the adventurers who gambled their lives fighting it."
"So they let everyone else do the heavy lifting, then steal the boss and the loot with zero risk," Trevor deduced coldly.
"Fuck those people," Alister muttered. "They don't do their jobs fair."
Xian looked up, offering a grim, sobering reality check. "More and more people nowadays choose the dirty way out. That's why you have to be careful in this sector. Adventurers are actively dragging each other down just to climb up the ranks."
"The Inspectors can't monitor this sector properly because there are between 7,500 and 8,000 adventurers jammed pack into Rank C," Xian said. "It's the ultimate bottleneck."
Trevor tapped his cybernetic chin. "That means this is the gatekeeper rank. Only a fraction of people manage to climb up to B Rank."
"Exactly," Xian nodded, picking up a twig. "Based on the guild's latest analytics..."
Xian began sketching rough numbers into the dirt near the fire:
Rank F: 1,200 hard-stuck (plus 100 new weekly additions)
Rank D: 3,100 hard-stuck
Rank E: 4,000 hard-stuck
Rank C: 8,000 adventurers (Overcrowded middle ground)
Rank B: 3,100 adventurers
Rank A: 1,200 adventurers
Rank S: 13 adventurers
"Rank C is the most overcrowded rank because it's the barrier between the strong and the weak," Xian said, tossing the twig aside.
"Oh shit, those numbers in Rank C are just going to compound yearly," Trevor remarked.
"Agreed. The annual analytics look worse every single time," Xian replied.
Alister rubbed the back of his neck, letting out a heavy breath. "Now I understand why most people die in Rank C."
"Exactly. Without proper regulation, it's a slaughterhouse."
"What do people even have to do to rank up to B?" Trevor asked, his analytical mind already calculating the variables.
"You have to hunt down and clear all the B- and B-level threat bosses across four different regions. But it has to be done as a strict monthly quest mission," Xian explained, listing the major regional threats:
Kokuryu Champion: Rank B Threat
Goblin Shaman: Rank B- Threat
Mighty Goblin: Rank B- Threat
Ogre Boar: Rank B- Threat
Tyrant Boar: Rank B- Threat
Sabertooth Bobcat: Rank B Threat
"Those six bosses are fiercely contested," Xian warned, looking directly at them. "No one can take them down alone; you need a coordinated team. But facing them gives you permanent paranoia because you never know if another party is hidden in the perimeter, waiting for the exact right second to steal your kill."
Alister let out a dry, cynical chuckle, looking over at his partner. "Well, looks like we just learned about another major problem."
Trevor's lips curled into a cold, dangerous grin as he casually checked the charge indicator on his modular briefcase. "This isn't a problem. This is where the exciting part begins." end of chapter