At 8:20 AM, the morning sun broke over the heavily contested terrain of the Rank C Sector. Apex Squad stepped off the arrival platform at the sector stronghold, their collective gear clinking against their armor as they prepared to move out.
"Alright, let's roll," Trevor said, adjusting his modular briefcase. "Our first target is in the Bobcat Region: the Sabertooth Bobcat."
"Okay," Alister nodded.
"Go," Haina rumbled, shifting the massive grip of her Greatsword over her shoulder.
"Fine," Xiao added, spinning her bronze staff lightly between her palms.
The four of them marched out toward the Bobcat Region. As they walked, Eelon’s internal HUD continuously updated the team's parameters, highlighting a noticeable combat improvement in Alister since their last deployment:
Alister: STR 42 | AGI 70 (58 + 12) | INT 100 (95 + 5) | VIT 50 | STAM 80 (65 + 15) | MANA 200 (180 + 20) Footwear: Boots of Swift Strides (+50% Leap Distance, +50% Dash Speed)
Haina (Barbarian): STR 80 | AGI 72 | INT 25 | VIT 90 | STAM 85 | MANA 0 Weapon: Viking Maiden Greatsword (Overpower: Attacks cannot be parried) Armor: Viking Armor Set (50% Cold Resist, 20% Physical Damage Resist)
Xiao Hsu (Martial Artist): STR 82 | AGI 75 | INT 25 | VIT 80 | STAM 95 | MANA 0 Weapon: Bronze Staff (Solid Hits: Anti-wooden shield and leather armor) Garment: Kung Fu Garb (No bonuses) Guards: Sheen Guards (+80% Defense on sheen only / +50% Damage using sheen kicks)
Team of fast runners and quick attacks, Trevor muttered mentally, verifying their synergy through Eelon's metrics.
Twenty minutes into the trek, the underbrush rustled. Five wild bobcats burst from the treeline, hissing and closing the distance at terrifying speed.
The four squad members reacted instantly, taking up their positions:
Alister raised his elemental wand, snapping off a crisp Lightning Bolt that incinerated the lead beast mid-leap. Haina stepped forward with explosive momentum, her Viking Greatsword whistling through the air as she cleaved a second bobcat clean in half. Xiao spun her bronze staff, intercepting a third; though she smashed its skull, a stray claw lashed out, tearing a deep rip across her garment.
"My clothes!" Xiao gasped, glaring down at the ruined fabric.
"Don't worry, take my scarf," Haina offered smoothly, tossing a heavy fur wrap over her shoulder without breaking stride.
Trevor didn't even draw a blade. With a flick of his wrist, his modular briefcase shifted into its default blunt-force configuration, crushing the remaining two bobcats with mechanical precision before they could even land a strike.
"So Trevor, what's the plan? How do we find this Sabertooth Bobcat?" Alister asked, wiping residual dust from his robes.
"I researched all night," Trevor replied flatly. "I know exactly where to find our target."
Haina glanced down at the heavy metal case in his hand with a skeptical smirk. "Nice weapon you got there. A briefcase full of books. Hahaha."
"Haina, don't mock our party leader," Xiao warned.
"That's okay," Trevor said, unbothered. "Me and Alister are used to much worse."
Using the navigational tracking methods he had cross-referenced with Eelon in the library the previous night, Trevor led the squad deep into a secluded sector of the forest. They eventually stopped near a hidden, pristine forest pond untouched by other travelers—the exact kind of undisturbed water source a territorial apex predator like the Sabertooth Bobcat would claim.
"Alright, here's the plan," Trevor whispered, crouching behind a broad oak tree.
The team leaned in, eager for the tactical breakdown.
"You all hide," Trevor instructed. "I'm going to fight it alone." Visit g.com for the full chapter.
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Alister blinked, staring at him in disbelief. "Huh? Are you insane?"
"Facing a boss alone is straight suicide," Xiao hissed, shaking her head.
"Even a B-Rank adventurer couldn't take that thing solo," Haina added, her voice dropping to a harsh warning. "Frankly, its threat level feels closer to B-plus."
"It's going to be a lot dumber if we all pile in at once," Trevor countered coldly, his cybernetic eyes scanning the perimeter. "Other parties are bound to appear. You can bet your life some scavs are already following us silently, waiting for us to exhaust ourselves."
Alister caught on instantly, a dangerous light flashing in his eyes. "You mean... you fight it alone to draw them out, and we back you up when things go south?"
"You only show up if a full party attacks me," Trevor corrected.
Alister hesitated for a second, then nodded firmly. "I agree... but don't you dare die."
"We'll step in if you take a heavy hit," Xiao added, gripping her bronze staff.
"Well, it's your funeral, Trevor," Haina muttered, though she immediately began scaling the nearest tall oak.
For an hour and thirty minutes, Apex Squad waited in absolute silence. Haina, Xiao, and Alister concealed themselves high in the surrounding branches, while Trevor crouched low behind a thick trunk near the water's edge.
Finally, heavy, measured footsteps echoed through the brush.
A massive creature broke through the foliage. Standing six feet tall and built with rippling muscle, the Sabertooth Bobcat possessed thick striped fur, viciously long ivory fangs, and razor-sharp claws. It let out a low rumble, trotting directly to the edge of the pond to take a long, unguarded sip of water.
Trevor didn't wait.
With a sharp mechanical click, his briefcase morphed into its Grappling Hook configuration. He fired, the heavy steel prongs whistling through the air and wrapping tightly around the massive beast's neck.
The Sabertooth shrieked like a trapped feline, thrashing wildly as the heavy chains pulled taut. It whipped its head around, snapping its jaws viciously at the air, but the reinforced alloy links refused to snap.
Stepping out from behind the tree, Trevor hauled hard on the chains, using his cybernetic enhancements to choke off the creature's windpipe. The massive beast staggered, its frantic thrashing growing weaker by the second.
Rustle.
Footsteps erupted from the opposite treeline.
Out into the clearing stepped a rival group of scavs—eight armed adventurers split into two distinct parties, drawn out by the sounds of the struggle.
The opposing Archer raised her bow, aiming directly at Trevor's chest. Their team leader sneered, "We've been tracking this beast for hours. That boss belongs to us."
On the other side, the rival Wizard leader pointed a staff at Trevor. "Torch the man with the chains!"
Before the enemy spell could even form, Haina dropped from the canopy like a meteor, her Viking Greatsword crashing down to flatten the enemy vanguard into the dirt. New chapters come out on novelping(.)com first.
Simultaneously, Xiao kicked off a high branch, spinning through the air to deliver a devastating staff-smash straight into the cheek of the rival Wizard leader, dropping him unconscious onto the grass before he could cast a single syllable.
Alister, positioned higher in the trees, flicked his wrist. Twin Lightning Bolts cracked through the air, instantly paralyzing two more rival members trying to flank the squad.
"Hey, archer!" Trevor called out, tightening his grip on the chains as the Sabertooth choked beneath him. "If you want the boss so badly... come and get it!"
With a sharp jerk, Trevor released the grappling hook, instantly reconfiguring his briefcase into its lethal Gunblade mode.
Haina, Xiao, and Alister scrambled back up into the safety of the trees.
Freed from the chokehold, the enraged Sabertooth Bobcat whipped around. Ignoring Trevor entirely, its predatory instincts locked onto the cluster of panicked rival scavs standing frozen in the clearing.
"What are you bastards doing?! " the rival Archer screamed as the massive beast charged.
"I'm just giving you what's yours," Trevor replied coolly, stepping back.
The Sabertooth hit the rival group like a freight train. Pounced, bitten, and slashed to ribbons one by one, the scav party was massacred in seconds, their screams cut short by brutal efficiency.
As the last rival scavenger collapsed, the battered Sabertooth Bobcat turned back toward Trevor, bleeding heavily from multiple wounds.
Trevor didn't blink. He raised his Gunblade, firing three concentrated Magic Missiles directly into the beast's chest at point-blank range. As the creature staggered forward, Trevor leaped off the ground, using the magical momentum of the blade to cleanly sever the monster's massive head in a single, fluid arc.
Landing lightly on his feet, Trevor keyed his comm. "Alister, get down here. Bag the head before more scavs show up."
Alister dropped from the tree, quickly opening their spatial magic bag and sliding the massive Sabertooth head inside. "Got it secured."
Trevor flicked his blade clean, his expression entirely unreadable. "Alright. One down, five more to go."
Haina hopped down, staring at her leader with a mix of awe and disbelief. "You are crazy as fuck."
Xiao landed beside her, shaking her head while eyeing his gear. "And you've got way too many hidden weapons."
"Yes, I am crazy," Trevor said smoothly. "And you haven't even seen half of what this gear can do."
Alister stepped up beside his partner, letting out a breathless laugh. "I've been working with you for a long time, Trevor... but it feels like you're still hiding half your arsenal."
Trevor offered a cold, knowing smirk. "I have configurations in here that could level an entire city with a single shot."
The three squad members froze, staring at him in dead silence as the weight of his words settled over the clearing. end of chapter