At noon, deep in a secluded, overgrown grove within the Bobcat Region, Apex Squad sat around a small, concealed campfire for a brief lunch.
"Not bad for our first day," Trevor said, leaning against a mossy boulder as he checked the modular casing of his briefcase. "One target head down."
Xiao took a bite of her rations, looking up. "Where are we going next?"
"The Tyrant Boark," Trevor answered flatly. "It's one of the two B-minus threat boark targets alongside the Ogre Boark."
Haina rested her heavy Greatsword against her knee with a casual shrug. "I'll just stick to the plan."
Alister stirred his mug, frowning slightly as he recalled the morning's encounter. "Honestly, I was surprised that two parties showed up at the exact same time."
"Always expect the worst," Trevor replied smoothly.
After lunch, the party extinguished the embers and stepped onto the worn dirt path leading toward the border of the Boark Region. As they crossed the treeline, the quiet was shattered by the sharp whirr of incoming projectiles.
THWIP! THWIP!
Crossbow bolts and barbed throwing daggers burst from the thick undergrowth. Sensing the air displacements an instant before impact, all four squad members ducked and side-stepped with practiced ease as four rogue adventurers stepped into the open.
The ambushers formed a standard pillage spread: a Crossbowman cocking a heavy crank, a Twin Blader twirling twin shortswords, a stealthy Rogue Assassin, and a heavily armored Phalanx holding a tower shield.
The Phalanx, acting as the party leader, sneered through his visor. "Give us all your valuables and you might just live."
Trevor didn't waste a single breath on dialogue. With a sharp mechanical click, his briefcase shifted instantly into its Gunblade Mode. Raising the barrel, he pulled the trigger point-blank. A high-velocity Magic Missile streaked through the air, punching straight through the Phalanx's forehead visor.
The leader dropped dead before his body even hit the grass.
Without pausing, Trevor pivoted his aim toward the Crossbowman and fired a second round, blasting a hole clean through his chest plate.
"We don't have time for petty scoundrels like you," Trevor said coldly. "We're busy."
Seeing his squad wiped out in seconds, the Twin Blader screamed in rage and lunged forward, thrusting both shortswords straight into Trevor's chest with all his strength. This chapter was copied from novelping . com without permission.
CLANG!
The blades struck Trevor's futuristic inner vest—built with an 80% physical damage resistance rating. The steel skittered harmlessly off the plating, failing to draw a single drop of blood. Trevor intentionally allowed the strike to land just to close the gap, immediately cross-countering by driving his own Gunblade deep into the Twin Blader's heart.
A note for readers: this chapter was copied from NovelPhoenix without permission; reading the author's posting there supports their work.
The Twin Blader gasped, blood pooling at his lips. "Damn... it..." He collapsed motionless onto the dirt.
A few paces back, Alister, Xiao, and Haina stood motionless, calmly analyzing Trevor's effortless execution.
Seeing the total slaughter, the remaining Rogue Assassin turned tail and sprinted into the open field at full speed, desperately trying to put distance between himself and the squad.
Alister began to step forward to give chase, but Trevor raised a hand, stopping him in his tracks. "No need, Alister."
Trevor clicked a secondary latch on his weapon, reconfiguring it from Gunblade into its sleek, long-barrel Sniper Rifle Mode (Configuration 4). Raising the heavy optic to his cybernetic eye, Trevor pulled the trigger.
PFFT.
A suppressed, high-velocity round tore through the afternoon air, instantly dropping the sprinting assassin hundreds of meters away.
Haina whistled, staring out at the distant mark. "That was far... and you hit him dead center."
Xiao swallowed hard, looking at Trevor with wide eyes. "Mr. Trevor... I'm starting to get afraid of you."
Trevor offered a quiet wink toward Xiao, his tone shifting into a rare, mild reassurance. "I'm part of your team. There's no reason to be scared." He locked the briefcase back into its standard form with a crisp snap. "Let's keep moving."
Continuing deep into the Boark Region, the team cleared 17 standard boarks along the trail to harvest basic materials, tracking the terrain for several hours until dusk settled over the forest.
Eventually, they reached the mouth of a massive cliffside cavern—the primary nest of the Tyrant Boark. But as they approached, the echo of violent combat bounced off the stone walls.
Four bloodied adventurers burst out of the cave entrance, sprinting for their lives as a gargantuan beast lumbered right behind them.
The Tyrant Boark was a terrifying monstrosity. Standing six feet tall on massive, muscular limbs, it possessed coarse grey fur, thick drooling jaws, and massive curved tusks. It roared, slamming its heavy fists against its chest like a wild beast as it pursued the fleeing group.
Apex Squad immediately dropped low, slipping behind a cluster of giant boulders near the cave entrance to observe.
"Tch," Alister muttered, rubbing his temple. "Some party got here first."
"The question is," Trevor murmured, his optics zooming in, "can they actually manage to take it down?"
The Tyrant Boark slammed a heavy hoof down, unleashing a localized stomp attack that sent the party leader flying. The fleeing party consisted entirely of Assassins wearing dark cloaks, desperately throwing poisoned daggers over and over while dodging the beast's berserk swings.
Gradually, the poison began to take effect. The Tyrant Boark's movements slowed, its thick hide bristling with dozens of thrown daggers. Groaning under the lethal dosage, the massive beast collapsed onto its belly, feebly crawling back toward the dark mouth of its cave.
Suddenly, a heavy steel Pilum whistled through the air from the treeline, impaling the Assassin party leader straight through the chest and exiting out his back.
Xiao covered her mouth in shock.
A heavily armored legionnaire carrying a broadsword with a massive shield strapped to his back stepped out from the shadows. It was Pizzaro, a well-known vanguard leader. Behind him stood his full squad: a Crossbowman, a Shinobi, and a dark Priest.
Without warning, Pizzaro's squad fell upon the weakened, poisoned Assassin group to wipe them out.
Before Pizzaro's squad could even secure the kill on the crawling boss, more foliage rustled around the clearing as wave after wave of rival parties swarmed the cavern entrance:
Team Human (Knight Leader): Led by Knight Daniel, accompanied by an Archer, Mage, and Priest.
Team Elves: Led by an Elf Mage, featuring an Archer, Spearman, and Sword-and-Shield Vanguard.
Team Dwarves: Led by a Dwarf Crossbowman, backed by an Axeman, Mage, and Healer.
Team Human (Martial Artist Leader): Led by Hung Poi, supported by a Taoist Priest, Archer, and Spear-and-Shield Vanguard.
Sitting behind the rocks, Alister held his head in his hands at the sheer absurdity of the crowd. Trevor raised his eyebrows in cold fascination. Haina ground her teeth together, her grip tightening on her Greatsword, while Xiao kept her hands over her mouth, completely silent.
Five full parties, dozens of weapons drawn, locked eyes over the dying Tyrant Boark as a chaotic, bloodthirsty battle royale erupted right before their eyes—a brutal display of the harsh, cutthroat reality of C-Rank progression. end of chapter