Trevor turned on his heel and sprinted straight into the pitch-black mouth of the cave.
"Is he planning a suicide?" one of the vanguards muttered, bewildered.
"Just give up your worthless life!" yelled a rogue, leading the charge as all twenty armed combatants surged past the threshold in a chaotic, greedy stampede.
Inside the narrow, sloping tunnel, blinded by bloodlust, the first few adventurers spotted the severed head of the Tyrant Boark lying on the stone floor. They broke into a reckless sprint, pushing and shoving past each other in the dark to grab the trophy first.
They didn't see the shadows shift in the deep gloom.
Trevor stood in the darkness, his cybernetic optic glowing cyan. With a sequence of sharp mechanical clicks, the Rubix unfolded into its 6-Fold Organ Gun Mode, locking six heavy barrels in parallel.
Before anyone could react, the cavern erupted.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A series of thunderous, heavy blasts echoed off the stone walls as a barrage of magic missiles tore through the narrow passage. The sheer explosive force and kinetic payload punched straight through their torsos from front to back, blasting sixteen combatants off their feet in a single lethal sweep.
When the dust settled, sixteen lay dead. Only four survived, bleeding profusely on the stone floor—two priests and two archers, all fatally injured.
At the entrance of the cave, Alister, Haina, and Xiao walked inside toward them, weapons drawn.
"Please have mercy..." an archer sobbed, clutching his chest. "I will give you all my coins, just spare me..." "Please don't, I have a family waiting for me..." "Don't come any closer..."
Alister, Haina, and Xiao moved forward without hesitation and executed the four survivors in cold blood, leaving no living witness to the incident.
Trevor stepped out from the deeper cavern, holding the severed head of the Tyrant Boark by its coarse hair in his left hand.
Alister wiped blood from his staff. "That was a huge success. More have been dropped dead in a single shot than our expectations."
"They just got overwhelmed getting inside, rushing to get the head," Trevor said flatly.
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Xiao looked at him with a slight nod. "You are not just strong, you are smart too."
Haina sheathed her blade. "That is a brilliant execution."
Alister opened the magic bag and stowed the heavy trophy securely. "We already have two. Four more to go."
"YEEEEES!" they all shouted in unison.
Suddenly, standing near the cave mouth, Trevor felt an odd chill in the air.
"Eelon, thermal scan the perimeter," Trevor commanded softly. "Check if there are any humans, elves, or dwarves."
There are four people hiding at those coordinates, Eelon whispered directly into his earpiece.
"Got it."
Trevor reconfigured the Rubix into its Sniper Rifle Mode, locking onto the precise coordinates flagged by Eelon. He raised the silenced barrel and fired through the dense foliage.
Pfft. Pfftt. Pffft. Pffftt.
Four suppressed shots echoed faintly. All four hidden targets dropped dead instantly.
Alister blinked, looking into the trees. "What was that all about?"
"That's alarming, Trevor," Xiao said, scanning the area.
"Let's just check it out," Trevor replied.
They walked over to the brush and found another party of four scouts lying dead among the foliage. Eelon highlighted the surrounding perimeter, detecting several hidden traps they had set up to ambush anyone leaving the cave.
"We need to be extra careful," Trevor warned.
Haina crossed her arms, her expression grim. "Indeed. We need to be vigilant even in our sleep."
"The more heads of the boss we carry, the more we are prone to danger," Alister noted, adjusting the magic bag on his shoulder.
"To keep it safe, we will spend a night inside the sector stronghold," Trevor decided.
They traveled back to the safety of the sector stronghold. Later that night, they entered a bustling tavern inside the fortress, ordering hot food and a couple of drinks.
Trevor returned from the counter after asking the innkeeper. "All the sleeping quarters are full."
"We don't have a choice," Alister said, setting down his mug. "We will set up a tent in the middle of the stronghold."
As they spoke, a group of drunken men staggered past their table, and one stumbled toward Xiao.
"Hey cutie, come sleep with me tonight," a burly barbarian slurred, roughly groping her.
Haina slammed her hand down on the table, standing up. "Hey, you brute! Get off her!"
A scarred Viking warrior stepped forward, grinning menacingly at Haina. "What are you gonna do, sweetie? Oh, you are from Roth Re'gahr too."
"Better you recognize your own kin," Haina warned, her jaw tight.
"Yeah, and you are sleeping with me, hahahaha!" The Viking laughed, reaching out and groping Haina's waist.
Haina immediately punched the Viking flush in the face, sending him stumbling back. Simultaneously, Xiao delivered a sharp uppercut to the barbarian who groped her, snapping his head back.
Trevor blurred into action. He delivered a swift karate chop directly to the third man's throat, disabling him, and drove a brutal front kick into the fourth thug's stomach, folding him in half onto the floor.
The rest of the tavern went dead quiet. Trevor leaned in close to the trembling group leader, whispering in his ear.
"If you want to pick a fight, let's settle this tomorrow outside... in a death match."
The leader, Bren, clutched his bruised neck and glared up with pure hatred. "The name is Bren. Remember my name and my face. This is the face that you will always remember upon your death."
Bren and his beaten crew dragged themselves up and retreated from the tavern, leaving behind thick grudge and killing intent. end of chapter