Luther’s POV
I quickly stepped out of the vehicle, raising both hands.
“Whoa, whoa… let’s all calm down for a second.”
“We don’t have to do this.”
The four masked figures remained silent.
Then
Ding.
A blue window appeared before all three of us.
Encounter Detected÷
[Hostile Raiders Identified]
[Rank].
[Count]
B
1
A
1
C
1
S
1
[Abilities: Unknown]
[Objective: Rescue the hostage.]
[Bonus Objective: Defeat the Raiders.]
“…”
I blinked.
“…Please tell me I’m not the only one seeing this.”
James nodded.
“So am I.”
Ariel looked just as confused.
“But…”
I scratched my head.
“Where’s the hostage?”
“I don’t see anyone being held captive.”
“And another thing…”
I looked toward the tallest masked man.
“…How is that guy already S-Rank?”
“The world’s only been like this for a day!”
None of it made sense.
I tried one last time. Read this novel at novelping.com for the best experience.
“Look…”
“We don’t want any trouble.”
“We’re just passing through.”
The man carrying the giant hammer laughed.
“You hear that?”
“He thinks this is negotiable.”
Another stepped forward.
“Hand over everything valuable.”
“Food.”
“Fuel.”
“Weapons.”
“And maybe…”
He glanced toward our vehicle.
“…We’ll let you leave.”
“So…”
“They’re just robbers.”
I muttered.
Without realizing it…
Ariel had already moved behind me.
James stepped forward.
His body tensed.
His Titan ability was ready to activate at any moment.
The tallest raider chuckled.
“So…”
“It’s a standoff.”
Without warning
The C-Rank Raider charged James.
The remaining two rushed toward Ariel and me.
“…Too fast!”
Before I could react
One of them vanished.
“…What?!”
A hand suddenly grabbed Ariel from behind.
She gasped.
I threw a punch
Nothing.
The man disappeared again.
He reappeared several meters away.
“…Teleportation?”
“No…”
I narrowed my eyes. Get faster updates on g.com.
“Super speed.”
“That explains the A-Rank.”
Before I could think further
SHING!
A katana flashed toward my neck.
I barely leaned back in time.
“…A katana?!”
Where had he been hiding it?
A blast of wind slammed into him before he could attack again.
Ariel.
The force sent him crashing into an abandoned car.
Across the road
BOOM!
James, now in his Titan form, casually grabbed the C-Rank Raider and threw him through the side of the cargo truck.
“…Guess he’s got that handled.”
I looked back toward my opponents.
One kept changing weapons every few seconds.
A spear.
A mace.
A pair of axes.
“…Weapon creation?”
The speed user never stopped moving.
He circled the battlefield so quickly he became nothing more than a blur.
“…One creates weapons.”
“…One specializes in speed.”
“But…”
I shifted my gaze toward the tall S-Rank Raider.
He hadn’t moved.
Not even once.
He simply stood there…
Watching.
Waiting.
Smiling beneath his mask.
“…What are you?”
The realization sent a chill down my spine.
The strongest among them…
Hadn’t even entered the fight.