The digital clock on the HUD flickered: 4:10 PM. There were only 85.50 hours remaining on the mission clock.
"Good luck—Brother," a message from Allya popped up on Kirito's device. He didn't have time to reply.
"Reno, start the Mana Detection scan," Kirito commanded, dropping the heavy equipment suitcases with a dull thud. "We know there are at least ten Devils in this sector. To find them, we need to find the highest mana concentrations".
Reno pulled the sleek Detector from his bag, his brow furrowed as he watched the needles. After a moment, he sighed. "I'm getting nothing. Dead silence".
Kirito tightened his grip on his gear. "Tch. Not what I expected. Fine—let's scout the other side of the river".
Reno glanced at the narrow waterway. "You mean that small stream?".
"Exactly. Move it, you moron," Kirito smirked. They boarded their small, pre-booked motorboat and pushed off, the engine humming as they cut across the water toward the dark foliage on the far bank.
The atmosphere shifted the moment they entered the stream. The trees leaned inward, blocking the sun and casting long, skeletal shadows over the water, giving off a full "creepy vibe".
"Oye, let's go on foot from here," Kirito whispered.
Reno nodded, his playful demeanor replaced by the tension of a hunter. They hauled their weapons and bags onto the muddy bank, disappearing into the dense forest.
"We'll sweep this area until 6:00 in the morning," Kirito reported into his radio.
Reno groaned softly. "You always have these wild ideas in your head".
Across the city at 5:00 PM, Asuna heard the crackle of the radio. "I think Kirito and Reno have already started," she noted.
"We'll start after this," Pragyanjali replied, taking a slow, steadying sip of her coffee. They were sitting in a quiet cafe, trying to find a moment of peace before the inevitable chaos. But the peace was short-lived.
Beep. Beep. Beep!.
The Mana Detector on the table shrieked as they paid the bill.
"Where is it and what rank?" Pragyanjali snapped, her eyes sharp.
"E-Rank. Behind the temple," Asuna replied, already moving toward the car. They tore through the streets, Pragyanjali reporting the situation over the radio: "We got an E-Rank in the market, heading there!".
When they arrived, the scene was a nightmare. A Devil in the structure of a cow loomed over a child. The kid was paralyzed, frozen in place by sheer fear.
As the Devil raised its head to attack, Asuna's eyes flashed.
"Flash Step!".
She moved like a lightning strike, leaving nothing but a streak of yellow light behind her. The Devil missed its target completely.
"Now... time for the bull's eye," Pragyanjali muttered from a nearby rooftop, her rifle already braced against her shoulder.
BOOM!.
The Devil's head was blown apart by the bullet. Pragyanjali stood silhouetted against the sky.
"And that's a cow's eye," she remarked coolly.
"One down, nine more to go," Asuna reported into the radio.
"That was fast," Lucious's voice crackled through the speaker.
"What do you expect from a national rifle shooter?" Lucky added.
Dinner and Goat Jokes
By 8:00 PM, with 82 hours left, the group began to feel the hunger.
"Boss, it's night. What about our dinner?" David asked Lucious as they sat atop a fort.
"Why ask me? Go bark at the group leader, Lucious!" the response came.
Lucious clicked his radio. "Oye Kirito, what about the dinners?".
From the forest, Kirito responded while setting up camp. "Reno, Ansh, Lucky, and I are staying in the forest, so we have packed food. You're in the city—you, Asuna, and Pragyanjali decide what you want to do".
"Fine," Lucious hissed, clicking his teeth. "I have to keep it under ₹500 for the next four days. What a drag".
By 12:00 AM, only 78 hours remained. The team was rotating on patrol.
"Who else is on patrol?" Ansh asked over the radio.
"Me," Asuna replied. "Me too," added David.
Suddenly, a strange, bleating sound came through the comms. "Maaaaa," Kirito's voice rang out, perfectly imitating a goat.
"Who left his goat open?" Ansh deadpanned.
"Maaaaa!" Kirito repeated.
"Somebody give this goat some grass," Ansh sighed.
The joking stopped instantly when Kirito's detector began to scream. "Who's turn is it?" Ansh asked.
"Mine," Kirito said, his voice dropping the act as he grabbed his gun and moved toward the signal.
When Kirito reached the location, he whistled into the radio. "Guys... I think I hit the jackpot".
"Why?" Asuna asked.
"Five E-Ranks," Kirito reported.
"You need backup?" David asked urgently.
Kirito looked at the five monstrosities standing in the darkness, ready to kill. A sharp smile spread across his face. "If you're with Sam, you have to fight ten E-Ranks a day anyway".
He turned his slime into a shimmering sword.
"Atomic Rail!".
He blurred forward at high speed, bisecting the first Devil instantly.
"Atomic Bullet!".
BOOM!.
With one hand, he cast a spell that blew a Devil into bits; with the other, he shattered another's head. One survivor launched an electro-ball, but Kirito slashed through a second Devil and dodged the blast with ease.
He took cover behind a tree as the remaining Devil prepared an attack. Suddenly, the air was filled with the rhythmic firing of a gun. The Devil's body was riddled with holes before it collapsed.
Reno stood there, resting his rifle on his shoulder. "I told you to wake me up if you found any Devils".