The streets were still burning.
Smoke rose from overturned cars, and distant screams echoed between shattered buildings. Black gates hovered above, some pulsing faint red, others flickering with a sickly green glow.
Adrian walked in front of his group, dagger in hand, eyes scanning every shadow.
Behind him, the three survivors he had "adopted"—the plank guy, the injured man, and the fire girl—followed nervously. Their breathing was uneven, and sweat streaked their faces.
"Stay close," Adrian said sharply. "Don't get ahead of me."
The plank guy, whose name Adrian had learned was Leo, swallowed. "Y-yeah… we'll stay close."
The fire girl, Mira, crossed her arms and muttered, "We're not kids. Don't boss us around."
Adrian didn't respond. Not now. Words didn't matter. Survival did.
The First Real Fight Together
They rounded a corner.
A small plaza stretched before them, littered with wreckage: overturned streetlights, crushed cars, shattered storefronts.
Two gates hovered above. From each, two Armored Ravagers dropped. Four in total.
And then Adrian noticed something else—movement along the edges of the plaza.
Three more humans were already fighting: a speed-type boy darting around, a woman controlling flames, and another man wielding a glowing bat.
Adrian paused. Observation first. Always observation.
[STATUS WINDOW]
Name: Adrian Vance
Level: 4
HP: 30/30
STR: 5
AGI: 6
VIT: 4
INT: 2
Available Points: 3
[SKILL]
Weapon Mastery (Basic)
Improvised Strikes
Adrian exhaled slowly.
"…Not enough to fight them all at once."
He turned to his group. "We'll do this step by step. Mira, cover the back. Leo, don't overextend. If you die, you're useless to me."
The injured man, Tobias, paled but nodded.
Mira muttered under her breath, "Ruthless…"
Adrian didn't care. He couldn't.
The Ravagers lunged.
Two from the front. Two from behind.
Adrian moved first, stepping forward to intercept the nearest front monster.
CLANG!
The dagger met the armored claw. Sparks flew. The creature swung again, but Adrian sidestepped, feeling the weight of the blow graze his shoulder.
Pain flickered—but his focus sharpened.
"Move!" he shouted.
Mira reacted immediately, throwing a small flame that erupted under the Ravager's feet, forcing it to stagger. Leo swung his wooden plank—not enough to damage, but enough to distract another monster. Tobias crouched low, attempting to dodge.
Adrian's movements were sharp, precise, deadly.
He glanced at the group.
"…They're trying."
He lunged again. One strike, aimed at the weak point he had learned to identify.
SHK!
The first monster staggered. Adrian twisted, bringing his dagger down a second time.
[WEAK POINT HIT — CRITICAL]
It roared, swinging wildly.
Adrian blocked a claw, then kicked its side, sending it off balance.
Mira's flame struck it again, and it faltered.
Leo hesitated, then slammed his plank on the creature's knee. CRACK!
It fell to one knee.
"Now!" Adrian shouted.
All three moved. Tobias, despite being weak, grabbed a broken pipe and thrust it forward, distracting the monster further.
Adrian stepped inside and delivered a clean slash to its weak point.
The creature collapsed, dissolving into black fragments.
[ENEMY DEFEATED]
[EXP GAINED]
Adrian barely paused before pivoting toward the next monster. The group was tense but alive.
This time, the fight was faster.
Mira's flames burned, Leo's distracted strikes slowed the enemies, and Tobias—though clumsy—moved under Adrian's direction.
Adrian didn't need to speak much. One glance, one hand signal, and the group adjusted.
It was messy.
It was chaotic.
But it worked.
Two monsters down. One more to go.
The last Armored Ravager was bigger. Bulkier. Its glowing eyes locked on Adrian as if it recognized him as a threat.
Adrian's dagger felt light in his hand. His body moved naturally. He dodged, weaved, struck. Every movement precise.
"Group!" he barked. "Split it! Flank it!"
Mira moved left, flame in hand. Leo charged right, shouting as he distracted it. Tobias stayed low, moving unpredictably.
Adrian waited for the opening.
Then—he dashed.
SHK!
A clean cut to the weak spot. The monster staggered.
He feinted left.
It followed.
Adrian spun around, slashing deep.
The monster roared, then collapsed.
[ENEMY DEFEATED]
[LEVEL UP — ADRIAN VANCE: 4 → 5]
[REWARD AVAILABLE — OPEN NOW?]
Adrian ignored it for now. Focus first. Survival first.
The group stared at him in awe.
"Did… did he just—?" Mira whispered.
"He's… different," Leo said, still shaking.
Tobias just nodded silently.
Adrian exhaled slowly, wiping blood off his dagger.
"Good enough for now. Move."
The plaza was quiet. Too quiet.
Not safe.
Not ever.
Adrian's gaze lifted.
The black gates pulsed ominously above.
Something watched. Always watching.
[NOTICE]
[MULTIPLE HIGH POTENTIAL USERS PRESENT — COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS INITIATED]
[ADRIAN VANCE — RANKING: ELEVATING]
The game was changing.
The players were appearing.
And Adrian knew—this was only the beginning.