Chapter 61
"Hey old man, can't you lower the price a bit?" the man asked with a smug, irritating smile.
The vendor, an elderly man already red in the face, looked seconds away from erupting in fury. The watch had originally been priced at 1,000 yen. After a long bout of haggling, it was reduced to 700 yen—but that wasn't enough for the grinning man.
"How about 300 yen?" he asked, clearly pushing his luck.
That was the final straw. The old man slammed his fist on the counter, ready to leap across it and throttle the cheapskate. But before anything could happen, the man let out a chuckle and walked out of the shop, satisfied that he had riled the vendor up. He had never intended to buy anything.
As he exited, his smug grin still plastered across his face, he muttered, "You think someone your age can catch me? What a joke."
But then he froze.
And collapsed.
The thud of his body hitting the ground was sharp. The old vendor, still fuming, rushed toward him—only to stop cold. Protruding from the man's neck was a small, black needle
Then it began to glow.
"Everyone, run!" the old man shouted.
But it was too late.
The red pin detonated in a violent blast, consuming the old man and several unlucky bystanders. Only those who reacted in time managed to escape with their lives.
"What the hell is happening?" cried one of the survivors.
His question was answered a moment later—by more explosions.
All across the city, people fell. Some died instantly. Others exploded seconds later, their bodies rigged with invisible death. Panic spread like wildfire. The streets turned into chaos.
Battle drones were dispatched, swarming through alleys and rooftops, scanning for threats. But they too were falling—one by one.
Inside a hidden command lab, operators shouted in panic as signals were lost. The drones weren't just disappearing — they were being destroyed.
The culprit? A figure in sleek red armor, carving through drones with deadly precision.
He moved like a ghost. One moment visible, the next—gone. His stealth skill rendered him nearly invisible for short bursts, making him a nightmare to track.
Members of the Tryst Guild quickly mobilized, attempting to take control of the situation.
But just as they regrouped, a large black pin streaked through the air—embedding itself in the chest of one of the guild members.
"It's glowing! Run!" he shouted.
Boom!
A fiery blast ripped through the team.
When the smoke cleared, most were alive—but badly injured. Only a few had died, but if it weren't for their protective artifacts, the entire squad would've been wiped out.
"Sir, what are your orders?" asked a wounded guild member, turning to a middle-aged man with a stern expression.
Whoever was behind this wasn't just attacking—they were sending a message: fear.
The man exhaled deeply. "Spread out. Fight alongside the drones and bots. Find the enemy—or enemies—and bring them to justice."
The guild members nodded, splitting into teams and heading in different directions.
The middle-aged man then closed his eyes, activating his Perception Skill.
It had once been a weak D-rank ability, barely letting him sense movement within 50 meters. But with the young master's help, it had now been pushed to a full kilometer.
He felt it—
A faint ripple in the air.
His eyes snapped open and locked onto a figure in the distance. Red armor. A black needle blade glinting in his hand.
"That's him."
Without hesitation, he summoned his power weapon—a massive shield and axe—and charged forward toward the enemy's location.
The man in the red armor — Burner — narrowed his eyes as he spotted someone charging straight at him.
"Whoever's foolish enough to come right at me must have a death wish," he muttered, creating five black needle-like projectiles from his palms. With a flick of his fingers, they shot forward at high speed.
Jim raised his shield just in time. The needles struck the reinforced metal with sharp thunks—then began to glow.
BOOOOOM!
The resulting explosion hurled Jim several meters back. Smoke and dust swirled around him as he skidded to a halt, but remarkably, he stood uninjured. Burner's eyes widened. His explosive needles were deadly — even a B-ranker should've been reduced to ashes.
"He survived…?" Burner muttered, now realizing Jim's shield had to be a high-rank power weapon.
Gripping the shield tighter, Jim charged again.
More black needles flew — this time larger, more unstable. They slammed into the shield.
BOOOOOOOM!
This explosion was much stronger. Jim was blasted off his feet, crashing into a nearby building with a thunderous impact. The structure groaned but held.
Burner smiled. He was about to enjoy the moment when something made him freeze — a sharp hum in the air.
He leapt sideways just in time as a glowing blue beam scorched the ground where he'd stood.
Turning, he saw the attacker — a black-and-blue Tech Bot hovering with weapons charged.
Burner reacted instantly, flinging several explosive needles at it. They struck, lit up, and—
BOOOM!
The bot crumbled into debris.
But Burner's face was furrowed. Through the smoke, Jim emerged — shield in his left hand, and now an axe glowing with power in his right.
"Another power weapon...?" Burner hissed.
He gritted his teeth. Using explosive needles at close range now might collapse the entire building. So he made a choice.
Reaching into his sides, he drew two black blades from his body, and charged.
Jim didn't hesitate — he met him head-on.
The rooftop shook as metal clashed against metal. Sparks flew. Burner's twin blades slashed and spun, while Jim blocked and countered, slamming forward with his axe. With his shield for defense and axe for offense, Jim slowly gained the upper hand.
If someone had told him years ago that he'd be holding his ground against an A-ranker, Jim would've laughed. Back then, he was a mere D-ranker. But now, as a B-ranker equipped with two high-grade power weapons,he was not just fighting—he was pushing Burner back.
Burner snarled. Changing tactics, he began triggering mini-explosions each time his blades clashed with Jim's shield. The blasts forced Jim to retreat, staggering under the impact, and small injuries started adding up.
Then, during one of their exchanges, Burner suddenly jumped back, a cruel smile on his face.
"If it were any other A-ranker, you might've had a chance," he said coldly. "But against me?"
His eyes glinted.
"Explode."
Jim's eyes widened — dozens of black pins embedded in his armor and shield began to glow. They must've been planted during their close combat.
BOOOOOOOOM!!!
The rooftop erupted. Rubble rained like hail as Jim's body crashed through multiple floors of the collapsing high-rise.
Burner leapt down, landing gracefully using his skill. He stepped toward the massive crater, sneering.
"Stupid fool," he said.
But his smirk faded as Jim's body stirred.
The warrior struggled to his feet, bloodied and broken. His right arm was gone, his left barely holding up his shield. He swayed, eyes heavy, but his feet didn't budge.
Still standing.
Still fighting.
"You people never learn," Burner muttered, then hurled another volley of needles—enough to finish him.
But before they could hit, a figure dropped from the sky and slashed using his blades to redirect the needles. They scattered and exploded harmlessly around them.
The new arrival stood between Jim and Burner, sword drawn, cold fury etched across his face.
Ronan.
He glared at Burner, voice echoing with raw authority.
"Get the hell out of my city."
To be continued…