The bounty war erupted not in the city, but in the den of ice wolves.
When an arrow pierced Sherry's chest from afar, their first thought was clear—there was an informer in the city. Someone had tracked their routine monster-hunting spot and aimed for their only medic. Jason shielded Sherry, while Bai Er examined the arrow. Its barbed tip and alloy shaft made retreat impossible without fatal injury.
Sherry bled profusely, her face pale. Her healing abilities kept her alive, but the wound was mortal without intervention. Zou Yidao drew a Beretta pistol and shot the arrow's head off mid-air. Bai Er yanked the shaft out, triggering Sherry's scream.
"You're underage!" Jason snapped, gripping his tungsten halberd.
"Not anymore," Sherry said quietly.
"Today's your birthday?"
"Today."
Sherry's words hung heavy. The Bai Clan's adulthood ritual demanded abandoning what one loved most—family, pets, passions. Bai Yi's face hardened as he recalled his lost brother.
Five bounty hunters emerged from the woods, none affiliated with the major guilds. One aimed at Bai Er, but Zou Yidao charged, his body mutating into a 2.5-meter-tall turtle-man with a spiked carapace. The arrow ricocheted harmlessly.
"Eat this!" Zou Yidao's sleeves blades slashed at the hunter.
A roar shook the forest. A brown bear—ton-heavy and earth-shaking—charged. Behind it, four more beasts followed. On a tree branch, a druid controlled the horde.
Zou Yidao smirked. No shield could stop him.
Meanwhile, Jason fought a 7-level archer. The hunter's arrows were countered by Bai Er's invisibility ("Chameleon" rune), but Jason's halberd found its mark. A grenade explosion shredded the hunter's puffy, balloon-like skin, revealing broken ribs.
"2000 points!" Jason growled, watching the archer collapse.
Bai Er, recovered, dispatched two more hunters with balletic precision. Zou Yidao carved through bears like a maestro, his halberd and bullets perfectly timed.
The dwarf hunter, an 8-level overlord, inflated his skin to cushion Jason's strikes. Enraged, Jason lunged, driving his tungsten halberd into the dwarf's armpit. A shotgun blast shattered the dwarf's ribs, and a final round pierced his skull.
"2000 points," Jason muttered, looting the corpse.
Sherry, revived, handed Jason a弯刀. "Finish it."
"Nah. I'm done."
Back in the city, they confronted Shen Wufei. "Clear the city. Now."
Seven outsiders remained. Bai Er and Zou Yidao hunted them, while Jason guarded Sherry.
"Who's left?" Jason asked.
"Only Queen's guild matters," Zou Yidao said.
Sherry studied her new rune. "The 'Chameleon' suits me."
"Focus on survival first," Shen Wufei warned.
As they moved, a lightning strike lit the southern wall.
Jason unsheathed his halberd. "Time to feed my dad more points."