The transport craft hovered fifty meters above the ground. "Zone 4. Drop in 3, 2, 1. Go!"
The team rappelled down the fast-ropes. Cain landed with a heavy thud, his boots crushing a piece of concrete. Borg followed, silent as a boulder. Yuna landed gracefully, checking her nails.
Lin landed last. He stumbled on purpose, letting the three heavy backpacks clatter loudly against each other. "Quiet, you idiot!" Cain hissed, slapping the back of Lin's head. "Do you want to ring the dinner bell?"
Lin muttered an apology, adjusting the straps. He looked around. Sector 9 Ruins. It used to be a shopping district. Now, it was a jungle of twisted metal and overgrown vines. The air smelled of wet moss and predator urine.
Grrrr...
A low growl vibrated from the shadows of a collapsed storefront. Two yellow eyes glowed in the gloom.
[Monster: Steel-Spine Wolf] [Rank: E (Mid)] [Traits: High Agility, Metal-plated fur.]
"Contact!" Borg shouted, raising his tower shield.
The wolf stepped out. It was the size of a motorcycle. Its fur was matted with metallic quills that rattled like chainmail.
Cain drew his greatsword. "Just one? Easy points." He looked at Lin, a cruel idea forming in his eyes. "Lin! You're up."
"M-Me?" Lin stammered. "But I'm Logistics..."
"The wolf is fast," Cain said quickly. "We can't hit it if it keeps moving. You run out there and get its attention. Draw it to the left. Borg and I will flank it."
It was a suicide order. An F-Rank baiting an E-Rank speedster? He would be torn in half before the "flank" arrived.
"Go!" Cain shoved Lin forward.
The wolf saw the movement. It locked onto the stumbling, defenseless prey. It crouched, muscles coiling.
Lin stumbled into the open clearing. "Help! Don't let it eat me!" he screamed, waving his arms.
The wolf lunged. A grey blur of death.
Cain grinned. One less share of the loot.
But in the split second before the wolf's jaws clamped down, Lin's expression went flat. He didn't panic. He calculated.
[Skill Activated: Shadow Walk] [Visual Presence: 0%] [Threat Level: Reset]
WHOOSH.
Lin didn't just dodge; he vanished. One moment he was there, screaming. The next, there was only empty air and a falling leaf.
The wolf bit down on nothing. SNAP. It landed confused, skidding on the concrete. Its target was gone. Its predatory instincts scrambled for a new target. It looked up.
Directly ahead, ten meters away, stood Yuna. The healer was applying lip gloss, thinking Lin was about to die.
The wolf snarled and launched itself at her.
"KYAAA!" Yuna shrieked, dropping her mirror. "Borg! Borg!"
"Shit!" Cain cursed. "Borg, intercept!"
Borg roared and charged, slamming his shield into the wolf's side just as its claws reached Yuna's throat. CLANG! Sparks flew. The wolf was knocked back, but it spun around and bit Borg's arm, its metal teeth sinking into the armor.
"Get it off me!" Borg yelled, struggling to hold the beast.
Cain rushed in, swinging his greatsword. The team fell into chaos. Yuna was scrambling backward in the mud, her perfect uniform ruined. Borg was bleeding. Cain was missing his swings because the wolf was too fast.
Where is Lin? Cain thought furiously. Did he run away?
Lin was right there. He was standing in the shadow of a broken pillar, five meters away, watching the show. [Shadow Walk duration: 3s remaining]
He held the Hobgoblin's Fang (his E-Rank bone dagger). He didn't use the Twin Vipers; that would reveal his wealth.
He watched Cain chip away the wolf's health. 70%... 40%... 15%.
The wolf was exhausted, pinned by Borg. Cain raised his sword for the killing blow. "Mine!"
Thwip.
A bone dagger flew from the shadows. It didn't hit the armored back. It flew straight into the wolf's open ear canal. Calculated trajectory. Perfect timing.
The wolf seized up and collapsed instantly. Dead.
[Ding! Assist Counted. Last Hit Bonus Applied.] [Experience: +50]
Cain's sword hit the dead body a second later. Thud. "What?" Cain looked at the bone dagger sticking out of the wolf's ear.
Lin stepped out from behind the pillar, looking pale and terrified, panting heavily. "I... I panicked! I just threw my knife! Did I get it?"
Cain ripped the dagger out and threw it at Lin's feet. "You lucky piece of trash," Cain spat. "You almost got Yuna killed! You disappeared!"
"I... I tripped and rolled into a bush," Lin lied, picking up his dagger. "I was so scared."
Yuna was glaring at Lin, her eyes venomous. Her uniform was covered in muck. "You are useless," she hissed.
"Sorry," Lin said, lowering his head.
He turned away to pick up the backpacks again. A faint smile touched his lips.
Wolf killed. Borg injured. Yuna traumatized. Cain frustrated. Resource cost: 0.
"Let's move," Lin said. "I think I hear more coming."
（"Enjoying the massacre? Drop a Power Stone to feed the Clone Army!"）