The arrow screamed.
It wasn't a metaphor. The mana compressed within the [Charged Shot] vibrated the air molecules so violently that the projectile emitted a high-pitched shriek as it tore across the 300-meter gap.
Kael was mid-laugh, basking in the glory of his latest kill. His senses, honed by A-Rank genetics, screamed a warning a fraction of a second too late.
He spun around, raising his sword instinctively.
BOOM.
The arrow slammed into his chest.
It didn't pierce him—Kael's automatic Academy Shield flared to life. But the kinetic energy and the massive True Damage payload hit like a freight train.
[ Critical Hit (Charged) ]
[ Damage: -134 (True) ]
Kael was lifted off his feet and blasted backward. He smashed through a brick wall, tumbling into a ruined storefront.
Dust and debris rained down.
In the VIP box, the Iron Blood Vice-Captain stood up. "134 damage? Through a shield? Who the hell is that kid?"
Back in the ruins, Kael groaned, pushing rubble off his chest. His Golden Armor was scuffed. His chest felt like it had been caved in.
He looked at his interface.
[ Shield Integrity: 65% ]
[ HP: 1,066 / 1,200 (Bleed-through damage detected) ]
"He hurt me..." Kael whispered, touching his lip. It was bleeding. "An F-Rank rat... hurt me?"
His shock evaporated instantly, replaced by a white-hot rage. The flames on his sword roared to life, turning from orange to a blinding blue.
"LIN!" Kael screamed.
He looked up at the office building 300 meters away. He could see the figure standing in the broken window, holding a bone bow.
Kael didn't run. He bent his knees, channeling mana into his legs.
[ Skill: Flame Step ]
WHOOSH.
He launched himself like a rocket. He crossed the street in two bounds, leaving scorched footprints on the asphalt. He reached the base of the building and leaped, running vertically up the wall, defying gravity with thrust.
He reached the third floor in seconds.
CRASH.
Kael smashed through the wall, exploding into the office space in a shower of brick and fire.
"Found you!" Kael roared, leveling his sword.
Lin was standing in the center of the room. He had dropped his bow. He stood with his hands in his pockets, leaning against a pillar.
"Took you long enough," Lin said.
"You think you're clever?" Kael stepped forward, the heat from his body causing the papers on the floor to curl and blacken. "You think one lucky shot makes you a Hunter? I am a prodigy! I am the future of Sector 7!"
Kael slashed the air. A wave of fire cut the ceiling in half.
"I'm going to burn you until your shield fails," Kael sneered. "And then I'm going to burn you some more."
Lin looked at the flaming sword.
"Do it," Lin said.
Kael blinked. He expected begging. He expected running.
"Fine!" Kael thrust his sword into the ground.
[ Ultimate Skill: Hellfire Bloom ]
The room detonated.
A sphere of concentrated fire expanded from Kael, filling the entire office floor. The temperature spiked to 800 degrees. The windows blew out. The paint peeled off the walls.
It was an Area of Effect (AoE) nuke. There was no dodging it.
[ Environmental Damage: Extreme Heat ]
[ HP -50 ]
[ HP -50 ]
[ HP -50 ]
The System logs scrolled rapidly.
Kael stood in the center of the inferno, protected by his fire resistance. He waited for the notification that Lin had been ejected. No F-Ranker could survive this for more than two seconds. Their shield would drain, and they would vanish.
One second.
Two seconds.
Five seconds.
The fire raged.
"Why haven't you teleported?" Kael frowned, peering through the flames.
A shadow moved in the fire.
Lin walked out of the wall of flames.
His hoodie had burned away. His skin was blistering, turning red, peeling off in flakes—and then knitting back together instantly.
[ HP: 3,100 / 3,350 ]
He had lost 250 HP. He had over 3,000 left.
To Lin, the fire wasn't death. It was just a warm breeze.
"Is that it?" Lin asked, his voice calm amidst the roaring fire.
Kael stepped back, his eyes widening. "Monster... How are you standing?"
"You have fire," Lin said, stepping closer. "I have life."
Kael panicked. He swung his sword—a lethal, decapitating strike.
Lin didn't dodge.
He reached out and caught the blade.
SIZZLE.
The superheated steel sliced into Lin's palm, burning through muscle and tendon to the bone.
[ Physical Damage: -80 ]
[ Burn Damage: -40 ]
Lin didn't flinch. His grip tightened. His high Constitution made his bones dense enough to stop the blade from severing his hand.
He yanked the sword—and Kael with it—toward him.
"Let go!" Kael screamed, trying to pull his weapon free.
"No," Lin said.
HEADBUTT.
CRACK.
Lin slammed his forehead into Kael's nose.
[ True Damage: 33.5 ]
Kael's head snapped back. His nose shattered. His Academy Shield flickered, absorbing the impact but transmitting the force.
Kael stumbled, letting go of his sword.
Lin dropped the flaming sword. He grabbed Kael by the collar of his expensive armor.
"You called me a rat," Lin said.
He punched Kael in the face.
THUD.
[ Shield Integrity: 50% ]
"You called me trash."
Another punch.
THUD.
[ Shield Integrity: 40% ]
Kael tried to cast a spell. "Fireb—"
Lin slapped him. A brutal, backhanded slap that rattled Kael's teeth.
"Shut up," Lin said.
He threw Kael against the wall. He began to beat him. Not with skills. Not with weapons. Just raw, brutal fists.
Left. Right. Left.
Kael's shield flashed red, strobing like a dying lightbulb.
"I'm an A-Rank!" Kael sobbed, shielding his face. "I'm a Blaze! You can't do this!"
"I'm an F-Rank," Lin said, landing a heavy blow to Kael's gut. "And I'm beating the hell out of you."
[ Shield Integrity: 10% ]
[ Shield Integrity: 5% ]
Kael looked up, blood streaming from his broken nose. He looked into Lin's eyes. There was no anger there anymore. Just a cold, terrifying emptiness.
"Please," Kael whispered.
Lin pulled his fist back for the final strike.
"Get out of my lobby."
SMASH.
The fist connected with Kael's jaw.
[ Shield Integrity: 0% ]
[ EMERGENCY EJECT TRIGGERED. ]
Kael vanished in a flash of blue light, his scream cut short.
The room fell silent.
The fire from the [Hellfire Bloom] finally died down, leaving only charred debris and smoke.
Lin stood alone in the ruins. His chest heaved slightly. His hand was burnt and bloody, but the skin was already closing over the wound.
He looked at the spot where the "Prodigy" had stood.
He checked the leaderboard in the sky.
1. Lin (Archer) - 180 Points (Kael had a bounty).
2. ...
Lin picked up his bone bow from the floor. He dusted off the ash.
"Next," he said.