[System Notification: Hunt in Progress]
[Threat Level: Moderate-High]
—Warning: Maintain distance to ensure safety—
[Target: X-1 Abyssal Carapace Beast – Class Beta+]
Active Participants: 6 Registered Hunters
Claim staked by: Cromstock LLC
The streets of Sector 8 had lain in ruin ever since the Great War, a place long abandoned to time and decay.
If the stories were true, this collection of concrete and twisted metal had once been the crowning jewel of a bustling district—a hub of commerce and trade that brought the finest merchants to Los Argos—the great American city.
Now, the thoroughfare was just another exclusion zone, a scared depression in the land—a pocket of desolation surrounded by towering monuments of steel and glass that had risen from the ashes, rebuilt bigger and better, then ever before—protected by fortresses designed to withstand the nightmares that once shattered this world.
But, if you looked hard enough you could see remnants of what once was scattered in the exclusion zone, fragments of what must never be forgotten. What must never be repeated.
Creeping vines strangled the skeletal remains of fallen buildings, their roots splitting through cracked asphalt like veins on a long-rotten corpse.
Rusted streetlights leaned at unnatural angles, their shattered bulbs gazing emptily into the gloom. Broken billboards jutted from the wreckage, their faded slogans written in half-destroyed letters whispering of a world that no longer existed.
Beyond the rubble, the great war walls loomed—colossal fortifications built to hold the line should disaster strike again. Gun turrets and watchtowers bristled along their length, waiting. Always waiting.
The wind moved uneasily through the hollow streets, heavy with the scent of mildew and forsaken history. Even the air itself seemed reluctant to linger in a place where the past still held on with bony, rusted fingers.
On most days It was silent. Dead.
But this wasn’t one of those days.
System Notification: Breach Detected!]
Attention! Breach opening in… 1 minute…
A holographic display flickered to life at the exclusion zone’s border, casting a cold glow over the cracked pavement. The announcement played in an all-too-familiar voice, cycling through the most common local languages—calm, measured, routine.
No panic. No urgency. Just another countdown— tik by tik. Second by second—like so many before it.
[00:00:03]
[00:00:02]
[00:00:01]
[00:00:00]
[Breach opening. Proceed with caution!]
The ground shuddered, deep fractures splitting through the cracked pavement as a pillar of dust erupted from the ruins.
From within the swirling haze, something stirred—a jagged tear in reality pulsing with sickly light. The breach twisted and flexed, an open wound in the world, crackling with energy as something massive pushed through.
A single limb emerged first—long, segmented, and sheathed in thick, chitinous plates that scraped against the edges of the portal.
Its razor-tipped claws curled into the earth, carving deep furrows into the stone as it dragged itself forward. Then came another limb, grotesquely shaped, rippling with unnatural strength, followed by the monstrous form of its head.
Its skull was a fortress of jagged bone, uneven plating overlapping like the broken shell of some ancient beast.
Massive, unblinking, crystal like eyes sat deep in their sockets, twitching and shifting as they toon in their new environment—their new hunting grounds. It moved with the surety of a predator that had long since mastered its domain.
Finally, its full bulk heaved through, the breach stretching unnaturally around its massive form. Twenty feet of armored nightmare, a creature sculpted by violence itself. Its towering exoskeletal frame was built for raw power—each movement slow, deliberate, and utterly unstoppable. Speed was irrelevant when brute force could reduce buildings to rubble with a single charge.
The portal behind it shrank, flickering like a dying ember before sealing shut with a final, ghostly shimmer. The thing was here now. And it wasn’t leaving.
The Goremander roared, a sound so deep and guttural it sent a pressure wave rolling across the battlefield. Even the most seasoned of hunters would have felt their bones rattle.
But the six warriors standing in its path were ready. This was just another day in the office to them.
“D-Rank, huh?” One of them let out a low whistle, eyes gleaming with anticipation. “Either I’m getting stronger, or they’re getting weaker.”
“This isn’t the time,” their leader snapped, her voice sharp and direct. Her jaw tightened, stretching the jagged scar that ran from her temple to her bottom lip.
The leather of her gloves groaned as she gripped the hilt of the massive greatsword strapped to her back. “Positions. Now!”
The team scattered, moving into formation with the effortless efficiency of a well-oiled machine—no wasted movement, no hesitation.
[System Notification: Combat in Progress]
- Target Threat Level: HIGH
- Enemy Traits: Heavy Plating | Enhanced Strength | Frenzied State
- Hunter Team Formation: D-Rank Standard
Perched atop a collapsed skyscraper, the teams sharpshooter tracked the Goremander through his scope. The beast’s thick, crystalline plating reflected the glow of the burning skyline, its serrated maw twitching as it scanned for threats. For prey
[Active Skill: Snipe]
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- Focusing…
- Target Locked. Weak Point Identified.
The sniper exhaled slowly. A crack split the air as the high-caliber round, laced with runic energy, tore through space—its target: the Goremander’s eye.
The bullet struck dead center.
Then, bounced off.
“Damn!”
The Goremander barely flinched, its plated skull completely unscathed.
“What!? That should’ve pierced clean through!” The sniper cursed, biting his lip. “Boss, this thing ain’t no D-Rank! Maybe we should’ve taken Decon up on that offer?”
The Goremander’s glowing, slitted eyes snapped upward.
Its massive body twisted, contorting in a way that should have been impossible for something its size. It locked onto the tiny speck of a man who had dared to strike it.
A low, rumbling growl shook the earth.
Then—it leaped.
[System Alert: Sudden Movement Detected]
- Threat Level Adjusted: A-Rank
- Reaction Speed: 220% Normal Parameters
- Evasive Action Required.
The sniper barely had time to curse before the Goremander’s entire massive weight slammed into the side of the building.
Concrete and steel exploded outward, sending debris cascading into the streets below. The sniper rolled away just in time, narrowly avoiding the crushing collapse of the building he had just been perched on.
Dust choked the air. The Goremander turned, locking onto the closest person, a man with dark skin clad in chitinous armor.
“Alright, you ugly bastard,” a second hunter grinned, cracking their gauntlet-clad knuckles. “You wanna play!? Let’s play!”
In a single powerful motion, they slammed their fist into the ground, their gauntlets surging with energy. Pulses of blue energy crackled through the scales that covered the gauntlet, once the park of a great beast.
[Active Skill: Seismic Bind]
- Casting…
- Target Legs Immobilized.
A shockwave erupted from the earth, jagged chains of reinforced stone snapping up and clamping around the Goremander’s limbs.
The beast roared in frustration, its claws scraping against the stone, but it couldn’t break free—not yet.
“Take it out, now!”
“I’m on it!”
The team’s heavy hitter surged forward, a warhammer lined with pulsating runes, its pommel forged form the skull of a lesser Turkana.
With a single explosive leap, she closed the gap, swinging her weapon in a full-bodied arc that made the oversized weapon look weightless.
[Active Skill: Impact Strike]
- Charging…
- Critical Damage Zone Targeted.
The warhammer connected with a sickening crack.
The Goremander shuddered, the force of the blow enough to push the massive creature back, denting its armor-like plating. A shriek tore from its throat as it staggered, nearly toppling under the sheer impact.
But it wasn’t down. Not yet
With a savage twist, the monster wrenched itself free of the stone bindings that had been holding it still, sending a rain of rubble and dust scattering through the air.
Then—it lashed out.
Its whip-like tail, lined with serrated bone, snapped forward with terrifying speed.
The big man barely had time to register the movement. Not enough time to do much about it.
Too slow.
The impact was brutal. The tail slammed into his torso, sending him hurtling through the air. End over end he flew before crashing into a crumbling overpass, the structure caving in on impact.
His body contorted at unnatural angles. Limbs twisting, bone bending. It would have been enough to everseate a normal person. But he was a Yager.
A groan—weak, pained—was all that signaled he was still alive.
[System Alert: Critical Condition]
- Hunter Status: DOWN
- Fractures Detected: Multiple
- Internal Bleeding: High Risk
Recalculating threats assessment…
“Focus! All of you!” the leader barked, her voice cutting through the chaos.
The Goremander lunged.
A monstrous thing, all gnashing teeth and writhing muscle, its gaping maw split wide to swallow anything in its path. Serrated fangs gleamed in the flickering dungeon light, dripping with viscous saliva that sizzled where it touched the ground.
“Over here!”
She moved.
Her greatsword pulsed with power, runes along its length burning to life, their eerie glow painting jagged shadows across her face. With a sharp pivot, she rolled beneath the Goremander’s snapping jaws, feeling the rush of air as its teeth clamped down just inches from her head.
The beast snarled, twisting mid-lunge—
A second hunter darted in, the younger fighter barely evading a swipe from the Goremander’s massive claws.
“Don’t forget me, ugly!” he taunted, but the beast was already shifting toward him, its massive bulk an avalanche of muscle and rage.
A massive armored appendage came crashing towards him. But just before the fatal blow left its fatal mark,
A tamed beast—a sleek, panther-like creature with eyes that shimmered like molten gold—dove in. With a whip-fast motion, it latched onto the back of his armor and tossed him high into the air.
The Goremander snapped at empty space. Leaving the massive monster oorn for a counter attack.
The leader planted her feet, the greatsword in her hand hummed with arcane energy, the runes along its length flaring to life, casting eerie shadows across her weathered face.
She dodged to the side, rolling beneath the Goremander’s lunging bite.
Then—she leaped.
[Ultimate Skill: Severance]
- Charging…
- Execution Ready.
The blade sang through the air.
The Goremander tried to react—too late.
The greatsword carved through its exposed throat, slicing clean through the weaker tissue beneath the plating.
A spray of dark, steaming blood erupted, coating the battlefield in inky sludge.
The Goremander staggered, its massive feet cracking the ground beneath it as it let out a final, weak rattle.
Then—it collapsed.
The earth trembled beneath its dying weight.
Then the silence was back. Easy and foreboding as it’s had always been—as it would be until that clock struck zero once again.
[System Notification: Combat Complete]
- Target Eliminated: Goremander (Rank Adjusted: A-Rank)
- EXP Gained: 14,500
- Loot Drop: Processing…
The leader exhaled, dragging a blood-slicked hand down her face.
“That wasn’t a damn D-Rank.”
No one argued. Especially not the hunter who was still picking themselves off the ground.
She looked around at her squadron. A handful of injuries but they were alive. That’s all she needed.
The real question was—why were the monsters getting stronger? The countdowns shorter?
And more importantly… Would it ever end?
One of the hunters clapped the leader on the back. “Remind me never to get on your bad side.”
“You need to be more careful,” she muttered, wiping monster blood off her face. “Or you won’t be on anyone's good side again!”
“C’mon grumpy. No pain no gain. I’m built to take these hits—We did it didn’t we! Delta squad always gets it done!”
Another successful hunt. But the job wasn’t done.
The corpse of the Abyssal Carapace Beast lay sprawled across the cracked pavement, its once-formidable exoskeleton torn apart by magic and firepower writhed as the final signs of life faded.
Now the real work began.