Chapter 49: Real ’Training’ Part Two

"God, I’m going to die!"

The words left Cashel’s lips in one breath as he ran, a gun and sword in both hands, his legs moving as fast as his stats and heightened abilities could carry him.

"Ahhh! You Unaffiliated bastards, run! What are you doing?!" another frightened voice came from far behind him across the area.

The ground behind Cashel exploded, sending chunks and countless pieces of debris flying through the air as he ducked beneath one and kept running. His coat was torn, a gift for wearing extra clothing to fight. His breathing was ragged and uneven, and every muscle in his body screamed at him to stop moving.

Right above him, Amia was moving across the higher walls and rocks, leaping from rock to rock with her hair flying behind her.

He glanced over his shoulder just in time to see another rock move towards her. Leaping off the ground, he vaulted off a wall, grabbed her, and jumped over another wall.

Behind that wall, they peeked over while Amia calmed herself and saw the Unaffiliated hunters. One of them was limping badly, while the other had blood dripping from his forehead and was clutching his weapon like it was the only thing keeping him alive.

"That bastard... destroying the walls to prove a point," Cashel cursed under his breath, his gaze moving to the ceiling and the shattered barrier that had separated the Unaffiliated and BMM hunters a moment ago.

At the center, a massive section of the training ground collapsed with a loud crash that shook the entire building.

"Faster!" a BMM hunter screamed at one of the Unaffiliated ones.

"I’M TRYING!"

"Then try harder!"

Another impact shook the ground.

Cashel stumbled forward, caught himself, and ducked back behind the wall.

’This was supposed to be training.’

He had expected a difficult fight. Maybe a few bruises, exhaustion, and perhaps a broken bone or two to prepare them for tonight.

He had not expected to spend the first few minutes running for his life while half the training area turned to killing objects.

And the worst part?

Nathan wasn’t even fighting seriously.

---

A few minutes earlier.

"Now, go!"

The moment Lionface’s words ended, the BMM hunters moved from their spot and toward the masked figure with the box of weapons. Cashel approached him first and picked up a long sword and gun.

The wolf-masked man simply took a twin staff and chains, fastened the chain around his body, and stepped aside.

Amia just grabbed a small flash grenade and a smoke bomb, no other weapon. The other hunters picked simple guns, snipers, and daggers.

Cashel tightened his grip around the weapons he had picked up and immediately created a larger distance between himself and Nathan.

The other hunters spread out as they prepared to attack.

However, Nathan stood completely still, his hands at his sides, and he wasn’t in any way ready to attack or defend himself.

The wolf-masked hunter was the first to reach him. His staff slashed through the air in an arc, followed by the chain snapping from around his waist towards Nathan’s legs.

Nathan simply tilted his body to the side. The staff missed him by a hair, and the chain passed between his legs.

Stepping back, he snapped his fingers.

Boom!

An intense burst of energy erupted from the ground beneath the wolf-masked hunter, launching him backwards.

He twisted in midair and managed to hook his chain around a nearby rock, using the momentum to swing himself around before landing heavily on his feet.

"That isn’t just one ability, Nathan," the wolf-masked man said.

Nathan’s grin widened behind his glasses. "Who said I only had one? You guys wanted a High-Tier warm-up, right? Don’t start complaining now!"

As those words left his lips, he tapped his legs down, the sound of his hard-soled boots hitting the ground following.

Boom.

The entire floor of the training field shattered and atomized. A compressed shockwave of energy erupted from his foot, tearing through the ground in a straight line towards the wolf-masked hunter.

The air shrieked as the burst sheared through stone like a razor blade, detonating outward in a fan-shaped spray of shrapnel.

The wolf-masked hunter barely had time to cross his staffs to block. The impact hit him like a speeding train, snapping one of the staffs in half and blasting him backwards through a pillar.

The explosion blew right past him, slamming straight through the barrier separating the BMM hunters and the Unaffiliated ones.

The barrier let out a groan like metal under pressure before shattering into a million sparkling shards of mana.

"Hey! What the hell?!" a voice screamed from the other side. "The wall just blew up!"

"Nathan, you insane bastard!" Cashel roared from far away. "You can’t just take down the wall!"

There was no time to think or plan anything, because each time anyone tried to think of a plan....Cashel for example. Another shockwave would spread, cutting his thoughts off and leaving him disoriented and stressed.

The entire training area was coming down, everyone one of them was trying to not be caught up in the attacks. And yet Nathan never left his spot.

’And this bastard isn’t even using all l, just one.’

"I’m helping you guys, and it’s fun!" Nathan yelled back, his eyes gleaming with amusement and excitement.

Then he flicked his wrist towards the ceiling.

BANG!

Another invisible energy blast shot upward, striking the support beams overhead. Long, spider web-like cracks ripped across the roof, and a second later, tons of concrete, metal bars, and ceiling tiles collapsed inward with a loud crash, dragging five screaming Unaffiliated hunters right into the middle of the live-fire zone.

"Run! The whole damn building is coming down!" one of the Unaffiliated contractors shrieked, clutching a bleeding arm as he scrambled over the rubble.

"Relax, everyone!" Nathan shouted, snapping his fingers twice in rapid succession.

Two shockwaves detonated behind the running hunters, sending them flying across the arena like ragdolls.

"The building should be the least of your problems."

Cashel, from the high point, shouted towards Wolf, who was standing behind another pillar.

"On my left!" he barked, and called up his System screen with his stats.

Stat Value

Strength: 50

Agility: 70

Endurance: 78

Vitality: 76

Mana: 65

Mana Control: 94

Perception: 96

Intelligence: 88

Luck: 72

Fluctuating Stat: ???

Note: Reserved for cases where the players changes classes with the gatcha pulls or card draws.

Status: Currently Inactive.

He glanced at the screen, then sighed and dismissed it.

He pumped his strength into the energy with terrifying speed, his boots leaving hairline fractures in the floor with every stride.

The wolf-masked hunter spat a mouthful of blood, tossed his broken staff aside, and whipped his heavy chain through the air.

"I’ll bind his upper body! You take the angle!"

"Do it!"

The wolf-masked man lunged from the left, utilizing his remaining staff to draw a blinding overhead arc while his chain snaked around from behind, aiming to pin Nathan’s arms.

At the exact same second, Cashel vaulted off a falling piece of the collapsing wall, coming down from Nathan’s blind spot with a sword held in a two-handed strike.

They executed the pincer maneuver perfectly. It was a flawless, high-level attack that not even he could dodge.

Nathan smiled.

Clang!

The strike landed hard on a barrier created in a split second around Nathan’s body, sending the vibration of his sword through his entire body until he had to drop it.

Wolf Mask, on the other hand, curled his fist to strike a blow, but Nathan grabbed his hand midway.

Amia and the other hunters appeared before anyone could react.

Slow-down spells from the mages, chains, and gunshots flew towards Nathan.

Yet the bullets bounced off the barrier, while the chains merely shattered from the intense energy.

Cashel cursed under his breath, dropping his weapons. He stretched both hands towards Nathan’s face, pushing his hands slowly through the barrier while Nathan glared hard at him.

"Hey!" Nathan warned, tilting his head back. "Don’t you dare. I will mess you up if you..."

Cashel pressed his fingers to Nathan’s glasses and rubbed circles over the lenses, immediately blurring them.

Nathan froze.

Lionface chuckled behind the comms, and Amia felt all the color drain from her face.

"Run... Run!" the trainer for the Unaffiliated hunters who saw this screamed at them, and Cashel could only remain in place, completely confused.

"What’s wrong? I only..."

BAM!

Nathan’s fist crashed into his face, breaking the mask instantly and sending him flying backwards into two walls.

He twisted Wolf Face’s wrist, grabbed his throat, and flung him away from him.

Before he could shift his gaze to Amia, she was already moving, so he had no choice but to leave her.

Another massive shockwave erupted from the ground, destroying the entire floor and eventually eliminating any remaining moving space for the hunters.

"Task changed!" Lionface’s amused voice came through the comms. "Don’t let him catch you."