...

A few moments ago...

"Hey, just give up already. Do you think that anything will change even if you kill a few of us? We'll simply keep replenishing our forces until you're down to your last man. Sooner or later, one of you will fall. Once that happens, it won't be long until the rest crumble along." Apex said with a grin.

"You sure know how to talk big for someone who hasn't been able to kill a single person on our side. I guess the rumors about the Headhunter Syndicate were true after all. A pointlessly big guild with third-rate members at its core. No, I suppose even that's being too generous. I've seen monsters in the beginner's zone put up more of a challenge!" One Shot Brick scoffed.

At the moment, One Shot Brick, along with fourteen other members of Sacred Beasts, were currently surrounded by players from the Headhunter Syndicate.

On their way to their assigned coordinates, One Shot Brick and the players from Sacred Beasts had been ambushed. To make things worse, their communication was also cut off.

But, instead of panicking, One Shot Brick quickly rallied his guild members together and formed a tight formation.

So far, more than a dozen players from the Headhunter Syndicate had fallen.

However, when it came to Sacred Beasts, they suffered zero casualties on their side!

"Brave words for someone soon to be dead. Go!" Apex ordered as he held his hand forward.

The moment he gave the command, several players from the Headhunter Syndicate rushed towards the members of Sacred Beasts.

Simultaneously, various ranged attacks, including arrows and magic missiles, rained down in the group's direction.

While the Headhunter Syndicate certainly held the advantage when it came to quantity, those from Sacred Beasts, without a doubt, possessed the upper hand in terms of quality.

However, every time One Shot Brick or someone from Sacred Beasts cut down a player from the Headhunter Syndicate; two more would appear to replace them.

But, what caught those from Sacred Beasts off guard was how reckless their enemies were.

"This is insane! They just keep charging in without care for their lives!" One of the Sacred Beasts players, Banshee, commented with a frown as she slammed her fist into one of the players who rushed her and knocked them back.

"It's just how the Headhunter Syndicate does things. The low-level members are used as nothing but cannon fodder. They're planning to weaken us as much as possible. After that, I'm sure that guy will make his move!" One Shot Brick said.

Crash!

One Shot Brick struck the ground as a swirling whirlpool fifteen meters wide appeared at his feet.

"Lure of Deluge!" One Shot Brick roared.

At the same time, the arrows and magic missiles that were headed right for his guild members abruptly changed their trajectory.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

The ranged attacks launched by the Headhunter Syndicate were drawn to the whirlpool created by One Shot Brick and effectively neutralized.

Lure of Deluge was similar to One Shot Brick's skill Anchor of Deluge, except it "taunted" or rather forcibly pulled in projectiles instead of players.

"We have to take out their leader! Get ready to move!" One Shot Brick commanded as he brandished his shield and prepared to charge through the crowd of players.

The attacking group was centered around the fifth of the Headhunter Syndicate's Twelve Banes, The Beast, Apex.

No one knew much about the inner workings of the Headhunter Syndicate, let alone the strength of those who called themselves the Twelve Banes; therefore, One Shot Brick had to trust his instinct.

"Block them!" Apex ordered.

A group of players moved to intercept One Shot Brick and those from Sacred Beasts at his command.

"Out of the way!" One Shot Brick howled as he tightened his grip on his shield. At the same time, a thin film of water encompassed his entire body!

Zeeeut! Wooosh!

Just as One Shot Brick was about to ram through the blockade of players from the Headhunter Syndicate, a strong gust of wind blew past him from behind.

"?!" One Shot Brick was startled by the abrupt appearance of the gust.

Did his Lure of Deluge miss one of the projectiles? No, how could he make such an amateur mistake? But, then, what was it?

"Huh?" One Shot Brick witnessed a bizarre scene unfold before his eyes.

One by one, the players from the Headhunter Syndicate were dropping to the ground.

"We're under attack! Everyone regroup!" Apex cautioned.

But, it was no use. Whenever a player from the Headhunter Syndicate attempted to withdraw, they were suddenly cut down by an overbearing, destructive force.

Meanwhile, One Shot Brick and the members of Sacred Beasts were stunned.

Every time they blinked, another two, three, or even more players would fall as a blurry and flickering silhouette appeared one moment, then vanished the next.

"Wait, this is...!" One Shot Brick remembered where he saw this flickering silhouette.

During his guild's fight against the Failed Chimera, a similar terrifying display of speed took place.

Even though the figure was hard to make out, One Shot Brick recognized some familiar details upon closer inspection.

"It's Mr. First- No, Palace Master Izroth!" One Shot Brick exclaimed.

"Palace Master Izroth? Shouldn't he have arrived at the other outpost already? What is he doing all the way out here?" Banshee questioned.

"I don't know. It could be that he got worried after we missed our scheduled strike time. With our communication cut off, it's possible Palace Master Izroth realized that something was wrong and rushed to our aid." One Shot Brick speculated.

He then continued, "Whatever the reason, we still have a mission to accomplish. Let's show these bastards from the Headhunter Syndicate the price of looking down on our Sacred Beasts!"

"Yeah!" The members of Sacred Beasts yelled in unison as they stormed onward with One Shot Brick at the vanguard!

When Apex noticed the boost in morale on Sacred Beasts' side, as well as the players from his group being erased one by one, his expression turned cold.

"What is that useless woman doing...?!" Apex internalized as he grit his teeth.

Open Notes should have been in the background providing support and keeping an eye on the surroundings. How did someone manage to slip through the perimeter they painstakingly set up?!

Apex originally wanted to weaken the players from Sacred Beasts and then step in to finish them off with his own hands to claim all the rewards with little effort. However, at this rate, they would be wiped out before their forces could be replenished again!

"Reveal yourself, coward!" Apex bellowed.

Apex growled as his body size started to increase and his muscles bulked up.

His eyes turned yellow as stripped orange and black fur began to grow on the side of his face and body.

Apex's fingernails became sharp claws, and pointed fangs replaced his teeth.

He released a beastly cry as a wild aura manifested around him.

Crrrrack! Woosh!

Apex kicked off the ground, creating a small cavity where he once stood as he lashed out with his sharp claws at thin air!

Ding!

Surprisingly, Apex's claws collided with something solid as a flickering figure emerged in the spot he struck.

"Stop right there, you bastard!" Apex growled threateningly as he stared down the person who had been wreaking havoc.

'Oh? He was able to follow my movement?'

The flickering silhouette stopped and revealed Apex's claws pressed against an azure blade. This blade, of course, belonged to Izroth.

It was not often that Izroth came across a player capable of following his actions with an S-ranked movement skill like Flickering Steps active.

In addition, Apex did not make the common mistake of aiming at where Izroth was at the moment. Instead, he struck precisely where he predicted Izroth would step next. This type of built-in reaction required good gaming sense and a specific amount of combat experience.

"I will ask you this once—where is the guild leader of your Headhunter Syndicate?" Izroth inquired calmly.

"Ha? Do you really think that I... Would tell the likes of you!" Apex reinforced his strength as his muscles expanded. This caused the ground around both him and Izroth to break from the pressure.

But, to Apex's astonishment, no matter how much strength he pushed down with to try and overpower Izroth, the person in question would not budge!

"If that's your answer, then—I no longer have any use for you," Izroth said coldly.