The digital board updates.
THREAT: Mutated Cockroach Swarm
AREA: Block C Food stalls
RISK: Moderate
Zodiac takes up the mission.
Maru swallows.
Maru adjusts his grip on the mace.
Maya stands beside him.
"You don't need to prove anything."
Maru exhales.
"…I just don't want to mess up again."
A shadow falls over them.
Grim.
His voice is flat.
"Don't worry ! just don't go off on your own , we'll work together"
Maru stiffens.
Grim meets his eyes.
He turns and walks away.
Maru blinks.
That… oddly helps.
Fast.Too fast.
They scatter across all sorts of fast food stalls
Several members flinch instinctively.
Tara clings to Fugu, who is visibly shivering.
Tara :"…I hate these."
Maya and the other girls step back cautiously.
Bete:"You girls are overreacting."
A cockroach skitters toward him.
Bete backs off immediately.
Anya:"Oh? Not so brave yourself, are you?"
Bete : "Shut up"
Maru : "HAHAHA...now you know how it feels to deal with monsters you are afraid of '
Kaal tightens his grip.
"These are much faster than ants."
Grim : "they're running away , we need to surround and kill them"
A cockroach darts—
CRACK
Maru's mace drops with pinpoint precision.
One hit.Instant kill.
Another moves—
CRACK
Another perfect strike.
No screaming.No panic.
Just rhythm.
Maru : "Worry not Ladies ! Your Hero's here to save you"
Grim watches.
Silent.
A faint smile appears.
Cockroaches scatter everywhere.
Several members flinch mid-fight.
Fugu:"WHY DO THEY MOVE LIKE THAT?!"
Bete:"Make sure they're dead after killing them!"
Tara :"Gentle reminder—cutting their heads off won't kill them."
Reva:"Stop running your mouths and just kill them!"
Grim:"Says the one running away."
Reva looks at him angrily.
Sain steps forward.
Eyes sharp.
Focused.
Sain moves like he always does.
Too fast.Too decisive.
Shields instinctively.
Kills relentlessly.
To him—
Everyone else feels like civilians.
His breathing quickens.
Sweat drips.
But he doesn't slow down.
Reva watches, frowning.
Reva:"He's doing too much."
Lily adjusts her stance.
"Unsustainable."
Anya shifts closer to Sain's path.
Protective.
Kaal clicks his tongue.
The last cockroach falls.
No collateral damage.Minimal chaos.
This time—
It worked.
Reva claps Maru on the shoulder.
"That was clean."
Vyan grins.
Vyan:"Damn! You leveled up!"
Tara :"Good job man. that was so cool"
Bete gives a thumbs-up.
Fugu beams.
Fugu:"You didn't panic at all!"
Maru smiles.
But it's restrained.
Yesterday lingers in his mind.
The praise feels… sudden.
Lily speaks calmly.
"Precision suits you.Don't chase speed."
Anya nods.
Anya:"Your timing was good."
That advice stays with Maru longer than the applause.
The team gathers around Sain.
Voices overlap—each in their own way.
Reva:"You don't have to carry everyone."
Tara :"We fight together."
Bete:"You're not alone anymore."
Fugu:"It's okay to rely on us!"
Vyan folds his arms.
Vyan:"That was an unnecessary waste of effort."
Sain exhales.
Sain:"I understand.I just need time to get used to how each of you fights."
Then—
Kaal steps forward.
Kaal:"You fought like we weren't competent."
Silence.
Sain turns sharply.
Sain:"I'm just not used to fighting with others yet."
Their gazes clash.
Cold.Unyielding.
Kaal's pride won't let him respond.
But the tension lingers.
It rubs Sain the wrong way.
Maru steps beside Sain.
Maru:"…You okay?"
Sain exhales slowly.
Sain:"I know better than anyone else that it wasn't the right way to fight."
Maru scratches his head.
Maru:"We're here to back each other."
He pauses—remembering Reva and Vyan's sudden shift.
A quiet understanding settles.
The team walks back toward the Guild.
Closer than before.
But not aligned yet.
Sain looks ahead.
Sain (thinking):Adapting isn't about strength.It's about trust.
Behind him—
Maru walks straighter than before.