The raid team entered the B+ rank dungeon. Unlike last time, Benson had prepared more than adequately for this raid. The raid team was almost up to fifty raiders. Most were low C and D ranks, but it also consisted of some heavy hitters. Among them were Garret, the C+ rank spearman, John, a B-rank hunter, several other B ranks, and the strongest by far in the group—Miguel. Jaxen walked up front with Benson. He wanted to avoid walking next to Miguel as much as possible, fearing Miguel would notice his true identity. He kept his head down, his mask firmly in place, his posture deliberately different from how he usually carried himself. Sadly for him, Miguel knew everything. But he kept things on the low. For now. The portal rift shimmered behind them as they stepped through. The transition was always disorienting—a moment of weightlessness, then solid ground beneath their feet. "So what have you been up to, kid?" Benson asked, his voice jovial. "Haven't heard from you since t

The raiders remained crouched on the hilltop, keeping a low profile as they stared down at the elven camp below. The dark elves moved about their business, unaware of the threat looming above them. Each raider had a smoke bomb in hand. They were ready. Waiting for the signal. Benson raised his hand, his eye fixed on the camp below. "Steady..." The seconds stretched. Chronos could feel his heart pounding in his chest. His hand tightened around the smoke bomb. "Now!" Benson dropped his hand forward, signaling the attack. The raiders rose as one and hurled their smoke bombs down into the camp. The canisters landed and burst open. Thick gray smoke billowed outward, spreading across the clearing. The dark elves below began to shout in alarm, their voices muffled by the growing cloud. Benson raised his hand again. "Archers! Mages! Fire!" Seven archers and four mages stepped forward, positioning themselves at the edge of the hill. They aimed down into the smoke-covered camp. Arrows

Thirty-seven years ago, a riot erupted on the border of Horizon City and the Grayzone. The government had just cut all electricity and water supply from the main city into the Grayzone. The people of the Grayzone were left to fend for themselves in the dark, without clean water. They were told it was temporary. They were told the government was just upgrading the infrastructure. They were lied to. To make matters worse, the government began dumping their garbage into the Grayzone. They promised it was just temporary. That the trash would be removed after their recycling industries were ready. They promised the water supply and electricity cut was temporary. They lied. Dozens of people died from water poisoning due to the trash site contaminating their water supply. The lack of electricity made it impossible for them to use their water recycling machines. People were dying. Most importantly, children were dying. Benson was an electrical engineer by profession. Though born in

[ Adrenaline rush has been upgraded. 53 chronoshards have been used. remaining chronoshards: 200 ] Chronos stood in his offensive stance, his golden daggers gleaming in the dim light. Dante remained motionless, watching him with cold, crimson eyes. I need to buy time, Chronos thought. The system is still processing the upgrades. He forced a confident tone. "You're not attacking?" Dante stared silently. "Since when does an elephant pounce on an ant? You can attack first. Curtesy of my generosity." Chronos kept his stance steady. "System, open Chrono Store." --- [Chrono Store Inventory] 1. Mana Sense · Description: Detect all active mana signatures within a 15-meter radius, including hidden enemies, stealthed entities, and active traps. · Cost: 150 Chrono Shards 2. Pain Suppression · Description: Temporarily ignore all physical pain and trauma for 30 seconds. (Cooldown: 1 hour) · Cost: 108 Chrono Shards 3. Step Silencing · Description: Move flawlessly wi

Dante's arm was spilling with blood, the crimson liquid pooling at his feet. He was ready to attack. This time, Chronos knew he had no chance of dodging. He needed another way.Think. Think. There has to be something.Dante stepped forward, toward Chronos. His eyes burned with cold determination.Crack.Tiny tremors shook the ground beneath them, as if there was an earthquake. The dungeon walls trembled. Dust rained down from above.Chronos and Dante's attention shifted toward the dungeon gate. The shimmering portal flickered, unstable."Is there an earthquake outside?" Chronos thought. "Or is something else happening?"His attention quickly shifted back to Dante, who was still staring at the dungeon gate."What's up with him? He's got some sort of attention span or what? One second he's about to kill me, the next he's distracted by a tremor."Dante then turned his head back to Chronos. His expression was different now—less confident, more urgent. "I'm running out of time myself."Run