The party crashed through the translucent barrier that was near the end of the bridge. The horde that was right behind them were unable to follow them. 

“Fuck, get these notifications out of my face. I just want to breathe.” Alex was about to collapse on the floor when a bright light burst to life.

“For fucks sake,” Alex muttered. 

Instinctually, Stephen covered his eyes. The white light that flared at them from multiple directions made it impossible to see. The only thing he could make out were a few shadowy silhouettes beyond the light.

“Don’t move!” A gruff voice shouted at them. 

‘Was it the military? A rescue party from some noble? Why were they just waiting here?’

“Turn off the lights before I go blind, fucker!” Alex cursed. Stephen agreed with Alex’s sentiments even if he didn’t dare to voice them aloud.

Stephen would rather not get mowed down right after escaping death multiple times just because he offended someone. 

“Dim the lights,” an unknown woman yawned. “Sorry. Sorry.” 

A mature, yet unapologetic voice responded to Alex. 

It took a few seconds to be able to see again. There were multiple armored security vehicles that blocked the intersection at the end of the bridge.

There were three transport vehicles. They were manned with maybe sixteen people. Most of them had guns emotionlessly pointed at Stephen and the rest of the party.

Two large tanks held the middle, blocking the center road. There were probably six to eight people manning them. Two Humvees, one on each side of the blockade, were stationed with their mounted guns also pointed at the group. 

Finally, there was a smaller armored car with a large artillery attachment. It looked like a mini tank. In total, there were about thirty people, all wearing the same black suits and red ties, blocking the path. 

‘Is the city actually secured?’ 

Even if it was, it probably wouldn’t matter. The vampire woman that the group encountered just moments ago could destroy the blockade in a matter of moments, and she referred to herself as Number Four. 

That wasn’t relevant to the current situation though. Piles of minced corpses, shredded from an uncountable number of bullets, could be seen behind them. 

‘The lower level infected didn’t stand a chance against technology, huh.’

Despite all of his thoughts though, Stephen’s gaze was drawn to a single woman. The slender figure was sitting crouched at the end of one of the tank guns. Even from a distance, Stephen could make out the scar on her eye. 

She was the S-Rank Awakened, Lucia of the Frozen Sword: The Ice Queen. Without any formal backing, she formed the Darkmoon Guild. It was one of the top three guilds in the area and one of the top ten unaffiliated powers in the city. 

Like her black jacket, her light blue hair flowed in the light breeze. Without a care in the world, she sucked on what appeared to be a lollipop. The white stick stuck out of her mouth. The sound of her sucking on the candy was the only sound in the silent air.

“Hehe, big sis is that you?” Ravenna scratched the back of her neck.

“Who is your big sis, bitch!” Lucia jumped down and pointed a finger at Ravenna, “You got money, huh.”

She sniffed the air. “Because if you got money I’ll be your big sis. Nah, I’ll be your wife. Fuck, I’ll be your bitch!” 

The renowned and famous Frozen Sword of the Dawn twerked her ass towards Stephen and his party. Although the lights had been dimmed, they seemed to put a spotlight on the spectacle.

Tears streamed down her face. 

‘Ah, I forgot. It wasn’t just the students that were crazy… the entire world was… the powerful guilds… the nobles and imperial family… the heroes… especially the heroes… yeah the world was fucked up the entire time.’

“This slut.” Alex spit on the floor.

Lucia’s eyes turned sharp and she drew her sword. “I’ll be a slut. I’ll be a whore. JUST GIVE ME MY MONEY!” 

She fell to the floor, sword still clenched in her hand and tears unceasingly flowing down her eyes. 

“I must apologize for the guild leader's behavior.” A man with silky black hair, who was next to Lucia, stepped forward and bowed, “Our organization has suffered a bit of a financial loss.”

“A bit! The entire market crashed! Furthermore, all of my precious gems, all the monster cores, all the artifacts… gone. Poof.” Her voice was loud and she gesticulated as she spoke, “All that hard work for nothing… I… I really need someone to comfort me!” 

Her wails filled the quiet night. The red flames were spread all across the city. It was all a backdrop that painted the scene of Lucia dramatic self play. 

“If anyone tried to comfort you, they would be crushed in your arms.” The man stood straight with a smile. Stephen was positive that the man’s grin would remain there no matter what happened. 

Lucia ignored the comment and gestured to the tank, “My precious baby… you know it used to have the power to level an entire city block in mere seconds… now it barely has the impact of a C-Rank Awakened’s fist.” 

“I hope you can understand that the leader, as you can see, is quite distraught.” 

“Oii, listen to me! Is it because I’m broke?! You think you can just hold a mutiny because I’m a poor ass bitch now?! Huh. Say it to my face! This is insubordination!” 

“It is fine…” Stephen managed to get the words out of his lips. 

It's okay to judge other people, but Stephen had to remind himself not to let it show. His interactions lately could make him complacent in this regard. Stephen worked his muscle memory and gave a smile. 

“I’m glad to hear it!” The man was indeed still smiling. It seemed respectful and genuine. It made Stephen realize that he still had a lot to learn. 

“Even my butler has betrayed me…”

“I’m not your butler, I’m the vice leader of the guild.” 

“No, you’re my butler,” Lucia pouted.  

“So, why are you all here?” Stephen asked.

“Money!” Lucia swung her arms about widely, “Boy, I want money!”

The Vice Leader of the Darkmoon Guild looked at Lucia and shook his head. There was a slight look of scorn in his eyes. It disappeared as he turned to Stephen. 

“Ah, young man, I’m glad that we can get right to it. Let me just share this with you.”

Ding. A notification appeared before Stephen’s eyes. 

Stephen read the contents.

“We didn’t know about the barrier though and were stuck here.”

“Why did your guild leader show up personally?”

“Oh, if I were to be honest.” The man shrugged, “I’m pretty sure she secretly wanted to mug any rich kids that showed up.”

“What should I address you by?”

“Oii. Now the kid is ignoring me.” Lucia turned to Ravenna, “Lil sis is that you over there.” 

“I don’t know you.” Ravenna hummed and looked away.

The man patiently waited for it to become quiet again before speaking.

“You can call me, Mr. T—”

Only to get interrupted.

“Mr. Tao, I spot some shiny pockets! It is an imperial. A True Royal! Perhaps, the last one. Let’s see…” She clapped her hands together, “Haha, I got it. That is the Second Imperial Princess, Mel Sol: The Mute Princess.”

Mr. Tao frowned for a moment then pulled something out from his jacket pocket. It was a gold bar. He wound up his arm and threw it as far as he could. The bar of gold moved so fast that it quickly appeared like a speck in the distant horizon. 

“Huh. Was that?”

“Yes it is. Who’s a good girl?”

“I’m a good girl!” If Lucia had a tail, Stephen was positive it would be wagging. Furthermore, for some reason, Stephen felt some kinship with Mr. Tao. There was indeed a lot he could learn from the man.  

“Go get it!” 

With those words, Lucia raced after the golden bar. 

That said, Stephen wasn’t sure what was more terrifying — the strength in Mr. Tao’s throw or the speed at which Lucia moved. 

It was unclear if they put all their stats into one category. At least, the strength and speed were upper C tier, which was insane given the reset. It was also scary that none of the armed men reacted in the slightest. 

Blessing of the Wind. Gift of Strength. Furthermore, two magic artifacts: the white gloves and black boots. 

With the familiar voice, Stephen pieced it together. Mr. Tao’s gloves most likely amplified his strength, while Lucia’s boots amplified her speed. Still, the artifacts should also have been reset. Was it a reward from completing a quest? 

Mr. Tao cleared his throat and forced Stephen to end his ruminations.

“Why don’t you come back to our headquarters?” 

“Can we refuse?”

“Of course.”

‘He doesn’t seem to be lying, but I should get as much information as possible.’

“Can I ask a question?”

“Please, go ahead.”

“What did she mean by the last one?”

Mr. Tao tapped his chin with his white glove. He seemed to be thinking for a moment. “Well, everyone of the imperial bloodline has disappeared. Poof. It seems they evacuated and left this world behind. Maybe some stayed behind, but we contacted various branches of ours and even the capital is empty. Now, all the powers that be are running wild. I wouldn't be surprised if our country is invaded by other countries. Well, that is if the demons don’t take over first. ” 

“That is a lot to take in. Do you mind if we discuss this amongst ourselves?”

“Certainly, go ahead,” Mr. Tao turned around and began walking away. 

From over his shoulders he added, “I’ll go see the Guild Leader in the meantime, so take your time.”

Stephen first turned to Sophia. She was yawning. It seemed she wasn’t paying attention at all. If anything she seemed worried about Lucia. 

“I’m fine with anything…” Sophia whispered. Despite her apathetic attitude, it seemed she had the self awareness to offer a quick response.  

Turning his head, Stephen looked at Ravenna. “Your relationship?”

“Oh, we aren’t related”

Stephen raised his eyebrows. Lucia’s love of money seemed awfully similar to Ravenna’s love of booze. 

“No, really. I mean I know her a bit.” Ravenna sighed, “Well, our families know each other. Like rivals. You know my aunty runs one of the most popular dojo’s in Hammer Port.”

“I guess, me next?” Mel gave an awkward chuckle. “Yeah, so like I don’t know anything. Haha.”

‘Alright. Thank you. Next.’

“My family has connections to vampires.” Gawain blurted out.

‘At least you're honest.’

“Haha.”

Stephen nodded his head. “So that is all. Huh.”

“Oii. What about me?” Alex pointed to himself with a smug look.

‘You’re the least suspicious person. Perhaps, it’s because you're simple minded.’

“Did you have something to add?” Stephen asked.

 “I say we go?”

‘Oh.’

“Yeah, like isn’t that Lucia chick kind of hot.”

‘Nevermind. It is my fault for getting my hopes up. Yes, it isn’t your fault. I made a mistake. It won’t happen again.’

“We are all sticking together, right?” Mel asked. There was a hopeful look in her eyes. 

‘Ah. I didn’t think about that. I could go on my own now… oh wait I still have to protect the Princess. Nevermind.’

“You all need me… so I’m sticking around.” Alex acted shy and pushed some rocks with his foot. 

“Same. I want some booze, a nice hot shower. Maybe eat some nice food, sleep in a nice bed, drink some more booze, maybe read some magazines…”

Ravenna gave everyone a blank look. “What… they probably have all that stuff at their headquarters right?.”

“Life must be easy for you.” Alex moved his arm like he was going to pat her on the shoulder then stopped. 

“I really don’t want to hear that from you!” Ravenna shouted.

“Alright. So it’s decided then, huh.”

Stephen sighed. It seemed everyone in his party was suspicious in some way, but perhaps things worked out for the best. Stephen looked at the city on fire. It was a welcoming sight. 

With a smile, Stephen waved for Mr. Tao to return. Lucia was with him. She held the golden bar in her hand fondly.

“Mr. Tao and Miss Lucia, we will come after all.”

2-Degenerate

After proofreading this chapter as the author, I feel like this is my favorite chapter so far. With the calmness after the storm, there is a lot more room to be nuanced with the dialogue. Each character has at least one line in this chapter that is more than what meets the eye.

Also, this chapter practically marks the end of the prologue. 'The tutorial' still doesn't actually end for a bit longer, but that also allows for an intermediary part before the next act begins. This will allow time to flesh out a few details and answer some questions.