Click, Click, Click, Click!
The sound of multiple footsteps echoed faintly on the rooftops of clustered houses. The rhythm was brisk, muffled by the wind, yet distinct enough to ripple through the air.
The cool wind rustled as a few silhouettes dashed swiftly across the rooftops, their forms cutting across the horizon like shadows in a hurry. Urgency clung to their movements, their strides long and precise.
Currently, four individuals could be seen sprinting in formation, all clad in the same hunter attire, their boots thudding quietly on the tiles. Two of them had swords strapped firmly to their waists, glinting faintly under the pale moonlight.
"How long till we arrive?" one of the females, Jasmine, asked as she pushed herself into another leap.
"Five minutes at most. It’s just at the edge of the town," Jake replied calmly, his gaze never leaving the path ahead as his feet landed with practiced steadiness.
Without pause, the group vaulted from rooftop to rooftop, moving with the fluid grace of predators on the hunt.
"Can’t believe on our very first day as hunters, we immediately get a quest," Max muttered. His tone was low, but the words carried clearly through the air as they landed atop another roof in unison.
Below them, people at ground level glanced up in awe, watching wide-eyed as the figures soared over their homes, running across rooftops like something out of legend.
"Just up ahead," Jake called, before springing from the last rooftop. The group followed, landing smoothly on the open ground with a muffled thud.
They found themselves standing in a wide expanse, the town lying just a few meters behind them. The place was eerily empty, not a single civilian in sight, as if the entire area had been abandoned in a rush.
But what wasn’t absent was the sound. A faint, unsettling crackle vibrated through the air just ahead of them.
’A portal break, huh?’ Max thought, brows knitting together as his hand instinctively rested on the hilt of his sword. ’At least it happened far enough away from civilization. Good thing we made it in time.’
He glanced back at the town fence, a flimsy structure standing barely seven meters away, already leaning like it could collapse from the faintest push.
’Sheesh... this tier 4 town is even worse than I imagined. I thought the tier 3 town I came from was bad, but this... this whole place is like one giant slum. No wonder people here look so worn down. We even had to be careful leaping across the roofs earlier so we wouldn’t accidentally destroy the already weak structures.’
The sharp sound split the air, snapping Max out of his thoughts. His gaze darted back forward just in time to see space itself cracking open. Thin fractures of light splintered outward until...
A massive portal ripped into existence with a loud, buzzing roar. The air rippled violently, a sickly wind spreading as the rift widened.
Max’s dragon eyes flicked briefly, allowing him a sharp glance at the unstable edges before focusing back on the scene. Behind him, the faint outline of the town’s fence loomed, fragile yet still standing.
’At least those people will be safe, for now.’
He shifted his gaze to his teammates. Lana, ever serious, had already assumed her battle stance, body angled forward like a seasoned warrior.
Jasmine’s sword was unsheathed, the steel catching what little light there was. Even Jake, for all his casual bravado, had stopped smiling—his knuckles flexing eagerly.
Max exhaled slowly and drew his own blade with a smooth, practiced motion just as a deafening growl shook the atmosphere.
The portal split wider, shadows crawling through it, and then...
They towered like living mountains, grotesque and overwhelming. Hulking bodies rippled with raw, corded muscle, every fiber straining beneath thick, leathery skin that looked as if it could deflect steel.
Standing between eight to twelve feet tall, each monster radiated sheer power. Their footsteps made the ground quake, pebbles scattering in trembling waves.
Tusks jutted out from their jaws, twisted into grotesque snarls. Their jagged teeth gleamed faintly, stained a sickening brown-red from countless feasts.
And in their hands, they carried weapons that dwarfed anything the hunters possessed—rusted greatswords as long as doors, double-headed axes heavy enough to crush a house beam, and iron hammers so massive they seemed forged for the sole purpose of destruction.
The weapons were crude, brutal, and barbaric, yet in the grip of these towering beasts, they became something far worse—tools of merciless carnage, ready to turn the battlefield into a slaughterhouse.
Their movements were heavy and savage, accompanied by guttural growls and thunderous bellows that echoed like war drums, shaking the very air around them. The ground trembled with each pounding step, and even the wind seemed to recoil from their presence.
"Ogres." Jasmine muttered under her breath, her grip on her sword tightening.
"Sorry?" Max tilted his head slightly, glancing at her.
"They are ogres." Jasmine repeated with a grim tone, her gaze never leaving the advancing monsters. She didn’t add another word, but the tension in her voice was enough to make Max’s throat feel dry.
"According to the device comm, they’re all King tier beasts," Lana said, her voice calm but carrying a sharp edge of seriousness as the beasts continued to pour out, bit by bit, from the widening portal.
"Luckily, it doesn’t seem like we’ll face a boss or something. So at least we’re safe in that aspect." Jake added with a smirk. He glanced down at his uniform, flexed his biceps, and the fabric stretched taut as his muscles bulged. He grinned in satisfaction before giving a small nod.
’Looks like the association was considerate enough to make our uniforms from solid materials that won’t rip apart easily when we transform. Not that I even need to transform right now though.’
"How many are they?" Jasmine asked as the monsters’ numbers swelled higher and higher. Her heart pounded so loud in her chest that it felt like it might burst free, torn between fear and adrenaline.
Finally, after several tense minutes, the stream ended. The portal snapped shut with a heavy buzz, leaving in front of the teenagers a horrifying army.
At least one hundred and twenty ogres stood in formation, each towering figure clutching a massive weapon, their hulking frames casting monstrous shadows over the field.
’Oh boy... this is a lot, even for me. King tier beasts? Can I really handle this? Yes, I’m a B-ranked hunter, but handling this many at once? Sheesh!’ Max thought, swallowing hard as he stared down at his own trembling hands, his brows furrowed deep with doubt.
The ogres’ guttural roars reverberated across the open expanse, grating against his ears like a low, thunderous snarl that wouldn’t stop. Jake’s eyes narrowed as the beasts, clearly finished with waiting, broke into a charge. The ground shook like an earthquake beneath the stampede.
"Come on!" Lana muttered with calm determination. She bent her knees and launched herself into the sky with a powerful leap. Midair, before gravity pulled her back down, her body began to change.
Her feet twisted and tore through her footwear, elongating into vicious talons that gleamed under the faint light. Her pupils sharpened into slits, her silver hair shimmered with a strange glow, and from her back burst a pair of magnificent silver wings. They stretched wide, glittering with feathers sharp enough to slice stone.
’A bird-type hybrid, huh.’ Max thought, awe flickering in his eyes as Lana shot forward like a silver comet, diving straight into the horde with lethal precision.
"Come on, let’s back her up!" Jake thundered. He stomped the ground, and in the next instant, he blurred forward with explosive speed, a streak of motion heading to meet the ogres head-on.