The sharp scent of blood rode the wind.Bubble sprinted toward the chaos, her breath sharp in her lungs.
"I have to hurry!"
To her right, rooftops stretched like stepping stones. She didn't hesitate—her boots slammed against a wall, momentum carrying her upward. One fluid vault and she was on the tiles, running across rooftops lit by silver moonlight and scattered starlight.
Below, a villager screamed—about to be cleaved in two by a massive shadowy crab.
Bubble launched into a midair backflip, summoning her Azure Drop Sniper in a burst of sky-blue summoning particles that glittered like falling stars.
Her left eye flared neon-blue, locking onto the crab's moving joints as targeting data streamed across her vision.
NOTICE!SKILL: DEADWEIGHT ACTIVATEDRESULT: 14 WEAK POINTS DETECTED5 LETHAL | 4 MAJOR | 4 MINOR
Glowing rings marked each joint, colored red for lethal, orange for major, green for minor.
"You owe me…", she whispered, peering through her scope."A lot!"
WHEW—BOOOM!
The shot ripped the air, vibrating windows, a blue flare chasing the bullet's path. Mid-flight, a ghostly snake hissed into existence, intercepting the shot— the snake bullet tore through with a bite , severing the crab's pincer joint and plunging into its chest.
The severed claw hit the dirt as blue flames erupted, engulfing the monster.
–100 HP!
"Hey… nice." Bubble dropped to the ground, reloaded with a grin, and kicked the rifle up to her shoulder.
Screams tore through the night from another part of the village. She summoned a shimmering bubble beneath her feet and bounced high onto another roof, scanning the dark streets.
"Found ya… hehe!"
Skipping across three rooftops, she landed on the fourth, spotting three fleeing women.
"GET AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE!"
The rear villager tripped, hitting the ground hard. Two fleshy, whip-like cables shot from the shadows, coiling around the other two women's legs, yanking them back toward something unseen.
"Damn it, houses in the way—I can't see the target."
A sudden explosion behind her ripped through a nearby home. Dust and debris clouded her vision.
"Too many threats at once… I can't save them all alone!"
She coughed, covering her mouth. "Damn—can't see a thing."
She opened her palm, crafting a flashbang in a spark of blue light.
CRAFTING SUCCESSFUL!
"If I can't see… then no one can." Her eye glowed neon-blue as she hurled the flashbang into the dust cloud.
Gunfire followed instantly—five rapid sniper shots tearing through multiple compass points.
–25 HP CRITICAL!–45 HP CRITICAL!–55 HP CRITICAL!–12 HP MINOR!
Four monsters staggered in the shadows.
NOTICE: ENEMIES STUNNED — LOCATION REVEAL 5sNOTICE: OUTLINES DISPLAYED
Bullets spun into her revolver's cylinder, fresh from her inventory. She smirked. "I already won."
Blue tracer fire lanced through the dust, bullets shattering walls, ripping through streets, smashing windows. A towering shadowy bear—55% HP—charged toward her, only to be ripped apart under the blue-lit bullet storm.
Somewhere else in the village, a glitching shadow-scorpion hunting civilians was likewise shredded to 0%.
But the hybrid—half crab, half scorpion—endured.
TOTAL DAMAGE: –20% HP PREVIOUS DAMAGE: –12% HP
It roared, demolishing everything in its path toward her.
Bubble's eyes widened. "Great. Out of stamina… and bullets."
The moonlight glinted on bloodied glass. The ground trembled. She smirked weakly. "Okay… I'm screwed."
Three rocket trails suddenly blazed across the sky, exploding overhead in a cascade of light.
"For real?" she muttered.
One rocket slammed into the hybrid, –35 HP on impact. Then the heavens opened, releasing a rain of firework rockets.
POW! POW! POW! POW!
The last –33 HP vanished as the hybrid was buried under relentless explosions, flames rising into the night.
"Crap!" Bubble hopped off the burning roof. "My precious shoes!"
CONGRATULATIONS! RAID EVENT COMPLETE!REWARD: 500 GREED COINS + MYSTICAL ONE-TIME BASS HANDCUFF
The surviving villagers staggered from hiding, their ruined homes smoldering behind them.
From the sky, a dragon-shaped constellation appeared, then vanished as a shooting star plummeted—striking the hybrid's corpse. Flames snuffed out instantly.
A tall man stepped into view, dusting off his maroon dragon-print tie. He wore a black talisman hat, a white half-jacket over a long black shirt, white trousers and shoes. His white lashes and chain-saw pupils gleamed.
"HELLO! My name is… Firework," he announced with a gentleman's bow.
Bubble reloaded and leveled her sniper. "Not bad. Can I help you with anything?"
He grinned, finger-guns snapping toward a building behind her. "Boom!"
A colorful blast annihilated the rooftop, crushing a lurking monster.
The villagers erupted in rage. "It's him! He caused this! Kill him!"
In a blink, Firework appeared before Bubble, gripping her rifle barrel. "Whoa, whoa—I saved everyone here! Why the hostility?"
She sighed. "Hands off ."
He smirked. "Okay, okay… no need to be rude."
Later, Bubble quietly left the wrecked village. Firework followed after her.
He asked what she was looking for. She showed him a sketch of Jayden. He questioned her drawing skills and admitted he hadn't seen the man.
When she asked if he had given her the black cloak back in prison, he only smiled and revealed a blue scroll.
"Because of this," he said. It was a quest that had triggered the raid.
Her reward had been "just 500 coins and a lousy handcuff".
"Man, that sucks," he laughed, before offering to travel together to Unarmed Island—where she might find clues about Jayden.
Before leaving, he handed her treasures worth 2,500 Greed Coins.
NOTICE: YOU HAVE LEFT ISLAND B2! EXPLORATION RATE: 10%
Somewhere across the ocean, on a distant island throne, a woman gripped her staff, tears streaking her face as her voice turned to a snarl.
"These god-wannabes… they've finally pissed me off."