The afternoon sunlight filtered through the forest canopy, casting dappled patterns on the damp ground where Inferno Knuckle stood facing a new threat. A pack of over a dozen monsters had just emerged from the shadows of the forest.
Inferno Knuckle clenched his fists, flames beginning to flare around his hands, forming a scorching protective layer. He glanced quickly toward Mai, his heart skipping a beat when he realized she was nowhere to be seen. As if sensing his concern, a hand waved from the branches above. At least she had chosen a good position, which gave Inferno Knuckle some reassurance, allowing him to focus more on the enemies before him.
The pack of monsters began to move, not charging immediately but fanning out into a crescent formation, as if probing their opponents. Inferno Knuckle noticed they were smarter than before, though this was not entirely unexpected. When a boss appeared, the lesser monsters not only became stronger and more agile but also more organized.
This group even had a leader—a Blood Panther, not quite at F-Elite level but close. The Blood Panther let out a low growl, and the pack charged as one, their footsteps crunching on dry leaves like rolling thunder, creating a wave of chaos.
Inferno Knuckle didn't wait. He surged forward, his right fist swinging like a blazing fireball. "Inferno Punch!" he shouted, striking the leader directly. The impact caused a small explosion, flames spreading to scorch the creature's scaly hide, making it roar and writhe on the ground. But the pack didn't stop; two other monsters lunged from either side, their claws aiming for his back.
Inferno Knuckle spun, using his left arm to block one monster's attack. Its claws were stopped by his gauntlet, the flames on his fist forcing it to recoil in pain. His right fist, meanwhile, shot out with lightning speed, connecting with the second monster's head before its claws could reach him, shattering it in a fiery burst. With a smooth, wide hook, he finished off the first monster as well.
From her perch, Mai calmly adjusted her scope. She took a deep breath, letting her body relax completely, as Gunslinger had taught her years ago. Her first target was a monster on the far edge, trying to circle behind Inferno Knuckle. She pulled the trigger—a sharp crack rang out, and the bullet pierced the creature's skull, dropping it instantly without a sound. "One," she counted silently, swiftly shifting her aim to the next target.
As Inferno Knuckle turned to deliver a right hook, Mai chose to target monsters on the side where he would struggle to counter without turning back. "Two," "Three," she counted under her breath as she fired twice in quick succession, each bullet piercing the temple of another monster with deadly precision.
Inferno Knuckle glanced at her direction, his eyes showing a mix of surprise and satisfaction. He knew she was a skilled shot, but picking targets with such precision in the chaos of battle was another matter. Whether her choices were deliberate or not, the three targets she eliminated saved him from unnecessary maneuvering, allowing him to focus on landing optimal strikes and taking down two more monsters. But there was no time for praise; the leader had regained its footing and charged at him alongside two others.
Inferno Knuckle unleashed three rapid right punches, each appearing from a distance like streaks of fire. The two smaller monsters suddenly darted in, blocking all three strikes, while the Blood Panther used them as a springboard to leap at him. Unfazed, Inferno Knuckle retracted his fists into a defensive stance—a fundamental boxing technique. At that moment, Mai's gunshot rang out. The bullet grazed past Knuckle's shoulder, striking the Blood Panther's forehead and leaving a deep hole. The creature collapsed, writhing on the ground.
Mai frowned slightly, noting that the bullet hadn't fully penetrated the leader's skull as it had with the others, indicating the limits of the weapon. She fired two more shots, taking down one monster leaping toward Inferno Knuckle and another trying to slip out of the fray. Each shot was precise, but her body was beginning to tire—the weight of the gun, the recoil from continuous firing, and the mental strain of intense focus, were taking their toll. In her previous life, she could have used vital force to enhance her stamina, but here, everything relied on raw physical strength. She needed to find this world's cultivation method quickly.
Inferno Knuckle delivered a final explosive punch to ensure the leader was dead, then turned to dispatch the remaining monsters. But a sudden unease gripped him. He quickly counted the remaining monsters and the bodies on the ground, realizing one was missing. At that moment, two others attacked, pinning him in place.
"Watch out!" he shouted to Mai. His heart sank as he caught a glimpse of a monkey-like monster approaching her from behind, a scene hauntingly reminiscent of the first day when she was ambushed by a stray creature. But what he saw next left him stunned.
Mai simply sidestepped, slamming the butt of her rifle into its jaw, making it stumble and nearly fall from the branch. She then aimed her gun at its head, hesitated briefly, and instead of firing immediately, nudged it off the branch. As it fell, she shot it through the head mid-air. Then, without missing a beat, she resumed aiming to support him.
Seeing Mai take care to avoid getting blood on herself by not shooting the monkey at close range, Inferno Knuckle didn't know whether to be exasperated or amused. He couldn't help but wonder why, with such skill, she had performed so poorly on the first day. He resolved to review the footage later. The battle ended swiftly after a few minutes, the ground littered with scorched and bloodied monster corpses.
Mai watched as Inferno Knuckle dug something out of the leader's chest, then waved her over and tossed it to her. "Not bad," he said, his tone carrying a hint of praise.
Mai caught it and examined it closely. It was a rough, triangular pyramid-shaped gem, milky white and slightly translucent, with three smooth, glossy sides converging at a sharp point. Light passing through its facets created dazzling refractions. It felt warm and emitted a strange energy. Flipping it over curiously, Mai wondered if it was similar to the Magic Cores from her world, given how Inferno Knuckle had extracted it from the monster's body.
Seeing her expression, Inferno Knuckle misunderstood and asked, "Is this your first time seeing a Vorn Core? Do you know how to use it?"
When Mai shook her head, he explained in detail: "Hold it tightly in your palm and focus your mind on your hand. Imagine you're breathing—let the Core's energy flow through your skin, spreading through your veins and muscles. Don't force it; let it happen naturally. When you feel the flow, try to hold it in your body as long as you can."
Mai followed his instructions. She gripped the Vorn Core, closed her eyes, and focused. Absorbing external energy wasn't unfamiliar to her, but she followed his steps precisely. A warm energy seeped from her palm, slowly traveling through her arm, up her shoulder, and spreading throughout her body. But within seconds, the flow reversed, repelled from her body and dissipating chaotically into the air.
Inferno Knuckle observed closely. "So? What did you feel?"
Mai described it accurately: "There was a flow of energy entering my body, like a warm current spreading everywhere. But then it… left. Most of it was pushed out, with only a tiny bit remaining."
Inferno Knuckle sighed, his expression disappointed but unsurprised. "Just as your profile said—extremely low compatibility, huh? But don't worry, you can build it up gradually."
He stood, stretched, and encouraged her, though his eyes betrayed a trace of concern. He wondered whether it was more hopeless to start as an ordinary person or to be a Raiser who couldn't absorb Vorn.
Contrary to his concern, Mai focused on analyzing the energy that had entered her body. Vorn was different from the mana and vital force she knew, yet it shared traits with both. Mana was flexible, manipulable, and could be transformed into elemental properties; vital force enhanced physical attributes like strength and speed.
In her world, most people cross-trained in the other system—mages practiced vital force to bolster their stamina and avoid exhaustion or vulnerability in close combat, while fighters trained in mana for basic spells and support. But no one mastered both simultaneously, as they were fundamentally distinct energy systems. Combining them required immense time and resources, often yielding little benefit.
Vorn, however, merged both: it enhanced the body like vital force and could be converted like mana. It was far superior. Mai tried absorbing it a few more times, but the energy flowed in and was repelled, her body rejecting it, and leaving only a small amount with limited effect.
Inferno Knuckle had mentioned her low compatibility with Vorn—a concept she didn't fully grasp—but the idea of a body naturally resisting mana wasn't new to her. Long ago, a cultivation method from the East had been developed for such constitutions. While such practitioners advanced at a normal pace, their unique physiology could be turned into a natural advantage in combat, so she wasn't overly concerned.
Her current issue was that to cultivate this method, she needed to "open her meridians," activating the dormant acupuncture points in her body to create a circulatory cycle for Vorn to flow and gradually integrate, rather than leaking out. To achieve this, she needed a substantial amount of energy to fill her meridian cycle and use pressure to unlock each point. Looking at the small Vorn Core in her hand, Mai thought quietly, "Still far from enough."
On the livestream, the feed replayed the earlier battle in slow motion, accompanied by pounding sound effects and on-screen graphics analyzing each shot.
[OMG, that fight was fire!🔥🔥🔥]
[That Blood Panther got hit mid-air! Replay plsss!]
[Mai's shooting is like an aimbot.]
[Knuckle fought hard, but this time the sidekick carried quite a bit.]
[Eh, nothing special. Lilith and Kai have killed plenty like that too.]
[@above Then you go try it.]
[Why should I? Do I have to be a chef to call a dish bad?😏]
[Did you even watch the analysis showing how Mai picked her targets and timed her shots, or are you just talking big?]
[💸 Superchat $200 from Blackfang!Official: Pure cinema.]
[No one's gonna talk about how they zoomed in on the Blackfang logo a little too much? 🤣🤣🤣]
When the feed returned to live, Mai was asking Inferno Knuckle, "Can we hunt a little more?"
Knuckle glanced back, noticing Mai idly toying with a Vorn Core in her hand. "You want to get more Vorn Cores?"
When Mai nodded, he thought for a moment, then rummaged through his tactical pouch, pulling out a handful of Vorn Cores. "I've gotten quite a few already. Take them."
Mai looked grateful but politely refused. "Thank you, but I want to hunt my own."
Knuckle frowned slightly but didn't push it. He simply opened his comms to Solstice. "We'll keep patrolling a bit longer. You guys can rest. No special situation—just want to get some more training in."
[Oh, what a warm-hearted fire boy. 😚]
[That pile of cores could probably be traded for a lot of money. He really meant it when he said to take them.]
[Good thing Mai still has enough decency to refuse.]
[Heard Inferno Knuckle's broke.]
[A registered superhero and still broke?]
[Leveling resources, gear, equipment, weapons—none of that is free.]
[Heard he's from the Outer Wall, so yeah, probably poor.]
[Ah, so he's just some cheap Outer trash. 😏]
[Simps for pretty girls and can't walk straight when he sees one. Hahaha, deserves to be broke.]
[@above Are you calling Mai pretty? 😏]
[Pretty my ass. 😧]
Unaware his background was being dug up in chat, Inferno Knuckle no longer took the lead but instead followed behind Mai, scanning the surroundings. In front of her small frame, he looked like a towering guardian deity. He didn't even need to lift a finger—any monster that came into view was dropped by a single round to the head from Mai.
[Definitely hacking.]
[Reincarnated as a Level 1 Raiser, I'd be invincible.]
[Damn, the script above actually fits this scene.]
[So for Knuckle it's "Reincarnated as a Superhero, I'm Jobless."]
[Hahaha, at least he'd still be a bodyguard. Look at that stance, no different.]
The chat fell silent when a monster twice the size of the earlier ones appeared. The camera zoomed in on Knuckle's face as he suddenly spoke. "Listen, you've probably been taught this at school, but bullets are almost useless against strong monsters."
Knuckle tapped his head. "Bullets can't penetrate their skulls, so Raisers still prioritize melee weapons—you can channel Vorn into them, and if you have superpowers, even better."
Then he pointed to his eyes. "For ones not too strong, bullets can still work if you aim for the eye sockets." He then pointed to his neck. "Or the windpipe. Basically, beast-type ones aren't much different in anatomy from the animals back home—just aim for spots that aren't protected by bone."
The camera cut back to Mai, who simply nodded before pulling the trigger repeatedly. The shot shifted back to the monster just in time to catch blood spurting from its eyes and neck before staggering and collapsing.
[💸 Superchat $200 from Blackfang!Official: And that's the Blackfang MK 2000 SSR.]
[That's insane.]
[Heard the explanation once and nailed it—yep, that's top student for you.]
[Top student in theory only, right?]
[Teacher Knuckle must be proud.]
[From bodyguard to teacher, huh? Hahaha.]
Under the crimson dusk, the sky bled into the forest's edge, staining it gold-orange. Inferno Knuckle and Mai walked along the rocky path, dust clinging thick to their tactical boots. In the distance, thin columns of smoke rose from the camp, melting into the fading sky.
Knuckle, massive in his battle-scarred suit, followed silently behind, eyes sharp as they swept the terrain. Mai, small but steady, walked with unshaken confidence, checking her haul of over a dozen white cores with a satisfied look. Only the wind through brittle shrubs and the crunch of gravel underfoot broke the silence.
Lilith was tending a pot over the campfire, the faint aroma of food drifting through the air. Solstice stood beside her, chatting just loud enough to be heard over the crackle of the fire. A few steps away, Kai methodically polished his blade, each stroke slow and deliberate.
From above, Evermoss descended lightly on her broom. Gentle as always, she collapsed the broom's handle, greeting them with her eyes—likely she had been watching over them from afar.
Knuckle and Mai had just reached the campfire when his comm device lit up with a harsh crackle, forcing through an incoming call.
The urgent voice from headquarters shattered the calm: "Inferno Knuckle, do you copy? Boltcrack is trapped in Pazadonna city. A monster wave has breached the residential area. Situation critical—priority above your current mission. Your F-rank team cannot handle the E-rank boss. Advise immediate withdrawal. Lost Angel's walls will hold until reinforcements arrive."
Lilith looked up from the pot, Kai stopped mid-polish, Evermoss turned toward Knuckle. Solstice gave a small shrug, his tone flat, bored with how this mission kept hitting snags. "Let's pull out. We can't do anything against an E-rank boss."
Knuckle said nothing. His gaze shifted to the dark horizon, where only faint, scattered lights could be seen. His hand tightened on the comm, his jaw flexing.
Then his voice came low, firm: "What about the people outside the walls?"