Rudy punched through a C-rank monster, its body disintegrating into ash before it even hit the ground. He glanced at the scoreboard he'd conjured mid-battle—a floating display of glowing numbers that tracked their kills.
Rudy: 12,340
Triss: 12,310
"Still trailing, huh?" Rudy teased, wiping imaginary sweat from his brow.
Triss rolled her eyes, her fists moving in a blur as she obliterated a B-rank monster with a series of rapid strikes. "Don't get cocky, rookie. I'm just warming up."
"Warming up? We've been at this for an hour."
"And yet you're only 30 points ahead. Pathetic."
Rudy smirked. "Careful, Triss. Your jealousy is showing."
"Jealousy? Please. I'm just saving my energy for the real challenge."
The competition escalated quickly. What started as a friendly challenge turned into a full-blown rivalry as they began stealing each other's kills.
Rudy lunged at a pack of A-rank wolven hybrids, his fist glowing with energy—but Triss was faster. She dropped from the sky like a cot, her landing obliterating the entire swarm before Rudy could even land a hit.
Triss: 300
"My kill," she said, brushing imaginary dust off her hands.
"Cheap shot," Rudy grumbled.
"Says the guy who 'accidentally' shoulder-checked out of the way of my SS-rank hydra five minutes ago."
"It was about to bite you!"
"It was stunned!"
Rudy retaliated by sprinting past her at blinding speed, snatching a towering S-rank golem's core—her target—right before she could land the final blow.
Rudy: 500
"Oops," he said, pocketing the glowing crystal. "I thought it was a big boulder?"
Triss's eye twitched. "You're cheating."
"How? I'm just using speed and strength, like we agreed."
"You're annoying, that's what you are."
"I'll take that as a complint."
Suddenly, a deafening roar shook the earth. The ground split, and a colossal SSS-rank drake erupted—a twisted fusion of scales and molten lava, its rank glowing crimson in the haze. Its sheer size dwarfed the previous monsters, and its aura alone sent tremors through the portal.
WARNING: BOSS SPAWN IMMINENT
They froze, shoulders brushing as they stared up at the monstrosity.
"Truce?" Triss muttered, her spatial earring flickering as she summoned her gauntlet.
"Truce," Rudy agreed, cracking his knuckles. "But I'm landing the final hit."
"In your dreams, rookie."
They moved in sync, a chaotic ballet of fists and fury. Triss's gauntlet humd to life, its energy crackling as she unleashed devastating blasts at the drake's weak points. Each strike landed with precision, cratering the beast's armor and sending chunks of molten scales flying.
Rudy weaved through the drake's attacks, his movents so fluid they defied physics—snapping spines, shattering joints, laughing as magma splattered his shirt.
"Having fun?" Triss yelled over the drake's bellows.
"Best date ever!" Rudy ducked a molten claw, retaliating with a roundhouse kick that sent the beast staggering.
"This isn't a date!"
"Could've fooled !"
The drake reared, preparing a cataclysmic breath attack—but Triss charged her gauntlet to full power, unleashing a concentrated blast of energy that tore through the creature's chest. The drake roared in agony, its body collapsing in a heap of molten scales.
Triss: 10,000 (SSS-rank boss)
Triss: 22,635
"My kill," she said, blowing imaginary smoke off her gauntlet.
The first SSS-rank drake's carcass still smoldered on the ground when the air grew heavy again. The ground trembled, and a low, guttural growl echoed through the portal. Rudy and Triss exchanged a glance, their playful banter montarily replaced by wary focus.
"Another one?" Triss muttered, her gauntlet still crackling with residual energy.
"Looks like it."
The ground split open, and a massive SSS-rank Behemoth erged—a grotesque fusion of stone and flesh, its body covered in jagged spikes and glowing runes. Its eyes burned with malevolent intelligence, and its roar sent shockwaves through the air, knocking both Rudy and Triss back a step.
WARNING: SECOND BOSS SPAWN IMMINENT
The Behemoth wasted no ti. It slamd its massive fists into the ground, sending jagged spikes of stone shooting toward them. Rudy and Triss dodged in opposite directions, the spikes narrowly missing them.
"It's got range!" Rudy called out, sprinting toward the Behemoth's flank.
"No kidding!" Triss replied, leaping into the air and firing a concentrated blast from her gauntlet. The energy struck the Behemoth's shoulder, shattering a chunk of its stone armor but barely slowing it down.
The Behemoth roared, its runes glowing brighter as it summoned a swarm of molten rocks from the ground. The rocks hovered for a mont before launching themselves at Triss like homing missiles.
"Incoming!" Rudy shouted, deflecting the rocks with a shockwave from his punch.
"Thanks," Triss said, though her tone suggested she didn't need the help.
"Don't ntion it," Rudy replied, already darting toward the Behemoth again.
The Behemoth swung its massive arm, aiming to crush Rudy, but he ducked under the blow and delivered a powerful uppercut to its elbow. The force of the punch shattered the joint, causing the Behemoth to stagger.
"Nice hit!" Triss called out, landing on the Behemoth's back and driving her gauntlet into its spine. The energy blast tore through its armor, but the Behemoth retaliated by slamming itself backward into the ground, forcing Triss to leap off to avoid being crushed.
"This thing's tougher than the last one," Rudy noted, dodging another barrage of stone spikes. "Well, I would have been disappointed if it died in one hit."
"Yeah," Triss said, her gauntlet charging up again. "But it's not invincible."
The Behemoth roared, its runes glowing brighter as it prepared a devastating attack. The ground around it began to lt, forming a pool of molten lava. The air grew unbearably hot, and the Behemoth's body started to glow with intense heat.
"It's going nuclear!" Triss yelled, her gauntlet sparking as she prepared to unleash another blast.
"Not on my watch," Rudy said, his expression turning serious. He dashed forward, his speed a blur as he closed the distance between himself and the Behemoth.
The Behemoth swung its massive arm, but Rudy ducked under it, delivering a series of rapid punches to its chest. Each strike landed with enough force to crack its stone armor, but the Behemoth wasn't going down easily.
Triss joined the fray, firing a concentrated blast from her gauntlet that struck the Behemoth's head, montarily stunning it. "Now's your chance!" she shouted.
Rudy didn't need to be told twice. He leaped into the air, his fist glowing with energy as he channeled all his strength into a single, devastating punch. The impact shattered the Behemoth's chest, sending cracks radiating through its body.
The Behemoth let out a final, deafening roar before collapsing into a heap of molten stone and flesh.
Rudy: 10,000 (SSS-rank boss)
Rudy: 22,840
Triss: 22,635
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