"Can we really attack?!"

"Idiot! The detector is beeping!"

"But they look like ordinary students..."

It was their first battle.

Despite the tension and panic, they had to move.

"Didn't you hear me?! Targets are irrelevant, young or old. Back out if you're scared, kid."

"No, that's not it!"

A somewhat frail, middle-aged man with a fiery temper stepped out of the car, followed closely by a young man.

"lust do as you're told and get the drugs. That's all that matters."

He clenched his teeth, spat out his cigarette, and activated something on his wrist.

"Ugh..."

A blue ripple emanated from his wrist, gradually enveloping his entire body. It was a reward for his service. Soon, a blue cross began to glow within the nanosuit that now completely covered him.

"Wow..."

"What is that?!"

Ignoring the murmuring crowd, he made a beeline for his target. His breathing was ragged, but he forced himself to ignore it. From a slit in the suit on his thigh, he drew a weapon-an advanced firearm that fired powerful rounds unmatched by typical guns.

'I can do this.'

He took aim at the target. The detector identified a mother and daughter making their way home from the parking lot. He bore no ill will towards these strangers, but to obtain what he coveted, their lives had to end.

"Mom!!"

The trigger was pulled. The high school girl instinctively spun around, her eyes flashing gold as she let out a piercing scream.

"What the?!"

Startled, he squeezed the trigger once more. The bullets sparked against a translucent golden barrier that radiated from the girl, effectively blocking them. Panic ensued around them. There was no time to dawdle.

"Shoot, you idiot!"

He barked at his partner behind him. Thankfully, his partner was quick to respond.

"I don't know!"

As his partner, clad in a similar suit, advanced, he gritted his teeth and aimed the large caliber rifle at the girl. The deafening sound of an armor-piercing round echoed as it was fired. It sliced through the air, only to be halted by her barrier. This time, however, the barrier couldn't hold up. Accompanied by the sound of shattering glass, the barrier broke, and blood splattered everywhere.

He frowned, glancing at the two figures sprawled on the ground.

"Damn it."

The sniper shot had failed. In a split second, the mother had thrown herself in front of her daughter. Now, the girl lay beneath her mother's gruesomely shattered head, muttering in shock.

"Sorry, kid. Your mom died so you could live."

He aimed his pistol at the girl, but he didn't get the chance to pull the trigger.

"Ugh!"

"Run away!"

A large brick, thrown by an unknown hand, struck him directly in the head. His suit protected him from harm. As he staggered in shock, another high school girl helped her terrified friend escape to a nearby building."You bastard!!"

"Eek!"

He hurled a string of curses at his partner for neglecting the distraction. Time was running out. They needed to eliminate the target as quickly as possible before the police arrived.

"Get ready to bolt! We're finishing this and leaving!"

Frustrated with his partner, he stamped the ground. The suit granted him superhuman strength. The built-in AI located the target, who was being supported by her friend in a nearby building.

'How annoying!'

He gritted his teeth, pulled out another weapon, and pursued them. He had already committed murder once. Why would a second time be any more difficult? lust kill. That was his only thought.

*

"Mom... Mom is..."

"I know. I saw it too. But please, get a grip Yoon Ah!"

Kang Do Yeon was barely clinging to her sanity. She dragged the virtually catatonic Oh Yoon Ah as they fled in desperation.

"Help! Murderer! Help!"

"Wha...Eek!"

Do Yeon, climbing the commercial building attached to the apartment complex, screamed for help with all her might. A few people, horrified by the sight of the blood-soaked Yoon Ah, rushed out and hastily dialed for an ambulance and the police.

(At least there are people around.'

Do Yeon felt a brief moment of relief. But that was a naively complacent thought.

"Ahhh!"

"What the...ahh!"

Her eyes trembled violently. The blue-suited freak burst through the third-story window in a single leap, kicking and tossing aside the people in his path.

"Nothing against you, but you gotta die here."

He thrust forward the icy blade extending from his knuckles, which began to glow blue as it drew power.

(No.'

Her endurance finally shattered. She needed to fight back, but her body wouldn't cooperate. Panic surged, her teeth chattered, and her breaths came in ragged gasps.

Her visit here wasn't merely an emotional attempt to save Yoon Ah by verifying the Stigma's reaction. If they discovered Yoon Ah was a Player, her brother Kang Shin Woo would also be in peril. She had to keep Yoon Ah alive and seek assistance from Cha Ji Yeon, who had connections, after encountering a hostile Unit.

"Ah..."

But dying here would make all her efforts futile. Do Yeon, collapsing to the floor, let out a soft sigh as the blue light advanced towards her.

"Gah..."

"Do...Yeon."

Just as the blade was about to cleave her, the assailant was hurled away by a powerful shockwave. Somehow, the pale and trembling Yoon Ah, clutching a peculiar wand, was by her side.

"Let' s...escape."

Their eyes locked, and they nodded in unison. Complacency was no longer an option.

'This is war.'

Do Yeon gritted her teeth, using her superior physical abilities to hoist Yoon Ah higher up the building. There were multiple emergency exits; they just needed to hide and slip away unnoticed."You're not getting away."

"Kyaa!"

The enemy was formidable. Despite her efforts to secure the emergency exit, his plasma blade easily sliced through the thick steel door.

"Ahh...ahh!"

In that moment, Do Yeon threw a desperate punch at the distracted enemy's open face. Her small fist connected with a solid thud.

"Ugh!"

The suit shuddered under the force of the impact. Ignoring her magically enhanced strength had been a costly mistake; he was momentarily blinded.

"Just...hang on! I'll try something!"

Yoon Ah dispelled the imbued magic in her wand, activating another spell. Simultaneously, Do Yeon delivered a fierce knee to the enemy's groin. The enemy screamed, clutching his vitals, appearing vulnerable. A glimmer of hope emerged.

[Initiating Auto-Retaliation]

Until now.

"Huh?"

Just as she confidently threw another punch, something flew, spurting blood. Her face was sprayed with the warm liquid. She inhaled sharply. It was her arm, still covered by her sailor uniform sleeve.

"Ah..."

Before she could even comprehend her severed arm, her body collapsed. The kneecap on her heavily kicked leg couldn't withstand the impact and tore off, spraying more blood. The suit's cross-eyes now glowed a menacing red.

"Sorry, Do Yeon..."

As she watched her fall, Yoon Ah murmured numbly, cancelling the spell. The price of this cancellation was an overload. The potent energy, condensed through Yoon Ah's sacrificial decision, exploded uncontrollably towards the enemy.

*

[The legion had chosen to strategically retreat. They didn't die even when killed, and their combat ability was outstanding.]

"But shouldn't we keep pressuring them?"

[Correct. This battle was merely a test of each other's strength. Next time...]

His voice trailed off.

Suddenly, my phone rang. I considered ignoring it, assuming it was spam, but picked up anyway. If it was suspicious, I could just hang up.

"Hello, who is..."

I froze mid-sentence, hearing the frantic shouting from the other end. Despite the urgent pleas to hurry to the hospital, I remained rooted in place. When I finally snapped out of it, I found myself in a taxi headed there, with no recollection of how I got there.

"How...how could this..."

[Get a hold of yourself. It's a dangerous situation.]

A dangerous situation? Of course, it was dangerous! My worst fear had materialized, and panic had seized me, making it impossible to calm down.

"But what's the point? This is the second time for me. My father went the same way. If I lose her too, I...I can't bear it."

A hollow laugh escaped me. Was this really happening? My sister, lying unconscious before me, was barely breathing. She had lost her limbs and her face too. Her condition was even

more severe than Yoon Ah's, who was in a coma. The horrific sight made my eyes tremble uncontrollably.

[No, you can do it.]

"What..."

[Look at the screen. And believe. In the legion, your creation.]

The view flipped to the lowest level of the labyrinth, our origin, where the brain of the legion resided.

[The legion wants to repay you.]

There, the assembled legion units stood solemnly. Their red lights seemed to stare straight at me through the screen.