The Ravager roared.
Its body uncoiled from the crevice like a centipede made of iron and bone, easily five meters long. Spikes ran down its back, and its red eye pulsed like a heartbeat.
[Threat Level: Class C – Multi-phase enemy. Targeting multiple Candidates.]
He gripped his spear.
Beside him, No. 43 raised her bat. It sparked faintly with electricity.
"You have a skill?" he asked.
"Just got it. Shock Impact. Works once per charge. It stuns for two seconds."
"Good. I'll freeze time. You aim for the eye."
The creature hissed again, rearing up.
Distance: 12 meters.Countdown: 3… 2… 1—
"Now."
Freeze.
Time stopped.
He dashed forward—positioned directly under the Ravager's chest—and slammed his frost spear upward, piercing the armor.No. 43 leapt, frozen mid-air, her bat locked mid-swing.
2... 1...
Time resumed.
CRACK.
Her bat struck the exposed core as his spear shattered inside the creature's torso. Electricity surged through the eye. Frost spread like cracks in glass.
The Ravager screamed—a high-pitched, inhuman sound—and thrashed violently. Its body split, then collapsed into molten ash.
Silence.
Both of them panted. Burned. Bleeding.
But alive.
[Enemy Eliminated: Ravager-Class C][+220 EXP – Level Up: 3][Bonus: Team Coordination – +30 EXP][Loot: "Tainted Core Fragment" x1 – Unknown Use]
He stared at the item in his hand. A shard of glowing crystal, pulsating faintly… almost like a heartbeat.
"I think these things were human," No. 43 said quietly. "At some point."
"…What makes you say that?"
She pointed to the ground, where the Ravager had died.Half-buried in the ash—was a human jawbone, with a number etched into the enamel:
#017
They both went still.
[Alert: Tower Signal Strength Increasing – 82%]
A deep hum rolled across the sky.
The Tower of Glass shimmered faintly.Then—just for a moment—it looked back at them.