Dave was standing at the edge of a vast, desolate plain, gazing at the flickering lights in the distance—Eldoria, a country said to be one of the last major strongholds for superhumans. His system interface hovered in front of him, showing detailed information about his targets. He took a deep breath as the numbers ran through his mind: dozens of Rank A superhumans, several S ranks, and even a few SS+. But then, a new notification appeared, one that made him pause.
System Notification: Warning!
Host should be aware—an SSS-ranked superhuman has been detected within Eldoria. Exercise extreme caution.
Dave narrowed his eyes. An SSS-ranked superhuman? He had barely reached SS+ himself, and already, the stakes were higher than ever before. This was no ordinary mission—it was a battlefield where a single mistake could mean death.
'No backing down now,' Dave thought to himself, the weight of the task settling on his shoulders. He flexed his fingers, his body crackling with energy. His mind sharpened as he prepared to face Eldoria's elite.
"Stay close, Aurora," he said, glancing down at the little girl by his side. She nodded quietly, her eyes wide with curiosity but no fear. She had been with him for only a short time, yet she felt like a part of his world now. A world filled with bloodshed and violence, but one where he would protect her no matter what.
Dave activated his teleportation ability and instantly appeared at the edge of the city's defenses. The city was bustling, full of life, but beneath its surface lay a dark undercurrent of superhuman activity. His targets were scattered throughout the city, hidden among civilians, but the system would guide him. One by one, he would hunt them down.
System Notification: Host, first target detected. Rank A.
His first battle began swiftly. A Rank A superhuman, wielding the power of manipulating soundwaves, emerged from the shadows, attacking Dave with a deafening blast. The air around Dave rippled as the sonic waves approached, threatening to tear apart his eardrums and disable his senses.
Dave barely flinched. With a flick of his wrist, a force field materialized around him, absorbing the impact. He dashed forward with lightning speed, closing the distance between them in the blink of an eye. His fist connected with the superhuman's chest, and the sound manipulator crumpled to the ground before he could react.
"Next," Dave muttered, moving forward without hesitation. He continued hunting, taking down multiple superhumans with ruthless efficiency. Some had the power of fire, some manipulated elements like water and earth, but none could withstand the sheer overwhelming force of Dave's attacks. His rank may have been SS+, but his combat prowess was unmatched.
It wasn't long before he found himself face-to-face with one of Eldoria's stronger defenders—a Rank SS superhuman who had the ability to manipulate gravity. The man hovered in the air above Dave, the ground around them trembling as the gravitational field intensified. Buildings cracked, the earth quaked, and people screamed in terror as the forces threatened to crush everything around them.
The Rank SS superhuman smirked, confident in his ability to pin Dave down. "You think you can stop me, outsider? This is Eldoria, and I am its protector!" he yelled as the gravity around Dave increased to unbearable levels.
For a moment, Dave felt the weight crushing him. His knees buckled slightly under the force, but then, with a grunt, he activated his own abilities. He countered the gravity with his matter manipulation power, stabilizing the space around him. He pushed back against the pressure, rising to his full height.
"Protector? You don't protect anyone. You're just another monster," Dave growled before launching himself at the man. The battle was brutal, with Dave dodging and weaving through waves of gravity, his muscles straining against the crushing force. But soon, he overpowered the SS-rank superhuman with a devastating punch, sending him crashing into the earth.
As the dust settled, Dave stood victorious over the defeated enemy, his body barely winded. His attention flickered to Aurora, who had stayed back, watching the entire scene unfold. For a brief moment, as he glanced at her, something strange caught his eye. She wasn't just watching passively; it looked like she had been following his movements—every quick dash, every punch, every intricate maneuver, almost as if she could track him.
Dave frowned, shaking his head slightly. 'No way... My speed is too fast for her to follow,' he thought, brushing off the unsettling feeling. 'She's just a kid... it must've been my imagination.'
He turned back to the battlefield, refocusing on the task at hand. There was no time to dwell on strange thoughts. He still had targets to eliminate, and the most dangerous superhuman in Eldoria—the SSS rank—was still out there somewhere, waiting.
As the day grew darker, Dave's eyes gleamed with a mix of determination and unease. The fight had only just begun.