Ss watched the group of women stagger as they caught their breath after fending off the swarm of Grade 1 bees. Their shoulders rose and fell with each heavy breath, eyes cast downward as they fought off exhaustion. Only when he saw they had steadied themselves did he step forward.


    "You''re all looking pretty worn out," hemented, a hint of amusement in his tone. "And this is only the beginning."


    "Besides, I noticed something—you don''t have a healer."


    Ava, the group''s  leader, lifted her head, wiping the sweat from her forehead with the back of her sleeve.


    "That''s part of the challenge they gave us," she replied with a weary edge to her voice. "The higher-ups want us to raid this realm without relying on a healer." She managed a bitterugh, ncing at the others, who nodded in solidarity. "And as for our stamina...well, what do you expect from a bunch of Grade 1s?" Her gaze drifted to the ground, voice softening as the weight of her words sank in.


    Ss raised an eyebrow, a glint of incredulity in his eyes. "So you all knew you weren''t strong enough to take on a Grade 2 realm, yet you agreed anyway?"


    Ava''s eyes shed, and her jaw clenched.


    "What choice do we have, Ss?" she snapped, her voice raw with desperation and anger. "We need this job. Bing staff here isn''t just a paycheck—it''s survival."


    She took a step closer, her voice trembling. "My mother''s lying in a hospital bed, fighting for her life after a Vroomtant attacked her. My aunt is struggling to save enough tokens to join an academy, and my little brother..." She paused, taking a shaky breath as her voice wavered. "He''s sick too. We all have people depending on us." She swallowed, her eyes misting over as she held his gaze, the fierce determination in her expression unmistakable.


    "I knew the risk, but I''m willing to take it. If I fail, I''ll lose everything."


    Ss stood silent, listening. Though his face betrayed nothing, a faint glimmer of empathy stirred within him. He understood—he had once known that desperation, that willingness to push beyond his limits.


    Find adventures on empire


    Ava blinked, looking away as she bit her lip topose herself. "Sorry for...venting," she muttered, rubbing at the lone tear slipping down her cheek. "I just get carried away sometimes."


    Ss nodded slowly, his gaze steady. "No need to apologize."


    She managed a faint, grateful smile and lightly tapped his shoulder before turning back to the group, rallying them with a resolute nod. They gathered their supplies, and the group continued onward, moving cautiously down the deste street.


    Around them, debris littered thendscape, and the wreckage of machines—scarred by rust and w marks—rose like skeletal remnants of a forgotten battlefield.


    "Look." Anita, one of the group members, pointed to a massive, jagged w mark etched into a machine''s metal frame.


    "There''s a mutant nearby," Shirley added, her voice taut with tension.


    "Keep your guard up," Avamanded, her tone steady butced with urgency. The group moved forward, their eyes darting around in wary anticipation, searching every shadow. Ss followed a few steps behind, his gaze focused, as he felt a prickling awareness of the mutant''s presence growing stronger.


    After several minutes, they finally spotted the creature lurking in the distance. The mutant stood low on all fours, its stance like a predator lying in wait.


    It resembled a lion but with twisted features—its head was too small, snake-like, with gleaming, predatory eyes. Its massive body loomed asrge as a car, and a sinuous, de-tipped tailshed behind it, leaving grooves in the ground. Two dagger-like fangs protruded from its mouth, gleaming under the sparse light.


    A red notification screen flickered above the creature, illuminating its vital details.


    [Name: Kepromec]


    [Grade: 2]


    Ss studied the notification with his usual calm detachment, his gaze shifting from the creature to hispanions. Their faces were pale, beads of sweat forming anew on their brows as they gripped their weapons tightly. Fear was etched into their expressions, but none of them moved. Their stances stiffened, their eyes locked on Kepromec, each woman ready to stand her ground despite the sheer terror in her eyes.


    ''They''re brave,'' Ss mused, a trace of admiration softening his gaze. ''They know exactly what they''re up against, yet they''re still prepared to fight.''


    The mutant let out a low, bone-chilling growl that vibrated through the air, then burst forward with terrifying speed. Its roar, raw and feral, echoed around them, and Ava''s voice sliced through the tension.


    "Attack! Pin it to the floor!" she shouted, her voice strained butmanding. At her signal, the group unleashed an ice attack in unison, a frosty wave spreading out like a creeping storm across the ground toward the charging mutant.


    Their aim was to immobilize Kepromec''s legs, freezing it in ce. But as the ice encased its ws, the creature shattered it effortlessly, slicing through the frost with a single swipe and hurtling forward with undiminished speed.


    "Damn it!" Ava''s eyes widened with panic as she cursed. "Another round! Hit it again!"


    They fired another barrage of ice, more intense this time, but Kepromec''s ws tore through it just as easily. Unstoppable, it closed in, its twisted maw stretched into a menacing snarl.


    Within striking range, Kepromecshed out with its ded tail. The vicious tail whipped through the air at a blinding speed. Desperately, thedies formed a makeshift wall of ice to block the assault. The tail struck it with a thunderous crack, splintering the ice barrier instantly, and continued its deadly arc.


    **SLASH!**


    The tail sliced cleanly across Anita''s chest, the force throwing her backward. She crashed against a rusted machine, crumpling to the ground in a heap, her chest oozing blood. Shey still, limbs twisted at unnatural angles, breathing raggedly as pain contorted her face.


    The rest of the group, eyes wide with shock, barely registered her fall. They continued their assault on Kepromec, though their attacks grew weaker. Ss moved swiftly to Anita''s side, dropping to one knee to inspect her injuries.


    The gash across her chest wasn''t fatal, but it was deep, and her body had taken significant trauma from the impact. Broken bones, no doubt. Ss''s gaze softened as he whispered to her, "You''ll be alright. Just hang in there."


    Around them, the sounds of battle dulled, reced by heavy thuds as one by one, the others copsed, thrown back by Kepromec''s relentless onught. Ss''s gaze snapped up, scanning the scene. The rest of the teamy scattered, bloodied and exhausted, barely able to move a muscle.


    Ss moved to Ava''s side, whoy slumped against the ground, bruised and bloodied, a tear streaking down her dirt-stained face. She looked up at him, her lips quivering as she tried to speak.


    "No...I can''t...I can''t fail," she whispered hoarsely, voice breaking with each syble. Her hands trembled as she tried to push herself up, though her body protested with searing pain. "I need this job...my family...they''re counting on me…"


    Ss knelt beside her, a hand on her shoulder, urging her to lie back down.


    "Rest," he said, his voice cool and steady. "You''re injured, and you''ve pushed yourself past your limit. If you keep going, you''ll only end up getting yourself killed."


    Ava''s eyes filled with fresh tears as she held his gaze, her voice barely a whisper. "But... I can''t...fail. I have to..."


    His gaze darkened, and his voice took on a chilling undertone as he leaned closer, eyes gleaming with intensity. "Are you absolutely certain, Ava? You need to clear this realm, to get that job, to save your mother? You''re willing to risk everything?"


    Her lips trembled as she answered, her voice soft but filled with conviction. "Yes...I am."


    "Then say the word," Ss said, his voice a low, dangerous whisper. "Say the word, and I''ll help you."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om