A robust voice replied back, “Been a while, hasn’t it? How was your journey in another world?”
“Amazing. What about you?”
“Okay, I guess. Pretty challenging for these old bones.”
“Haha, you sure about that? I don’t think the shining moon master would be done in like this.”
“I’m... not bald anymore.”
“Seriously?” She spoke up in disbelief. The shining moon (bald head) had hairs now?
“Yeah. Got me a good ole’ wig for a refreshing look.”
“Ohh…”
“Enough chit-chat for now. I’m upgrading my mercenary business into an elite team of ability users and you are free to join.”
Maria shook her head. “No, I can’t join. I’ll look over this house… for a bit more…”
“Young o— I mean that kid is sure to be fine. Believe me. I’ll call all my Scouters to once again look for that girl.”
“Thanks, uncle max.”
“No worries. I was the one who pushed him into this pit.”
“I know. I still curse you for that.”
“I deserve those. Well, call me if you want to join.”
*Beep*
She put down the phone and slouched on the sofa. How could a grown man even think about pushing a nine-year-old to murder someone? Was Max really sane? The question popped in her head, and for this reason, she never bothered to contact him.
She got to her stash of weapons, took out two pistols, and dropped them in her spatial bag. Riding on her favorite all-black two-wheeler, she hunted monsters using guns.
The pitiful 1st class monsters couldn’t survive the onslaught of bullets. Those who did, died under her spear.
The monsters here were divided into two types. The species that spawned naturally from the concentration of mana. They would only be able to evolve by slowly consuming mana and records. Spiera called them ‘Migrants’.
And the second type, ‘Originals’, which mutated from the animals already existing on Earth. Their growth potential was above the ‘Migrants’ and so was their level.
For the next few days, she continued the cycle of shooting monsters left and right. People gave her weird nicknames. Officials approached her to invite her, but she didn’t care.
The levels of monsters she killed ramped up every day, so did the destruction. Deaths piled up. The elites capable of fighting them were only a fraction of the monsters.
This uncharacteristic growth of monsters even worried Spiera. The next trouble she faced was the Ogre, a natural-born 3rd Class monster.
Spiera issued a quest, and Maria complied.
“Draconic force.”
One whisper and one strike of the super sturdy spear to send the horned ogre’s head flying. This weakling gave her no excitement. She wanted one 4th Class monster to fulfill her quest to get her 2nd Class.
The reward gave her +2 in all stats, barely stimulating her stagnant growth.
She dismantled the corpse under the gaze of the media and crowd. A magic stone with swirling mana that could be seen with naked eyes, popped out of its chest, which she put inside the bag and went on her way. The materials and the potential money could go to hell for all she cared.
Following this, a new phenomenon appeared.
Overflow. The monsters sometimes mutated after absorbing the energy from the trap of destruction or simply dungeon. They could freely come out and even use their power to damage reality. Since the mana suddenly spiked in a world after its evolution, the chances of this occurring seemed high.
But, even these monsters posed no threat to her cheat abilities. Her skills also leveled up unlike her level stuck at 49.
Because of the ‘charity’, she left for others. Her national popularity reached sky-high. The social media sites dubbed her ‘Holy lady of death’.
Two more names had enough popularity to rival her own. Sungdaein Bolt, the mysterious man who trashed the monsters everywhere and Empress, the woman with high-level lightning magic. Both names came from Korea.
And today, her frustration shot through the heavens.
Why?
Because it was Valentine! The Normie couples celebrating on the streets made her groan. She holed up in her room, turned up the music, and took a sip of the strongest beer in Japan.
Yet, she couldn’t get drunk. The cool feeling cleared her mind every time she felt dizzy. Her phone rang again and again.
Who else could it be other than Yandere Saintess? She had been ignoring her calls for two months now.
Spiera suddenly pulled her hair. “Maria, there is an emergency! A dungeon break occurred in Japan. You need to help.”
“What is this dungeon break?”
“I forgot you don't know. After the world goes through the second great cataclysm, the traps of destruction break down because of the high concentration of mana. Sometimes, they explode and free all the trapped monsters.”
Maria’s eyes widened a bit as she turned on the television. Every channel reported the monsters wreaking havoc all over Japan.
“But Earth is still at its first great cataclysm, no?”
“Yeah. Heaven miscalculated the abnormality of Earth. I will issue a quest.]
She nodded. Maybe there was a possibility of a 4th Class appearing. Thinking, Maria drove her bike to the Kentarou region, where the monsters popped out of the dungeon.
And the end result was a disappointment. Not a single 3rd class spawned, much less 4th one. Hordes of 1st and 2nd Class monsters fighting the local ability users.
Blood and flesh flew everywhere, the building collapsed under giant monsters’ feet, vehicles exploded, spreading flames everywhere.
Total chaos.
“Damn…”
She whispered and charged into the fray of mobs. Her elegant spear harvested the souls of monsters with no end. Every time her stamina hit rock bottom, the cool feeling rushed through and refreshed every cell of her body. Although it made her hungry quickly.
At the end of the day, she saved the day for the Kentarou region. However, not the whole of Japan. The flying monsters escaped and destroyed more dungeons.
The monsters now appeared even more overwhelming when the 2nd Class ability users were limited.
“I need a way to kill those bastards in the air.”
She could kill them if they gathered in one place, but the numbers were just too high and scattered throughout many regions in Japan. JSFD busted their asses to control the situation. Many clans from different nations arrived to provide reinforcement. If the monsters took over Japan, then the next target would be the closest country and this process would keep repeating until the world ended.
But somehow an unknown factor saved them.
Maria gaped at the video of spears falling from the sky and ending the monsters.
“What the hell is this?”
“It’s another anomaly of Earth. Unlike you, he already achieved his second class.”
“Don’t remind me of that.”
She grumbled, and an abrupt chill covered her body. Her head snapped to the west, and a deep foreboding hit her. Enormous waves of mana hit her. It was unlike anything she saw before.
A massive overflow occurred.
[You have learned the skill [Sixth sense]. Enhances all of your senses.]
“A fourth class monster!”
“No way…” Spiera muttered. “How can a level two hundred monsters appear here? Another traitor...”
Maria ignored Spiera raising flags, fully armed herself with armor, and kick-started the bike.