The atmosphere shifted instantly. The awe in the survivors' eyes curdled into a burning, desperate hunger. They weren't looking at a retail clerk anymore. They were looking at a God.
Lawson stared at the golden "Hammer and Anvil" icon on his phone, his lip twitching. "So... I went from a frontline War God to the world's most overqualified babysitter?"
He ran a hand through his hair, his gaze sharpening. "Esther, look around. No forge, no workshop, no machinery. How am I supposed to 'build' anything? Am I supposed to manifest armor out of thin air?"
Before she could answer, the crowd's remaining patience snapped.
"This is insane! Gamified reality? I'm going home!" A large group of civilians turned and bolted for the exit.
"Idiots," Esther muttered. "They won't believe it until they're being chewed on."
She was a prophet of doom. A second later, a deafening explosion rocked the mall entrance. Screams of agony followed as a fresh wave of Shadow Shifters intercepted the fleeing crowd.
[WARNING: EMERGENCY MISSION TRIGGERED!]
"New wave!" Esther hissed. "Warriors, to the front! Check your mission logs. Fail, and you die."
The six warriors' phones chimed in perfect unison:
Location: Pavilion Mall Exterior
Mission Type: Co-op
Rank: D
Objective: Eliminate Brutes (0/20)
Reward: 200 LP (Linked Points)
"LP is the only currency in this new world," Esther added with a mercenary glint in her eyes. "It's the juice for your armor and the fuel for your upgrades. If you want to live, start earning!"
The exhausted warriors' eyes lit up with primal greed. They turned as one, charging toward the smoke-choked entrance.
Outside, the air was thick with ozone and copper. The six warriors, now synchronized by Lawson's tactical breakdown, were dancing through the Brutes like seasoned pros.
Lawson stood with his hands in his pockets, watching with a critical, surgical eye. "Those six... they might actually be the 'Keys' to this world. With a little polishing, we might actually clear this nightmare."
"Don't be so humble, Lawson," Katie said softly, stepping up beside him. "If they are the keys, you're the Locksmith. You're the only one who can keep them from breaking."
Lawson turned to her, his tone shifting. "By the way, my dear boss... you received the notification too, didn't you? You were a veteran with seven years of service."
Katie hesitated, then turned her screen around. Deep blue data flowed across the glass:
[Legacy Data Verified] > [Inheritance Successful] > [Player Property: SS-Rank Armor — Moon Swift — Ready for Deployment] Lawson's breath hitched. "SS-Rank... why are you standing here?! Deploy it! If Moon Swift hits the field, these grunts won't even be dust in the wind!"
Katie bit her lip. "I... I wanted to..."
BOOM!
A violent tremor cut her off. The ground beneath the six warriors erupted. Dark purple vines, thick with serrated hooks, burst from the concrete, binding the warriors into helpless cocoons.
At the center of the carnage, the vines uncurled like a morbid lotus, revealing a terrifying figure. Lawson's pupils shrank to pinpricks. "No way... Why is an Elite-tier here so early?"
[C-Rank Orc Elite: Brute Priest]
"Stop hesitating! Link now!" Lawson's relaxed posture vanished, replaced by the iron-willed intensity of a commander. "Katie! Moon Swift can crush that thing in seconds! DO IT!"
Katie grit her teeth, her finger trembling as she reached for the [YES] button.
But a millisecond before she touched it—a streak of brilliant orange light, like a falling star, tore through the darkness right past her ear!
SHRED!
The purple vines snapped like dry twigs. The warriors fell to the ground, gasping for air. The dust settled, suppressed by a massive, predatory aura. In the center of the battlefield stood a suit of armor that looked like the apex predator of a steel jungle.
Lawson froze, then his shoulders relaxed. He looked at the hulking orange back of the newcomer and winked at the stunned Katie.
"Looks like your SS-Rank debut has to wait for the next chapter." He grinned with pure arrogance. "Our S-Rank Earth-type... {Tiger Soul}. Dodge has arrived!"
The armor was a masterpiece of savage power. The chest plate was a burning volcanic orange, and each pulse of the core sounded like the low growl of a beast. The helmet—a roaring mechanical tiger head—gripped a tactical visor that glowed with a lethal light.
"S-Rank Warrior: Dodge, entering the fray!" a booming voice thundered from the visor. "Die, Brute Priest! Your core is mine!"
Dodge's muscles flexed, the energy gauges on {Tiger Soul} hitting the redline.
Just as a streak of orange light—Dodge in his {Tiger Soul}—slammed into the field, Lawson didn't just stand back. He stepped toward the nearest wounded warrior, his hand glowing with a golden, tectonic frequency.
"Dodge! He's a C-Rank. Your Tiger Soul's left actuator is 0.4mm out of alignment. If you use 'Tiger Pounce' now, you'll self-destruct!" Lawson shouted over the roar.
Dodge froze in mid-air. "Lawson?! How did you—"
"Shut up and let a professional fix this mess!"
Lawson slammed his palm onto the warrior's shattered gauntlet.
[SSS-Rank Basic Skill: Instant Patch — Logic Overwrite!]
The broken D-Rank armor didn't just repair; it mutated. The metal turned a searing, unstable white.
"D-Rank can't kill a C-Rank?" Lawson sneered at the system prompt.
"Watch me break the level gap."
He looked at the warrior he just 'patched.' "Go. I've unlocked the hidden 'Dev-Mode' stats on your suit. Kill that Priest in one hit."
In that moment, the "Level Gap" ceased to exist.
On the battlefield, that lone warrior seemed possessed by a top-tier professional booster. Using a clunky, basic-tier starter rig, he was forcibly engaging the Brute Priest in a terrifying dance of melee combat.
Every jab, every side-kick was as precise as a surgeon's scalpel.
On the other side, Dodge, in his S-Rank {Tiger Soul}, was standing dazed, caught up in the spectacle. "Wait... that's the 'Perfect Parry' glitch from the 1.0.2 version?!" Dodge's voice crackled through his helmet. "Lawson, you crazy bastard... you're teaching a newbie how to frame-trap a Boss?!"
It wasn't until the Priest let out an enraged roar that Dodge snapped back to reality.
"Oi, Lawson! Don't give all the fun to the grunts! My {Tiger Soul} is itching for a fight!"
Lawson didn't look back, his fingers still dancing on his phone screen. "Then move, Dodge. I've sent the boss's movement data to your HUD. If you miss this strike, don't ever ask me to repair your armor again."
"Damn! Threatening me already? Fine! Take this, you freak!"
The thrusters on {Tiger Soul} back flared to life...