Chapter 8: The Guild’s Response to an A-Rank Threat

A grim resolve settled upon Leaf Su’s face.

With the monster names and even the bugs aligning perfectly with his company’s game, Leaf Su realized, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he had either been transported into the very game he was currently debugging, or into an alternate world intrinsically linked to it.

Did this imply that many creatures within this world had already transcended their original designs, now wielding abilities born of glitches and bugs?

Just like the demonic entity now locked in a tense standoff with Fiona on the bustling street.

Possessing a skill that granted 100% damage reduction, any assault against it would be utterly nullified, akin to mere tickling.

The humanoid demon’s movements had grown sluggish, ensnared by Fiona’s [Blood Prison]. While it remained utterly unharmed, the decelerating effect of the skill had already taken hold when its body was previously cleaved.

“Human, it is futile,” the demon, now masquerading as the proprietress, rasped, its voice like the creak of desiccated, rotting wood, sending shivers down the spine. “My body has been blessed by the gods; no attack, no matter how potent, shall ever avail.”

The surrounding populace, gripped by an even greater terror, immediately scattered, fleeing in every direction.

“Run for your lives!” one shrieked. “A demon has breached the city walls! What in the blazes are those good-for-nothing mercenaries at the Guild even doing?”

“Oh, heavens, don’t hog the path!”

“You goddamn move, get out of my way, don’t shove me!”

Indeed, it was a stark truth: when humanity was plunged into crisis, its myriad baser instincts inevitably surfaced.

Concurrently, a piercing alarm blared through the Adventurers’ Guild, a dire warning reserved solely for the detection of formidable demonic entities.

The middle-aged branch master, who had been placidly tacking new quests onto the bulletin board moments before, saw his expression abruptly shift. He swiftly barked orders at his subordinates, instructing them to ascertain the demon’s exact location.

“It’s in the residential district, directly to the west! The magical concentration has reached… reached A-class! It’s an A-class demon!” The young woman at the counter, her face contorted in disbelief, relayed the information, her gaze fixed on the direction indicated by the detection device.

“All adventurers C-rank and above, follow me to assess the situation!” the branch master bellowed, emerging from his chambers, now fully armored. “C-rank adventurers, focus on civilian evacuation! B-rank and higher, you will join me in confronting this A-rank demon!” He was clad in battle armor that shimmered with a fierce crimson light, wielding a colossal, three-meter-long axe forged from the formidable skeleton of a magical beast, reinforced with metal.

Upon hearing the branch master’s decisive command, the assembled adventurers nodded in immediate assent.

Throughout this world, guilds were ubiquitous, established in every nation. While they enjoyed the benefits of national subsidies, their primary duty was to safeguard the populace and repel demonic incursions whenever such threats arose.

Naturally, these duties were compensated; participants in such emergency missions received both remuneration and official commendations from the state, thereby securing both fame and fortune.

In an instant, dozens of adventurers surged forth from the guild hall: forty-four C-rank adventurers, ten B-rank adventurers, and a single A-rank adventurer – none other than the branch master, who spearheaded the charge.

Having frequently undertaken missions, many of these individuals were well-acquainted with one another. It was, after all, common practice for adventurers of similar rank to form teams, fostering a wealth of cooperative experience among them.

They swiftly organized into various smaller teams, each commencing their assigned duties.

The B-rank adventurers, alongside the branch master, immediately set off, hastening towards the demon’s reported location.

Propelled by their robust physiques, these eleven individuals rapidly reached the scene. There, they found most of the nearby houses extensively damaged, with several areas ablaze, testament to the ferocity of the ongoing battle.