Fletcher dashed with extraordinary velocity, the force of his movement creating a gust of wind that pushed against his frame, in a fleeting moment he was already upon team 3, who remained embroiled in their heated argument, oblivious to his sudden arrival.

“Wtf* is this?” Fletcher looked at the people in front of him in bewilderment.

Binna was the first to notice the arrival of a stranger, immediately sounding the alarm. "Who are you?" she demanded, prompting the rest of the team to turn their attention toward Fletcher.

"My dear young lady, where are your manners? Isn't it rather impolite to intrude upon my domain and fire off questions without introducing yourselves first?" Fletcher retorted with a hint of sarcasm, feigning a nonchalant demeanor even as he internally assessed his opponents he could see two awakened individuals, one wreathed in flame and the other resembling a human-werewolf hybrid.

"She asked you a question. You better answer her now," Dylan growled, his tone brimming with intensity.

Fletcher scoffed, it was truly amusing having these brats glare at him like that.

"Well, that was almost convincing. But there's not enough conviction behind it. Try again, and this time, put some gusto into it," Fletcher remarked, sensing their urgency and inexperience, and relishing the opportunity to toy with them.

Dylan scanned his surroundings, incredulous at the unfolding events. "What's wrong with this fool?" he muttered, ensuring that the others were witnessing the same phenomenon.

"Let's just take him down and sort it out later," Roberto growled, his preference for brute force evident as he launched himself towards Fletcher. With a powerful push against the ground, Roberto propelled his massive frame forward, his claws poised to strike. Yet, in a bizarre turn of events, Fletcher vanished from his spot just as Roberto's attack was about to connect. Confusion clouded Roberto's mind as his vision blurred and his thoughts ceased, his head rolling away from his decapitated body.

From Fletcher's perspective

Time seemed to slow as he swiftly evaded Roberto's attack, his body moving with supernatural speed. In a single fluid motion, he swung his axe, severing Roberto's head from his shoulders with effortless precision.

From the perspective of the other team members

Roberto's assault inexplicably missed its mark, and moments later, his head detached from his body, leaving them stunned in the eerie silence.

"AAAAAAAHHHH!" Emily's piercing scream shattered the silence, jolting her teammates out of their stupor.

"GET IN FORMATION NOW!" Dylan barked, his commands snapping his teammates into action. With practiced precision, he hurled his flames towards Fletcher, while Luke activated his abilities and positioned himself at the forefront, prepared to shield his comrades from harm. Meanwhile, Binna and Emily remained poised at the rear, ready to provide support when needed.

Fletcher effortlessly evaded the incoming flames, finding his opponents lacking in skill and agility. With his attributes for agility maxed out at 8, their movements seemed sluggish and predictable

Fletcher's axe was poised to strike Dylan down, but before the blow could land, a blur of movement intercepted him. With lightning speed, a figure emerged, wielding a knife to deflect Fletcher's axe, while simultaneously a silenced gun appeared, unleashing a barrage of bullets that forced Fletcher to stagger backward.

It was Major, finally revealing himself after lurking in the shadows. Tasked with protecting the recruits, he refused to let another member fall under his watch. Major flashed his Foster Lab Elite member badge, surprising the remaining members of Team 3.

"Retreat immediately. Return to base and don't look back," Major commanded with authority, his voice leaving no room for argument.

Dylan's eyes gleamed with admiration at the sight of the elite badge, a symbol of his ultimate goal to become an elite member. The others shared in his surprise as they beheld the emblem.

“We can help you, we can fight him together,” Dylan eagerly proposed, his determination shining through.

"He's not an opponent you're prepared to face. Your presence will only impede me. I can't guarantee your safety while battling him. This is an order leave NOW," Major reiterated firmly.

Reluctantly, Dylan and the others complied with Major's directive, retreating from the battlefield with heavy hearts., they wanted to fight and revenge their fallen teammate.

Major scrutinized Fletcher, appraising him from head to toe. With a decisive gesture, he discarded his trench coat, revealing the arsenal concealed beneath.

Gun holsters brimming with armor-piercing ammo clips, accompanied by two combat knives. In a calm tone, Major remarked, "Impressive. You appear more than capable. Coming here wasn't a waste of time after all."

Ignoring Major's words, Fletcher's gaze remained fixed on the fleeing members of Team 3.

"Don't even think about it," Major warned, leveling his gun at Fletcher.

Taking action, Major unleashed a barrage of bullets aimed at Fletcher's head, simultaneously closing the distance between them. Undeterred, Fletcher utilized his metallic right hand as a shield, deflecting the bullets. As Major closed in, he switched to his combat knives, executing a series of expert strikes aimed at stabbing, slashing, and disarming his adversary. Yet Fletcher proved to be a formidable opponent, skillfully defending against Major's onslaught and matching him move for move.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

After several exchanges, both combatants staggered backward, eyeing each other warily. This skirmish served as a mere test, a means to assess each other's strength.

Major had already noticed Fletcher's bracelet.

Major deduced that Fletcher had likely upgraded his attributes. Despite having maximized his own agility and strength stats, Major could sense from their brief exchange that his opponent's stats exceeded his own.

Major’s stat window :

Race : Human (awakened)

Height : 6.0 f weight : 165 p

Strength : 5

Agility : 7 (+2 max value = 7)

Vitality : 4.5

Intelligence : 2.9 (+1 max value = 6)

HP : 45 / 45 ( 1 Vit = 10 HP )

MP : 29 / 29 (1 Int = 10 MP)

Abilities

Danger sense : ( the ability to perceive upcoming danger 1 MP = 1 minute)

Enhancements

Improved Brain receptors ( +1 Intelligence +2 Agility)

Fletcher's eyes caught sight of the bracelet adorning Major's wrist, eliciting a smile from him. 'Finally, I'm fighting someone with boosted attributes, this will be exciting, and I can test my strength properly' he thought, anticipation coursing through his veins.

Once more, the two adversaries clashed, their movements swift and fluid. Sparks erupted as their weapons met, the resounding clash reverberating through the forest. Despite their best efforts, they remained evenly matched, neither able to gain the upper hand. Each strike was met with a swift counter, resulting in only minor cuts and slashes, with neither combatant dealing a decisive blow.

Major unleashed a chain of strikes, not giving his opponents any room to relax, this style of knife combat fighting is designed to overwhelm the opponent by the sheer amount of intricate patterns of attacks, staying at 45° degree and using angels to find the gaps in his opponent’s defense.

'This is not good if I didn't have my Danger sense ability, I wouldn't be able to keep up with him, how high are this guy's stats? to not only be faster but stronger than me' Major thought internally he was at his wit's end, no matter what move or trick he tried he couldn't land a hit on his opponent.

Fletcher found it relatively easy to deal with his opponent thanks to his advantage in attributes, but he started to get agitated that he could not cause any damage to Major, even when he used the blink attack ability his opponent would somehow dodge in the last minute.

Fletcher contemplated in frustration 'What a weird feeling, each time I'm about to finish him, he somehow avoids it, like he knows what my next move is, I'm sure my agility and strength are higher than him but he is like a slippery fish, I can't grab hold of him'.

The battle raged on between Major and Fletcher, their weapons clashing with sparks flying in all directions. Major could feel the weariness setting in as the fight seemed to stretch on endlessly. Determined to end it, he made a bold decision.

With a fierce determination, Major unleashed a barrage of bullets from his guns, each shot aimed with precision to keep Fletcher on the defensive. Though the bullets weren't enough to bring down a foe like Fletcher, they still inflicted considerable damage, thanks to their armor-piercing nature.

As Fletcher scrambled to defend himself, Major seized the opportunity to make his move. With a swift motion, he hurled a mysterious cylinder object towards his opponent, its purpose hidden in the midst of battle.

Fletcher's keen senses caught sight of the incoming projectile, but he couldn’t get away in time, so he launched his axe in a desperate attempt to intercept it. The two objects collided with a resounding clang, mere meters away from Fletcher.

But it was too late.

The cylinder erupted in a massive explosion, engulfing Fletcher in a blazing inferno. With a roar of agony, Fletcher was sent hurtling through the forest, his body crashing into trees with bone-jarring force.

Before the explosion enveloped Fletcher, he had successfully used his full body metallization to barely protect himself from the explosion. Still, it burned most of the outer skin of his body, on top of that it cost him a whopping 50 MP, and adding the few blink attacks he attempted, he was running low on MP, right now he only had 12 MP left, and he needed to find a way to grab hold of this slippery opponent otherwise he might lose this battle and his life.

The explosion had rent the earth asunder, leaving behind a gaping crater that bore testament to the devastating power of the bomb. As the dust settled, the silhouette of a fallen body lay motionless amidst the debris. With cautious steps, Major approached the lifeless form of Fletcher.

There was no hint of movement from Fletcher, his body devoid of emotion as if frozen in time by the deadly blast. Major knew all too well the lethality of the cylinder plasma bomb, a weapon reserved for only the most elite of fighters. Developed by Foster Labs, it was a last resort, a desperate measure to ensure the safety of their elite awakened.

"It's over," Major declared triumphantly, his voice echoing through. With a swift motion, he lunged forward, aiming his gleaming knife at Fletcher's chest. But just as the blade penetrated through Fletcher’s skin.

Major's senses screamed warnings, and his muscles tensed with anticipation.

"Got you" But Fletcher was ready. With a smirk, he activated his Electric charge ability to its fullest extent. A surge of crackling energy engulfed him, coursing through his veins and into the very air around him. Major's eyes widened in shock as the electric current surged through his body, causing him to convulse uncontrollably.

With calculated precision, Fletcher had baited Major into dropping his guard, feigning unconsciousness. And as Major foolishly moved in for the kill, Fletcher struck with all the force of his remaining MP.

A brilliant arc of lightning shot forth from Fletcher, enveloping Major in a web of crackling energy. The once formidable warrior was rendered helpless, his body paralyzed by the overwhelming force of Fletcher's attack.

With a final, decisive blow, Fletcher swung his axe, cleaving through Major's neck with ease. The severed head tumbled to the ground, its lifeless eyes staring blankly into the darkness of the night. And with that, the battle of elites ended.