It has been 40 years since the world transformed into a game-like state.
Dungeons began to appear out of nowhere, and monsters started emerging out of them.
Humanity tried to stand against them, but all their resistance was futile, and they faced utter destruction.
In the midst of hopelessness, people with abilities and superpowers began to emerge, known as 'Players.' They combined their strengths and saved humanity from annihilation.
In order to stabilize the society and keep the monster in check, players created many organizations.
Echelon is also one of those organizations. However, unlike others, it does not need permission to raid any dungeon and can occupy any base, but it can only act in emergency situations.
A man in his thirties with blonde hair and a formal dress knocked on the door.
“Sir, it’s Lucien. May I come in?” he asked respectfully.
"Yes, come in."
As soon as he entered the room, he felt a sudden change in pressure.
'I still can't get used to it.'
An old man with huge built, who could be mistaken for his age if not for white hair and beard, turned his attention from outside scenery to Lucien and asked
"You look tense. Did something happen?"
".....Yes sir." After a pause, Lucien replied in a sad tone while glancing at the report in his hand.
"Why? What happened?" The old man asked with serious expression.
Instead of replying, Lucien handed over the report to him. The old man scanned the report with his eyes, his brows furrowing and his lips tightening. He felt a surge of anger and disbelief as he read the grim news.
"Where is Ethan?" He asked with grim expression.
"There was a gate break in Dwebber city–and his team was tasked to eliminate the monster."
"Contact him as soon he's done."
"Yes, sir. "
This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.
------------------
[Dwebber city-outer area]
"Sir, goblins are approaching from East and orcs from North. They are armed and aggressive.” A man standing on the top of a building, and after checking in binoculars, he spoke to someone in his walkie-talkie. His voice was calm and confident, as he had faced many such situations before.
‘Roger that, Hector. Keep an eye on them and report any changes.’ The voice from the other end was also calm, but it had a hint of boredom. It belonged to the leader of team zero, the most elite and successful hunting team in the department.
“Sir, are you sure you don’t need backup?” Hector asked, feeling a bit uneasy.
He looked at the ground, where his leader was sitting between two swords that were thrust into the earth. He was wearing a black leather jacket and jeans, and his black hair was in a bit of a mess and reached to his left eye. He looked like a normal young man, except for the scar above his eyebrow and the coldness in his eyes. He was waiting for the monsters to come closer, as if they were nothing but prey.
‘No, I’m fine. You know I like to handle things myself.’ The leader said, yawning.
He was not afraid of the monsters. He was bored of them. He had killed so many of them that he had lost count. He had no thrill, no challenge, no excitement in his life. He was just doing his job because he had nothing else to do.
“…Sir, is it ok for the team leader to be there alone?” One of the men standing near Hector asked cautiously.
He was a new recruit, and he had never seen such a reckless and fearless leader. He wondered how he could survive so many battles without any backup or support.
“You are a new recruit, right?” Hector asked, turning to him.
“Yes sir.” The man nodded nervously.
“Do you know who we are?” Hector asked, raising his eyebrows.
“Yes sir, I know we are Team Zero of hunting department.” The man answered, feeling proud.
“And?” Hector prompted.
“And we have never failed any mission.” The man said, recalling the reputation of team zero.
“Correct. Do you know why?” Hector asked, smiling.
“Why?” The man asked, curious.
“That is because of a vice leader like me and our leader.” Hector said, pointing at himself and the leader. “We are the best hunters in the department, and we can handle any situation. We don’t need anyone else to help us. We are a team of two, and we are enough.”
“…sir, but still, it looks dangerous.” The man said, looking at the leader again. He could not understand how he could be so relaxed and indifferent when he was facing a dozens of monsters.
“Don’t worry, it’s normal.” Hector said, patting his shoulder. “He always does that. He likes to fight alone, and he likes to fight hard. He doesn’t care about the danger. He only cares about the kill. He is a monster himself, and he enjoys killing other monsters. He is the strongest, the fastest, and the deadliest hunter I have ever seen. He is our leader, and we trust him.”
Hector noticed the recruit’s nervous expression and decided to give him a brief overview of their organization. Echelon is an elite group of monster hunters, led by the formidable Commander Gorgon and his loyal assistant Lucien. Below them are the department heads, who oversee the various teams of hunters. However, there is one team that have the privilege of disobeying the department heads if they deem it necessary: Team Zero. They have earned this right by their exceptional performance in the field, and their leader is none other than Ethan.
"Hector, the goblins are here!” A team member shouted, alerting the vice leader of the impending attack.
Hector quickly scanned the area and saw nine green-skinned creatures approaching their leader. “Everyone, get ready!” He ordered his team, gripping his rifle tightly.
Three goblins dashed towards Ethan. They snarled and swung their axes, hoping to catch him off guard.
However, before they could reach him, a loud bang echoed in the air. Their heads exploded in a spray of blood and brains, leaving their bodies to fall to the ground with a thud. The smell of gunpowder and gore filled the air.
The other goblins flinched for a moment, but then they also rushed toward him. They met the same fate as their comrades. The remaining goblins tried to run away, but a voice stopped them.
“Hey! Where do you think you are going?” Hector said, sounding like he was having fun. He shot down the fleeing goblins with ease, thanks to his title ‘Distance Shooter’ and skill ‘Mana Bullet’.
[Distance Shooter] [Rare]
‘The further you are, the higher your damage output will be’
☆Agility +7
☆Growth type
[Mana Bullet]
‘Enhances your bullet with mana to increase its damage and penetration power’
☆Cooldown: 30 seconds
"Sir, more goblins are coming, and it seems they have formed an alliance with the orcs." Hector urgently informed his leader.
Ethan scanned the battlefield and saw the goblins and orcs advancing, but he did not seem worried. He smiled slightly and said, “It’s okay, you all can rest now. I’ll handle this.”
"Okay, sir." Hector understood his orders and turned his head to the new recruit, who was still trembling and pale. He asked him, “You’ve never seen our leader in action, right?”
The recruit shook his head and said, “No, sir. Is he… is he going to be okay?”
Hector nodded and said, “Then watch carefully. You’re about to witness a massacre.” He pointed to Ethan, who was leisurely sitting in front of the horde of goblins and orcs.