My eyebrow twitched. Did they think we were struggling against the harvesters? To be fair, it was only because I was trying to figure out their gimmick, but I would've been able to solo them now that I knew.

  "Thanks for the help, but we're actually okay," I called out, raising my hand slightly. "We just learned about their skills."

  The silver-armored figure paused, seemingly surprised by my confidence. "What point is there to learn about their skills? Holy-attributes are the only thing that works on them, bypassing any resistances or abilities they may have."

  "Yeah, I know that-"

  Before I could say anything else, the figure's visor snapped open, revealing strikingly electric blue eyes that bore into me. I wasn't expecting her to look so... beautifully irritated. "You're also not from the Angel faction. How did you survive for this long?" she demanded, her voice filled with skepticism. I was beginning to grow annoyed.

  My friends simply pointed at me before I could speak. "He's been carrying us," Tommy said, grinning proudly.

  The woman raised an eyebrow, her gaze sweeping over Celine and Tommy before returning to me. "So you, what's your secret?"

  "I'm... overstatted?" I said, trying to make light of the situation and keep my irritation down. Around us, the battle raged on, though the new reinforcements were quickly making short work of the vampires with their Holy skills.

  The woman's gaze didn't leave me, the intensity of it making me feel like I was being x-rayed. "Overstatted?" she repeated, her voice flat. "You're the first non-Angel to reach this far, let alone hold your own against them."

  I scowled. "Just because we didn't choose a faction doesn't mean there aren't other ways to progress through a floor. Besides, I do have a Holy-attribute skill, so there was no problem from our side."

  The woman's eyes narrowed. "You have a Holy-attribute skill?" she questioned. "That's quite rare if your Title isn't compatible with the Holy-attribute, even if you managed to grab it from the angelic bosses of the previous floors."

  [Well, to be fair, your Title is kind of related to a divine being, so that's not too far of a stretch :D]

  "Alright lady, what's your deal? Clearly we're okay," I griped, waving away Sephera's message. "We're just here to explore and get stronger."

  The woman paused for a moment, checking my stats. Her eyes widened slightly, but otherwise didn't seem too shocked. "I apologize. I was simply wary. Your survival is... unconventional."

  "I'm not a masochist," I blurted out instinctively, anticipating Sephera's message. She didn't send one, and I noticed that everyone around me grew awkwardly quiet.

  "Er... I didn't think you were, but I suppose to each their own," the silver-armored woman shifted uncomfortably. "My name is Clarice, a Paladin of the Indomitable guild. I'm part of the Angel-faction's scouting party for this floor."

  "I'm Luquier, and these are my friends, Tommy and Celine. We're just here to explore the forty first floor," I introduced as my annoyance morphed into embarrassment, gesturing towards them. "So, you guys are the Players who went on and can handle these robot vampires with Holy-attributes?"

  "Robot... vampires...?" Clarice's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "The Sanguine Harvesters? I can see why you'd think so, but they're more like humans who were infected by a technovirus..."

  "Oh..." I couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed. "They're not actual vampires?"

  "Well, they do have a craving- more of a need, really, for human blood," Clarice quickly explained, as if she had read my thoughts. "But they're not undead. They're more... enhanced humans, with the Evil-attribute."

  Ah, no wonder the Soultaker didn't prompt for an auto Reap. They weren't true vampires after all. Though it was weird that a majority of them were able to withstand more than one blow from my skills and regenerated.

  The fight grew more intense as Clarice's group continued to slaughter the Sanguine Harvesters. It was a mix of awe and annoyance watching them, knowing that I could've done the same if I had just gone all out. But I figured that holding back was for the best since my friends and I didn't really know what we were getting into.

  "Wait, didn't that old guy back at the entrance say that there were monsters that sapped stats from Players?" Tommy piped up. "Guessing that these aren't the ones that do it?"

  "No," Clarice replied, producing a sword and giant shield that radiated a heavenly glow. "The ones that drain stats are further in the city. They're a more... elusive type of enemy. Some mimic humans, blend in with the NPCs, and strike when you least expect it. However, just like the Sanguine Harvesters, their cybernetic enhancements allow them to manipulate their biology, which can slip under pretty much any senses or sensory devices."

  "Oh, there's NPCs on this floor-" Tommy's question was cut off as Clarice dashed into the fray. I glanced at my two friends, shrugged, and followed.

  The battle was intense, the air charged with the electric crackle of Holy energy. The Sanguine Harvesters were fast, their movements a blur as they dodged and weaved around our attacks. But Clarice and her team were a well-oiled machine, coordinating their strikes with precision and grace. Their skills also seemed to counter the monsters' sensory subversion, enabling the Players to fight on even ground. It was... admittedly pretty cool to see.

  Still miffed about being assumed that we needed help, I decided to show Clarice what I was truly capable of. I called my clone over, made sure Levius and his three clones were helping Celine and Tommy, and zipped to the front of the fight.

  As Clarice brought her shield up to block an attack from a harvester, I quickly intercepted its metal blade with my own, creating a shower of sparks. A brief surprise flickered on Clarice's face, but she wasted no time capitalizing on the opening. She spun and brought her sword down in an arc of blinding light, cleaving the creature in half.

  "Thanks for the help," Clarice said, her voice tight with focus. Despite the praise, I could feel the tension in her stance. She was definitely sizing me up, and I couldn't blame her. The Sanguine Drainers were no joke, and here we were, a trio of misfits with a strange assortment of abilities and no faction backing. Well, that would all change very soon.

  "Hey, tell your people to pull back or prepare themselves," I called out to Clarice, my eyes locked on the remaining harvesters, a good twenty or so left.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Her gaze snapped to me, a hint of confusion in her eyes. "Why?"

  My achievement dinged in front of me, but I waved it away to reap the rewards later. My clone already jumped into action, casting his own Flooded Kingdom and Rainfall to simultaneously freeze the rest of the monsters and boost our Speed even higher. "Cause I wanna add more specters to my ring's army."

  Confused, Clarice looked as if she wanted to argue, but the confidence in my eyes must have convinced her to trust me for the moment. She relayed the message to her team, who took a few steps back, giving me a clear field to work with. With a grin, my clone and I dashed forward, both of us casting a Holy Element.

  Since all of the monsters were rooted in place, it was practically a buffet for me as we stacked the Holy Element onto Lightning Bolt, unleashing it into the darkened city.

  Honestly, I didn't have to go so overboard, but it was an incredible spectacle to see as the azure streaks of lightning roared from the sky. The city, which had been gloomy and dark, was illuminated by the intense flashes. It was like an epileptic sea of blue neon, and the Sanguine Harvesters didn't stand a chance. The electricity crackled as it struck down, frying them like moths to a flame.

  The ones still remaining were dazed and smoking, easy pickings. My clone and I dashed forward, easily cutting them down like weeds. The Soultaker in my hands gagged every time I took down a harvester, which made me feel slightly bad. It was like I was feeding a rotten meal to a pet.

  In a matter of minutes, the once terrifying horde of Sanguine Harvesters lay on the ground, lifeless and shredded. The electricity in the air dissipated, leaving behind the faint scent of burnt metal and ozone. Clarice and her team stared at us, their eyes wide with astonishment.

  "Why did you hide your strength until now?" Clarice demanded, her eyes piercing through her visor as she stared at me incredulously. The Players around her were equally as shocked, looking at me as if I was a god who had descended from the heavens.

  "I- technically, I wasn't," I offered an awkward smile, joining up with my friends and Levius. "Like I said earlier, we wanted to explore this floor and figure out the monsters' gimmicks."

  Clarice suddenly frowned, her initial shock replaced by what seemed like... anger? "So, you're just treating this as a game?"

  "I mean... despite the heavy consequences, it kinda is," I replied with a shrug, stowing away the Soultaker. "But I get what you mean, and no, I'm not treating this as lightly as it seems. It's just how we've learned to cope."

  I wasn't that dense to know that not everyone was like me. There were Players who couldn't forget that we were fighting for our lives. That we were in a game that had a very real possibility of ending everything. But my brain had a knack for compartmentalizing things, and treating this like a game was just my way of coping with the gravity of our situation, much like many things in my life.

  Her expression didn't soften, but she didn't press the matter further. Instead, she turned to her team, giving out orders swiftly. "Let's go. We must get to the boss room and gather intel for future raids."

  I regrouped with Celine and Tommy as Levius, his clones, and my clone stood on standby. "That was the flashiest display I've seen you perform, Luquier," Celine remarked, her eyes gleaming with a mix of amazement and amusement. "What made you decide to do so?"

  "Honestly? I didn't really-"

  "Luke's always had a habit of showing off to newbies in games who think he can't handle himself," Tommy quipped, clapping me on the shoulder. "I guess he's figured he can do that in real life now."

  I scowled, but didn't correct him. He wasn't completely wrong. "Come on, let's just follow them deeper in the city."

  As we moved, a rain that wasn't my skill descended upon us, turning the metal streets into rivers of shimmering liquid. The buildings grew more dilapidated and twisted, as if they had been through a war. The neon lights flickered and buzzed ominously above us, adding to the eerie atmosphere. Despite the downpour, the group of Players and I remained dry under the bubble of Clarice's skill.

  I concentrated on the back of Clarice, bringing up her Status Window.

  [Name: Clarice Tryst | Level: 4586]

  [Title: Shining Paladin (S)]

  [Faction: Angel]

  [Health: 90,850,000 | Strength: 68,000,000]

  [Speed: 55,050,400 | Magic: 85,000,000]

  [Risk: 1,000,000 | Stat Points: 0]

  Huh. She was slightly higher in numbers compared to Tommy, who was beginning to invest more points into Risk to catch up to Celine and I. The only difference was that her Magic stat and Health stats were her main aspects, which made sense for a Paladin-type playstyle.

  We arrived at what looked like a city square, except it was in complete disarray. Buildings were toppled over, the ground cracked and scorched. Broken neon signs flickered their last breaths, casting eerie lights onto the rain-soaked streets. Electricity buzzed in the background, hinting at a once-vibrant life that had long been extinguished.

  Clarice stopped in the middle of the square, her light-infused sword pointing towards a colossal structure looming in the distance. "The boss room should be in there," she said with confidence, her voice cutting through the rain. "We need to be careful."

  As soon as the words left her mouth, an unearthly howl pierced the air, sending a shiver down our spines. The sound grew closer, and we all turned to face the direction it was coming from. Out of the shadows, a creature that could only be described as a monstrous amalgamation of steel and flesh emerged, towering over us. It had to be at least fifty feet tall, with joints and limbs that bent in unnatural ways. Its eyes glowed a malevolent red, and its mouth was a gaping maw filled with razor-sharp teeth.

  [Name: Android Colossus I | Level: 41]

  [Health: 100,000,000 | Strength: 75,500,000]

  [Speed: 23,000,000 | Magic: 100,000]

  [Description: A monstrosity born from the fusion of technology and flesh.]

  "Ooo... I wanna add that to my specter army..." I murmured to myself, watching the Android Colossus I flex its mechanical limbs. There was no boss notification screen that popped up, so I figured it was sort of a mini-boss.

  My clone and I tensed, but before we could move, Clarice immediately barked out orders to her group of Players. They sprang into action, their skills and weapons at the ready. The silver-armored Paladins and similar Players formed a phalanx, their holy shields raised to protect the weaker ranged fighters behind them.

  "Hey, wait a minute-!"

  I barely had time to protest before Clarice and her team rushed towards the monstrous colossus without us. The rain didn't deter their determination; if anything, it fueled their frenetic energy.

  "Smite the unholy abomination!" Clarice shouted, her sword ablaze with holy light as she led the charge. The sound of sizzling rain and clanking metal filled the air as the battle began. Or at least it tried to.

  The colossus unleashed a wave of electricity that crackled through the air, forcing Clarice and her team to scatter. The ground trembled as it took a heavy step forward, its massive steel-booted foot slamming into the ground. The neon lights around the square flickered erratically, casting stark, jittering shadows across the scene.

  As the electric wave dissipated, Clarice's team staggered back, their protective equipment smoking and crackling with residual energy. The Android Colossus I loomed over them, a towering monstrosity of steel and flesh, its eyes gleaming with a malicious intelligence that seemed to understand the fear it inspired.

  [System alert: Android Colossus I gained temporary boost to stats.]

  "Ah," I muttered under my breath, realizing it was one of the monsters that had stat-stealing skills. "That's not good."

  [What are you even worried about? You have a hack skill that can disable its stat boost :o]

  "Ugh, I know that, but I have to use Risk points to refresh the cooldown every time," I grumbled, watching the battle unfold. "And I don't want to waste them unless we absolutely need to."

  [You... Are you being serious right now? ._. ]

  I grunted back to Sephera's message in response, gripping my sword tightly. "Do you know how hard it is for me to gain Risk now? I have to adjust my level while farming."

  [Yeah... that's on you. But if it helps, you're not the only Player who's had that problem. Even now, I know the other top Players are struggling with that, too.]

  "Eh, I guess we're doing this," I sighed, watching Clarice and her team get knocked around like ragdolls by the Android Colossus. They were holding their own, but their lack of coordination was painfully obvious. It was clear that they weren't used to facing something so overwhelming.

  "Tommy, on me! Celine, with my clone! Levius, split two and two!" I barked out orders as we charged into the fray, my blade and the light from Clarice's group's spells guiding our way. The Colossus's eyes swiveled towards us, and the grin on my face grew wider. Oh man, it was even cooler up close. I couldn't wait to add it to my specter army.