SSS-Rank Talent: Super Upgrade System-Chapter 64: Organized Problem For Later!

The three newcomers spread out slowly, their movements deliberately menacing, forming a loose semi-circle around the exhausted Ayra and the vigilant Lia.

The wiry, scarred man who had spoken was flanked by two companions: a hulking brute with a shaved head wielding a crude spiked club, and a smaller, rat-faced figure clutching a pair of rusty vibro-daggers.

He grinned, revealing yellowed, predatory teeth.

"Don’t look so scared, sweet things," the scarred man sneered, his gaze flicking between Ayra’s battle-worn form and Lia’s serene, yet now wary, posture.

"We’re just here to... collect. Payment for clearing out this nasty beast for ya.

"He gestured with a grimy thumb towards the massive, still-twitching corpse of the Gloomfang Devourer.

"And maybe... a little extra compensation for our trouble." His eyes roved over them again, lewd and possessive.

Ayra, despite her fatigue from the brutal fight with the Level 13 Alpha, felt a fresh surge of icy fury.

Her hand tightened on the haft of her great-axe, the crimson remnants of her [Primal Fury Berserker] aura flaring faintly around her knuckles.

"Get lost, scavengers," she growled, her voice low and dangerous, like distant thunder.

"Before I decide to use your skulls to redecorate this forest."

She was tired, yes, but the insult, the sheer audacity of these bottom-feeders trying to prey on them after such a hard-won victory, ignited a fresh spark of her berserker rage.

The very thought of these vermin touching Lia, or laying a hand on their spoils, was intolerable.

A deep, primal killing intent began to emanate from her.

The scarred man just chuckled, a dry, rasping sound. "Feisty, ain’t she? I like ’em feisty."

He then paused, his eyes narrowing as he looked closer at Ayra, then at Lia, a flicker of unpleasant recognition dawning.

"Wait a minute... Red hair, axe... calm one with the fancy glowing stick... You’re the ones who took down Damon and Marcus’s crew! The Savage Blades!

We heard about you lot from some survivors. Said you were tough. Said you collected a mountain of Yin cards."

His expression hardened, greed mixing with a vindictive anger. "Damon was my cousin, you bitches! You slaughtered my kin!

Looks like today isn’t just about loot; it’s about revenge!" He spat on the black moss. "Boys! These are the ones! We’ll take their cards, their gear, and then we’ll make ’em pay for what they did to the Savage Blades!

And we’ll have our fun afterwards, a long, slow fun." The other two grinned, their eyes filled with malice and cruel anticipation.

The wind seemed to pick up, carrying their vile promises like a poisoned whisper.

"So, you’re with that pack of pathetic hyenas?" Ayra snarled, her earlier weariness vanishing, replaced by a cold, focused rage.

"Good. Saves me the trouble of hunting you down later." She took a deep breath, her body tensing.

She was still recovering from the previous fight, and activating her Berserker talent again so soon would put a massive strain on her system, but these scum had crossed a line.

She wouldn’t just defeat them; she would annihilate them. "[Primal Fury Berserker: Stage One – Battle Trance]!"

"Boom!"

The ground beneath her feet cracked as crimson energy exploded outwards again, not as potent as her full Second Stage, but still formidable, especially fueled by her righteous fury.

The wind shrieked around her as her aura flared, pushing back the oppressive gloom.

She lunged, a red-streaked meteor of vengeance, her great-axe whistling through the air.

The three Awakened, surprised by her sudden resurgence of power, scrambled to meet her charge.

The hulking brute swung his spiked club in a wide, clumsy arc.

"Boom!"

Ayra deflected the blow with the flat of her axe, sending sparks flying. The impact jolted the brute’s arm, but Ayra barely flinched.

She whirled, her axe a blur, and slammed it into the brute’s exposed side with a sickening crunch. He roared in pain, stumbling back, clutching his ribs.

The rat-faced man lunged from the side, his rusty vibro-daggers targeting Ayra’s flank.

Ayra, her senses heightened by her berserker state, reacted instantly, sidestepping his lunge and bringing the pommel of her axe down hard on his head.

"Thwack!"

He collapsed like a sack of wet sand, his daggers clattering on the ground.

The scarred leader, seeing his two companions falter, cursed and charged Ayra himself, a long, wickedly sharp bone knife appearing in his hand.

He was faster than the others, his movements more cunning. He feinted high, then stabbed low, aiming for Ayra’s thigh.

Ayra twisted, the bone knife slicing through her torn uniform and drawing a thin line of blood. ƒгeewebnovёl.com

She grunted, ignoring the pain, and countered with a powerful kick that sent him staggering back.

Lia, her face pale but her eyes resolute, channeled her [Lifeweave Affinity].

"[Mending Stream]!" The emerald light enveloped Ayra, instantly sealing the cut on her thigh.

"[Fortifying Aura]!" Another pulse of energy flowed from her staff, bolstering Ayra’s defenses, making her skin seem to shimmer with a faint green resilience.

"I am with you, Ayra!" Lia called out, her voice firm.

"Thanks, Lia!" Ayra grinned, feeling the familiar, potent healing wash over her.

With Lia covering her, she could afford to be even more aggressive. She focused on the scarred leader, who was now looking distinctly nervous.

He had expected two exhausted, easy targets. He had found a rejuvenated berserker and a powerful healer working in perfect, deadly sync.

Ayra pressed her attack relentlessly. Her axe became a whirlwind of crimson death.

"Boom! KRA-SHUNK! CLANG!"

Each blow landed with devastating force.

The scarred leader, despite his cunning, was overwhelmed. He managed to land a few more shallow cuts on Ayra, but Lia’s healing was instantaneous, frustrating his efforts and draining his morale.

The wind howled around them, a symphony of destruction.

Finally, Ayra saw her opening.

The scarred man, desperate, overextended with a wild lunge.

Ayra sidestepped, her axe a blur, and brought it down in a brutal, cleaving blow.

"KRA-CHAAAA!"

The bone knife shattered. The scarred man’s eyes widened in a final moment of terror before the axe bit deep.

He collapsed, his brief reign of terror and revenge ending in a pool of his own blood.

[You have slain: Awakened Scavenger (Level 7)] The Nexus notification was almost an afterthought.

Ayra stood panting, her crimson aura flickering. She turned to the brute, who was trying to crawl away, his ribs clearly broken.

She dispatched him with a single, contemptuous stomp of her boot.

"Boom!"

His struggles ceased. The rat-faced man was still unconscious.

"Pathetic," Ayra spat, kicking a discarded rusty dagger. She looked at Lia, a fierce pride in her eyes. "See? Teamwork."

Lia nodded, a small, relieved smile on her face, though she quickly scanned their surroundings, wary of further threats.

"Indeed. Your strength is... inspiring, Ayra."

Just then, the rat-faced man, who had only been feigning unconsciousness, suddenly sprang to his feet. He was surprisingly agile.

With a terrified yelp, he turned and bolted into the dense forest, disappearing into the shadows with surprising speed.

"You’ll pay for this, bitches!" his voice resonated back, laced with fear and a promise of future retribution.

"My Boss... Boss Jaeger... he’ll hunt you down! He’ll find you, and he’ll... he’ll make you scream for days!" Then he was gone.

Ayra roared in frustration. "Coward! Get back here and face me!" She made to give chase, but Lia placed a calming hand on her arm.

"Let him go, Ayra. He’s no threat to us now. But his ’Boss Jaeger’... that sounds like a more organized problem for later."

Two more Yin cards were likely on these corpses, adding to their growing collection.

But a new name, a new potential enemy, now lingered in the oppressive air of the Dark Forest.

And Daniel, their powerhouse leader, was still up on that cliff, hopefully having better luck with his golden fruits than they were having with the local wildlife and deranged scavengers.