The shopping complex stood at the end of the street like a silent fortress, its glass façade shattered, its entrance half-collapsed under debris and abandoned vehicles. From a distance, it looked dead. Empty. But Arata Kurozawa didn’t slow down. If anything, his steps became more controlled, more deliberate. Places like this didn’t stay empty. They became nests.

Yuna stopped a few meters away, raising her hand slightly. "That’s it," she said quietly. Her tone had changed—less playful now, more serious. Behind her, the three men shifted uneasily, their earlier confidence gone. Reina stepped forward slightly, her pistol angled toward the entrance, eyes scanning every shadow. Airi stayed close behind Arata, her breathing steady but tense.

Arata studied the structure without speaking. Two visible entrances, just like Yuna said. The front was partially blocked, forcing a narrow entry point. Good for defense, bad for escape. The side entrance was harder to see but likely accessible. Rooftop access meant elevation advantage—if they could secure it. Storage exit at the back meant fallback. It wasn’t perfect. But it was enough.

"What’s inside?" Arata asked.

Yuna didn’t answer immediately. Her eyes lingered on the dark interior. "...We saw it yesterday," she said finally. "Something big. Not like the usual ones. It killed two of us before we even understood what we were dealing with."

Reina’s expression hardened slightly. "Pattern?"

"Fast," Yuna replied. "But not like the Hunter type. Heavier. Stronger. It doesn’t rush blindly. It waits... then hits."

Arata nodded once. That meant intelligence—or something close to it. Dangerous.

> [SYSTEM NOTICE]

[HIGH-RISK ZONE DETECTED]

[SPECIAL TARGET LIKELY PRESENT]

[REWARD: INCREASED]

His eyes sharpened slightly. The system wasn’t warning him to avoid it. It was encouraging him to engage. That meant one thing—the risk was high, but the reward would be worth it.

"We go in," Arata said.

One of the men behind Yuna spoke immediately. "Are you crazy? We should just find another place—"

"Then leave," Arata cut him off without even turning.

Silence.

The man clenched his jaw but didn’t move.

Yuna smirked faintly. "...Told you," she muttered.

Reina stepped closer to Arata. "Plan?"

"Simple," he said. "We don’t rush. We draw it out."

Yuna tilted her head. "And if it doesn’t come out?"

Arata looked at the broken entrance again. "...Then we make it."

No one argued after that.

They moved toward the entrance in formation. Arata led. Reina slightly behind and to the right. Yuna mirrored on the left. Airi stayed in the center, protected. The others followed reluctantly, their fear obvious but contained.

The moment they stepped inside, the air changed. It was colder. Heavier. The smell of rot mixed with something metallic—something fresh. The interior was dim, light barely reaching past the shattered entrance. Shops lined both sides of the corridor, their shutters partially broken, goods scattered across the floor. It looked like it had been looted... but not completely.

Arata raised his hand. Stop.

Everyone froze, A sound, Not loud, But clear.

Something moved deeper inside.

Reina slowly adjusted her aim. Yuna tightened her grip on the bat. Airi held her breath.

Arata stepped forward, One step, Then another, The sound stopped, Silence returned, Too clean, Too controlled.

"Back," Arata said quietly.

They stepped back toward the entrance again, not turning their backs. Arata’s eyes never left the darkness ahead. It was watching. Waiting. Exactly like Yuna described.

"Make noise," he said.

One of the men hesitated. "What?"

"Make noise," Arata repeated. "Throw something."

The man swallowed, then grabbed a broken metal piece from the floor and hurled it deeper into the complex.

CLANG!

The sound echoed loudly.

Silence.

One second.

Two.

Three—Something moved.

Fast, Too fast to see clearly.

A shadow crossed the corridor in an instant.

Then—It appeared.

A massive figure dropped from the second floor railing, landing with a heavy impact that cracked the tiles beneath it.

A brute.

Its body was grotesquely enlarged, muscles swollen beyond human limits, skin stretched and torn in places. One arm was significantly larger than the other, deformed into a blunt mass of flesh and bone. Its face was partially intact—but its eyes... were alive. Not empty. Not blind.

Aware.

Locked onto them.

> [WARNING]

[INFECTED TYPE: BRUTE VARIANT]

[THREAT LEVEL: HIGH]

Airi staggered back slightly. "...That’s not normal," she whispered.

"No," Arata said calmly. "It’s not."

The Brute took a step forward.

The ground trembled slightly.

Then it charged.

"Spread!" Arata shouted.

Everyone moved instantly.

The Brute slammed into the spot they had just been standing in, the impact sending debris flying. Reina fired immediately.

BANG! BANG!

The bullets hit—but barely slowed it.

Yuna moved in from the side, striking its leg with full force.

THUD!

No effect.

"Harder than the Hunter," she muttered.

Arata moved in next—not directly, but circling. Watching. Reading.

"Don’t go head-on!" he said. "Target joints. Eyes if possible."

Reina adjusted instantly, aiming higher. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

BANG!

The shot hit near the eye.

The Brute roared—loud, violent, furious.

Good, Reaction.

That meant weakness.

It swung its massive arm wildly. One of Yuna’s men wasn’t fast enough.

CRACK!

His body flew across the corridor, slamming into a wall.

He didn’t get up.

Airi gasped, but Arata didn’t react.

"Focus!" he snapped.

Reina fired again, forcing the Brute to turn. Yuna used that moment to strike behind its knee.

This time—It staggered, Small, But enough.

Arata moved Fast, Faster than before.

He climbed onto debris, using elevation, then launched forward.

The pipe came down with full force—directly toward its head.

CRACK!

The impact landed—but the Brute grabbed him mid-motion.

Too fast.

Its massive hand wrapped around his torso.

Crushing.

Airi’s voice broke. "Arata!"

Reina fired instantly—three shots into its arm.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The grip loosened.

Arata dropped.

Rolled.

Recovered.

His breathing sharpened—but his eyes were calm.

Still calculating, Still in control.

> [SYSTEM NOTICE]

[HIGH-DAMAGE TARGET ENGAGED]

[BONUS CONDITION: FINAL BLOW = EXTRA REWARD]

He exhaled slowly, Then spoke.

"Reina—keep its attention. Yuna—left side, keep pressure. Don’t let it stabilize."

Both of them moved instantly.

No hesitation, No doubt.

They trusted his command.

That was new, That mattered.

The Brute roared again, swinging wildly, but its movements were no longer clean. The damage was accumulating. Small—but enough.

Arata circled behind it again.

This time—He waited.

One second, Two second

Then—Opening.

Reina’s shot hit its face, Yuna’s strike hit its leg, It staggered, Just enough.

Arata moved, Straight in, No hesitation.

The pipe drove forward with everything he had—

Straight into its eye.

CRACK.

A wet, crushing sound followed.

The Brute froze, Then collapsed, The ground shook as it fell.

Silence.

Then—

> [ENEMY ELIMINATED]

[BRUTE VARIANT DEFEATED]

[LEVEL UP]

[REWARD: STAT POINTS + SKILL UNLOCK]

Arata stood still for a moment, breathing controlled.

Alive.

Reina lowered her gun slowly.

Yuna exhaled. "...Now that was worth it."

Airi stared at the fallen body, still processing everything.

Arata looked around the complex.

Then he spoke, "This place... is ours."

No one argued, Because they all knew—It had just been taken.