SSS-Rank Talent: Super Upgrade System-Chapter 79: The Reward of Kindness

Ayra stood amidst the carnage, her great-axe dripping with the blood of Awakened . Her chest heaved, the crimson aura of her S-Grade [Primal Fury Berserker] talent slowly dimming to a dangerous, simmering red.

Her Vanguard uniform was stained and torn, but her eyes blazed with a wild, triumphant satisfaction.

She had faced down thirteen armed thugs, followers of the cowardly Kane, and with Lia’s timely A-Grade healing, had turned the ambush into a one-sided slaughter.

"Hah!" she panted, a bloody grin splitting her face. "See, Vance? See, Lia? That’s how you deal with trash! Direct application of overwhelming force!

Lia, her A-Grade Staff of the World Ash still glowing with a soft, emerald light, offered a serene smile.

"Certainly! Here’s a more polished and professional version of the passage:

"Your strength is undeniable, Ayra," she remarked, her tone edged with wry amusement. "Though perhaps a touch more... collateral damage than strictly necessary." Her gaze drifted to a nearby obsidian tree, now marred by a large, axe-shaped dent.

Ayra scoffed. "Details, details. They won’t be bothering anyone ever again. That’s what matters."

The fight had been exhilarating, but she knew, deep down, that Daniel’s intervention with his bow had been swift and brutally efficient.

She remembered the unseen force that had obliterated the S-Grade Dark Cloud Leopard, the power that had made even her S-Grade talent feel like a child’s tantrum.

"Still," she muttered to herself, "that Vance... he’s not just strong. He’s... he’s like a walking cheat code.

She felt a strange mix of frustration and an almost embarrassing admiration. She wasn’t weak, not by any measure, but Daniel operated on a completely different level of reality.

Daniel, meanwhile, was already moving, his A-Grade [Voidwalk] making him a silent ripple in the shadows as he began the grim but necessary task of collecting the spoils.

His SSS-Rank [Soul Assimilation] talent hummed faintly, a silent anticipation for the feast of essences to come.

"Kane’s little gang was busy before we interrupted their party," he commented, his voice calm as he knelt beside the first fallen Savage Blade.

"They must have plundered quite a few Yin Cards from other unfortunate recruits. Let’s see if their ill-gotten gains can serve a better purpose."

As he began to systematically check the corpses for cards and any other valuables, the three recruits they had inadvertently rescued from Kane’s initial bullying emerged hesitantly from their hiding spot behind a cluster of pulsating, dark purple fungi.

The leader, a young man with sharp features and an air of forced confidence, was Tariq Lorenzo.

He was flanked by a hulking, quiet brute named Ramsey Bolton, whose earlier defiance had faded into wide-eyed shock, and a pale, trembling young woman named Anita Stone, who clutched a bent F-grade dagger as if it were her only lifeline.

Tariq’s gaze was fixed on Ayra, his expression a mixture of awe, fear, and something akin to worship.

The raw, overwhelming power she had just displayed had clearly left a profound impression.

He rushed forward, practically stumbling over his own feet, Ramsey and Anita trailing nervously behind him.

"A-Aspirant Sand!" Tariq exclaimed, his voice cracking with emotion. He almost dropped to one knee but seemed to think better of it.

"You... you were magnificent! A goddess of war! The way you took care of those fiends... it was like watching a legend come to life! We owe you our lives! Our eternal gratitude!" He bowed deeply, nearly headbutting his own knees.

Ramsey Bolton just nodded dumbly, his eyes still wide with shock. Anita Stone managed a small, shaky curtsy. "Th-thank you, Ma’am," she whispered. "You saved us."

Ayra, caught off guard by the sudden, fervent adoration, blinked. She wasn’t used to this kind of fawning. Usually, people just ran away screaming.

"Uh, yeah. No problem," she grunted, clearly uncomfortable. "They were scum. Deserved what they got." She then jerked a thumb towards Daniel, who was still calmly looting the corpses, his expression unreadable.

"Don’t thank me. He’s the captain. Talk to him if you want to grovel. I need to find something else to strike before my axe starts feeling neglected."

She gave a curt nod and walked off to inspect the structural integrity of an innocent-looking obsidian tree.

Tariq Lorenzo watched her go with a star-struck expression, then turned his attention to Daniel.

His demeanor shifted instantly.

The awe vanished, replaced by a condescending, almost dismissive look as he took in Daniel’s relatively unassuming appearance, the A-Grade Phantom Edge Striking Wraps looking more like simple gloves to the untrained eye.

"Him? He’s your captain?" Tariq asked, his voice laced with disbelief, loud enough for Daniel to easily overhear despite his focus.

"But... he barely did anything! Aspirant Ayra Sand was the one who fought like a true Vanguard!"

Daniel continued his work, not even glancing up. He had encountered this kind of arrogance and misjudgment before. It was tiresome, but often led to... opportunities.

"Aspirant Vance, is it?" Tariq said, stepping closer, his tone now more demanding.

Ramsey and Anita flanked him, looking slightly more confident now that the "scary redhead" was out of earshot.

"We, uh, were thinking. Since you three are clearly a powerful team, and we’re, well, a bit shorthanded after our unpleasant encounter with Kane..."

He puffed out his chest slightly.

"We’d like to propose an alliance. We can offer our skills in scouting and... uh... moral support. And in return, you share some of those Yin Cards with us. Fair is fair, right? We all need to pass this assessment."

Daniel finally looked up, his gaze cold and flat.

He had heard their earlier disparaging comments about him while he was hidden with [Voidwalk], their assumptions that he was just riding Ayra’s coattails.

"Alliance?" he repeated, his voice devoid of any warmth. "No, thank you. We’re not looking for additional... moral support... at this time."

He turned back to his looting, pointedly dismissing them.

Tariq’s face flushed with anger. "Not interested? After we offered our loyalty? Who do you think you are, Vance? You think you’re too good for us? Without Aspirant Ayra, you’d be nothing!"

Ramsey Bolton grunted in agreement, flexing his meaty fists. "Yeah! You got lucky hiding behind her skirts!"

Anita Stone, surprisingly, chimed in, her voice sharp with indignation. "We saw you just now, just picking through the dead like a vulture! While she did all the real fighting!"

Daniel sighed internally. He was rapidly developing an allergy to ungrateful, arrogant fools.

He continued to ignore them, focusing on a particularly stubborn pouch on one of the Savage Blades.

Their insults, however, continued, growing louder and more venomous, unaware that Daniel, thanks to his innate senses and his SSS-talent’s subtle reach, heard every word.

After a few more minutes of this, Lia returned from a brief perimeter check, her A-Grade Staff of the World Ash glowing softly.

Ayra, having apparently decided the nearby tree was sufficiently intimidated, rejoined them as well.

"Everything secure, Daniel?" Lia asked, noticing the three disgruntled recruits still hovering nearby, giving Daniel a furious look.

"For now," Daniel replied, standing up. He had finished his initial sweep of the corpses, retrieving a hefty stack of Yin Cards.

"Ayra, Lia, let’s plan our next move. We continue our sweep of this sector, then push towards the central mountain range and the Yang region.

We’ve made good time, but the seven-day limit for Phase Three is still a factor."

Ayra nodded, eager for more action. "Sounds good."

Lia agreed. "A prudent course. We should conserve our energy where possible."

"He thinks he can just dismiss us like that?" Tariq spat, his eyes narrowed. "After we offered him our help? That arrogant prick."

Ramsey cracked his knuckles. "He’s got all those cards on him now. And that redhead and the healer ain’t here to protect him."

Anita Stone’s eyes glinted. "They split up. He said he’d cover a wider area solo. He’ll be alone with all the loot. Three against one. Easy."

A cruel smile spread across Tariq’s face. "Exactly. We wait for him to finish his... ’recycling’... and then we pay him a little visit.

He won’t be so smug when we’re taking everything he has." He looked at his companions. "Ready to teach Captain Vulture a lesson in respect?"

They grinned, their earlier fear replaced by greed and a thirst for petty revenge.

The trio of rescued recruits watched Lia, and Ayra disappear into the gloomy forest, their faces contorted with resentment and a new, greedy resolve.

Daniel had intended to deal with the thirteen Savage Blade corpses quickly and then rejoin his team.

He allowed his A-Grade [Voidwalk] to fade, making himself visible as he knelt beside the pile of Savage Blade corpses.

As expected, after a few minutes, Tariq, Ramsey, and Anita emerged from the shadows, their crude weapons held ready, expressions a mixture of greed and anticipated triumph.

They fanned out, surrounding him.

"Well, well, Vance," Tariq Lorenzo sneered, stepping forward, his rusty sword pointed at Daniel’s throat.

"Looks like your luck just ran out. We decided we didn’t like your attitude. Or your hoarding all those pretty cards. Hand over everything you’ve collected, every last Yin card, every piece of gear, and maybe, just maybe, we’ll let you walk away from this with your life."

Daniel looked up from the corpse he was "assimilating," a slow, dangerous smile spreading across his face.