My Scumbag System

Chapter 623: The Fleshweaver’s Debut

Veronica nodded. "Begin deployment pattern Sigma-Seven. I want containment barriers up before that thing opens."

On the display, Hunters in Olympus Rising’s distinctive gold and white gear spread out across the street. They moved with the coordination of people who’d trained together for years, each member knowing exactly where to be and what to do.

Heavy equipment rolled in behind them. Portable barrier generators. Medical stations. Communication arrays. An entire infrastructure designed to be deployed in minutes.

"This is impressive," I murmured.

"This is standard." Reyna’s voice was quiet, pitched for my ears only. "Olympus Rising handles an average of four B-Rank Gates per month. We have the process down to a science."

"How many casualties?"

"In the past year? Three Hunters injured, none fatally. Zero civilian deaths." Pride colored her words. "Veronica doesn’t accept losses."

The displays updated continuously. Evacuation progress. Team positions. Equipment status. A constant flow of information being processed and acted upon in real-time.

"Strike team Beta deploying to secondary perimeter," someone announced.

Another group of Hunters appeared on the satellite feed. These ones carried heavier weapons. Anti-monster artillery designed for crowd control.

"Gate stabilization in fifteen minutes."

"All teams report ready."

"Medical on standby."

"VHC observer confirmed on site."

The tension in the room ratcheted up with each update. These were professionals doing a job they’d done hundreds of times, but the stakes never got easier. One mistake could mean dead civilians. Dead friends.

"Internal composition analysis coming through now," an analyst called out. "Preliminary count suggests approximately one hundred and forty low-tier hostiles. Twelve to fifteen mid-tier elites. Boss entity unidentified but estimated at high B-Rank based on Gate energy signature."

"Standard red Gate profile," Veronica said. "Numbers over quality. Prepare for horde protocol."

More activity on the displays. Positions shifting. Weapons being loaded. Barriers humming to life.

"Five minutes to stabilization."

I watched the Gate on the central display. The oily surface had begun to settle, the chaotic ripples smoothing into something more stable. More solid.

More dangerous.

"Two minutes."

The Hunters on screen formed up into assault formations. Three points of a triangle facing the Gate with overlapping fields of fire. Behind them, the barrier generators created a secondary line of defense protecting the evacuation routes.

"Thirty seconds."

Veronica’s voice cut through the tension. "All teams, weapons free on stabilization. Priority targets are any hostiles that breach the initial kill zone. Civilian safety is paramount. We do not fail these people."

"Ten seconds."

The room went silent.

"Stabilization confirmed. Gate is open."

For a heartbeat, nothing happened.

Then the monsters came pouring out.

The first wave was exactly what the analysis predicted. Small, fast, numerous. Creatures that looked like someone had crossed a spider with a dog and given the result too many teeth. They surged through the Gate in a flood of chitinous bodies and clicking mandibles.

The Hunters opened fire.

Muzzle flashes strobed across the display. Elemental abilities painted the air with fire and lightning and frost. The first wave of monsters died before they’d gone ten feet from the Gate entrance.

"First wave contained. Counting approximately forty hostiles neutralized."

"Second wave incoming."

More monsters. Bigger this time. Bipedal things with too many arms and faces that seemed to shift between expressions of hunger and rage.

"Mid-tier contacts. Strike team Alpha engaging."

The battle shifted. Individual Hunters broke from formation to engage the larger threats while their teammates maintained suppressing fire on the constant stream of smaller creatures.

I watched a woman with a fire-based Aspect incinerate three mid-tiers with a single blast. A man with some kind of telekinetic ability grabbed a monster twice his size and slammed it into the pavement hard enough to crater the asphalt.

"Perimeter holding. No breaches."

"Medical reports no casualties."

"Third wave approaching."

The rhythm of the operation was hypnotic. Attack. Assess. Adapt. Each wave of monsters met with overwhelming force applied exactly where it was needed.

Veronica directed it all from the center of the command room. Her voice never rose above conversational volume, but every word carried the weight of absolute authority.

"Team Beta, shift left to cover the gap in sector four."

"Medical team, prepare for possible acid burns. I’m seeing corrosive types in the next wave."

"Sniper unit, priority target at bearing two-seven-five. Take it down before it reaches the barrier line."

This was what a real guild looked like. Not the flashy tournament fights or the carefully staged publicity events. This was the actual work. Methodical. Professional. Effective.

And completely alien to everything I’d experienced so far.

My Gates had been chaos. Survival against impossible odds with nothing but my wits and my stolen powers. This was something else entirely. This was an army.

"Boss entity detected."

The words cut through the room like a blade.

"Confirm?"

"Confirmed. High B-Rank signature emerging from Gate threshold now."

On the display, something massive began forcing its way through the tear in reality. The Gate bulged outward, stretching to accommodate a form that barely fit through its dimensional boundaries.

What emerged was a nightmare made flesh.

It stood maybe fifteen feet tall. Vaguely humanoid but wrong in ways that made my stomach clench. Its skin was translucent, revealing pulsing organs and flowing fluids beneath the surface. Six arms ending in claws the size of swords. A head that was mostly mouth, filled with rows of rotating teeth like some kind of organic wood chipper.

"That’s disgusting," I said.

"That’s a Fleshweaver," Reyna replied. "Nasty things. They regenerate from almost anything and can spawn smaller creatures from their own body mass."

"Fun."

"Strike team Alpha falling back to secondary positions. Heavy ordinance deployed."

On the display, the Hunters retreated in good order while artillery crews opened fire on the Boss. Explosive rounds detonated against its translucent flesh, tearing chunks away that immediately began regrowing.

"Regeneration rate higher than expected. Adjusting tactics."

"All teams, switch to sustained damage protocol. We need to overwhelm its recovery speed."

The battle intensified. The Boss shambled forward, shrugging off attacks that would have killed anything else. Smaller creatures continued pouring from the Gate behind it, forcing the Hunters to split their attention.

"Breach in sector seven! Three mid-tiers got through!"

"Response team deployed."

"Medical station taking fire!"

"Barrier three is failing!"

The organized chaos was starting to tip toward actual chaos.