GUN SYMBOL RESIDENCEGUN SYMBOL RESIDENCE
On the far side of the city stood another residence. A tall steel fence surrounded the compound, and at its center, painted boldly across the gate, was the unmistakable symbol of a gun—its dark outline marking the territory as clearly as a warning sign.
Inside the fence, rows of identical houses stretched across the compound, each one already occupied.
Two men stood atop the fence, scanning the surrounding streets with sharp, watchful eyes. Another guard remained stationed near the entrance door, standing stiff and silent as his gaze swept the area with unwavering focus.
Inside the main house, the Commander lounged comfortably in a chair in the sitting room, his posture relaxed. His arms rested lazily around two girls seated beside him.
Their faces were not unfamiliar.
They were among the girls whose portraits had been seen earlier in the Girls' Residence.
Suddenly, a scream tore through the house from upstairs.
Moments later, heavy footsteps thundered down the staircase. Two muscular men appeared, dragging a skinny man between them. His feet scraped helplessly across the steps as they hauled him into the sitting room.
They threw him down at the Commander's feet.
"Forgive me, please!" the man cried, tears streaming down his face as he crawled forward desperately.
The Commander slowly rose from his chair.
"I helped you level up,i gave you the protection you needed.And you repay me by betraying me… for the group of builders?"
The words were quiet, but each one cut like a blade.
"Please! I won't do it again,I've learned my lesson!"
"Don't worry,you won't."
A massive hammer materialized in his hand, its oversized metal head gleaming under the dim room light.
The man's eyes widened in terror.
"No… no! Please—have mercy!"
The guards forced him down, pinning his arms and shoulders against the floor.
The hammer rose.
Then it came crashing down.
Crunch.
Bone shattered beneath the blow. The man's skull collapsed with a sickening crack, blood spraying across the floor in a violent arc.
Silence followed.
The people in the room didn't flinch.
They had grown used to scenes like this.
A faint glow appeared before the Commander as his system screen flickered into view.
[Acquired > +50 Blue Points]
He lifted the hammer slightly, letting the blood drip from its metal head.
"This fate awaits anyone who betrays me again!" he roared, his voice filling the room.
His underlings lowered their heads instinctively, feeling the weight of the warning settle over them.
Then, as though nothing had happened, the Commander casually dropped back into his chair. His arms returned to rest around the two girls beside him.
"Any news from the meeting at the Girls' Residence?" he asked, his tone relaxed.
"Yeah,sources say they're fighting."
The Commander's grin spread slowly across his face.
"That's perfect."
He leaned back further.
"Any information about their special skills yet?"
"No, sir. Our source hasn't seen any."
"No worries,with these upgrades, we can counter whatever skills they might possess."
His grin deepened.
...
LOVE SYMBOL RESIDENCE
Sparks burst into the air as Charlotte's knuckle weapons slammed against Alexander's twin blades.
Metal screeched against metal as she pushed forward with overwhelming strength, forcing him back step by step.
Her grin widened, eyes gleaming with excitement.
"You look smart—I hate it!" she shouted, grinding her knuckles harder against his blades.
Alexander gritted his teeth.
"You look strong… I hate it!" he shot back, deliberately provoking her.
Charlotte's left arm suddenly lunged forward, aiming straight for his gut with brutal force.
Alexander instantly stopped parrying and leapt backward, creating space between them.
"Why did you run?you chicken!"
Alexander adjusted his glasses calmly.
"Twin blades and knuckles,both are short-range weapons."
"So?that doesn't matter when you've got strength!"
"Yeah,you're right."Alexander admitted, shifting his stance and holding the ends of his blades defensively.
A faint smile touched his lips.
"That's why from now on… I'll keep my distance."
Charlotte launched at him again.
"I… told… you!" she growled, arms spreading wide as if to crush him in a single grab.
Alexander stepped back smoothly, his footwork light and precise. Her arms cut through the air where he had been a moment earlier.
"It… doesn't… matter!" Charlotte roared again, swinging a heavy right hook.
Two quick steps back.
Then a sudden slide to the left.
Alexander dodged cleanly.
For a moment, the strategy worked.
But Charlotte adapted quickly.
Little by little, the distance between them shrank. Her relentless pressure forced him back step by step.
Alexander felt it happening.
She was pushing him into her range.
Phwah!
Her fist missed his head by mere inches and smashed into the wall behind him.
The cement cracked loudly. Chunks of stone broke loose and scattered across the floor.
Charlotte yanked her fist free without hesitation, seemingly unfazed by the impact.
"You're mine now!"
Her left leg swept behind Alexander, blocking his escape route.
Her glowing knuckles shot toward his face with explosive force.
Alexander smiled.
"Got you."
He ducked low.
His body folded forward, his head dropping beneath the strike. At the same time, he drove one of his blades forward.
The steel plunged into her stomach.
"Aaah!!" Charlotte groaned, her hand flying to clutch the fresh wound.
Alexander slipped past her before she could react.
He didn't stop moving.
He dashed straight into the sitting room, blade still clenched tightly in his right hand.
Just as they had discussed earlier.
"Anyone who gets an opening should rush to help the one who needs it most," he recalled.
Right now, Jamie needed them.
Emily noticed Alexander the moment he entered the room.
That split-second distraction cost her.
Bray's kick slammed into her face, the impact sending her crashing into the wall lined with portraits.
Frames rattled violently.
One portrait slipped free from its hook and began falling toward the floor.
Emily's eyes widened in panic.
Ignoring the pain in her face, she lunged forward and caught the frame before it shattered.
Bray froze in confusion.
That reaction was the last thing he expected.
His foot still hovered in midair as he stared at her in bewilderment.
Alexander noticed too.
But he didn't stop.
Jamie needed him more.
Without hesitation, Alexander kicked open a nearby door.
The wood slammed against the wall as the door burst open.
Inside, Jamie struggled to rise from the ground. His legs trembled beneath him, one arm wrapped tightly around his stomach.
Lora stood a few steps away.
A spinning shuriken gleamed in her hand.
Both of them turned toward Alexander as he entered.
"Leave him alone!" Alexander barked.
His blade shot forward, stabbing into her leg.
But Lora didn't flinch.
Instead, she slowly turned toward him.
Her once-beautiful face had twisted into something unsettling—something almost monstrous.
"She's Lora, right?!" Alexander asked in surprise.
"Yeah! Please help—she's crazy!" Jamie shouted, still struggling to stand.
"Shh…" Lora whispered softly.
"Don't say that, my love."
"My love?" Alexander frowned.
"What is she talking about?"
"Don't answer him!" Lora snapped, her eyes locking onto Jamie again.
"Mother told me there will always be people who try to destroy the love between two young people!"
Without hesitation, Alexander rushed her.
Shuriken sliced through the air—left, right—but his precise footwork carried him forward, weaving between the spinning blades until he forced her into close combat.
Behind him, Jamie pushed himself upright despite the pain.
"Bray might need our help!" Alexander shouted.
And it was true.
Inside the main room, Bray was still fighting Emily.
Charlotte could recover at any moment.
If she returned to the fight, Bray would be trapped in a two-against-one battle.
Lora's expression twisted with heartbreak.
"Why do you want to fight me, my love?"
"I already have a girlfriend!"
Her voice exploded into a scream.
"Then I'll kill you so you stop breaking my heart!!"
She pressed the ring on her finger.
A glowing system screen appeared before her.
Strength: 10
Agility: 30
Endurance: 40
Speed: 25
Intelligence: 15
Mana: 20
Combat Experience: 30
Level: 59
[Blue Points: 50]
"+20 Strength!"
"+30 Speed!"
Energy surged around her body like a blazing aura.
Her muscles tightened, veins pulsing as the system upgrades flooded her with power.
Jamie and Alexander both braced themselves.
Ready to fight her together.
Suddenly—
"Everyone stop fighting!"
Charlotte's voice rang through the house, sharp and commanding.
All three turned.
Charlotte, Emily, and Bray stepped into the room side by side.
The battle had stopped.
They had formed an alliance.