SSSSS-Rank: Negative Leveling

Luthra stood alone before the main gate of the Gorgon Mines. Twenty feet of reinforced iron and wood barred his path, with guard towers on either side. A hundred archers lined the walls above, arrows nocked and aimed at him.

He unwrapped the chain from his arm slowly, letting its full length pool on the ground. The black metal hungry as it seemed to drink in the morning light.

"I want to speak to Gorgon Silas!"

A guard captain leaned over the wall. "You're that guy who beat up our men in town! You got a death wish, coming here alone?"

"Tell Silas I'm here to make a deal."

"We don't make deals with dead men!"

The captain raised his hand to signal the archers. A hundred bowstrings drew back.

'Right on schedule.'

He grabbed his chain and spun it once overhead, then whipped it forward. It shot through the air and wrapped around the massive iron bar that locked the gate from the outside. He pulled it taut and focused.

The chain pulsed with darkness.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then a groan came from deep within the gate's structure. The wood started splintering around the iron bar. Metal began to bend.

'Four hundred percent weight increase. Let's see what twenty tons of force does to your door.'

The gate exploded inward.

Not just broke - detonated. The iron bar crumpled like paper, the reinforced wood shattered into splinters the size of spears. The shockwave knocked guards off the walls. Archers stumbled, their shots going wild. The entire front entrance disappeared in a cloud of dust and debris.

Luthra walked through the ruined gateway, pulling his chain back to coil around his arm.

"Now. About that meeting with Silas."

The guards who weren't knocked down scrambled for cover. Someone was screaming orders but nobody was listening. The supposedly impenetrable gate was just gone, turned to kindling by one man with a chain.

'Good. Going as planned so far.'

Three guards charged from his left, swords raised. He sidestepped the first swing, caught the man's wrist, and redirected his momentum straight into the second guard. They went down in a tangle of limbs. The third guard tried to stop but Luthra's chain was already moving, wrapping around his ankle and yanking him off his feet.

More guards poured into the courtyard. Ten, twenty, fifty. They formed a rough circle around him, weapons drawn but nobody eager to be the first to attack.

"Where's Silas?" Luthra stood in the center, completely calm. "I came here to talk to him, not play with his toys."

---

Deep in the mines, in his throne room, Silas set down the petrified child's hand he'd been polishing.

"My lord," a messenger knelt before him, blood running from a cut on his forehead. "The main gate is destroyed. The intruder is in the courtyard. He's demanding to speak with you."

"Destroyed? My reinforced gate?"

"Completely, my lord. He did something with his chain. The whole structure just... collapsed."

Silas stood from his throne. 'Interesting.'

"How many guards have engaged him?"

"Over sixty, my lord. But they're hesitating. After what he did to the gate..."

"They're afraid." Silas smiled. "Good. Fear makes for better statues. Their expressions will be more authentic."

He walked to a shelf lined with petrified creatures - birds, mice, a cat frozen mid-stretch. He picked up a butterfly, its wings spread in eternal flight.

"Send Borris, Misha, and Jako. Tell them to bring the intruder to me. Alive, but broken. I want to look him in the eyes before I add him to my collection."

---

Back in the courtyard, Luthra counted the guards surrounding him. 'Sixty-three. All E-rank or lower. This is manageable.'

A path opened in the circle of guards. Borris walked through, his mace resting on his shoulder. Misha and Jako flanked him, moving with the coordination of a practiced team.

"Remember me?" Borris grinned. "You got lucky last time. No tricks now. No running."

"I didn't come here to run."

"Good. Makes this easier."

They attacked together. No dramatic speeches, no posturing. Borris came from the front, mace swinging in a crushing arc. Misha circled left, her staff already glowing with gathered energy. Jako vanished into Luthra's blind spot, daggers ready.

'Guess they are cautious of me now.'

He dove forward, under Borris's swing. The mace cratered the ground where he'd been standing. He rolled to his feet just as Jako's daggers slashed where his neck should have been.

A bolt of energy from Misha's staff forced him to dodge right, directly into Borris's follow-up swing. He couldn't dodge this one.

So he didn't.

He caught the mace with both hands. The impact sent shockwaves up his arms but he held firm. Borris's eyes went wide.

"What?"

"My turn."

He yanked the mace forward, pulling Borris off balance, then drove his knee into the man's stomach. Borris doubled over, gasping. Before he could recover, Luthra spun and whipped the chain out, catching Jako across the chest and sending him flying into a wall.

Misha's next spell was already forming. He grabbed Borris by the collar and threw him at her. She had to abort the spell to avoid hitting her teammate.

'I am getting the hang of this mana.'

Borris pushed himself off the ground, his face twisted with rage. His ribs ached from where Luthra's knee had connected, but the pain in his pride hurt worse.

"How the hell are you this strong now? Last time you could barely handle us!"

Luthra shrugged. "I was just playing with you before. Wanted to see what the famous Syndicate hunters could do. Not impressed."

That was a complete lie. Last time he'd barely escaped with his life, using every Void Step he had just to reach the forest edge. But Borris didn't need to know that.

"You lying piece of—" Borris took a step forward, his mace rising.

Then he stopped. His eyes narrowed.

'Wait. He wants me angry. That's why he's talking instead of fighting. He's baiting me.'

Borris lowered his mace slightly, forcing his breathing to slow. The red-hot fury cooled to something more dangerous.

"Nice try. But I'm not that stupid."

"Could've fooled me."

Misha helped Jako to his feet. The tracker was holding his ribs where the chain had caught him, but his eyes were sharp and focused. They exchanged a look, then spread out again, forming a triangle around Luthra.

'This might be a problem.'

The surrounding guards had backed up, giving them room. Nobody wanted to get caught in the crossfire, but nobody was running either. They all wanted to see what happened when someone challenged the Syndicate's best.

"You destroyed our gate," Misha said. "That's going to cost you."

"Send me a bill."

"Oh, we will. Silas likes his payments in flesh. Specifically, flesh turned to stone."

Jako moved first this time, but not with a direct attack. He threw something at the ground near Luthra's feet. Black smoke erupted from where it hit, thick and choking. Luthra's Mind's Eye could still track their auras through the smoke, but his regular vision was useless.

Borris came from the front, using the smoke as cover. His mace swung low, aimed at Luthra's knees. At the same time, Misha's staff sent a barrage of energy bolts through the smoke from different angles.

'What a pain.'

He jumped straight up, avoiding the low swing. The energy bolts passed beneath him. But Jako was already there, having predicted the dodge. His daggers slashed at Luthra's exposed back while he was still in the air.

Luthra twisted his body, the blades missing by inches. He grabbed Jako's wrist as he fell, using the hunter's own momentum to swing him into Borris's follow-up attack.

"Jako, move!"

Too late. Borris's mace caught his teammate in the shoulder, sending him sprawling. Borris swore loudly.

The smoke was clearing now. Luthra stood in the center, completely unharmed. The three hunters regrouped, breathing hard.

"This isn't working," Misha said quietly.

"I noticed."

"We need to—"

A slow clap echoed across the courtyard. Everyone turned toward the sound.

Gorgon Silas stood at the entrance to the mines, still applauding. He was exactly like his photo—slicked-back black hair, a cruel smile, expensive clothes that belonged in a city rather than a mining compound. Two guards flanked him, but they looked more like decorations than protection.

"Wonderful performance. Truly. I haven't been this entertained in months."

Luthra's eyes locked onto him. 'Finally.'

"You must be Silas."

"The one and only. And you're the man who's been causing such a fuss in my territory. Breaking my people, destroying my property. That gate was expensive, you know."

"I'll pay for it."

"Oh, you will. But not with money."

Silas walked forward, his guards staying by the entrance. He moved with complete confidence, like someone who'd never lost a fight and couldn't imagine starting now.

"You see, I'm a collector. I collect beautiful things. Unique things. Things that shouldn't exist." His eyes swept over Luthra, taking in every detail. "And you, my friend, are definitely something that shouldn't exist. No mana, yet you fight like a B-rank hunter. It's impossible."

"I get that a lot."

'strange, can he not sense my negative mana?'

"I'm sure you do. Tell me, what are you? Some kind of mutation? A failed experiment? Or just a freak of nature?"

"Does it matter?"

"Not really. You'll look magnificent in my garden either way."

The courtyard had gone completely silent. Even the wind seemed to stop. Every guard, every hunter, everyone was watching and waiting.

"I came here to make a deal."

"A deal? How delightful. What could you possibly offer me that I can't simply take?"

"A fair fight."

Silas laughed, genuine amusement in his voice. "A fair fight? Against me? Do you know what I am?"

"A B-rank hunter with a god complex and too much time on his hands."

The amusement vanished from Silas's face. "Careful. I've turned men to stone for less insult than that."

"That's what I'm counting on."

'Come on. Take the bait. You know you want to prove you're superior.'

Silas studied him for a long moment. Then the smile returned, colder than before.

"You know what? I accept. A fair fight. You and me, right here, right now. When I win—and I will win—you become the centerpiece of my collection. I'm thinking right by the entrance, so everyone can see what happens to those who challenge me."

"And if I win?"

"You won't."

"Humor me."

Silas waved a hand dismissively. "If by some miracle you win, you can have whatever you want. The mines, the slaves, my hunters' contracts. Everything."

"Deal."

"Excellent. Borris, Misha, Jako—step back. Give us room."

The three hunters hesitated.

"My lord," Borris started. "This could be a trap—"

"Step. Back."

They moved to join the circle of guards. The courtyard expanded, giving Luthra and Silas space in the center.

Silas rolled his shoulders, cracking his neck. "It's been a while since I've had to fight personally. This should be fun."

"You have no idea."