Zero to Peak: Ascension Online

Ivan had stopped beside the crashed alien battleship to catch his breath. The leader of the mafia force he had just handed an undeserved victory to was determined to get his attention. The man was armed with a technologically advanced plasma rifle. He clicked a button on his weapon, and it changed into a complexly equipped long rifle, akin to an anti-tank rifle.

The weapon morphed into its Breaker Form with a soft click of its chitinous plates. A low hum signalled the micro-forge creating a Stinger round as he synced with the Cognitive Scope, his vision instantly flooding with data and heat signatures.

He soon locked onto Ivan's figure, which was obscured by the battleship's hull. He pulled the trigger, and a reverberating zip exploded from the gun along with a flash of heat. The marksman barely felt any recoil because of the dampener systems within the rifle.

The round pierced through the hull of the ship and viciously crashed onto Ivan's right shoulder. The impact almost threw Ivan off his feet, but he was quick to recover his stance.

You have suffered a powerful attack.

Armour Integrity: 67%

<<<<

The blessing he had received from the Goddess had charged his armour integrity to 70%. Up until this moment, he had done his best to avoid getting hit.

The force leader quickly hopped down from a great height. Ivan turned, taking a brief glance at the approaching man. He was pissed, but not overly so. He didn't expect the best behaviour from morally bankrupt thugs. He pivoted, planning his escape.

The mafia leader fired a warning round into the sky, then quickly brought his rifle down and aimed it at Ivan's back.

"Don't you dare flee from me, motherfucker. I will hunt you down. You are not the only super-powered freak show in this house."

The arrogant behaviour infuriated Ivan. He wanted to pivot and hit the man hard in the face, but he decided to approach the situation calmly. Based on what he had seen from the battle, he was sure he could escape the man's pursuit if no one interfered.

"Who is your boss, dipshit?" the arrogant group leader asked.

"Excuse me?"

"Yeah, I'm talking to you, dipshit."

Ivan wanted to retort with a hurtful statement but found himself lacking a repertoire of painful insults.

"I'm not a dipshit. I work for the church. I'm here to rescue stranded, helpless civilians. I was on my way to continue my real mission when I saw you cowardly fools on the verge of death."

The arrogant force leader became enraged.

"I'm surprised that you lot somehow threw away a good lead and came close to death."

The force leader couldn't contain his rage. "Now, listen here you ass-licking, nepo-baby dipshit, just because your sugar daddy at the church got you a fancy high-grade suit of armour doesn't mean you are free to undermine my effort."

"Oh, did I hurt your feelings?" Ivan said with a feigned apologetic expression. "I'm not a nepo baby. I'm a freelancer. I just happened to be around when your situation went to shit."

'I should have used the kine-thermal round on this guy,' the force leader thought.

The crimson sword materialised in Ivan's left hand. "If you try anything funny, I promise you will be a specimen for practising my butchering skills," Ivan threatened.

Name: Joao Maximillian

Rank: Honoured Bronze Ascendant Class: Marksman

New Mission

Info: Rescue Bryan.

Description: You have just met an enigmatic powerhouse. You have an outstanding mission from your boss to rescue your mafia's ally, the business tycoon Mr Bryan. Now that you have met this powerhouse, team up with him and go rescue Mr Bryan, his daughter, and his employees from the Bryan Industrial Estate.

Penalty for failing to comply: Severe demotion in power rank; you risk being reverted to an ordinary human being. You risk a heavy deduction of two million exp points. You risk losing half of your extraordinary items and subsequently facing a severe restriction in using the surviving items.

<<<<

Joao Maximillian, the leader of the small group of mafia soldiers, couldn't believe his eyes.

Simultaneously, a system window appeared in Ivan's perception.

New Mission Information: Rescue Bryan.

Description: You have just met an obnoxious leader of a small group of irredeemable mafia soldiers. Team up with the obnoxious military group leader and go rescue Mr Bryan, his daughter, and his employees from the Bryan Industrial Estate.

Penalty: If you fail to rescue Mr Bryan, his daughter, or both, you face a deduction of fifty thousand exp points.

<<<<

"What the heck is this? Why in the world am I being forced to work with this idiot?" Ivan muttered.

Ivan and the force leader locked gazes. They sensed that they had both been given the same mission. They said nothing to each other. Maximillian walked away to go mobilise his surviving units for the rescue mission. Ivan waited until all was ready.

Maximillian had a map of the Bryan Industrial Estate with him. His units and Ivan gathered around as he briefed them on the strategy they would employ.

The Bryan Industrial Estate was on the southern side of Zone Alpha's business district. A river cut the business district into northern and southern halves. The district measured 7km² in area, and the Bryan Business Estate spanned 1km² of that, a vast area of land that showcased the tycoon's power.

The newly formed team was up against a very big problem: they were vastly outnumbered by the aliens that had invaded the estate. From the information Bryan had passed to Maximillian's boss, the alien forces numbered over seven thousand soldiers.

Ivan had a hard time believing the number after Maximillian revealed it. There was no way for Maximillian to request more units for help. He had been given three hundred well-equipped units to rescue the tycoon but had deviated from completing his boss's instructions. The number of units commissioned for the mission was ridiculously low. Maximillian was fortunate to have come across an event he could use as an excuse—the incredible battle between the man in white and the three super-powered aliens. He had decided to set their aircraft down in this part of the business district and engage the aliens that had overrun the zone. If he met his boss, he would give the excuse that the immense battle in the sky had threatened to crash their ship, forcing an emergency landing, after which they were promptly engaged by the aliens in the region.