The group had seven people in total. Five had gone down into the nest, leaving only Gavin, a girl with cherry-pink hair, and Lucas behind.
The three stood around the monitor, watching the battle unfold below.
"Who's the big guy?" Lucas asked.
"That's the Tanker, Tank for short. Dude's a freaking beast," Gavin said excitedly.
He looked like a kid watching his favorite anime.
Lucas couldn't understand him. People were fighting for their lives down there, yet Gavin looked like he was enjoying every second of it.
He glanced to the side and caught the pink-haired girl staring at him.
She immediately looked away.
She was small, pretty, and had an almost doll-like face.
"Hello." Lucas smiled and waved.
"U-um... hello."
"I'm Lucas."
He reached his hand past Gavin.
"Elena."
She shook it briefly before pulling away.
'That went well, he thought with a grin. Now I just need to keep the conversation going'
"Lucas, watch and learn so you can get stronger," Gavin said.
He grabbed Lucas by the shoulder and pointed at the screen.
"Captain's about to get serious."
Damian stepped forward and slammed his fists together.
A green glow burst from the impact, spreading across his hands like living fire.
[Sam_bot: Go nuclear, man!]
[Racer: Yeah, fuck 'em up.]
[Racer has sent 5KP]
[CrazyTiger: Arnold is my goat]
[StormQueen: You guys are getting stronger. Keep it up.]
The chat exploded.
More than two thousand viewers were watching.
Countless spiders rushed Damian from every direction.
He threw a single punch.
Green flames erupted outward.
The blast swallowed the swarm and erased every spider in its path.
"What kind of skill is that?" Lucas asked
"Nuclear Punch," Gavin replied immediately. "Captain's talent is Nuclear Energy."
"Nuclear Energy? That sounds dangerous."
"Because it is. Every time he uses it, he releases a ton of radiation. Doesn't affect the others much because they're resistant enough to handle it."
Below, the rest of the team continued fighting. Tank bulldozed through monsters with brute force while Arnold darted around the battlefield, moving faster than any normal person should.
Carol hovered above the nest, calmly extending her hand.
Invisible projectiles shot from her fingertips.
Wherever they landed, spiders exploded apart.
"What about her?" Lucas asked.
"Carol? Her talent's Wings of Essence." Gavin pointed at the screen. "Probably the most versatile ability in the group."
"And the others?"
Gavin sighed dramatically, though he looked happy to explain.
"Arnold's got 'Energy Boost'. Old Man Saito has 'Sword Sense'. Tank's talent is 'Body Craft'."
He folded his arms and grinned.
"There. Now you know everybody. Try enjoying the show instead of interrogating me."
Lucas had a few more questions, he still wanted to ask how Gavin knew all these things, and the biggest one of all, if they also have a 'Legacy' like him.
But after a bit of thought it was easy to figure out the answers.
He reasoned that they probably revealed their Talents to make their fans more interested and even trust them more, like some sort of superheros.
Plus it would almost be impossible streaming every fight and not revealing your abilities.
But he definitely wasn't a fan of the idea.
'imagine the whole world finding out that my talent is Sex and Seduction'
They would forever look at him as some pervert and that wasn't the image he was going for, but that bridge was still too far ahead to worry about.
As for the 'Legacy', the only thing that made sense is that they were purposely keeping it hidden from the masses.
He was convinced that at least one person there had a 'Legacy' if not all.
'let's just continue observing for now'
The fight continued like it was something out of a movie, and even Lucas started cheering for them as they battled the horde of spiders.
Suddenly, Lucas heard a faint sound coming from somewhere behind them.
It wasn't loud, but it was strange.
He frowned and listened carefully.
It wasn't footsteps.
The sound seemed to be coming from beneath the ground.
"Do you guys hear that?"
Gavin and Elena turned.
A second later, the concrete floor bulged upward.
Cracks spread across the surface like a spiderweb.
Lucas instinctively stepped back.
"Is it a monster?"
Gavin stared at the swelling ground for a moment before nodding.
"Most likely."
"I think so too," Elena agreed. "We should tell the others and move positions."
Gavin shook his head.
"No. I can handle this one."
He forced a grin onto his face.
"Besides, if we run now, it might just chase us."
Lucas glanced at Elena.
She was clearly the most experienced person there besides Gavin, so he waited for her decision.
Elena hesitated.
The cracks were growing wider.
Something underneath was pushing closer to the surface.
"...Okay," she finally said. "If you think you can do it, I'll support you."
Gavin nodded immediately.
"Good."
The two of them retreated behind a nearby corner, leaving Gavin standing alone in the open.
Lucas watched him roll his shoulders.
The confidence was still there.
But now that he was alone, Lucas noticed a bead of sweat slowly trailing down the side of Gavin's face.
Gavin swallowed.
Elena stretched out her arm toward him.
"What are you doing?" Lucas asked.
"It's my special ability," she explained. "It's mainly for healing, but I can make his attack a little stronger... only a little."
Everyone's attention remained fixed on the swelling patch of ground.
Then the sound stopped.
The sudden silence felt even worse.
Lucas could hear nothing but his heartbeat and the steady sound of his own breathing.
Gavin pulled back his arm.
Flames gathered in his hand, rapidly taking shape until they formed a blazing bow and an arrow as large as a spear.
The moment Elena activated her ability, the flames brightened and intensified.
A second later, the ground gave way.
Something burst through the surface.
Gavin didn't even spare it a glance.
He released the arrow.
The projectile streaked forward and detonated on impact.
A deafening explosion engulfed the area.
But Gavin wasn't finished.
Before the dust could settle, he fired another arrow.
Then another.
And another.
Flaming projectiles rained into the cloud of debris as he relentlessly bombarded whatever had emerged from below.