NOVGO.NET Chapter 55: Breaking The Record
Chapter 55: Breaking The Record
"The broadcast drones are already hovering over the blast doors," Ruby observed, checking her spearhead.
She adjusted the harness securing her kite shield against her left forearm.
Fin leaned against the staging barrier, watching two spherical audit drones blink with scarlet recording lights.
"The Association stream has forty thousand live viewers in the fourth district alone," Maya reported from her console.
"Corporate commentators claim two fighters cannot clear a certified vault without artillery support," she added.
"They said the same thing about three porters unloading a freight train," Fin replied with an easy grin.
"Let us show them how a real packing line operates under pressure," Ruby said, smiling.
’We set the pace today, and we do not slow down for anyone,’ Fin thought.
The warning siren above the vault entrance sounded three sharp, rhythmic warning blasts.
Thick hydraulic locks disengaged with a concussive hiss of pressurized steam across the threshold.
The reinforced vault doors slid open, revealing a wide hall filled with glowing magma sluices.
Heat radiated from the interior channels, making the air ripple like liquid glass.
Dozens of armored Molten Carvers swarmed across the lower floor, their claws scraping against the grating.
"Sixty carvers in the frontline brigade, plus a Named boss at the core," Maya transmitted through their earpieces.
"Form the bottleneck at the secondary sluice gate," Fin instructed, drawing his hatchet.
Ruby sprinted forward, her boots pounding in a clean rhythm across the catwalk.
She planted her kite shield squarely in the narrow passage between two magma troughs.
The lead carver lunged with glowing pincers, snapping viciously toward Ruby’s collarbone.
Ruby drove the bottom rim of her shield downward, crushing the beast’s foreleg with concussive force.
"Line them up, Ruby!" Fin shouted, initiating his active skill.
[ Active skill initiated: Overclock (rank D) ]
[ Agility multiplier: x300% (84 → 252) ]
[ Duration: 12 seconds ]
Fin’s body transformed into a silver-black blur across the catwalk.
He bypassed the front guard, driving the armor-piercing spike of his hatchet into a carver’s neck seam.
He stowed his hatchet, switching to both daggers as the carvers closed around him.
His twin daggers flashed in continuous figure-eight patterns, severing limbs with rhythmic precision.
Molten blood sprayed across his jacket, but Frost Skin and Heat Resistance absorbed the thermal discharge.
[ Passive skill active: Frost Skin (level 1) - physical mitigation confirmed ]
[ Passive skill active: Heat Resistance +15% - thermal mitigation confirmed ]
Ten carvers fell within five seconds, their shattered shells tumbling into the burning sluice below.
"Clear the left flank before the second wave clusters," Ruby barked, thrusting her spear through a carapace.
Fin vaulted off Ruby’s shoulder plate, executing a mid-air rotation above the charging swarm.
He drove both daggers downward through two monster skulls simultaneously as he landed.
His packing-line footwork carried him through the dense pack without wasting a single movement.
"The clear timer reads five minutes flat," Maya called over the radio link.
"The Named Molten Juggernaut is breaking through the central furnace chamber," she warned.
The far bulkhead crumpled inward as an armored beast twice the size of an ox emerged.
Pipes of pressurized magma ran along the creature’s spine, venting orange fire into the vault.
He returned the daggers to storage, drawing his hatchet as the juggernaut advanced.
"Draw its primary charge toward the sluice wall," Fin commanded, resetting his grip on his hatchet.
Ruby slammed her spear against her shield rim, unleashing a sharp taunt that drew the beast’s fury.
The Juggernaut roared, its clawed hooves pounding across the floor in a ferocious charge.
Ruby braced her shield against an upright pillar, taking the brunt of the seismic impact with clenched teeth.
The shockwave shuddered through the catwalk, but her stance remained unbreakable.
Fin engaged Overclock a second time, burning stamina to reach maximum velocity.
He sprinted up the beast’s rear flank, planting his sneaker on its armored shoulder plate.
Fin drove the spike of his hatchet deep into the monster’s glowing nape.
The creature thrashed violently, attempting to throw him into the boiling magma below.
Fin left the hatchet lodged beside the collar, drawing both daggers to pierce the exposed core.
A brilliant burst of golden light erupted from the fractured core as the Juggernaut collapsed.
The remaining carvers panicked, scattering into the side vents as the dungeon collapsed into silence.
The audit drones swooped low over the steaming arena, their optical lenses zooming in on the battlefield.
The Association timer on the municipal broadcast screen froze with a brilliant green chime.
[ Sub-level vault 14 trial: complete ]
[ Clear time: 11 minutes 40 seconds ]
[ Regional speed record broken: previous record 15m 40s surpassed ]
[ Named molten juggernaut slain: +110,000 EXP ]
[ EXP: 475,700 / 2,500,000 ]
[ Bounty payout cleared: +48,000 credits ]
[ Faction balance: 75,000 credits liquid reserve ]
Maya’s voice crackled through the comm-link, filled with genuine excitement.
"You just shattered the Goldwake frontline brigade’s three-year record by four full minutes," Maya reported.
"The public comment feed on the live stream is overflowing with stunned reactions," she added.
Ruby lowered her shield, wiping soot from her forehead with the back of her gauntlet.
"That was a clean shift, partner," Ruby said, breathing steadily beside the fallen monster.
Fin flicked the dark ichor from his daggers before returning them to his sub-space inventory.
"Our porters have twelve carts of high-grade molten ore to haul to the depot," Fin noted.
"Bram already positioned the transport frames at the loading dock," Ruby replied with a grin.
Orson led the other six porters into the vault with wheelbarrows and reinforced salvage crates.
"I have not seen a vault cleared this fast in thirty years on the docks," Orson remarked, grinning.
"Every salvage crate gets tagged and weighed before leaving the staging area," Fin told the crew.
"We follow the protocol down to the last ounce of ore," Bram assured him, directing the loading.
"The Association auditor just approved our full bounty release without a single deduction," Maya radioed.
"Forty-eight thousand credits are transferring directly into our guild bank account," she added.
"That covers a reserve of paid shifts; Maya will budget the next deployment before we promise more," Ruby calculated.
"We also secured exclusive salvage rights for Vault Fourteen for the rest of the season," Fin noted.
"Corporate syndicates will not be able to push us around after this broadcast," Ruby said firmly.
"Jolly is watching the broadcast replay on her laptop at home," Maya reported with a chuckle.
"She already entered our bonus earnings into the war ledger," Maya added.
"Tell her to prepare the third pan for tonight’s dinner," Fin replied, smiling.
"We earned our meat today, and we celebrate together under our roof," Ruby agreed.
"Pack up the salvage tools, and let us escort the carts to the weighing station," Fin said to Bram.
"The trucks are fueled and waiting at the outer gate," Bram confirmed with a thumbs-up gesture.
"Nobody climbs on a loaded cart," Orson told the porters. "We have enough weight without adding broken ankles."
Fin stopped beside the first axle, checking it before waving the line forward.
"Separate the weigh slips from the prize receipt," he said. "One is paid. The other is still a pile of ore."
"You will get both," Bram promised. "With numbers even your sister approves."
Fin walked alongside the column of loaded carts as they exited the steaming vault.
The afternoon sun greeted the victorious team as municipal sirens signaled the official gate closure.
’We proved that honest workers can outfight any sponsored team in this city,’ Fin thought with pride.
The floating broadcast drone zoomed in on Fin’s calm face as he wiped soot from his hatchet.
Across District Four, thousands of watching hunters stared at their screens in stunned amazement.