The Hunt Begins

(Samuel's POV – The Fastest Way to Level Up)

The cold night air hit us as we stepped out of the bar, the distant hum of the city filling the silence.

Henry stretched his arms, rolling his shoulders before turning to me with a grin.

"Alright," he said, his golden eyes flashing with excitement. "Let's take care of some London Syndicates and level up as fast as we can."

I smirked, cracking my knuckles. "About time. I was starting to get bored."

London was crawling with criminal organizations, underground syndicates, and black-market traders.

For normal people? Untouchable.

For us? Free experience points.

Henry leaned against a streetlight, pulling out his phone to check something. "There are at least four major syndicates running operations here. Drugs, weapons, human trafficking—you name it."

I exhaled, my smirk widening. "Let's shut them down. All of them."

Henry chuckled. "Think of it as community service."

I laughed. "Yeah. We're such great citizens."

The night air was crisp, the dim glow of streetlights casting long shadows as Henry and I walked through the quiet streets of London.

We had just left the bar, but the real fun was about to begin.

Henry pulled out his phone, tapping on the screen before turning to me with a grin.

"Alright, Samuel. Here's what we're dealing with."

He held up his screen, a holographic map of London flickering to life. Four red marks glowed across different parts of the city.

----

The Four Major Syndicates of London

1. The Black Hounds – A brutal gang specializing in illegal arms deals and assassinations. They controlled most of London's underground gun market and had ties to mercenary groups worldwide.

2. The Crimson Serpents – London's largest drug syndicate, controlling distribution across Europe. They worked with cartels and had a network embedded deep into the police force.

3. The Iron Fangs – Human trafficking and smuggling. They were notorious for running black-market auctions, selling everything from weapons to people.

4. The Revenant Circle – The most secretive of them all. A cult-like organization dealing in forbidden experiments and supernatural dealings. Rumors said they had connections to Project Hades.

----

I let out a low whistle, rubbing my chin as I took in the list.

"London really is a shithole."

Henry smirked. "Took you this long to realize?"

I chuckled, my emerald green eyes glowing faintly in the dim light. "So, what's the plan? Do we wipe them out one by one, or do we make this interesting?"

Henry's golden eyes gleamed with excitement. "Oh, we're making this interesting."

He zoomed in on the first syndicate's hideout.

"The Black Hounds have an underground facility near the docks. Their leader, Dominic Kane, runs illegal gun shipments through there."

I smirked. "Then let's pay him a visit."

The air smelled of salt and gasoline as we approached the docks. The massive shipping containers cast long shadows under the dim industrial lights.

Henry and I moved silently, our footsteps barely making a sound against the cold concrete.

In the distance, Black Hound enforcers were stationed near a large warehouse, their guns strapped to their sides.

I leaned slightly toward Henry. "How do you wanna do this? Stealth or straight carnage?"

Henry smirked, rolling his shoulders. "Come on, Samuel. You already know the answer."

I grinned. "Carnage it is."

Without another word, I vanished.

Using Void Step, I reappeared behind one of the enforcers, gripping the back of his skull and slamming his face into the concrete.

The loud crack of his skull sent the others into chaos.

"WHAT THE HELL—"

Before they could react, Henry teleported into their midst using Celestial Blink, his golden sword flashing as he cut down two men in an instant.

"Shit! We're under attack—!"

I didn't let them finish.

I inhaled deeply—the air around me trembled.

"BREATH OF DESTRUCTION."

A black wave of energy erupted from my mouth, tearing through crates and slamming into three guards, sending their bodies flying into the sea.

More enforcers came rushing out from the warehouse, their guns aimed at us.

"TAKE THEM DOWN!"

Henry smirked, raising his hand.

"Judgment's Wrath."

A single golden strike of energy erupted from his sword, ripping through the warehouse entrance, sending debris and bodies flying in every direction.

The gunfire was deafening.

But to us?

It was nothing.

I dodged effortlessly, moving between bullets, my gauntlets shattering ribs as I tore through them like paper.

One enforcer tried to swing a bat at my head—I caught it mid-air and crushed it in my grip.

"Pathetic."

With one punch, I sent him crashing into a shipping container, denting the steel.

Henry, meanwhile, was a golden blur, appearing in and out of the battlefield, cutting down enemies before they even realized what happened.

Within minutes, the entire Black Hound operation was reduced to rubble.

All that remained was Dominic Kane.

Dominic staggered backward, his breath ragged as he clutched a pistol in his trembling hands.

"You… you don't know who you're messing with!" he stammered.

Henry and I exchanged amused glances.

I stepped forward, cracking my knuckles. "Actually, I do. You're just another scumbag who thinks he's untouchable."

Henry smirked. "News flash—you're not."

Dominic screamed, raising his gun.

BANG.

I caught the bullet between my fingers, twirling it. "Cute."

Before he could react, I moved.

My fist slammed into his gut, sending him flying through a shipping crate.

He gasped, blood spilling from his mouth as he collapsed.

Henry crouched beside him, smirking. "You should've stayed out of our way."

With one swift motion, Henry drove his sword through Dominic's chest, pinning him to the ground.

His final breath left his lips.

Black Hounds—eliminated.

---

One Down, Three to Go

As the warehouse burned behind us, Henry wiped the blood off his blade and turned to me.

"That was fun."

I chuckled. "And we're just getting started."

The System Notification appeared in front of us.

---

[SYSTEM UPDATE: LEVEL UP!]

Samuel – Level 103

Henry – Level 101

---

Henry smirked. "Let's move to the next target."

I cracked my neck, rolling my shoulders. "Crimson Serpents, right?"

Henry's golden eyes gleamed. "Time to wipe out London's drug empire."

Without another word, we vanished into the night.

The hunt was far from over.

It was only just beginning.