The survivor man sat on the ground, still trembling.
Claire knelt next to him, trying to stabilize his condition with calming holy magic.
But the man only repeated one sentence... over and over.
"It won’t let me leave..."
"It knows..."
His voice was weak, broken, as if something inside his mind had shattered.
Cassian finally took a deep breath. He had been trying for a while now to understand what had happened to this man.
But his efforts had not only been fruitless; they seemed to have made the man’s condition even worse.
"We don’t have time anymore." He looked around.
"We’re taking the survivor to the base."
No one objected. Finding a living survivor after all this time was extremely valuable.
Especially a survivor who probably knew something about that mysterious creature.
"Let’s leave this place as soon as possible." Sarah was the most eager to agree. Her body was tingling from being here.
She had never felt so bad in her life. This was the first time she had seen a human broken by fear.
And this had changed her understanding of this city as well. Now she regretted accepting this mission even more than before.
A few minutes later, the group left the building.
At first, everything seemed normal. Empty streets, half-destroyed buildings, abandoned cars, and silence. The same damn silence of the city.
But this time, Lian did not have a good feeling. His instinct was warning him that danger was near.
About fifteen minutes later, as they were slowly leaving the residential sector, Lian suddenly raised his hand.
Everyone stopped.
"Wait." His voice was serious.
"What is it?" Cassian immediately placed his hand on the handle of his sword.
Lian listened for a few seconds. Using Blood Hunt, he tried to scan the area with all his power, and the result was the same:
"I hear something." He said quietly.
Everyone fell silent. At first, nothing could be heard. But then...
Scrape...
Scrape...
Scrape...
The sound of claws on concrete, the sound of running, the sound of breathing. From between the alleys, from behind the buildings.
From broken windows, from every direction. The entire group prepared for battle. And then they appeared.
From the darkness, from the shadows, from the gaps between buildings.
[Bloodfang Hounds]
[Level: 10]
[Rank: Normal]
Massive wolves, hairless, gray skin stretched over bones, teeth longer than knives, and claws that cracked the asphalt.
But what caught the most attention... were their eyes. Red and glowing, as if fire was burning in their eye sockets.
With a look, it was clear that they also seemed to have little flesh, as if they were only skin and bones... as if they too were hungry.
Dozens of monsters filled the street. Maybe thirty, maybe forty, maybe more.
But none of them attacked. They just stared at the survivor man.
Not at Cassian, not at Lian, not at Claire, and not at any other member of the group. Only at the survivor man. As if their target was that man.
"They... are after him." Claire said quietly.
The survivor lost color.
"No..."
"No..."
"They found me..."
And then the ground shook.
One time, two times, three times.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Everyone turned their heads. At the end of the street, several massive shadows appeared.
[Gravehide Brutes]
[Level: 11]
[Rank: Normal]
Monsters nearly three meters tall, thick stone-like skin, shoulders the size of a car, and arms that could crush walls.
And the same red, glowing, unnatural eyes. One of them slammed its fist on the ground, and the asphalt cracked.
"Damn it..." Andreas muttered under his breath. Even for him, this was no joke.
"Defensive formation! Tactical retreat!" Cassian immediately decided.
More than fifty monsters had surrounded them! In this situation, they had no chance of winning.
The best option, the only thing they could do, was to run! If they did not run, they would die right here!
Everyone moved immediately. Andreas looked around, then jumped onto the back of a burned car and raised his bow.
Shoot!
Shoot!
Shoot!
The arrows shattered the heads of the first Bloodfang Hounds, but three more took their place.
Lian did not wait any longer. His speed boots activated.
BOOM!
An explosion of air formed under his feet. His body shot forward like a shadow. The first Bloodfang did not even have time to react.
The silver sword flashed in the air. The monster’s head spun, and black blood sprayed on the ground.
[You have killed a level 10 Bloodfang Hound]
[You have gained 2 Fragments]
[You have gained 3 stat points]
But Lian did not stop.
Second.
Third.
Fourth.
Each strike precise, each strike deadly. The monsters fell one after another.
But their number... was too many.
Marcus brought his shield forward. A Gravehide Brute charged at him.
Collision.
BOOM!
Marcus was pushed back several meters but held his ground.
"Sarah!"
"Right side!"
Sarah immediately released her fire magic. Flames exploded in the street. Several Bloodfang Hounds screamed as their skin burned.
But even this was not enough.
Monsters came from everywhere. From windows, from rooftops, from alleys. As if the entire city had woken up.
Cassian spun his sword. Blue energy gathered around the blade, and then he struck.
BOOM!
A massive wave of energy split the street. Several Bloodfang Hounds were cut in half. But even he was frowning. This number was not logical.
And then...
Everyone realized. They were surrounded. Completely... The monsters were not just in front of them. Behind, left, right, rooftops, everywhere!
Dozens of pairs of red eyes glowed in the darkness.
Lian felt his heart tighten. This was no longer a hunt. This was a trap.
Even for him, dealing with this many monsters was not easy. Where had all these monsters come from? Hadn’t Professor Aldric said that many monsters had already been killed?
This number of monsters is not something a normal group of students can handle.
But it was not impossible for him. And if there was no other choice, he would have to use all his power.
And seeing the current situation, there was no choice but to do that.
But just at the moment when he decided to use all his power... a scream echoed in the street.
"Help!"
Everyone turned around.
The voice belonged to Sarah. The group’s mage. She had been a little farther away, supporting the battle line.
But now... she was no longer alone. Several Bloodfang Hounds had come out from behind the buildings.
Six.
Seven.
Eight.
Maybe more.
They had cut off her escape route. Sarah, terrified, released her magic. Fireballs burned one of the monsters.
She pushed back the second, but it was not enough. Not at all.
"Sarah!"
Andreas shouted, but the distance was too great. Far too great.
Even Lian, seeing this scene, frowned deeply and ran toward her at full speed. But the monsters suddenly blocked his path.
Dozens of monsters, sensing that he was the most dangerous, blocked his way and surrounded him. Then they attacked him with all their force.
[You have killed a level 10 Bloodfang Hound]
[You have gained 2 Fragments]
[You have gained 3 stat points]
[You have killed a level 10 Bloodfang Hound]
[You have gained 2 Fragments]
[You have gained 3 stat points]
[You have killed a level 10 Bloodfang Hound]
[You have gained 2 Fragments]
[You have gained 3 stat points]
But his speed was not enough... He did not even have a chance to use any of his other skills...
The first Bloodfang jumped on Sarah.
Then the second.
The third.
Her scream echoed in the street, and then... it suddenly stopped.
Everything went silent. For a brief moment, only the sound of chewing could be heard.
A sound that no one present in that street would ever forget.
Andreas’s eyes widened.
Claire lost color.
Marcus unconsciously stepped back.
And even Cassian looked completely shocked for the first time in this mission.
Sarah... was dead.
And around them... hundreds of red eyes glowed in the darkness.
The battle had just begun.