As he started to run toward me, he saw me as potential prey since my weapon lay on the ground and I was closest to him. He didn't run in a straight line toward his opponents; I noticed that just before he got close, he made an insane leap toward his prey—which was me this time. I was prepared for it; I had seen him use the same move twice already, and I just needed to wait for the leap. When he flew through the air toward me, my weapon materialized in my hand, which I hid behind me just a few feet before he reached me. I sidestepped to the right and swung my weapon from behind me, using his momentum against him. My sword made a deep cut through his shoulder, but I was also hurt. A cold sensation spread through my lower body; when I looked down, I saw three deep cut marks, blood dripping from them. The basic armor felt like butter against that monster. I staggered for a moment, staring at my bleeding body. When I raised my head, I saw the monster leaping toward me again, its mouth open and long, slim tongue sticking out. I raised my weapon with one hand while the other pressed against my stomach to stop the bleeding. Before it could reach me, a spear struck its legs, shattering them, and it fell to the ground. Even with its legs severed at the knees, it remained taller than us. The spear struck again, and behind it was Emma, showcasing her masterful spear combat as she spun the weapon and struck quickly. It was clear that Emma was far more skilled than Edward and me, but the monster still managed to block most of her vital strikes and instantly heal the smaller cuts. Emma also realized that her strikes were not strong enough, and the monster's legs were slowly regrowing. If it regained its mobility, it would become a menace once again.
At least now Emma was keeping him busy while Edward and I looked for angles to strike at his head, as it seemed the only thing that could potentially kill this monster. The monster swung and growled, and in a moment of frustration, Emma managed to stab its stomach. The creature raised its hand above its head, intent on crushing her with a powerful strike. A loud bang echoed, and a shockwave of air kicked up dust from the ground. For a brief moment, I thought Emma was in trouble, and Edward felt the same, charging toward the monster. When the dust settled, a yellow dome was visible around Emma; that protective barrier had blocked the strike. The force of the attack was so immense that when the monster's hand collided with the dome, its hand shattered. The monster was momentarily stunned by what had just happened, and we seized our chance to attack.
Before the creature could react, a two-handed sword plunged down from the side of its neck deep into its body. Not giving it time to respond, I hurled my weapon toward its face. Unfinished, the monster raised its hand to intercept my sword, piercing its palm and stopping just inches from its face. To its surprise, the next thing it saw was me standing in front of it, brutally twisting the sword to cut its palm apart. In one swift motion, the fastest and cleanest I had ever executed, I aimed for its head. The monster raised its hand to block my vital attack, causing its forearm to fall to the ground, but the strike was still thwarted. Finally, it swung its remaining arm towards me. While his arm was still shattered, he still swung it at me. I angled my sword to block the blow, ensuring it would not be cleanly severed but instead get stuck. When its final attack reached me, my sword dug into its hand, and I was thrown aside.
As its hand fell to its side, I was back in front of it in an instant, sword in hand. I pulled the sword from its upper hand, and with a spinning motion of my body, I landed a critical strike on its neck. In the next moment, its head flew off its body; instinctively, its hand reached out to catch it, but before it could, a silver spear pierced through and pinned it against the wall behind us. The monster's body fell to its knees and collapsed, lifeless.
As an instance, when the monster was slain, a list of notifications appeared in my mind:
-You have slain level 10 Ghoul!
-You have leveled up!
-You have leveled up!
-Level 4 (20/400)
-You have gained advanced healing abilities from the Ghoul!
-Ability to heal—Level 2: You will heal faster and can heal poisons.
-You have gained a new ability, Threads!
-Threads—You can see the aura of the enemy and the flow of their attack, making it easier to counterattack or evade.
-You have gained a new skill!
-Darkling Fog—Cast a dark fog on the battlefield; you can sense movement within the fog.
I gained two levels while fighting this creature and also acquired a new skill. That was wonderful. Although I was eager to try out my new ability, I realized there was no time. "Dude, you really need to see somebody. How can you daydream currently?" Edward said as he noticed me zoning out. Emma noticed it too but didn't say a word; she just shot me a worried look before focusing back on the monster. She pulled out a small carving dagger and stabbed it into the monster's chest, digging around inside as she searched for something. After a while, she found what she was looking for: a small stone glowing with blue light.
"What's that?" I asked. Emma looked at me with a stunned expression, as if trying to determine whether I was joking.
"How? How do you not know? Strong monsters have so much energy that their bodies can't handle it, so a lot of it is stored in their essence stones," she said, frustration creeping into her voice. "It's one of the first things they teach here. It's not public knowledge since stronger armor and weapons are made from these stones, but it's common knowledge for the students of the academy." She continued explaining, her irritation growing.
"Well, nobody told me that," I replied, feeling frustrated.
"I guess maybe you're considered weak, and most hunters don't face monsters with stones. This one here was the easiest one I could find; maybe they didn't think you would ever be able to collect one anyway," she said, tucking the stone into her pocket.
"That yellow dome—was that part of your power?" That question had lingered in my mind since I saw it.
"I don't ask you how you managed to appear from thin air, and you don't ask me about my powers. Do we have a deal?" She said it with a sassy tone. I nodded slightly, indicating my acceptance. I took a moment to look around. Emma's armor, despite a few scratches, appeared resilient enough to withstand the beast's attack. Edward had a bit of blood dripping from the side of his mouth, but nothing serious. My gaze landed on the body of the fourth member of our group; it lay on the ground, eyes open and lifeless.
"Where's the fifth one?" I asked, scanning the area.
There was no body or sign of him; maybe he had run away. Everyone began looking around, trying to figure out where he had gone.
Looking around, I searched for any sign of a dead body scattered nearby, and I felt the air suddenly grow thicker. Out of nowhere, I could see tiny threads weaving through the world around me—or perhaps I could sense them. Suddenly, one thread in front of me snapped, and I instinctively twitched my head away. The next moment, an arrow zipped past my face, grazing my cheek. All three of us looked up to see where the arrow had come from; it was our fifth group member, standing in the hole, attempting to take me out.
"Did Adam send you?" Edward yelled.
"Fuck off," the fifth guy, whose name I still didn't know, shot back while trying to aim another arrow at me.
Before he could fire, darkness enveloped him; he could only see a few feet ahead. Suddenly, he heard something slicing through the air toward him, creating a whooshing sound. At the last moment, he managed to twist his body just as a flying sword embedded itself in the tree. He turned back to look at me. Seconds later, a powerful punch struck his stomach, and another hand grabbed his hair, forcing him down to his knees, his neck pressing against the blade of the sword still lodged in the tree.
"Who and why?" I asked, trying to keep it straightforward. He looked at me with fear, clearly shocked by what had just occurred.
"If Adam doesn't like you, you won't exist long. If Adam hates you, you'll wish you didn't exist." He glanced at the blade next to his neck.
"And Adam hates traitors," he added, pushing his neck into the blade.