(POV – Protagonist)

Honestly, I was as surprised as Laura, Emily, and Victor. Where the hell were all these creatures coming from, and why were there so many? Even when I was in the forest, they weren’t this numerous. Yet, the unanswered question remained: how exactly did they manage to get out of the forest, given that, as we’ve been told, it’s nearly impossible to escape by normal means?.

"Victor... what exactly should we do in a situation like this?"

Although Emily was clearly shocked, she hadn't yet been completely overtaken by fear and managed to gesture her question to Victor. I, on the other hand, still trapped inside the aquarium, wanted to help, but even if they got me out of here, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to defeat all those monsters while protecting the humans. Sure, they could escape like last time, but relying on luck wasn’t wise.

I turned my golden eyes, which were glowing with an unusual intensity, towards Victor, trying to anticipate his answer. However, from his expression, it was clear that it wouldn’t be as satisfactory as we hoped.

"I warned you we should leave quietly to avoid a situation like this"

Victor’s words were like the last drop of water in a dry desert. In short, Victor, Laura, and Emily were completely screwed. I can say this from experience since one of these creatures tore off one of my arms. Escaping isn’t easy—they’re hard to shake off.

I felt the aquarium I was in start to shake. Victor was trying to pull me back, slowly retreating with Emily taking cautious steps. I wasn’t sure what they were planning, but I was almost certain it wouldn’t work.

Laura, however, couldn’t move. Her legs were shaking so much that I was surprised she was still standing. We slowly moved away in silence, but it didn’t last long.

A thunderous noise echoed right above us. We were pressed against a wall, facing a building. Suddenly, bloodied hands grabbed the edge of the roof, and a blood-covered face appeared right after. The scene was grotesque and terrifying.

My golden eyes turned to the monster as I tilted my head, trying to understand where this creature had come from. When the monster noticed my gaze, it suddenly leaped towards the glass, colliding with it and causing it to spin towards the other monsters.

My small compartment, with a view of the outside, stopped next to Laura, who remained motionless as the monsters approached. I shook my head and looked around: the glass lid was open, and some cracks had formed where the monster collided.

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(I guess there’s no more reason to stay trapped in here)

I dragged myself out of the compartment, almost crawling. Once outside, I briefly looked around. Even though I could see perfectly without turning, it felt more natural to observe the environment head-on rather than from behind.

The situation was as follows: Emily and Victor were cornered, unable to retreat due to the building behind them. In front, some monsters were approaching slowly. Their dark stares conveyed a disturbing certainty about how they planned to tear apart the humans before them.

Finally, Laura was close to me, her legs still trembling and seeming incapable of moving easily. Additionally, the monsters, who had finished their previous meals, now watched Laura with a gaze that suggested she might be their next dessert.

Also, there was the monster that leaped onto my aquarium. It seemed to be regrouping, shaking its head, but as soon as it regained its composure, its gaze fixed back on me. This was not good—it clearly saw me as prey.

As I mentioned before, these monsters are surprisingly agile for their size. In the forest, I only managed to escape by luck, climbing a tree. Now, this monster had the same predatory look as the one that devoured my arm.

As expected, the monster started heading my way. Naturally, I wasn’t going to stay still and began running to get away from it. Whenever it got closer, I turned and ran in the opposite direction. In summary, I was running in circles, with my arms extended in front of me. Don’t ask why my arms were like that; I think my subconscious was trying to keep them away from the monster’s mouth.

However, after a while, I was truly exhausted. I mean, I had never defeated one of them before, so why not try the same approach? With that thought, I stopped and turned around. The golden field expanded from my body, as before. Just like before, it seemed that only I could see or perceive this field.

Perhaps that’s why the monster kept advancing towards me without hesitation. Just like the previous one, once it entered my golden field, its body simply stopped. Or rather, it became so slow it seemed to freeze in mid-air.

To confirm, I observed the outside: Laura was still trembling, and Emily and Victor were about to be devoured by the monsters. Ignoring this, I focused on the monster in front of me. My golden eyes fixed on it, and seconds later, a rainbow-colored glow appeared. The location was the same, exactly at the same point where the monster I killed in the forest was.

My work was almost complete. I raised my hand, aimed at the point where the rainbow colors shone on the monster’s body, and, with all the strength I could muster, struck. My hand passed through the monster’s body and then I removed its heart with a firm motion.

In the end, I threw the heart on the ground; there was no reason to keep it. Besides, nothing happened like last time when I absorbed the colors, so it seemed pointless. Retracting the golden field back into my body, I looked around with my usual poker face.

Both the monsters and Laura, Victor, and Emily looked at me with expressions of astonishment. Around me, various weak points glowed in rainbow colors, and at that moment, I wondered how my own eyes looked.