This was exactly why Kaiser hated letting his emotions take the wheel.

It never ended well.

Sure, giving in to his fury sometimes made him feel better—it was cathartic, like smashing a pot into a million pieces. But the aftermath? Often a disaster. Even in childhood, he had long learned the hard way that venting his emotions, while satisfying, usually just made everything worse. Or maybe, just maybe, the world had a personal grudge against him?

Right now, though, as the invader's massive jaws clamped down on his arm, Kaiser was starting to suspect karma had upgraded its game.

'F*ck.'

He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Though, he should be crying soon because his in for a crazy ride.

The frenzied beast growled low and guttural, as delicious flesh entered it maw, a flicker of delight amidst it suffering. Savoring what it thought was a savoury meal that feeds blood on his unseen tongue. It lifted its head high, but instead of the soft, tender flesh it was used to tearing through, it found something closer to... rubber.

This particular human wasn't as fragile as its kin.

Kaiser could feel the pressure on his arm—the teeth digging in, the crushing force of its jaw trying to break his bones—but the invader’s efforts only managed to painfully dig into his flesh instead of ripping it apart. Kaiser winced from the agony and the absurdity of the situation.

Because as much as the invader would love to reap it's tormentor's arm off, Kai would love it too, as well.

It freaking hurts!

“Oh, for the love of—” he screamed, only to be interrupted as the beast swung its head violently.

He found himself airborne, hurtling toward a tree. His body slammed into the trunk with a sickening crack, bark splintering from the impact. Before he could recover, the creature whipped its neck in the other direction, sending him crashing into the dirt. It repeated this motion, swinging him like a ragdoll through the fiery chaos.

'Did my bone just crack!?'

...Probably.

“DAMMIT!” he yelled, clinging to whatever shreds of dignity he had left. “Of all the times to get bitten—just freaking eat it alrea—!!”

His words were cut off as he got slumped to the ground in a forceful thud. Before swinging again midair and colliding with a burning tree, It thrashed and swung its elongated neck wildly, determined to get the arm off that rubbery human.

Still stuck, its powerful neck swung back and forth, treating Kaiser to the most nauseating, bone-jarring carnival ride of his life. Trees, rocks, invader's head and burning debris blurred past him as he bounced off the environment like a particularly durable pinball.

He felt sick, pained and battered. Watching the last invader suffer was amusing, but joining it by getting one of his hands stuck on its freaking maw was an unimaginable experience.

In fact, he had lost count of how many of his bones broke.

If there was one thing Kaiser regretted at this moment, it was having such a sturdy body. It was a blessing in battle, sure, but right now, he found himself cursing his resilience from the bottom of his heart. A normal human would have been torn by now—quick, clean, and done. But not Kaiser.

Why did he even strive to become powerful. He takes that back now.

“This is ridiculous,” he struggled to voice out, before yelling out again, puking blood, “JUST LET IT GO, YOU DAMN LEECH!”

But it won't, not until his arm is taken.

Finally getting a moment of reprieve from the constant blackout caused by continuous collisions. He recollected himself, willing his free arm that's still holding the lengthy knife tightly. His resentful gaze darted on the nearby ear of the invader.

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Fed up with the disorienting thrashing, Kaiser raised his free hand, clutching a lengthy, battered knife. Swinging it with all the force he could muster while being tossed around, he drove it straight into the beast’s thick skin. Driven by brute force, the blade sank deep, but it wasn’t sharp enough to finish the job. The invader didn't even release the lock of its maw to screech, afraid to let its delicious meal go.

“Oh, come on!” Kai snarled, before losing grip due to the increased wild movements of the damned head.

Sighing mentally, he steeled himself to do the unthinkable.

Forced by the particularity of the circumstances, his dizzy vision locked at the knife's protruding hilt, gritting his teeth, Kai pushed through his flexibilities limit like he did before, twisting his stuck arm with a burst of strength to get his legs to the desired position in the cost of teared muscles and tendons to kicked the long knife into the invader's brain.

At last, the invader unlocked its jaw and whipped its head one last time, slamming Kaiser into its head. Oh, to his cursed delighted, the damned arm finally tore off.

'You gotta be kidding me.'

He hit the ground in a heap, rolling to his feet just in time to see the invader stumble. The beast, disoriented and wounded, backed straight into a tall, burning tree. Whether the tree was old from the start of the forest fire, making it fragile, the fiery trunk cracked and fell, burying the creature under a pile of blazing lumber.

Still in agony, Kaiser struggled to raise himself up, staring resentfully at the smoldering wreckage of the fallen invader. His severed arm dangled grotesquely from the beast’s bloodied maw, a macabre trophy of their mutual fury. He wouldn't miss that unlucky thing for putting through that *ride*, though. Maybe his next arm—whenever it regenerated—would have better luck than this one.

The monstrous creature twitched once under the fiery rubble before finally succumbing to the flames, its massive body motionless save for the embers dancing across its filthy fur. Countless weapons—swords, axes, spears, and shards of broken steel—protruded from its body like an iron garden, a testament to Kaiser's relentless assault, mark of his fury and a deserving death for the final foe.

The last invader… was dead.

Kaiser let out a long, weary sigh of relief. With the creature gone, his fury faded, and with it, the power that had surged through his body. The extra strength and reflexes that had carried him through the battle now ebbed away along the adrenaline rush, leaving him with the crushing weight of exhaustion.

'Curse that thing... I feel like a scrambled egg.'

He swayed on his feet, his head pounding like a war drum. Every muscle ached, and he was sure his internals were as much of a wreck as his messy, blood-streaked appearance.

Doubling over, he coughed, spraying blood into the ash-choked air. The metallic taste in his mouth didn’t even faze him—he had grown used to it. After lingering for a moment to catch his breath, he forced himself upright. Surprisingly, despite everything, his battered body still obeyed his commands, functioning crudely, though every movement sent spikes of pain through him. It was almost laughable how resilient he had become after killing three invaders before this one, an exceptionally mature beast.

'Am I still human?'

An average man would have all his bones crushed in his circumstances, limp and dead, let alone stand... And walk. Who knew Leveling was so awarding? Kai almost wished for more invaders to come.

He chuckled bitterly to himself, for no particular reason, as he staggered toward the wounded hunter leaning against a charred tree. The man’s wide, disbelieving eyes followed every step Kaiser took with fake pale as ash, as though watching a ghost rise from its grave.

Feeling the hunter’s gaze, heavy with a mix of awe and unease. The silence between them stretched uncomfortably until Kaiser broke it.

“What?” he asked nonchalantly, his voice hoarse but steady.

The hunter blinked, his lips parting in astonishment. “T-talk about tough... Damn, kid. Not even a drop of a tear, just what are you made off?" As if remembering who his talking to, the hunter froze. Hint of fear and respect touched his tone, his body stiffed.

The man that fearlessly stared straight to death was actually feeling dread before the young man. No one can blame him though after seeing the fearsome beast suffer under Kaiser's fury in a one-sided battle.

"Please forgive my rudeness, Mr. Kaiser, I didn't intend to disrespect."

"No worries. Though, I would prefer not being referred to with *Mr* make me feel old already." Kai shrugged.

The Hunter was surprised for a moment, before offering a weary smile.

"I'll keep that in mind... But, Players really are in another league, no wonder."

Kaiser smirked weakly, brushing off the praise. “Yeah, well… I’m particularly hard to kill. But I don't know about the others. Anyway, I would call my buddies if I were you. That leg isn't looking great.”

The hunter glanced down at his mangled limb, his grimace deepening. However, hearing those words from someone who had just endured a beating that should have been fatal—someone missing an arm and covered in blood and ash that shrouded countless wounds, scratches, bruises and that's not counting the internal injuries—made his situation feel almost trivial. His lips twitched, caught between disbelief and reluctant admiration.

But then, his expression softened upon hearing the Player's next words, low and humble but carried the weight of finality.

“Retreat now... It’s over.”

The hunter’s lips parted, trembling slightly as a strange mix of emotions washed over him—relief, gratitude, and a lingering fear of the young man who had just single-handedly decimated the invader. But above all... The overwhelming joy of having won, for their sacrifices, including his brothers was spent to victory.

“Thank you...” The hunter whispered in a verge of crying, voice barely audible over the crackling flames.

Before Kaiser could respond, the other two hunters who could still walk emerged from the shadows by then, their faces pale but determined. They lifted their injured companion carefully, avoiding Kaiser’s piercing gaze. It seems that the cripple man is the bravest one here to manage talking to a greater monster in human clothing.

“Get out of here,” Kaiser ordered, his tone brooking no argument.

The trio, joined by the limping fourth hobbled away without a word for time wasn't in their favor —They're bleeding, amidst a soon to be a deadly infernal environment— sparing only a few furtive glances back at the lone figure standing amidst the flaming carnage. The sight of him impaling the invader with every weapon he could find, his unrelenting rage, and his grim, bloodied visage… was something they would never forget.

As their silhouettes disappeared into the distance, Kaiser remained rooted to the spot, wearing a somber expression. He turned his gaze toward the remnants of the battlefield. What had once been a peaceful forest was now a graveyard of charred wood and broken bodies, being devoured by licking flames.

Close to two hundred people had been here just hours ago. Now, he doubted even fifty were left alive, with the majority of them being experienced Hunters. Scattered corpses painted a grim picture, volunteered villagers and hunters alike who had fought desperately but succumbed to the invaders’ monstrous savagery.

The weight of it all settled on him, heavy and suffocating. He clenched his remaining fist, nails digging into his palm, but there was no solace to be found.

There's nothing he could do about the past, except accepting the meagerness of his accomplishment. If not for his involvement, none of the Hunters would have survived, and likely end in humans defeat.

'...What a messed up world.'

Sighing, Kaiser turned around intending to follow the others. However, sensing a different movement other than dancing flames and falling branches. His attention darted to that direction, piercing distance with his sharp eyes.

Then, he saw a living figure.

A shadow amidst the fiery haze of smokes.

His heart sank.

“No… no, no, no, no, no…”

The words escaped his lips like a broken mantra as he stumbled forward, dread clawing at his chest as his nightmare came true.