Kaiser felt the familiar, almost electric surge of leveling up, a wave of strength and vitality washing over him. But he had no time to revel in the sensation, nor pay it any heed in a battlefield that demanded every ounce of his focus.

'What the f*ck is this...' he questioned himself.

He was no stranger to bloodshed, killing and violence. However, what's before him can only be described as... No, he didn't even know what to call it anymore. It can't be compared to his ordeal with a Bandits.

By now, the scene before him resembled the very depths of hell. Flames danced with cruel grace, licking hungrily at the dried foliage and spreading faster than anyone could have predicted. The crackling of burning wood created a harsh symphony with the cries of the dying and the desperate shouts of warriors still clinging to life, desperately fighting the remaining demons. The air was thick with ash, gritty on the tongue and stinging the eyes, uncomfortable to the skin. Smoke curled into the sky, blotting out the stars, while the oppressive heat bore down like an invisible predator, squeezing the breath from his lungs.

Everywhere Kaiser turned, there was carnage. Corpses littered the ground, their lifeless forms twisted in unnatural positions, some charred beyond recognition by the encroaching flames. Blood pooled in dark puddles, seeping into the earth as if it, too, wanted to escape the chaos above. Warriors fought valiantly amidst the chaos, their weapons flashing in the firelight as they struck at the remaining weakening invaders. But their movements were sluggish, as well, their strength waning, and for every one of them that fell, the world seemed to grow heavier.

And above all, it was getting hotter. Too hot, without any hint of stopping.

The once-smoldering warmth is becoming unbearable, the air thinning with every passing second. Each breath Kaiser took felt strained, the oxygen stripped away by the ravenous flames. His lungs burned, his body protesting the suffocating heat.

The fire, which had been their ally, was now turning against them.

The flames had been ignited to disrupt the invaders, their eyeless forms relying on scent to hunt. The smoke had masked the stench of human blood, confusing the beasts and causing their deadly strikes to often miss their marks, which save a lot of lives. It had been a brilliant, if desperate, strategy. Without the flames, the death toll would have been far higher—every attack from the invaders would have been devastatingly accurate.

But now, as the warriors bled and the coppery tang of blood filled the air, their advantage was slipping away. The flames had grown beyond their control, spreading unpredictably as they devoured the dry, brittle undergrowth.

Kaiser’s mind raced as he assessed the situation. Fire was an untamable force of nature, indifferent to the plans of men. While it had been carefully managed at first, no one could have foreseen how quickly it would spiral out of control. The dry season had made the entire area a tinderbox, and now their battlefield was a roaring inferno.

'This is bad. If this keeps up…'

He cast a glance at the other hunters. Most of them were too focused on the fight—or too consumed by the bitter relief of small victories—to notice the growing threat. A few had begun to realize the danger, their wary eyes darting toward the flames that crept ever closer.

Kaiser pulled the makeshift fabric mask from his face, grimacing as he realized it was already dry. It no longer filtered the air but instead made it harder to breathe, suffocating him further. Around him, others were doing the same, tossing aside their masks to gulp down what little air was left.

'Everyone don’t realize it yet, but this environment is going to kill us all before the invaders do.'

The heat gnawed at his resolve, but Kaiser wasn’t one to stop. Groaning, he adjusted his grip on the sword he’d scavenged and pressed onward.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

He couldn’t stop.

Not while there were still lives to save, not while there were enemies to slay. Besides, they still had time before retreat begged to be ordered.

Amidst his dash, a sudden flash of silver streaked through the air. The sharp whistle of a projectile cutting through the chaos caught Kaiser’s attention, and in the next instant, a piercing screech erupted from where his next prey is located. A sound of agony and defeat. The screech was brief, shattering, and then abruptly cut off.

Next thing he knew when he saw his intended target, one of the monstrous invaders, stumbled forward, its massive body crashing to the ground in a lifeless heap. The battlefield trembled from the impact.

Kaiser skidded to a halt, his sharp eyes darting to the fallen creature. The silver arrow—a marvel of craftsmanship—protruded from the side of its high, repulsive head. Its tip was buried precisely in the side of the beast’s fragile skull section.

'Damn, that’s some insane archery,' Kaiser praised mentally, a flicker of genuine admiration in his otherwise grim mind as he pivoted, changing his trajectory toward the next target. But even as he moved, he couldn’t help but marvel at the skill of the mysterious archer's marksmanship. Having faced these monsters in brutal close combat himself more than once, Kaiser was well aware just how tough their bodies were. Their dense fur, sinewy muscles, and nearly impenetrable bones required pinpoint accuracy to find their single vulnerability: the side of their skull where their ears joined their brains. And to land such a shot from afar, under chaotic conditions with erratic movements, required more than just talent, it demanded supreme mastery, to make sure it hit the intended spot despite the delay.

Kaiser knew the Chief, a seasoned and revered archer, perhaps the greatest marksman the village have, was behind these devastating shots. However, even the Chief couldn’t fire indiscriminately. Probably because those silver arrows weren’t ordinary; they were rare, crafted for maximum penetration, and likely in short supply. Each arrow had to count in every release towards a nearly impossible target. He shuddered to think about the risks involved. One misstep, one errant arrow, and it could have been a comrade that fell instead of the beast.

Meanwhile, the other ranged supporters, unable to make a significant impact, had abandoned their bows entirely. Whether it was due to guilt over their ineffective strikes or sheer desperation for more manpower in close combat, most of them had long joined the fray on the ground.

'Focus, you moron.' Kaiser aligned himself grimly as he zeroed in on his next target. He had his own battles to fight. And it had to be over soon.

The next invader loomed ahead—a towering, nightmarish figure with sinewy muscles and fur as pale as death, partially burned, but mostly dirtied by dark blood. Its elongated neck lashed out, jaws snapping wildly, hunting for its next victim.

Kaiser lunged forward, aiming to close the distance before the beast could notice him, while dealing with the remaining hunters. It wasn't the most valiant approach, but it's the quickest way to land an instant killing blow. Kai had no issues against it. His blade gleamed in the infernal light of the flames as he drove it toward the creature’s vulnerable ear.

But the invader was quicker to react than expected. With a guttural screech, it twisted its head, evading his strike before being caught-up by its forceful body.

The impact sent him flying backward, slamming down against the blood-drenched ground. His ears rang from the force of the blow, but Kaiser pushed through the disorientation, rolling aside just in time to avoid the invader's thunderous stomp.

Gasping for breath, he scrambled to his feet, his limbs screaming in protest. Around him, the battlefield was a dismal sight. The remaining hunters—no more than ten—were battered, bleeding, and struggling to stay upright. Most could barely lift their weapons, let alone launch an effective attack.

'This won't work.'

Kaiser glanced at them, his sharp gaze cutting through the haze of exhaustion.

"Stay back," he ordered in a raspy voice.

There was no room for argument, for a Player's reputation is higher than an ordinary officer's. The surviving hunters faltered, exchanging hesitant glances before willingly retreating.

Kaiser couldn't afford their interference now. Not because he thought they were useless—quite the opposite. If he didn’t finish this quickly, they would be needed elsewhere, or worse, they would die trying to help him.

He exhaled sharply. Every second wasted here was another life lost on the battlefield. His only choice was to end it fast. But with so few people around. An aggressive approach is unachievable, thus demanded him to adapt, costing more seconds in exchange.

The invader, though weakened, was still thrashing violently. Its wild movements and snapping jaws kept the hunters wary, circling but not engaging due to his command. After a while, the beast began to calm slightly, confused by the sudden lack of resistance. Kaiser’s mind raced as he raised a single finger to his lips, silently instructing the hunters to be quiet.

The battlefield grew still, save for the distant echoes of desperate cries and the crackling of flames. The invader sniffed the air, its eyeless head jerking erratically as it searched for a target. Finally, it turned to a nearby corpse, sinking its teeth into the flesh with a sickening crunch.

Kaiser’s wasn't moving an inch, either.

'Any time now' he thought, his muscles coiled like a spring, his gaze burning with intensity.

The surviving defenders can only watch with gritted teeth as the accursed beast freely feasts on their fallen comrades, not understanding the Player's command.

Until...

A glint of silver caught their eye. Exploiting the momentary idleness of the beast, the arrow flew swiftly and true, slicing through the air and finding its mark—the side of the invader’s head, as expected. For a brief moment, Kaiser allowed himself a flicker of hope.

But the hope was short-lived. The arrow struck just below the vulnerable ear, embedding itself in the thick bone. A centimeter too low, and it failed to deliver the killing blow.

'So close! How the hell did he miss that?'

There was no time to dwell on it, however. The invader, though stunned, began thrashing violently again, screeching its rage. Kaiser’s eyes narrowed.

If the arrow didn’t finish the job, then he would. Still, why did the Chief fail such an easy target compared to the far complicated circumstances his been shooting through before?