In the bloch darkened street, the dim glow from a few illuminated houses cast an eerie pallor on the surrounding darkness.

"Roooaaar!"

The monstrous roar reverberated through the obsidian streets, sending a spine-chilling shiver down the spines of those within the mansion. In response, an unsettling chorus of screams and desperate pleas filled the air.

"Ahh!!!"

"Help me?! someone Please, help!!!"

"I can't see anything!? What's happening!?"

"It's fast...Ugh!!"

Suddenly, a mage on the street conjured a ball of light, unveiling a small spot in the abyss. The feeble light exposed a gruesome scene – a grotesque creature standing four meters tall, its monstrous limbs clenching the bloodied bodies of three unfortunate warriors. { IMG in comments}

This abomination resembled a twisted fusion of a dead tree and an old man, its face bearing an emotionless expression with eyes glowing an otherworldly white. A beard of tangled branches dangled from its visage, while limbs akin to tree trunks extended from its dark, gnarled skin. Hunched over with a dark cross on its back, the creature callously tossed the mangled bodies aside.

The mage and a trembling knight, standing nearby, faced the creature. The knight, with a cry, imbued his sword with blue energy and swung at the creature.

*Ding.*

The sword rebounded as if striking an unyielding metal, leaving the knight in shock. The creature, with a blurred motion, seized the knight's head, and with a gruesome squeeze, shattered it into pieces.

The mage, trembling, attempted to conjure a spell, but the creature, moving with unnerving speed, crushed the mage's body to the ground, extinguishing the source of light and once again melding with the consuming darkness.

The onlookers, including Elisa, stood in horrified awe. Elisa, her thoughts racing, acknowledged the unparalleled strength of the creature, whispering to herself, (This might be the strongest creature we've encountered in the Old Continent. )

Mya, her expression uneasy, spoke up, "We should help them," her voice carrying a sincere and worried tone.

"We can't face that monster. If we exit the house, we'll die as well, for sure," Lisa insisted, her expression unwavering.

"But there are nine of us," Mya turned to the other warriors, appealing to their sense of duty. "If we go out as a group, we might save some people."

"No, we can't," a tall woman in green and black armor, adorned with a knight's helmet, interjected. "Even if we save them, we can't bring them in. Remember, the mission said it can only contain ten people, and we're already nine."

"But there must be something we can do," Mya mumbled with a sad expression.

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Suddenly, interrupting the conversation, a group of five individuals emerged from the darkness, sprinting frantically towards the inner door of their house. The group turned to the door, which was abruptly punched open, and the five newcomers rushed in, breathing heavily as they closed the door behind them.

The tall woman in the green armor, turning trowards the newcomers, anger etched on her face, demanded, "What are you doing!? Get out!"

"Didn't you hear what's happening outside? Do you want us to go out to our deaths?" one of the newcomers, a man in leather armor, retorted angrily, stepping forward. The tension within the house escalated with each passing moment.

As tension flared within the house, a man in golden armor and flowing golden hair stepped beside the tall woman, asserting, "We already have nine members; we can't keep all of you!"

Suddenly, a window materialized in front of them all:

[The house can only contain 10 competitors. A breach of the condition has been detected. Fix the breach or the light will be cut off in this house.]

"Cut off! Does that mean the creature will be able to enter the house?" Mya, confused, turned to Lisa standing beside her.

"I'm not sure, but it can't be good," Lisa murmured with concern.

The man in leather armor, among the newcomers, shook with fear as he protested, "No, we can't leave. We can't return to face that creature again."

(That's why something felt off. There are thousands of warriors, but just a limited number of houses. If we arrived here a little later, we wouldn't find a place as well,) Mya thought with a contemplative expression as she observed the newcomers.

The man in leather armor, losing his composure, shouted, "We can't! We need to make a place!"

Frantically the man scanned the room as he thought ( I'm sure they're not in a group and they don't know each other, there's a small opposite that they will defend each other. Yes- Yes this is the only way ) Turning to his group, he urged, "Let's fight together and make a place. We just need to kill four of them."

His group, fearful but determined, drew their weapons and agreed, "Alright."

"You bastards!" the tall woman shouted, her anger escalating.

"Should we intervene?" Elisa asked Fray, observing the situation escalate quickly.

Before Fray could respond, an unexpected turn of events unfolded. A tall, skinny man from behind the newcomers moved in a blurred motion, swiftly striking the man beside him.

"UGH!! WHAT—" the attacked man mumbled in fear before collapsing to the ground, blood pouring from the massive wound.

Confused, the remaining three newcomers turned to the attacker, one of them angrily asking, "What are you doing!?"

"Well, we have to eliminate four, right?" the attacker responded calmly and arrogantly.

"We made a deal to fight as a unit! Are you breaking it?" another newcomer protested.

"Do you really think you have a better chance fighting the three of us at once instead of teaming up to eliminate four of them?" the man in leather clothes argued.

"I prefer to fight the three of you than face two of the Merciless Clan," the attacker confidently stated with a smile.

"Merciless Clan!?" The man in leather clothes, bewildered, turned to find Fray and Elisa standing silently behind the group. A wave of pallor swept over his face beneath the helmet, realizing he hadn't initially recognized the true threat. Urgently, he regained composure and ordered, "Attack together! Let's eliminate this man, then figure out our next move!"

Following his order, the three warriors tightened their grip on their weapons and charged towards the attacker.

"Die!!" With swift movements, the first of the three swung his sword, aiming for the attacker's side. In a fluid motion, the skinny man sidestepped, avoiding the blade effortlessly. Seizing the opportunity, the attacker countered with a quick, precise strike, incapacitating the first warrior with a calculated blow to the neck.

The remaining two, undeterred, coordinated their attacks. One approached from the front, attempting a slashing motion with his dagger, while the other circled from the side with a spear, aiming for a strategic strike. However, the attacker seamlessly parried the dagger with his sword and expertly evaded the spear's thrust.

In a sudden twist, the attacker disarmed the man with the dagger by swiftly knocking the weapon from his grasp. Before the disoriented warrior could react, a swift kick to the chest sent him stumbling backward, vulnerable.

The third warrior, wielding a hefty mace, tried to capitalize on the attacker's momentary distraction. With a powerful swing, he aimed for the attacker's head. Yet, the skilled combatant gracefully ducked beneath the incoming strike, swiftly closing the distance between them.

Seizing the mace-wielder's arm, the attacker delivered a calculated twist, disarming him effortlessly. With the mace now in the attacker's possession, he executed a series of precise strikes, incapacitating the disarmed warrior with a quick succession of blows.

In the blink of an eye, the skirmish concluded. The attacker stood unscathed amidst the fallen warriors, their attempts thwarted with astonishing ease. The room fell silent, the only sounds the heavy breaths of the survivor skinny man.

"So, may I stay now?" The slender man, a smirk on his face, inquired.

The group of warriors shared glances, and following several nods, the tall woman, her tone indifferent, stated, "If you clean up this mess," pointing towards the bodies of the fallen men and the blood that stained the floor.

" Of course" The skinny man replied with a smile.

Observing the skinny man enthusiastically gathering cleaning materials, Elisa leaned in closer to Fray, whispering, "This man isn't simple; he might pose a challenge for us."

Fray shifted his gaze toward the skinny man and then surveyed the other warriors, contemplating, (None of them seem simple. Numerous warriors entered the house, yet upon noticing us, they departed. However, these eight stayed, unfazed by our presence.)