“Are you certain you want to continue this?”

Ejio studied her for a moment, feeling the tension in the air.

Before the fight could escalate further, a loud, ominous sound echoed through the chamber as the door creaked open. Instantly, every prisoner stood alert, bodies tensing as they braced for whatever awaited them beyond.

What greeted Astra on the other side was unexpected. Instead of a battleground or mechanical chamber, there was nature. A vast expanse of grass stretched out before them, framed by towering trees with heavily bent branches. Strange, glowing fruits weighed the branches down, casting a yellow-green light that bathed the landscape in an eerie glow.

The prisoners stood in suspense, weapons drawn, ready for action. Minutes passed, and still nothing happened. The tension grew thicker until Ejio glanced at Asa and said,

“Shield us.”

Asa frowned, responding tersely,

“Don’t tell me what to do! I’m not your subordinate!”

They locked eyes in silence, but Ejio, realizing now wasn’t the time for petty arguments, clicked his tongue in irritation and stepped toward the door. The others cautiously followed.

Astra’s eyes narrowed, scanning for any sign of movement. His hand instinctively shifted to his weapon. Then, a small creature emerged from behind a nearby bush, drawing the attention of the group. It was no larger than a child, a vine-covered thing with a thorny exterior and small shiny eyes that stared blankly at the group. It slowly shuffled toward them on tiny feet, with an agape mouth.

Biya peeked around Ejio, chuckling.

“Aww, it’s kind of cute!”

The creature tilted its head at her, blinking slowly, its tiny mouth twitching like it was about to smile. Without warning, the creature let out an ear-piercing screech. Though it didn’t damage their hearing, the sound was unnerving. Ejio reacted swiftly, moving with deadly precision, and cut the creature down in one clean stroke of his two-handed sword.

“What the f*ck was that?!” Biya exclaimed.

“I don’t know,” Ejio muttered, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the surroundings.

Then they heard it—the unmistakable sound of footsteps. First a few, then dozens, until the ground seemed to tremble under the weight of countless small feet. From the depths of the forest, a horde of thorny creatures rushed toward them, their numbers swelling into at least a thousand.

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Behind them loomed a much larger figure, its massive form more menacing than the rest. It moved slowly, each heavy step adding to its imposing presence. In contrast to the others, which moved quickly, this giant's gradual approach commanded attention and respect.

Tsk. That small creature alerted them all, Astra thought, his hand tightening on his weapon as he prepared for the oncoming horde.

“Prepare for battle! And Aria gives me your blood"

Ejio said. Aria nodded quickly, taking a small knife and slicing her finger without hesitation. She extended her hand, and Ejio took her blood, drinking it swiftly.

"Dang it!!"

Setting aside his pride, Asa stepped forward, raising his shield to cover the group. Ejio immediately took charge, his voice sharp and steady.

“Hylax, Biya, fall back! Agro, you’re with me and Asa. Aria, stay behind us. Everyone else, protect her!”

Asa moved to the front, his massive energy shield raised just in time to block the first wave of creatures. The creatures slammed into it, their thorny bodies bouncing off. Taking the opportunity, Asa swung his hammer in a wide arc, crushing dozens of them. But as more creatures came, he quickly repositioned himself, his shield up once more.

Ejio, with swift and calculated strikes, sliced through the creatures with his two-handed sword, his movements precise and lethal. Aria, trembling but safe, the rest of the group protecting her. She couldn’t fight like the others. The swarm pressed on, their attacks uncoordinated and weak, but their sheer numbers were overwhelming. So far, no one has been hurt.

“Die you stupid creatures!!”

Agro lunged forward with his spear, keeping the creatures at bay. His long reach allowed him to pierce multiple creatures at once, but they just kept coming. From a distance, Biya fired her bow, picking off creatures one by one with precise shots. However, as the swarm continued, she began to regret her weapon choice. At this rate, she’d run out of arrows.

Meanwhile, the pinkish girl fought alone, her skill and strength surpassing those around her. Her agility was remarkable; she moved with deadly elegance, her dual swords flashing through the air as she effortlessly cut down creatures.

She's incredible, Astra thought, momentarily transfixed by her precision and speed.

[You have slain an enemy!]

Reward: 20 EXP

A notification appeared; the reward was small, but Astra couldn’t complain. The enemies, after all, were weak. Astra stayed behind the group, using them as cover while he fired his gun into the crowd of monsters. Two prisoners beside him were frozen in fear, while the other fired alongside him. Though the guns was effective, the reload time was painfully slow. It wasn’t an automatic weapon, and now he understood why Ejio’s group hadn’t chosen the guns.

[You have slain an enemy!]

Reward: 20 EXP

Suddenly, something magical caught Astra’s eye. In front of him, Hylax was inscribing glowing symbols in the air with his wand, a trail of white light following each motion until it formed a circle. When the circle turned red, a blazing fireball, shooting forward and exploding upon impact, incinerating a scorching a group of creatures in a single burst.

What was that? Magic? That's impossible.

On top of Hylax’s wand was a blue crystal ball, strikingly similar to the energy weapon Astra held. As he wondered about the connection, a few creatures slipped through the defenses. They lunged at the prisoners, their thorny bodies piercing the skin of anyone within reach. The moment their thorns made contact, a searing pain spread from the wounds—the toxin from the thorns causing relentless, burning agony.

𓆩✧𓆪