The monsters began to erge from all directions. Most of them were mutations of wild beasts that had retreated underground after becoming sensitive to sunlight.
But the main reason for their descent was to hunt humans without being seen on the surface, waiting for their prey to fall into a ravine, or pulling them down deliberately.
A monstrous creature resembling a gorilla made the ground tremble slightly with each step. Its massive body was covered in stone-like armor, nearly impenetrable to ordinary attacks.
[You have encountered a Rock Gorilla (Grade-SSS / Mutated Gorilla)!]
"I guess you were the one who opened the ground, right?" deia clicked her tongue. "Fucking monkey."
[Foul language detected! Penalty -20 C-Points!]
The gorilla let out a deafening roar, its glowing red eyes locking onto her. Then, with terrifying speed for a big creature, it lunged forward, raising a massive fist to smash her into the ground.
deia dodged just in ti, and the impact shook the entire ground. Dust and debris flew into the air as a crater ford where she had stood monts ago.
[Countdown: 00:12:54]
The gorilla let out another roar, shaking the ground around her, making it difficult for deia to move. So parts of the earth rose, while others shifted, forming traps.
If she wasn’t careful with her footing, her legs could easily get caught between the shifting ground.
She turned toward Lucian, watching as he obliterated the monsters with nothing but a bow and arrow.
He looked pissed—probably because he couldn’t fight them properly with a sword or his abilities.
For soone who always fought in close combat, using a weapon like a bow or a gun must have been incredibly frustrating.
But this wasn’t the ti to focus on soone else’s fight, not when a massive gorilla was still coming after her.
It kept charging at her, trying to smash her into nothing but dust.
"You’re lucky this is doomsday! Otherwise, a zookeeper would’ve put you down already!" she taunted.
Every ti deia severed one of its arms, it would regrow, this ti made of solid rock, even stronger than before.
She had to find its weak point.
Sharpening her hearing, she focused on locating the gorilla’s heartbeat.
Even though it could regenerate, the heart remained a crucial organ for any living creature.
Once the heart stopped beating, it would be over.
The ground trembled under the gorilla’s heavy steps, its breath ca in ragged huffs, but beneath all that ... there it was.
A faint, steady thump, buried deep within its chest.
Found you.
Her eyes snapped open just as the beast roared and charged again, its stone-covered fists crashing down toward her. Instead of dodging, deia rushed forward, closing the distance between them in a blink.
The gorilla swung its massive fist, but deia was faster.
[Warning! Incoming Attack Detected!]
From above, she spotted a giant bat diving straight down, its sharp claws aid directly at her.
"Shit."
She had only seconds to decide—dodge, counter, or keep moving forward to strike the gorilla’s heart.
But before she could act, a flaming arrow tore through the air, piercing the bat’s chest.
Boom!
The creature exploded in midair, disintegrating in a flash of fire.
"Keep moving! I’ve got your back!" Lucian called out.
deia slid beneath its massive arm and stabbed the soft spot between its rocky armor.
Her sword finally pierced its heart, stopping its beat in an instant.
[You have slain a Rock Gorilla (Grade-SSS / mutated Gorilla): 1,000 XP]
The gorilla collapsed onto the ground as deia pulled her sword free. Its massive body crumbled into a pile of rocks.
deia hadn’t even celebrated her victory yet when more mutants suddenly sward toward her.
She kept moving, ignoring the pain burning across her back and the wounds inflicted by the monsters.
[You have slain a Night Bat (Grade-S / Mutated Bat): 300 XP]
[You have slain ...]
The notifications kept flooding her mind. She had lost count of how many monsters she had already killed.
[Countdown: 00:03:34]
That was not good.
Her ti was almost up, and Lucian looked even paler than before.
There was no way they could keep fighting in this condition. They needed to find a way out imdiately.
"Lucian! We have to run now!" deia grabbed his arm, dragging him away from the battlefield.
The monsters chased after them, their monstrous roars echoing through the tunnels. Fortunately, their massive bodies struggled to squeeze through the smaller passageways.
But there was another problem, they had no idea where they were going.
Running without a clear destination was pointless, and on top of that, deia noticed Lucian’s pace slowing down.
"You okay?" she turned to check on him.
Lucian nodded, but his ragged cough told a different story. "I’m sorry. I’m not helping at all."
"Shut up. Don’t you dare apologize to ," deia snapped.
[Countdown: 00:01:32]
Her eyes scanned the environnt, searching for any escape route. Suddenly, she spotted a gap between the rocks, a perfect hiding spot.
"I know this is hard, but can you close—"
Lucian lifted his hand, forcing his trembling fingers to move as he sealed the passageway with his ability. The result was far from perfect, cracks still lined the surface, leaving faint gaps. But it would be enough to keep them hidden, at least for now.
The mont he finished, his strength gave out, and he slumped against the cold stone wall, sliding down until he was sitting on the ground.
His breathing was uneven, his face pale and damp with sweat.
deia crouched beside him, pressing the back of her hand against his forehead. "You’re burning up."
Without hesitation, she reached into her inventory, retrieving a Grade-S healing potion, then she handed it to him. "Here, drink this. I don’t know why you’re suddenly like this, but this should help."
[The system does not recomnd giving him the healing potion, Host.]
She frowned. "What? Why not?" She pulled the vial back before Lucian could take it. "He’s sick, and this potion restores 80% of his health. What’s the problem?"
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