"Monsters!"
Just before I could plan my next move, a loud scream came from the youth who went up there. His name was Arnold, someone who looked a good candidate to recruit in my eyes.
"What does he mean by that?" Isabella stood beside me with a worried expression all over her pretty face.
She wasn't alone, everyone else had the same look except for me. I turned around and didn't open my mouth to explain anything.
"We'll soon know that," I said before raising my metallic baseball club in the air, "let's face whatever comes from outside and survive this together."
My sudden shout pushed slightly away the fear and confusion in everyone around. I didn't want them to be with me, but as long as they were here then why not use them properly?
"Roar!"
"Roar!"
"Roar!"
As expected, the hyenas moved in large groups and first surrounded the field. The wolves wouldn't dare to come early on, not before testing waters first by these dumb fools.
The hyenas stood tens of meters away from the border of the field, seemingly hesitant about the light.
"What… the hell is that?!!"
"Are there even such giant monsters in the world?"
"Am I dreaming? C'mon someone please shake my body!"
Many exclamations came and it was normal to react this way. The monsters used to play with two different tactics, either frighten their enemies by standing all silent or by rapidly attacking them with indomitable force.
This time I was lucky it was the former, or else people here wouldn't have time to grasp the situation better and get a good hold on their ragged emotions and thoughts.
"Get ready," unlike them I didn't act surprised. Anyway this was a moment of life and death, "stand near the net and try to shield yourselves with the blockades there."
"Can we really be secured by these useless pieces of metal and wood?" Isabella's question was logical, however everyone moved once they heard my words.
"Let's do our best," I said while Isabella ran after me.
"Can our clubs really kill them?"
She pointed back at the giant hyenas. Each one had a thick yellow fur with black spots. Their heads ended with two long and curved tusks, just like ivory tusks of elephants. But I knew for sure these things weren't just for show.
"We have to do our best," I simply said before turning and stopping her from adding more, "don't speak anything negative now. As you can say, we are outnumbered, surrounded, and without any proper ways to defend ourselves against god knows who these guys are. They are barely standing against all these odds."
I tried to act like a leader, fearing about the morale of his troops. She gave me a deep gaze before sighing. I knew she was smart enough to get my point here.
"Listen up," I shouted while standing in the center of the big circle everyone made without concession, "don't fight those monsters on your own accord. Just help each other."
"What if we were outnumbered?" one of the youths shouted in a voice that looked more eager than terrified.
I looked at him and he was Allen, one of the two I sat my gaze upon. 'Good boy,' I praised inside my mind before answering him.
"That's why I'm here with Isabella," I shortly paused before firmly adding, "no matter what comes at you, always be sure that we'll appear to help. Always know there are two coming from your backs so you won't fall here."
"Roar!"
The monsters seemed to not enjoy the atmosphere here. It was normal, after all they found fear more delicious than killing. However my group only showed rising defiance and challenging spirit instead.
Then one after another hyenas started to run towards us.
It was delusional to think that the fisher net surrounding the field and those useless benches and wooden barricades would stop these behemoths. However the moment they passed through them all, the monsters suddenly twitched their bodies and seemed like they were struggling with something.
"Hit them now! This is our chance!" I acted like luck was on our side and hurriedly shouted at all of them.
As I managed to jolt them awake, everyone finally had the courage to step forward and hit the monsters with their clubs. I didn't expect much and waited patiently for a window to intervene.
"They seem not to inflict much damage," Isabella who stood by my side said, "but the monsters look like they are struggling."
"I dunno why, but it's good for us anyway," I acted as if I didn't know what was going on while moving my eyes around. "Open your eyes, if any dangerous looking situation happened, instantly alarm me about it," I said while giving this hard to fool girl a task to do.
"Roar!"
Just as expected, the clubs weren't doing any actual damage to the monsters. However they were already in deep pain and these clubs kept annoying them.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
One after another, monsters started to turn around and hit anyone nearby. Their great bodies acted as great weapons even if they were used crudely in such a way.
Taking such a hit wasn't deadly, however more monsters were flooding the place from the outside.
"Hey! Look! Out there… Fast!" It seemed the excitement and pressure of this battle already found their way inside the soul of Isabella. She frantically tapped on my shoulder as if she was punching it while trying to shift my gaze to one direction.
"There…" My eyes shone when I saw three hyenas running towards two fallen youths. They were just thrown away by one berserk hyena they tried to hit together. It was just their bad luck that put them in the path of those three running hyenas.
But it was good luck for me.
"Stay here," without giving her any room to say anything, I moved while holding the club in my hand firmly. I wasn't truly under any pressure here, I knew what I was doing anyway.
But I had to put on a good show.
"Run!" I shouted in a fake nervous tone while the two youths seemed to realize the fate that awaited them, "move away, now!" I ran as I shouted while putting on a very worried expression over my face.
It seemed that my shouts, my actions, my frantic running… All attracted the attention of everyone fighting here. They all turned towards me and I felt their gazes over my body.
'Good, I need you all to pay attention to this,' I inwardly smiled in a calm way like I wasn't heading towards deadly monsters, 'I never tried to explain anything to anyone before, so I hope you'll get it from just watching.'
"Get away now!" however I kept yelling, playing my role perfectly till the end as their savior.
"ِAhhh!"
"Ahhh!"
Two loud and painful screams echoed from the throats of the two poor youths. They were stumbled upon by the big merciless paws of the three hyenas.
The moment they screamed, the hyenas heard them and realized there was a treat they missed. Instantly they stopped and were about to turn to eat the two youths' flesh when I suddenly accelerated.
"Stop your claws, damn barbarics!" my shout was so loud and filled with endless anger. It was all fake, but it was the necessary setting for what was about to come.
Despite not seeing clearly and getting their bodies aching by the light, they could still hear perfectly well. The moment I shouted, the three big heads turned to me while their mouths drooled for the naive meal coming at them.
"Roar!"
They roared and opened their mouths to gnash on my body. They moved their frontal legs as they slowly jumped in the air. Taking a single step for them was equal to three meters crossing for me.
"Hye! Watch out!" I heard the anxious scream from behind. It was Isabella and I was slightly touched by her feeling.
However I was far away from any harm. I shouted to provoke them, divert their attention to me.
As they jumped towards me, I leant on the ground and let my body slide below them. I was driven by my speed and they just made things easier by taking that step.
'Die you weaklings!' I inwardly snorted while pushing my legs against the ground and flew like an arrow upwards. My arm moved and the iron club hit the point I was aiming for.
At the first quest, humans tried everything to kill these monsters. Later on when they acquired systems and upgraded their stats, playing with these hyenas became easier.
Then they all realized the sole point of weakness in these monsters. In fact it was too obvious to not notice it, making everyone feel regret about not noticing it earlier.
It was the two long curved tusks just on the side of each monster's neck.
In fact there weren't just two. The structure of these tusks was slightly complicated. There was another pair of small vertical, thorn-like tusks buried inside the thick fur of these hyenas.
Just dealing a direct blow with enough strength to smash an egg shell against the lower part of the hyena's neck was enough to push these thorns inside their flesh.
No resistance was there when I waved my club and hit the first monster where it would kill it. The hit seemed weak, with no one expecting anything from it. However the next moment that monster raised its head to the sky before losing all the signs of life in its body.
"Thud!" it slammed against the ground motionless while its dead body glided for a few meters before stopping.
This scene came as a shock to everyone who was here. Even the monsters here felt the death of their comrades and couldn't help but all stop what they were doing and look around, trying to find where I was.
Such a heavy and deafening silence suddenly prevailed in this chaotic battle. however I didn't stop my club after hitting that first monster. I knew what I was doing and didn't need to even turn around to check on the success of my hit.
So after hitting the first, I moved my arm and hit the second and then the third. I was like holding my club and hitting mosquitos, not giant and scary monsters like these.
"Thud!"
"Thud!"
Two more muffled sounds came and the other two hyenas fell to the ground dead. I faked my shock as I panted to catch up my breath.
'Dammit! Fighting without stats really hurts!'
I just pulled something that my current body couldn't handle it seemed. I forgot that the body I used to have wasn't here anymore. I had no stats yet and that made me feel tired fast.
"Hye!" I could hear the shocked shout from Isabella and I knew the reason. After all I was close, too close from one of the main entrances these monsters created.
The ones inside the field were blinded and tortured by the light. However those remaining outside in the darkness were able to see everything clearly.
I expected them to come in waves at me. However I didn't see my fatigue coming. The next moment I started to run back to the center of the field while my speed greatly decreased.
"Behind you!" Isabella didn't need to scream every time a monster would come at me! It made me look much worse than I was already.
I didn't need to fake anything anymore. I just showed how to kill these monsters and I had no reason to hold back.
I only tried to minimize my physical activity, fearing to add more weariness to my body.
I turned around and jumped to the side while easily evading the incoming bulldozer at my back. The hyena missed me with mere inches, while my club moved fast to slam at the lower part of its neck.
"Thud!"
One more monster fell, but many more were coming. At this point, all the youths surviving here started to act like me, aiming at the weak point of these monsters.
Four came to my aid alongside Isabella who had a relieved expression on her face when the others blocked the monsters. Just seeing her genuine feelings made me slightly embarrassed. I just played you all, and yet you gave me such warm eyes!
"Hit them at the lower part of their necks," I shouted as if I wasn't well aware of what everyone was doing at the moment.
"We know, just get yourself back at once," Isabella grabbed my arm before adding, "can you handle it here?"
"It's much easier now thanks to Hye bro," one of the four said in confidence, however I knew things wouldn't be that easy for them.
Even if I was fighting with no stats and in such a weak body, I still held my long survival instincts and experience with me. Compared to them, I was like a veteran general and they were mere newbie soldiers.
As Isabella moved me towards the central part of the field, I looked around and found what I thought of came true.
Despite aiming at the weak points of the monsters, and even with the weakened state these monsters were in, not all the youths managed to come out of these clashes unscathed.
Some had deep and serious looking wounds caused by the monsters' heavy bodies or their sharp claws. Even a few started to fall cold on the ground, losing their lives.
"We… Can survive this," as I was busy watching the fight, Isabella saw in all this a glimpse of hope for survival. Of course we were going to survive, and it was good she wasn't that shaken by all of our losses.
In fact things were heading much better than I initially thought. I estimated to lose over three quarters of our numbers, but we would end up only losing half.
And not all of them would be dead. That was good as these people would turn out later to be fierce humans after surviving this.
"What is Arnold doing?"
Just as I was watching and observing the fight closely, Isabella's shocked comment attracted my attention to look in a certain direction.
And the moment I saw that youth, who was supposed to be standing on the highest point here, running in the middle of the hyenas without any monster hindering his steps… My heart dropped to the rock bottom.
"No f*cking way!!!" I was really shocked this time when a terrifying scenario popped into my head at that moment.