"Anyway, let's head to the shelter already." I hurried the group, which was getting infected by the black-haired girl's laugh.
Looking around the surroundings, only the insect monsters around us were cleared. Military and civilians are still fighting against them in a bitter battle, basically an all-out brawl. I wish there weren't any casualties after this, but seeing the fallen bodies here and there, it looks like that's no longer possible.
"... Well, you have a point. Staying here can't even be called safe anyway." The brown-haired man, wearing our school's uniform, shook his head lightly while sporting a deep frown. "Right, I'm Miles, by the way. And I'm a warrior. You must be Mahiro, right?"
"Yes, I am..." I muttered with an awkward smile.
I don't know what to feel when someone you don't even recognize knows who you are. But well, I guess being infamous was already a given. Rather, I think more than half of the school body knows my name and face already.
After he introduced himself, he then clapped his hands, calling his colleague's attention. "Alright, everyone! Time to move to the shelter!"
Comments like "Eeeh~? Already?" or "I want to rest more~!" came from them, but completely in contrast with their words, their actions didn't have any hesitation at all. In just moments, they were already in formation, ready to venture forward, heading for the nearest safety point, the shelter.
Miles, the leader and a sword and shield user, was at the front, leading the group and keeping their pace in check. Of the two gunners, one was the black-haired girl who laughed at me earlier, and another was a similar-looking guy with the exact same features. The two must be siblings or twins, or else their similarity couldn't be explained in any other way. They were at the back of the formation, watching over their surroundings for any incoming attacks.
The last two were a female swordsman with long fiery red hair, wielding a shortsword and a buckler, and a blonde man who was a spearman, wielding two spears. All of them, including the leader, Miles, were all at beginner stage level 6. It wasn't low by any means, but compared to the insects, it was nowhere near enough.
"If not for their having such visible weak spots, I wonder how the battle may have gone..." I muttered as I followed the group, matching their running pace.
As we were moving, suddenly, the female gunner shouted a warning. "Monster ahead, roughly two hundred meters around the corner of that building!"
It was a little far, and the figure she found was even hidden, so I honestly felt awe at her noticing it. Miles, the leader, quickly smiled before waving his sword in excitement. "Nice one, Natalie!"
And so we went to face it head-on... or not. They were just lucky when fighting the buggers earlier, and they too know this for a fact. In fact, if I wasn't saved by Sir Andrew earlier, then I wouldn't be standing here either. Not fighting at all was the safest choice, so we took a slight detour and continued forging ahead.
"...!"
However, of course, it would be hard to stay undetected when monsters were literally swarming around the entire city. Just as we were about to turn a corner, I saw a black shadow rush across the street from another building's cover.
"DODGE!"
I was unable to reach them in time, so I quickly shouted instructions. Fortunately, they were quick on their feet and jumped backward without hesitation.
*CRAAAASH!*
The asphalt cracked as one of the sharp, needle-like forearms struck where the group was a moment before.
*SCREEEECH!*
And to make matters worse, it even raised its voice, letting the other nearby monsters come and join in on the party. "Damn! Retreat!"
Miles quickly realized the hopelessness of the situation and ran. However, it was already too late when we were discovered by the monsters. An insect in front and two at the back. There's even one above, waiting for a chance to attack as we stopped on our feet. There was nowhere to go...
"Inside the building!" I quickly suggested, as we were right next to one large building.
Although I doubt it could protect us, at least it will be able to limit the space that the monsters can attack us from. After all, worrying about the four directions was easier than watching out for attacks coming from 720 degrees around us.
"You heard the guy! GOO!"
Miles shouted in his loudest voice so far before raising his sword and shield up, watching out for incoming attacks. The twin-spears guy also remained to cover the rear as we entered the building.
"Hurry!"
The gunner girl roared, her eyes flickering with anxiety as she watched the two do their darndest while parrying the incoming insect's attacks. "Ugh!!!"
But the difference in power was just too great. After a small hiccup, Miles lost his stance and went off-balance. The spear guy noticed this and had a lapse in attention toward the monsters, causing one of the incoming stabs to pierce him right through the abdomen.
"Gary!!!"
I couldn't even determine who shouted the spear guy's name. After all, I wasn't near them at that moment. Run away and leave them? Yeah, I could do that, but that'll just lower my chances of surviving even further. Instead, I circled to one of the windows, cracked it open, and stood behind two insects.
"HAAAAAP!"
With all my strength, I threw Kyouya's lance, heading for one of the two enemies. Right after finishing the throwing motion, without waiting for it to hit, I drew the scythe-dagger and ran at my top speed, reaching the back of the other bug right as the lance went through cleanly.
"DIE!"
With a swing, I pried off the winds from its back, making it raise a cry of agony. Before it could react, however, the dagger was already embedded as far as possible, with the tip piercing through the other end of its chest.
*SCREEEEE!* *SCREEEEE!*
Two shrill dying sounds echoed almost simultaneously as Gary and Miles stared at my face in both shock and awe. Seeing their reactions, I couldn't help but get angry. "Idiots, focus on the fight!"
"...!"
Miles quickly moved, turning around and blocking an incoming leg. As usual, just pushing it out of the way was his limit. Gary the Spearman, on the other hand, was coughing out blood as he placed pressure on the wound over his stomach. It was useless, however, as the wound pierced through the back. His bleeding didn't stop at all.
"Kuh!"
At this rate, he'll die. We need a healer to save him, and as fast as possible too!
"How far until the shelter?!" I shouted as I gathered both weapons.
Miles just finished blocking another strike, and while breathing heavily, he shouted back. "Just half a kilometer away! It's a straight line if we follow the main street!"
"Alright!"
I quickly called up my status panel and poured the newly gained stats all into agility. Where did I get the stats? Well, these insects may be hateful, but they pack a lot of experience for me. Just after killing the two—a total of three kills of their kind—I already gained two more levels!
It was a happy miscalculation, but there was no time to celebrate. As soon as I finished adding twenty points to agility, I quickly dodged to the side. The one that was up in the air finally came down, slashing at my head with all four of its needle-like forearms.
They were fast, yes. But relative to their level, they're pretty slow. I think their stats are distributed mostly according to their strength and vitality. Now that I have gained increased speed, they are no longer a threat.
"I'm faster than you now!" I roared with a fierce grin, rushing forward with a spear and a knife in either hand.
The monster didn't wait and kicked its hind leg, jumping high into the air and landing on the side of the building. The glass cracked and fell like rain, making me unable to raise my head and observe the enemy.
A cold feeling reached my neck, prompting me to take a step back immediately. As soon as I did, the monster's arm swiped past my face, the exact location where my neck was earlier.
It was a close call... But it wouldn't happen again. Taking advantage of the monster having just landed, it was unable to move freely for a brief moment. I ran to its back, just until I could see the previous weak spot, and poked the lance right through it.
*SCREEEEEEEECHHH!*
Another high-pitched dying sound resounded, followed by another *ping*, the sound of happiness, echoing in my ears.
I didn't even confirm the other windows that popped alongside it, and I just poured the newly gained points into agility. With this, there's no doubt that I'm already faster than these insects. Although my stats now look crazily distributed, I can still fix them in the future... Probably.