[Congratulations, you are a hunter!]
[Class: Warrior]
A blue screen shimmered into existence in front of the soldier, Mohammad Fiza. His eyes glazed over, fixated on the mysterious display that only he could see. "I see, this is like an RPG game," he murmured to himself, a hint of excitement creeping into his voice. "Stats."
In response to his command, a new screen materialized, detailing his current attributes and information.
-
Name: Mohammad Fiza
Race: Human
Class: Warrior
Level: 1 [0/50xp]
HP: 100/100
MP: 100
[Stats]
STRENGTH: 10
AGILITY: 10
STAMINA: 10
DEXTERITY: 10
INTELLIGENCE: 12
(Stat distribution points: 0)
[Passive]
Mental Stability: Level 1 [10% Increase in mental fortitude.]
Beginner Swordsmanship: Level 1 [0%]
[Skills]
Cross-slash: Level 1 [Perform a horizontal and vertical slash attack.] [Cooldown: 1 minute]
Quickstep: Level 1 [Move in an instant a short distance in any direction.] [Cooldown: 20 seconds]
Shield bash: Level 1 [Use your shield to bash an opponent, stunning him for 1-3 seconds.] [Cooldown: 1 minute]
-
Fiza took a deep breath, absorbing the information. "This is a bit different from what I usually play, but I'll give it a try. Let's start by opening my inventory."
With a thought, the stats window disappeared, replaced by another screen labeled 'Inventory'.
-
Shitty iron sword [Durability 20/100]
Shitty wooden shield [Durability 30/100]
-
He tapped the image of the shitty iron sword, and it materialized in his right hand. The blade was dull and nicked, feeling awkward and unfamiliar in his grip. Next, he clicked on the shield, which appeared strapped to his left arm—a wooden shield with metal edges, equally unimpressive. "Oh, wow," he muttered, examining his equipment.
Around him, people stared in shock and awe, their eyes wide with curiosity and excitement.
"How did you do that?" A man who had introduced himself as a knight stepped forward, his voice brimming with wonder.
"It's just like an RPG game," Fiza explained a hint of pride in his voice. "Say or think the word 'stats,' and a new screen will appear in front of you. Then, open your inventory and click on the item you want, it will materialize in your hands."
The crowd erupted in murmurs, a wave of confusion and intrigue spreading rapidly among the gathered masses. Only those who could see the shimmering blue screens truly grasped the magnitude of what was happening.
"Inventory!"
"Stats!"
"Inventory!"
Voices rang out in a chorus, each person eager to summon their own inventory and stat screens. Loud gasps and excited chatter echoed throughout the station; the air thick with anticipation. A flurry of activity broke out as people examined their equipment, stats, and skills, eyes wide with wonder.
Others, however, were not so fortunate. Frustration and bewilderment etched across their faces as they desperately tried to mimic the commands.
"What's the matter? Why can't I summon an inventory?" one man shouted, his voice tinged with panic.
"I don't understand... what is a 'class'?" a woman nearby muttered, her brow furrowed in confusion.
Out of the thousands of people within the MRT station, only a few hundred managed to become hunters. These chosen few began to pull out an array of weapons from their inventories: swords, staffs, long spears, knives, and bows, all the weapons were bad quality and had low durability.
-
Suddenly, sinister laughter began to echo from the train tunnels, a cacophony reminiscent of hyenas, their eerie cackles reverberating throughout the station. A chill ran down my spine, and I instinctively looked around, my heart pounding in my chest.
-
[Quest: Kill 100 goblins. Reward: 100 XP.]
-
"Kill 100 goblins? Are they fucking kidding?" muttered one of the hunters, a knight with a grim look on his face. He glanced around, trying to gauge the reactions of the others. "This is bullshit... I don't know if I can do this..."
-
[Failure to complete the quest will result in permanent death. Time remaining: 59:59.]
-
"Wait, what do you mean 'permanent death'? No, no, no..." The knight's face paled, a mixture of anger and fear etched into his features.
The laughter grew louder, and the ground began to shake.
"EVERYONE STAND UP AND SQUEEZE INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE PLATFORM. GET AWAY FROM THE TRAIN DOORS!!! NOW!!!" Fiza, another hunter, commanded with an authoritative tone.
The crowd scrambled to follow his orders, jostling and pushing as they hurried to get away from the train doors. My father grabbed my mother's hand, "Get up, come on." He said urgently
I got up grabbing Hannah's hand and we pushed to get to the center of the platform. We squeezed into the densely packed group of people, the fear and confusion in the air palpable. "Jagger, stay close and Hannah too, okay?" My father reminded me.
The rumbling grew louder and louder, the sound of footsteps and snickers echoing throughout the station.
"HUNTERS WITH MELEE WEAPONS STAND NEAR THE DOORS, MAGES, RANGERS, AND HEALERS STAND BEHIND US. SUPPORT US FROM THE BACK." Fiza barked, his voice carrying through the tense atmosphere.
I Pushed and pulled Hannah to the center along with my mother with me and my father covered them both.
-
"You go protect us, you are a hunter aren't you?" A man pushed a boy who looked around 17, a year younger than me, toward the front. "Protect us!"
The boy looked around and gulped, he was terrified. His hands trembled and his knees were weak, but he forced himself to move. The fear in his eyes was unmistakable.
The atmosphere in the station was suffocating, people started to shove and push, desperate to avoid being in the last row.
"SHUT UP! STOP SHOVING, YOU ALL!" Fiza yelled, trying to calm the frantic crowd. "IF ANY OF YOU DON'T FIGHT WE WILL ALL DIE HERE! I PROMISE I WILL FIGHT FOR YOU, BUT I CAN'T PROTECT EVERYONE, OKAY?"
His words seemed to resonate with the crowd, a tense silence descending on the station.
"HE IS RIGHT, HUNTERS!! WE MUST FIGHT, OR WE ALL DIE HERE!" A man in his mid-30s shouted, his face determined. He had a bow in his hand and a quiver full of arrows strapped to his back.
All the hunters began to take their places near the door. Their faces were filled with determination, their bodies tense. The seconds ticked by, the laughter growing closer and closer. Silence descended on the station, a palpable tension hanging in the air.
The station lights flickered erratically, casting long, dancing shadows across the cold, metallic walls. The sinister laughter that echoed through the corridors, combined with the tremors shaking the ground beneath our feet, made it feel as though the entire world was collapsing around us. The hunters stood tense, weapons drawn, eyes scanning the darkness, ready for whatever horrors might emerge.
*Clack* *Clack*
The sharp, metallic sound reverberated through the station, growing louder and more ominous with each passing second. Suddenly, the noise stopped. Silence descended upon us, thick and suffocating like a heavy blanket. Every breath seemed to echo, every heartbeat thundered in our ears.
"AAAAAHHHH!!!"
A young man with a spear let out a blood-curdling scream, drawing our attention to the far end of the tunnel. Through the dim light, we saw them—countless red, gleaming eyes staring back at us, filled with a malevolent hunger.
Then, the monsters burst in.
*CRASH* *Boom* *CLANK*
The first goblins emerged from the darkness, crashing through the windows and shattering the glass into millions of glinting shards. One of the vile creatures leaped at the young man with the spear, its dagger flashing as it drove the blade into his neck. Blood spurted out in a gruesome fountain, painting the station in a crimson hue.
*Slice*
"AAAGGHH!!!" another young man cried out, his throat slashed open, a spray of blood raining down upon the others. The goblins, driven by a savage bloodlust, barreled into the station, smashing through the windows from all sides. Their grotesque forms were illuminated sporadically by the flickering lights, heightening the surreal terror that gripped us.
Their beady eyes glowed with malevolence, and their twisted grins revealed rows of sharp, yellowed teeth. They brandished an assortment of crude but deadly weapons—rusty swords, jagged spears, and brutal axes. Each goblin seemed more monstrous than the last, their presence a nightmare made flesh.
"ATTACK THEM BACK!!!" Fiza shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos like a beacon.
The hunters sprang into action, their weapons gleaming as they charged forward. The air became thick with the stench of blood and death, and the cacophony of battle filled the station. Blades clashed, metal rang against metal, and the agonized cries of the fallen mingled with the savage roars of the goblins. Mages cast their spells, sending fireballs and ice spikes, killing dozens of goblins, healers tried their best to save their allies but the cooldown took too long.
The flickering lights cast eerie shadows across the scene, making the battle appear even more chaotic and nightmarish. Each hunter fought with a desperation born of survival, their faces set in grim determination. Amidst the chaos, some goblins were able to make their way through the fray, reaching the non-hunter civilians.
"AAAAH!!!" A young woman's shrill scream pierced the air, piercing my ears.
One goblin slashed at her stomach, blood and intestines spilling onto the floor. She collapsed, clutching her stomach in a futile attempt to hold in her guts.
It was a nightmare, a massacre, a hellscape of carnage and despair.
-
"HUNTERS WITH SHIELDS, BLOCK THEM! THE REST, ATTACK FROM BEHIND!" Fiza's voice cut through the chaos, his commands reverberating throughout the station with unwavering authority.
Immediately, the hunters with shields surged forward, their formation creating an impenetrable wall between the goblins and the rest of the group. The metallic gleam of their shields flashed in the dim light, deflecting blows and absorbing the brunt of the goblins' ferocious attacks. Behind this protective barrier, the other hunters launched their assault, their blades slicing through the air with deadly precision, cutting down the goblins with brutal efficiency.
The battle raged on, a maelstrom of violence and survival instincts. Each side fought with a primal desperation, locked in a struggle that would only end in bloodshed.
"A FEW HAVE MADE IT TO THE NON-HUNTER CIVILIANS! STOP THEM!!" Karthik's urgent command pierced through the din of battle.
Responding without hesitation, the hunters not currently engaged in combat sprinted toward the civilians' position. They interposed themselves between the advancing goblins and the defenseless non-hunters, their weapons becoming a whirlwind of slashes and stabs as they fought to repel the vile creatures.
Despite the hunters' efforts, the non-hunters were not safe.
"ARGH!!!" a young woman's scream pierced the air as she fled from an approaching goblin. The creature, grinning wickedly, hurled its axe, the blade striking her in the spine with a sickening thud. She crumpled to the ground, and the goblin pounced on her, hacking at her body with savage glee.
"HELP!!! HELP ME!!!" Her desperate cries for aid were abruptly silenced as the goblin's weapon rose and fell in a grisly rhythm, turning her into a bloody mess.
Unable to remain idle any longer my father dashed toward the fray. Spotting a broken steel pipe on the ground, he snatched it up and charged at the goblin, smashing its head with a fierce blow, killing it instantly.
"GET THE WOUNDED AWAY FROM THE FIGHT!!!" His voice was a rallying cry, igniting a spark of defiance among the non-hunters.
Emboldened by my father's example, the other non-hunters seized weapons from the fallen goblins and joined the battle. It was a desperate last stand, a fight for survival against overwhelming odds.
The station echoed with the sounds of combat. The clash of steel, the thud of bodies hitting the ground, and the anguished cries of the wounded and dying created a symphony of chaos.
*Swoosh* *Slice* *Squelch*
I also grabbed a small axe from the ground and stood and ran into the battle, "AAAAAHHHH!!!" My screams were guttural, primal, and raw as I hacked at the goblins that were hacking at the corpse of a young man.
[Goblins killed: 34/100] [Time remaining: 48:58]