"Ahhh!!! Help!!!" I heard a bloodcurdling scream behind me. I looked back and saw a fat middle-aged man screaming as the humanoid beasts bit into his flesh. Their long and sharp teeth sunk deeply into the man's body. The gruesome scene made me tremble from head to foot.
The man's voice soon stopped as one of the beasts snapped his neck with a single bite.
Seeing the man's grisly death, I hurriedly looked away and ran for my life. 'No! I don't want to die!'
My heart was beating crazily. I couldn't even think straight. I was terrified.
I heard more screams behind me, but I didn't look back.
'Just a little bit more! I'm almost there!' I could hear my heavy breath. My face was already covered in sweat. I was tired, but I forced myself to move forward.
Jonathan and a few others had already reached the tunnel. They were lucky since they were in the forefront of the pack.
I passed by a few elderly. It was then that I saw the old veteran. He struggling to walk. It was because he was carrying an unconscious little girl in his arms. The girl had her eyes shut. She must have lost consciousness from the heat or she might have bumped her head during the commotion.
The old man could hardly walk because of his aged knees, but he still helped the little girl. Compared to him, I was a fucking piece of shit.
I gritted my teeth as I made a hard decision.
I just couldn't bring myself to abandon him after seeing him struggle. Even an old man like him didn't hesitate to help someone. Despite my fear, I went over to his side and grabbed the girl he was carrying. "Sir, let me carry her!"
"Ha… It's you…" The old gentleman looked tired, but he seemed relieved to see me.
"Let's go! It's not safe here!"
I was carrying the child and I also had to take care of the veteran so my speed slowed considerably.
Grrrrr!!!
A beast-like cry suddenly echoed behind us.
It sounded close.
When I turned my head, I saw that a Devourer was chasing us!
The beast ran with two legs and its long arms were outstretched as if it was preparing to grab its prey. Its mouth was wide open as it emitted strange growling sounds. It was a hideous face!
"Shit!" My face fell.
"Sir, can you move faster?" I anxiously looked at the veteran. The thought of abandoning him appeared in my mind, but the last bits of my humanity immediately quashed the thought.
"I'm sorry. Because of me, you are…" The old veteran cried in remorse.
"We won't die here!" I handed the little girl to him and hurriedly unbuckled my belt.
The old man stared at me in surprise, but I had no time to explain. "Sir, please run!"
"What?! How could I-"
"Please!"
"I'm sorry!" The old man cried as he left while carrying the little girl.
With the belt in my hand, I stared at the incoming beast. 'Shit!'
I could feel my body trembling. 'Can I really do it?'
"Come here, you stupid idiot!" I shouted to shake off my fear.
Grrrr!!!
The beast pounced at me and brandished its claws. One slight mistake and I would be in deep shit.
I could see its movements. It was quick, but I managed to dodge it in time. I don't know if it was luck or the adrenaline kicking in.
After I avoided its claws, I went over the edge of the railway.
I looked down which caused my knees to almost caved in. It was deep beneath the bridge. It was at the height that would crush your bones if you unluckily fell.
Below was a dense forest. From what I remember, it was a protected sanctuary for wild animals. Enough with the unimportant details.
I focused my attention on the Devourer.
I didn't just recklessly confront this beast. I planned to lure it to the edge of the railway and hopefully push it down. I know that this was a crazy idea, but I had no other choice.
There was also a reason why I'm doing this. I want to kill this beast!
At this moment, the Devourer lifted its head and roared before it rushed to me like an enraged bull.
I took a deep breath and planted my feet firmly to prevent myself from falling down the bridge.
The Devourer might be quick, but it has one major weakness. It had a poor lateral movement. With the right timing, I believe that I could outmaneuver the creature.
The Devourer leaped and swiped its claws.
I was already prepared to make a move so before it could even touch me, I immediately rolled over to the side.
The beast failed to hit me and the momentum of its attack made it fall off the bridge. However, it stretched out its long arm to grab the edge of the railway and managed to barely preserve its life.
'Dammit! It didn't fall!'
I looked at the belt in my hand. 'This was for my last resort. I never thought that I really had to use it.'
While glaring at the vicious beast, I swung my belt and hit its hand with the buckle.
Gggrrraaaaa!!!
The Devourer screamed in rage and pain. It might look tough, but it was still a living breathing creature.
The beast showed signs of defiance. It wanted to go up, but I smashed its hand repeatedly with the buckle of my belt. I don't know how many times I struck it. I could feel the strain on my arms from the repeated action. Even so, I didn't stop.
"Die you fucking bastard! Die! Die! Die!!
Suddenly, it lost grip and fell.
I breathed heavily as I watched it plummet to the ground.
A few seconds later, I heard a distinct splat as the Devourer smashed into the ground.
[You killed a 1-star Devourer.]
[You received 1 EXP.]
[You received 5 Chaos Coins.]
[5 bonus stat points have been given for your first kill.]
Mark Joseph Dublin [Level 1] EXP: 1/10
Chaos Coins: 5
Strength: 10
Stamina: 10
Speed: 11
Endurance: 10
Vitality: 10
Anima: 0
Unallocated Stat Points: 5
The notifications confirmed my guess. This was the reason why I exposed myself to danger.
Just like I thought, I can gain exp and chaos coins by killing the Devourers!
I looked at the stats which was displayed on the holographic screen. It was the numerical representation of my physical attributes.
All my attributes were at 10 except for my speed which was at 11.
'Using the game's logic, my stats are around the average level for normal humans. Which stat should I increase?' I thought.
I racked my brains for a moment. In the current situation, the most useful stat should be speed. The 1-star Devourers have the same speed as humans and they have long arms that they use to catch their prey. People with speed stat below 10 would be easy prey for them.
'Speed is important, but I should be careful when allocating my attribute points. I'll think about this later. For now, I should head to the tunnel.'
Strangely, I felt calmer now. It was probably because I managed to kill the Devourer. The knowledge I have also made me feel that I could survive in this world. If I hadn't played that game, I might have already died under the claws of the Devourer. I felt thankful.
[You entered a safe zone.]
[Mission complete! Please select your desired weapon.]
The moment I reached the tunnel, the holographic screen refreshed and displayed a prompt that told me that I had completed the mission.
The screen then displayed a selection of weapons for me to choose from.
• Ordinary Steel Sword [Damage: 1~5] [Effective Range: 1 meter]
• Ordinary Bow [Damage: 2~7] [Effective Range: 20 meters]
• Ordinary Spear [Damage: 1~6] [Effective Range: 3 meters]
• Ordinary Axe [Damage: 3~10] [Effective Range: 0.5 meters]
• Ordinary Metal Bat [Damage: 1~4] [Effective Range: 1 meter]
• Ordinary Dagger [Damage: 1~5] [Effective Range: 0.2 meters]
• Ordinary Shield [+3 Defense]
• Ordinary Hammer [Damage: 1~4] [Effective Range: 0.3 meters]