Chapter 19: The Hunters (part 1)

Chapter 19: Chapter 19: The Hunters (part 1)

One of the hunters blinked.

"Those weren’t here before?"

Kyle’s grip tightened around his sword.

"No."

His voice became serious.

"They weren’t."

The largest wolf suddenly released a low growl.

"Everyone, prepare!"

The hunters immediately raised their weapons.

Kyle barely finished speaking when the wolf lunged.

"Now!"

The hunters reacted, a spear shot forward.

The wolf twisted its body in midair, but still the spear scraped across its ribs, drawing a thin line of blood.

But the beast didn’t stop, it landed directly in front of the hunter.

The man’s face turned pale.

"Get away!"

The wolf opened its jaws.

Crunch!

Its teeth clamped down on the hunter’s forearm.

The man screamed.

"AAARGH!"

He desperately struck the wolf’s head with his spear, but the beast refused to release him.

With a violent jerk of its head, the wolf threw the hunter onto the stone floor.

His arm hung uselessly at his side, blood pouring from the torn leather armor.

"Help him!"

Two hunters rushed forward. That was exactly what the wolves wanted.

The second wolf charged from the side.

Bang!

It slammed directly into one of the hunters, sending him crashing into the wall.

The man’s shield flew from his hand.

Before he could recover, the wolf was already on top of him.

Its jaws closed around his throat. Next moment, a horrible gurgling sound escaped from his mouth.

Blood immediately stained the stone beneath him.

"NO!"

Another hunter thrust his spear toward the wolf.

The weapon pierced its shoulder.

The beast released the dying man and staggered backward.

But the hunter had made one critical mistake. He had exposed his back.

The third wolf appeared behind him.

The hunter turned too late, the claws tore across his back.

His leather armor split open, three deep wounds appeared across his body, and he collapsed onto one knee.

"AHHH!"

Kyle’s eyes widened.

"Don’t break formation!"

But it was already too late.

The hunters had been trained to fight wild monster.

They had not been trained to fight monsters that could coordinate with one another.

The wolves didn’t attack randomly.

They surrounded, pressured, and waited for openings.

And the moment one hunter became isolated, they attacked together.

Inside the boss room, Ragnar watched silently.

His eyes remained fixed on the floating screen as the battle unfolded before him like a live broadcast.

The hunters were slowly realizing the same thing.

"Fall back!"

Kyle shouted.

"Don’t let them surround us!"

The remaining hunters immediately tried to reform their formation, but panic had already begun spreading through the group.

One of the hunters who had been knocked against the wall struggled to stand. His shield lay several meters away, while the wolf that had attacked him was already advancing again.

"Stay back!"

He raised his spear with trembling hands, but the wolf lowered its body.

For a brief moment, neither moved. Then the beast suddenly charged.

The hunter thrust his spear with everything he had.

The blade struck the wolf in the chest.

"Got you!"

The hunter’s expression brightened.

But the wolf didn’t stop. Its momentum carried it forward even with the spear embedded in its body.

The hunter’s smile disappeared.

"W-Wait..."

The wolf slammed into him.

Bang!

His back struck the stone floor, knocking the breath from his lungs. The spear slipped from his hands.

Seeing the opening, the wolf opened its jaws.

The hunter desperately tried to push it away, but the difference in strength was overwhelming.

"HELP ME!"

Kyle immediately turned.

"Hold on!"

He drew his bow in one smooth motion.

An arrow flew through the air.

Whoosh!

The arrow struck the wolf directly in the side of its neck.

The beast released a furious growl and stumbled away.

Kyle rushed forward.

"Move!"

The wounded hunter scrambled backward.

Kyle stepped between him and the wolf, sword raised.

"Keep your distance!"

The wolf snarled.

Blood dripped from its neck, but its eyes remained sharp.

For several seconds, Kyle and the beast stared at one another.

"Kyle!"

A scream suddenly came from behind him.

Kyle turned.

One of the hunters had been separated from the group.

The third wolf was already charging toward him.

"Run!"

The hunter tried to raise his shield, and the wolf collided with it.

Bang!

The force sent the man stumbling backward.

He managed to remain standing, but before he could regain his balance, the second wolf attacked from his side.

The hunter’s eyes widened.

"No!"

The wolves struck him almost simultaneously.

One knocked the shield away, the other tackled him to the ground.

His scream echoed through the corridor. Kyle immediately fired another arrow.

The arrow struck one of the wolves in the shoulder, forcing it to retreat.

But the damage had already been done.

The hunter lay motionless on the stone floor. Another member of the group was dead.

Silence briefly filled the corridor. The remaining hunters stared at the body.

Their faces had gone pale. Two people had already died.

And they hadn’t even reached the deeper sections of the dungeon.

"Everyone..."

One of the younger hunters whispered. His hands were trembling around his spear.

"We need to leave."

Nobody answered.

Kyle’s jaw tightened.

He knew the hunter was right. They had underestimated the dungeon.

The wolves were much stronger than they had expected, and there was no guarantee that the creatures deeper inside were weaker.

"Fall back!"

Kyle finally shouted.

"Everyone retreat!"

The hunters immediately began moving toward the entrance.

But then, a strange sound echoed from above.

Scratch.

Scratch.

Scratch.

Everyone froze.

Kyle slowly looked upward.

His eyes widened.

Something moved across the ceiling.

A large, dark body crawled out from behind one of the stone pillars.

Then another.

And another.

Eight long legs slowly descended from the darkness.

A giant spider emerged directly above them.

Its enormous body hung from a thick strand of webbing.

Behind it, two more spiders appeared.

The hunters stared upward in horror.

"What..."

One of them whispered.

"What are those things?"

Ragnar leaned closer to the screen. His expression was filled with interest.

"It’s giant spiders."

The hunters had completely forgotten about the wolves.

That was their mistake.

The first spider suddenly dropped.

"LOOK OUT!"

The hunter carrying the shield raised it.

The spider landed directly upon him.

Bang!