All the times I've run after coming here, there was one thing I noticed, my body seemed to move at an incredible speed, almost as if I was weightless. The ogres that I had encountered so far were slow and lumbering.
I knew from the story, about the Regal members being dangerous and intelligent, and I knew that they wouldn't be easy to fight. But I was determined to see for myself what they were truly capable of.We planned to ambush the Regal camp that we had to cross, and Joon and I had prepared carefully for the attack. I was hiding in a pit that I had dug, waiting for Joon's signal to make my move.As I stared ahead at the camp, my nerves were on edge. I knew that this was just the first of many Regal camps that we would encounter, and each member was more powerful than the last.Right at the moment Joon stepped into the courtyard, she appeared before him in a flash. She was covered in a long fur coat and wore a helmet with wavy horns made of iron. Her eyes were a deep red, and they seemed to pierce right through Joon.I watched as Joon drew his weapon, but the Regal member vanished in an instant. I couldn't believe my eyes as I squinted them, "W-where did she go?""So this is where you're hiding?" Before I could even begin to process what had happened, I heard a deep, horrid voice from behind me. I spun around and pulled out my dagger, holding it up in front of my face.But it was too late. She had already landed a powerful punch with her iron fist on my dagger, causing me to stumble backwards. I felt my breath growing heavier as I struggled to stay on my feet.I looked up at her, who stood before me with an unfazed expression. She was a few feet away, and her eyes seemed to bore straight through me.I realized that I had underestimated the Regal members. They were powerful, and I was lucky to have survived that first encounter.But I wasn't going to give up. I knew that Joon and I would have to keep fighting, no matter how difficult the challenge was.As I steadied myself and prepared to attack, I felt a renewed sense of determination.And so, I took a deep breath and charged towards her, ready to do whatever it took to protect myself and those with me.The female ogre towered over us, her massive form casting a long shadow on the ground. Her eyes blazed with an intense fury, and her muscles rippled with power as she charged towards us. I knew that we were outmatched, but I refused to back down. I glanced over at Joon, who stood by my side, his face grim and determined.
We knew that we were risking our lives by engaging her in a fight. But we had no choice for our survival.As the regal ogre charged towards us, I braced myself for the impact. I could hear Joon shouting something, his voice barely audible over my pounding heart. I gripped the dagger tightly, feeling the weight of it in my hand.Her massive iron claws glinted in the sunlight as she closed in on me. With a lightning-fast movement, she lunged forward, her dagger-like weapons aimed at our chests."Argh"I dodged out of the way just in time, feeling the wind rushing past me as her weapons sailed by, missing me by inches. Joon and I moved in unison, our daggers clashing against her claws and weapons filled the air as we engaged in a fierce battle with her. She was incredibly strong and agile, dodging our attacks with ease and countering with her own deadly strikes.I could feel my muscles burning with exhaustion as we continued to fight back and forth, neither side gaining the upper hand. Her claws were formidable, and I knew, that one wrong move could mean the end for us. Joon and I fought with all our might. Just when she was cornered, Benjamin ambushed with the net we created from Banyan veins.But she was too quick for him. With a deft movement, she sidestepped his attack and landed a powerful blow to his side. He stumbled backwards, gasping for breath, as the ogre turned her attention towards Joon and me.Benjamin tried to join the fight, but he was no match for the ogre's strength. With a powerful swing of her arm, she knocked him to the ground, leaving him vulnerable.
"Benjamin!" Joon shouted in concern.He and I rushed to his side, trying to protect him from her attacks.But she was relentless, and we found ourselves in the middle of another intense fight. Benjamin was weakened and injured, desperate to live. He got up to run away but I shouted, "Benjamin! The net!" He stared at me, blankly while I kept her busy."Argh! Pass the net to Joon!" I shouted again, but he stumbled backwards. His eyes were wide with fear as he fled from there, leaving us behind. "That fucking coward!" I hissed, feeling rage and pain inside.Joon charged towards the ogre, drawing its attention away from me. Seizing the opportunity, I darted forward and grabbed the nearby net, quickly wrapping it tightly around the ogre.She growled and thrashed to break free, but the net was too heavy and tightly woven to be easily torn apart. We aimed our weapons at the ogre's cords, striking with precision and determination. With each blow, the cords weakened until finally, they snapped, and she let out a final, pitiful cry. Breathless from the struggle, we stood there for a moment, catching our breath and taking in the sight before us."Is it...Is it over?" My chest heaved as I forced myself to speak."I-" Joon gulped, trying to steady his breath. "I think so."One of the Regal members lay defeated at our feet, its massive body now motionless and still. Joon and I exchanged a glance, silently acknowledging the danger we had faced and survived. We collapsed on the ground, breathless. Our bodies were wracked in pain, and weapons broke into pieces.I lay there and stared at the purple sky, knowing there were more battles incoming. Hundred times more fierce than the one we had just now.The air was thick with the stench of death as I stood before the silent, lifeless body. Joon stood beside me, his eyes darting over the body as he calculated the size and vital parts. My gaze flicked to his, and I caught a glimpse of unease in his expression. But we both knew what we had to do. "So, who's doing the butchering?" Joon asked, his voice low and tense.It was a crude term for such a delicate task, but it was the only way to get what we needed. We had taken the body out for one reason and one reason only - weapons. We needed its bones, and we needed them badly. In this harsh and monstrous world, we couldn't afford to be caught unprepared. "I don't think butchering would be the right idea," I said, my voice low and hesitant. "It's gross as it is. Aside from that, it's going to take forever." As I spoke, I absently caressed my wounds, the pain a constant reminder of the danger that surrounded us. Joon nodded in agreement, his eyes still scanning the body with a mixture o
Blood was draining away from her severed left arm and the deep wound near her chest as Maria pointed the gun towards the massive unsightly creature in front of her."Grrragh!" It growled with its long crooked teeth held out as it prepared to jump at Maria any moment."GO! I can't hold out much longer. Leave without me!" She screamed at Johan who was shivering at a distance, being unable to do anything. His tears, sweat and blood were mixed together on his cheeks. His chapped lips trembled, "No! I wo-""JOHAN!!!" She pulled the trigger while moving further away from him, and her lips curved into a genuine smile, "Don't make our deaths futile! Live for us, go!"The second after Maria finished her words, Johan observed her getting slashed and devoured by the horrid green-skinned ogre.His legs wanted to give up as he turned around and began sprinting towards the white light. He could sense the creature chasing after him when he gritted his teeth and rushed with all the strength left in h
The eastern border of Baraddurn was filled with dreadful creatures, poisonous saplings and ogres with less intelligence."Still, it didn't take them even two minutes to realize I was missing," I muttered as I heard their rushing sounds getting closer from inside.Forcing myself to stand up, I kept my breathing steady and pushed harder to run faster.But this time, I ran towards them to prove the saying, "Sometimes the riskiest zone is the safest zone." Cold air bit into my lungs because of my sprint. I didn't get the opportunity to feel fear, although my heart was jumping inside of my chest. I passed over them, making some of them lose their balance, and some didn't even notice me. I felt my legs flying over stones and leaves as the ground was shaking because of their tumble.I turned my body and entered the forest. The trees were more suitable to cover me. I steadily peeked through the limb of one of the Aurepavers and saw them spreading around. I let out a long sigh as I collapsed
My spine tingled with fear, my mind unable to think as my death flashed before my eyes when I saw the monster in front of me. A deep snarl came from its slimy body covered in thick black scale with an appearance as large as a bear.It halted as soon as it heard a roar from behind. My fear grew as I noticed another two of them coming over. A foggy view of them carrying something in their mouth caught my eye while they kept getting nearer. My heart gave a lurch as I swallowed hard, seeing the corpses held by their teeth. These creatures were probably the hounds here. My body was paralyzed with terror as I couldn't move a muscle and stared at those sunken, black eyes and decayed faces, revealing a set of rotten fangs and black gums of the corpses they kept beside me. Seeing them unheeding, I slowly groped around my waist to grab a stone as I prepared my legs to run. "But how am I going to outrun them?" I thought in anxiety. They were as fast as a wolf and large as a bear with dreadful
"I'm coming for you, Dae hyun joon!" As I inched my way toward the cliff, my legs were shaking uncontrollably. I could feel the coldness of the rock beneath my feet when my toes curled around the edge in one last futile attempt at survival."It was good when I climbed up, but why am I feeling heavy again?" I sobbed internally as my heart raced like a trapped bird, desperate to flee. The gravity there seemed to work in a very peculiar way. Gazing down the sheer drop, I nearly fainted. I could hear stones breaking free and fiercely tumbling downside, plummeting into the dark abyss of the forbidden black water, splashing down the surface. "At least there's water?" An awkward smile of fear curled into my face as I stared at the dark river at the foot of the border. The trees began to rapidly close in around me in a suffocating clench as I gradually climbed down, and the faint sight of the ground did ease the distress. The cool breeze felt like needles upon my bare skin, leaving a trail
"This is him, Dae Hyun Joon!"Seeing my favourite character standing before me my stomach flattered as I smiled through the green blood smudged on my face, making my face look more like a psychopath."Describe your existence in summary before I chop off your head."He drove his sword closer to my face. The tip was glazing as I stared at it while taking a big gulp down my throat- as expected from a 'Kumdo'- Korean swordsman. "W-well, sir...I escaped from the eastern border. I'm a human."I stuttered from anxiety, after seeing his cold alluring face up close. My small secret- I'm weak towards handsome faces."You escaped from...there?" He slowly withdrew his sword and stared at me with a frown, and his silky black bangs brushed against his brows. After hesitating for a moment, he cleared his throat while inserting his sword inside the sheath wrapped around his waist."Can you stand?" His voice switched from harsh to gentle."Yes." After standing up on my legs, I tried to wipe the sli
A bone-chilling wind brushed against my body as I wrapped my hands around my legs while sitting on the massive branch. I glanced down to see those barely visible black trails snaking through the undergrowth and the moon shining through a lattice of leaves. Benjamin and Joon seemed to be sound asleep further away from me. However, my eyes couldn't shut down due to my tumbling anxiety. Every nerve of mine felt as if someone was watching me. I sprung my head behind, hearing a rustle to see Joon coming closer to me while saying, "Can't sleep?" "Ah! No...But weren't you sleeping just a while ago?" I said as I felt relieved seeing him awake. "I was trying to, but the 'ambush' matter kept bothering me. What's keeping you awake?" His firm shoulder brushed against mine as he sat beside me."I dunno...Flies?""You mean Shelps? I don't think they're in this area." His ash eyes wandered around the tree to make sure what he said was right.Shelps, was it? It's a venomous species of flies. Its b
Without delaying another second, Joon grabbed Benjamin's arm and wrapped it around his shoulder, "Go! Go!"Both of us darted past trails, logs and trees. Thankfully I kept a spare bottle of oil around my waist, which could be used to cover ourselves. Shelps despised the scent of Oil, so they avoid going near it. However, we didn't have kerosene with us."Joon! The oil!" While keeping pace with his fast sprints, I tossed the bottle to him. All of a sudden, we were hit by spiky bushes and our feet halted. I could hear the slow, dragging beat of my heart as panic rushed through me since it was hard to select which part would be safest to set foot in without light. My mind stopped working. A deep sense of uneasiness held me rigid. It felt even heavier when the trees shook up with rustling sounds getting closer to us from behind. I glanced at Joon and saw his sweaty face when his widened eyes gave me a quick nervous glance before looking ahead with hopes shattering, and Benjamin almost pas