BOOOOM~

The silence shattered as the explosion tore through the cave.

The condensed ball of blood slammed straight into the bonehound, the violent burst of energy ripping through its body like a saw of pure force.

A piercing shrill echoed across the cavern walls.

The beast writhed, trying desperately to fight back, to block the attack—but there was simply no stopping it. Flesh tore apart in chunks, scattering across the stone floor. What remained of the creature was nothing more than a splattered mess staining the spot where it once stood.

Gradually, the cave quieted again.

Akhil dropped onto his backside, breathing hard.

"That was rough," he muttered between ragged breaths.

His eyes drifted to what was left of the beast—broken pieces of flesh, trails of blood, the smoky aftermath of destruction. For a moment, something dangerous stirred inside him. He felt it rising again… that clawing hunger.

His urge for blood had grown sharper than before.

Just seeing the spilled blood made his fingers twitch.

He lifted a hand toward the floor.

{Blood Absorption}

The blood quivered, then rose like thin mist. It drifted toward him, wrapping around his arms before seeping into his skin. Akhil's body warmed instantly. His veins pulsed. Energy—raw and potent—rushed through him.

It felt good. Too good.

{Blood essence has been absorbed from high level beast!}

{Blood essence: +2000}

'No matter how many times I do this, the feeling never gets old,' Akhil thought. 'Hopefully I don't get addicted to this.'

He pushed himself up, dusting off his clothes.

His entire body was drenched in dark, dried blood. Even now he could feel a dull ache in his chest where the beast had slashed him. The wound was slowly healing, but not fast enough for his liking.

"I'm definitely changing clothes after this," he grumbled, wiping a smear of blood from his arm.

He glanced deeper into the cave.

Darkness stretched on.

With a quiet exhale, he started forward again.

---

Meanwhile, in the orc camp—

The humans and orcs were finally fighting in sync.

They hadn't planned it that way at first. Some of the humans tried being clever—cutting corners, avoiding the heavy hits—but J was far more cunning. His methods, which the others reluctantly copied, forced everyone to take real risks and stop hiding behind shallow teamwork.

Because of that, the beast horde had thinned drastically.

Losses were kept to a minimum.

Their formation held.

And the number of beasts able to push through had dropped.

{03:04:50}

Just a few more hours until the horde time window closed.

Their grit had kept them alive so far… but tension still simmered between both sides.

The humans barely respected the orcs. They barked orders, acted superior—even though it was painfully clear they couldn't handle the beasts on their own.

And the orcs?

They swallowed their irritation, but not well.

Frustration tightened their jaws. Their eyes flashed with resentment they tried to hide.

'I just hope things don't escalate,' Aria thought, deflecting a lunging beast with her blade. 'We just have to get through this… then we can deal with the rest later.'

Swiish!

Before the beast could even recover, Nibo's axe cut through its neck like a hot blade through butter.

Splat!

"You've been doing great," Nibo said with an easy smile. "I can tell you're exhausted. Thought I'd help you out a bit."

While Nibo still had his gaze on her, another beast lunged straight at him from behind.

Aria moved before she even thought about it.

Her blade flashed. A thin streak of light cut through the air.

Splat!

The beast fell in two clean halves.

She shot Nibo a sharp look. "Coming from someone who can't even protect himself? Sounds a bit too rich."

Nibo's face fell immediately, lips pulling into a pout.

"You could've just said thank you… it's not that difficult," he muttered, sounding tired.

Aria let out a small chuckle. "Ha, you wish."

"Arrrghh!"

A scream ripped through the camp.

An orc writhed on the ground, half his skin burnt black. Smoke curled off him like hot metal cooling.

The shout drew everyone's attention—including the human standing right in front of him.

"You blocked my way," the man scoffed, voice dripping with disdain. "If you hadn't stepped in front, it wouldn't have hit you."

Not a shred of concern crossed his face.

He didn't even look guilty.

"I was holding back the beast!" the orc growled, pushing himself up despite the burns. "You could've attacked without hitting me. You did it on purpose!"

He was too angry to hold back.

His fist flew.

Crack!

His punch smashed into the man's jaw, knocking a tooth clean out.

The human snapped back, fury burning in his eyes. Flames roared to life in his palms.

"You dare?!" he shouted, hurling a blazing fireball straight at the orc.

But just as the flames left his hand—

A larger wave of fire crashed into it.

Both blasts sizzled mid-air, canceling each other out in a crackling burst of sparks.

A shadow loomed over the flame mage.

Ryan stood before him, towering and broad, his gaze hot enough to scorch stone. He'd just returned from killing the bull beast deep in the forest—and unfortunately for the mage, he'd seen everything.

"You've got real guts," Ryan said, voice low, almost calm. "You injure him, then try to attack him again?"

{Player: Ryax}

{Mutant level: 4}

'A level four orc?'

The flame mage's eyes widened.

Of course Ryan's flames completely swallowed his. But it wasn't just the strength. There was something else—an oppressive energy rolling off the 7.5-foot giant. It made the mage's knees weak. He could barely breathe, let alone think.

There was no winning this.

No bullying his way out.

The power imbalance was obvious.

He stumbled back, raising his trembling hands toward the injured orc as if that would protect him.

"You can't touch me! He attacked me first!"

"I saw everything," Ryan said, taking another heavy step forward.

The mage shrank with each step, backing away like a cornered rat.

'Shit… I'm screwed. I thought no one saw me,' he cursed internally.

He had checked earlier—Aria and Nibo were the strongest in camp. If they weren't looking his way, he assumed he was safe.

He didn't count on Ryan.

Ryan had taken his fight deep into the forest, so the mage had completely overlooked him.

And now… he stood face-to-face with a living nightmare.

But that didn't change the fact that he was here now.

'I'm screwed… there's no way he's letting me off the hook.' Cold sweat slid down the mage's face as he scrambled for anything—anything—to say that might save him.

But just then—

The human in charge strolled toward them with a grin that didn't reach his eyes. His cloak dragged lightly behind him, and he pushed his brown hair back as he stopped in front of Ryan.

"What exactly do you mean by that?" he asked, voice smooth. "No one saw this orc getting attacked. What we did see was him striking one of ours. His actions"—he gestured lazily toward the flame mage—"are justifiable. And unfortunately, we have no proof that the orc's little story is true."

"That's a lie!" the orc snapped. "He knew what he was doing. He aimed right at me!"

The leader shifted his gaze to the flame mage. "Did you?"

Feeling protected, the mage straightened and forced a smug grin. "I didn't do anything wrong. He got in the way when I attacked the beast, that's all." He rubbed his bruised jaw as if to emphasize his innocence.

The leader sighed dramatically. "We've supported you orcs since we got here, but if this is how you repay us… we really can't allow it."

"If the human forces were left alone, the beast horde would've torn through them long ago." Aria stepped forward, her tone cool.

The leader's eyes sharpened, venom dripping into his glare. "I could say the same for your kind."

More humans filtered in behind him—over fifty at least—forming a wall opposite the orcs. The air between both sides grew thick, ready to snap.

Then suddenly, a crushing pressure slammed onto the humans.

'What is this…?' the leader thought, his palms turning clammy.

Every head turned toward Ryan—the source of the overwhelming force.

"Did you," Ryan said slowly, "or did you not attack the orc?"

That pressure shifted and locked directly onto the flame mage.

His face drained white. And then—hot liquid streamed down his pants as his knees buckled.

"I did!" he screamed. "I did! Please forgive me!"

He couldn't withstand Ryan's presence for even a breath longer.

Ryan turned back to the human leader, gaze heavy. "Now we have proof. So tell me… what should we do about this?"

The pressure still lingered, thick and suffocating.

For the first time since they'd arrived, fear spread through the human ranks.

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