AWOO!
I flinched.
It wasn't just one beast that howled.
But many.
The metal gates to our left and right were now fully open. From within came the sound of ferocious roars and the scraping of claws against stone.
I couldn't see them yet—
But I felt it.
Whatever came from that darkness was not our friend.
John's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
"There is only one rule, my young warriors!"
AWOOO!
Another howl echoed across the arena.
He paused deliberately.
Then—
"Survive!"
All hell broke loose.
Thud.
Thud.
It sounded like hundreds of paws striking stone as they rushed at us.
AWOO!
ROAAR!
My eyes snapped between both gates.
There was only darkness.
Then—
AWOOO!
A flood of ferocious beasts poured out.
I froze for a heartbeat—too stunned by the sight before me to move.
John's voice echoed again.
"One hundred wolves against ten brave young warriors!"
"BLOOD!"
The crowd completed the chant.
"NO MERCY!"
My body tensed even more as I heard the number.
One hundred.
They kept pouring out of both gates, flashes of grey and black.
I didn't even dare to count them.
But it felt like more than a hundred.
I watched them coming out of the gates in a trance.
It felt like the gates of hell had opened.
When I finally regained my senses—
I had already taken a few steps back, instinct taking over.
The other teens didn't fare better, as we had somehow formed a small circle in the center of the arena.
It seemed like the wave of wolves was endless.
Thud.
Thud.
My eyes shifted left and right, but I saw nothing more than flashes of grey and black.
Then—
Signaling that all the wolves had entered.
THUD.
The gates slammed shut.
We stood in a small circle, backs facing each other, no one dared to look away from the beasts.
Wolves.
My eyes locked onto one of them a few meters away.
This was the first time I had ever laid eyes upon a beast.
Of course, I had seen my fair share of beasts in my time here on Terros, but most had been just birds or horses.
Beasts you would see every day here. They were not so different from the ones on Earth.
But the beasts in front of me.
These were different.
Wild beasts.
The wolves were similar to those on Earth but also different.
The wolf in front of me was big.
His head nearly reached my chest. Its massive paws pressed into the sand, sharp claws leaving deep marks with every step.
A faint pulse of mana spread from them.
It wasn't as strong as the other awakened teens, but enough—they had mana and were using it.
Between their black and grey furs, gazed dozens of cold, unblinking pairs of eyes at me.
It felt like a predator was staring at me.
They circled the arena, slowly surrounding us.
But they didn't attack.
It felt as if they were waiting for something.
GRRR!
Some flashed their sharp fangs at us, opening their mouths wide.
Strings of saliva ran down their fangs, dropping to the floor, as if they found a delicious meal.
Instinct came, and my grip tightened around my sword.
Step.
I took another step back.
My back, which had normally screamed in pain, was silent.
Adrenaline pumped into my blood.
My heart raced, pounding against my chest as if to break free.
Quick breaths left me as my chest heaved up and down.
I panicked.
But before terror could devour me—
I pushed it away, crushing it before it could settle.
If I faltered now, I would die.
I lifted my sword a little higher, feeling more secure, as I watched the sea of wolves before me.
Waiting for them to make the first move.
As if on cue—
A wolf far bigger than the others appeared in my vision.
Its snout was raised high into the air.
Then—
HOWL!
It let out a deafening howl, making my bones shudder for a moment.
And then—
The wolves rushed at us.
My body moved on its own.
Warmth spread throughout my body, and I had already swung forward.
Shing.
A burst of mana flowed through my mana lines as I slashed diagonally at the lunging wolf.
Slrrsh.
My blade slashed a clean line across its throat.
Everything happened so fast, and before I knew it—
Blood splashed out of the wound, coloring me crimson.
Before I could even wipe my face clean—
ROAR!
Leaped the next wolf at me.
His mouth opened wide as he jumped, jaws aiming for my throat.
Swoosh.
Before I even realized it, I had stabbed forward.
Shuk.
My sword pierced deep into its chest as it jumped straight at me.
The wolf stopped inches away from my face, sharp fangs about to bite into my head.
Slrrt.
I pulled my sword free, blood splashing onto my clothes.
Thud.
The wolf's corpse dropped to the ground.
Just as I thought I could take a breath—
ROAAR!
Another roar.
The next wolves attacked.
Two at once, even.
My eyes snapped toward them, streaks of black and grey rushed at me.
They were too fast for my eyes to follow.
Their large numbers made it even worse.
A breath passed, and they were right before me.
One from the right, claws raised, ready to rip me apart, while the other came from the left, jaws wide, sharp fangs about to bite my arm off.
I didn't have the time to think and just pushed my sword forward, toward the one on my right, while shifting my left arm aside.
Shuk.
AWOO!
The stab went through its throat and came out on the other side, but my blade was stuck.
There was no time to pull it free—
Crunch.
Pain flared up as something sharp cut into my arm.
I wanted to scream.
To shout.
To cry.
But kept my mouth shut and moved.
I pushed more mana into my arm to pull the sword out.
My eyes had already shifted toward my next target.
Luck was on my side.
My left arm had shifted barely enough so that the wolf bit down on my wrist, right where the shackle was.
Its sharp fangs pierced into my skin, but most of its force was blocked by the metal.
Slrrt.
The sword was pulled free.
I turned it, twisting my wrist, and stabbed sideways into the second wolf's throat.
Shuk.
Its eyes dimmed, light vanishing, and its jaw loosened.
Thud.
The wolf dropped to the ground beside the others.
ROAR!
Another roar echoed through the arena.
I pulled the blade out and yanked my arm back. Pain flared again as its teeth cut into my flesh.
Blood colored my skin crimson.
But there was no time to rest.
The next wolf was already upon me.
Another shape blurred in the corner of my eye.
I barely saw it—
Slrrsh.
—but my sword moved.
A horizontal slash split its paw apart.
Awo!
The cut wasn't deep, but enough to make it retreat.
Haah.
I took a few deep breaths before the next wolves would attack.
Haah.
It wasn't hard to win against them.
They were strong, but it wasn't enough to overwhelm us.
It even felt like they were only low-ranking beasts.
But what made it so difficult was their number.
They came in waves, one after the other, sometimes even in pairs.
But what was the bigger problem—
—was their speed.
My body could react to their movements with quick slashes or stabs.
But my eyes couldn't keep up.
I only saw a streak of fur before they were upon me.
I couldn't follow their movements.
Just reflexes and instinct weren't enough to survive.
Awoo!
Another howl echoed.
Not from the wolves before me.
But from the ones on the other side.
My thoughts shifted toward the other teens.
'Are they even alive?'
We stood in a defensive circle, backs facing each other. Which meant that if one of us lost their lives, wolves would break through and attack us from behind.
Just as I was about to turn—
"We have to work together to survive this!"
It wasn't John's voice.
Not even the crowd.
The voice came from one of the teens beside me, a feminine voice.
Her shout broke through the raging battle.
ROAR!
A wolf interrupted her.
Slrrsh.
She killed him with a single slash and continued.
"There are a hundred of them! That means we only need to kill ten each! Individually, they're weak—it's only their numbers that make it so difficult!"
ROAR.
Another wolf lunged at me from the side.
It opened its mouth wide, baring its fangs, as it aimed to tear my chest apart.
I reacted a breath too late and could only step back and lift my sword forward, grip firm.
Shuk.
The wolf slammed right into the sword and me, killing itself, but its sharp claws reached my shoulders, tearing flesh.
Skrtch.
I forced my scream down and gripped the sword tightly before stepping back, pulling it free as its corpse dropped to the ground.
Thud.
Haah.
The girl's voice echoed again.
"We're in a defensive circle!" she shouted. "Hold your positions at all costs! The moment you break the formation leaves the others open!"
Hah.
I let out a sharp breath and stepped forward, over the wolf's corpse, and closed the gap before lifting my sword into guard again.
"And communicate! If you're injured or one slips through—shout!"
ROAR!
"We can only survive this together!"