The Smiling Death

Stomp!

Stomp!

Their footsteps echoed through the silent forest. The trio cautiously moved forward. The more they walked, the heavier the pressure they felt coming from the direction ahead.

It was as if something dangerous and strong was lurking there, waiting for them. It felt more powerful than that Fire Lizard.

"Be ready. We don't know when and from where something might attack us. The monster ahead feels stronger than the Fire Lizard. It should be at the peak of third rank, on the verge of entering fourth rank," Seraphina said in a low and serious voice. Her gaze was steady, looking forward while talking with Amon and Eliana.

They didn't respond to her. Just nodded.

'So when we eliminate someone, we get their accumulated points. Then does that mean the eliminated students have zero points? They don't get anything?' Amon really wanted to curse those teachers.

They didn't even tell them anything in detail. Aria was really bad at it. That woman… Amon really didn't like her. She always made fun of him, even during lectures.

ROARRRR!

A roar resounded through the forest. It was shrill, sending chills down Amon's spine.

'Fuck! Now what's that!?'

They could see it from where they were standing. It was a terrifying and ugly-looking monster. It was Goremaw.

The monster was huge, taller than the trees and wide like a boulder. Its whole body looked wrong, as if it had been shaped by mistake.

Its skin was gray and rough, covered in bumps and patches of thick, dirty hair. Muscles bulged unevenly under its skin, making its shape look twisted. With every breath, its chest rose and fell in an unsettling, jerky way.

One of its arms was big and heavy, ending in thick claws that scraped the ground. The other arm was long and thin, the fingers stretched too far, bending like broken sticks. Its legs were bent backward, giving it a strange, lurching walk.

The face was the most horrifying part.

Its mouth was wide and crooked, filled with sharp, uneven teeth. Black drool dripped from its lips, burning the grass where it fell.

One of its eyes was small and sunken deep into its skull, while the other was large, swollen, and cloudy. Two short, cracked horns stuck out from the sides of its head.

Whenever it moved, the ground shook.

Whenever it breathed, it made a low, rumbling growl that vibrated through the air.

It was ugly, massive, and terrifying. Something that looked like it should not exist at all.

"Damn!" Amon cursed. He pulled out his sword and hatchet, gripping their hilts tightly.

Seraphina also held her sword, its point raised in the monster's direction.

Eliana held her bow, ready to shoot an arrow at any time.

Roarrrrrr!

The Goremaw roared at them.

"Let's kill it," Seraphina declared. She kicked off the ground and dashed at the monster. The ground beneath her cracked.

Amon and Eliana followed her.

Eliana jumped onto a tree branch. She raised her bow in her left hand. She didn't summon any arrow from her storage ring. Instead, she pulled the bowstring with her right-hand fingers.

Blue mana surged through her body toward the bow. A blue-colored arrow formed on her string, made of pure mana.

She exhaled. Her clear blue eyes focused on the monster ahead. She released her fingers, and the arrow shot forward with blinding speed, tearing through the air with a sweet humming sound.

Meanwhile, Seraphina was already close to the monster. The Goremaw's entire focus was on Seraphina, who was glowing with golden light.

It raised its heavy hand, bringing it down with the intent to shatter the tiny human in front of it. But before it could fall on Seraphina, the arrow clashed with its fist.

BOOM!

The mana arrow didn't tear its skin; instead, it exploded the moment it touched the monster's fist.

GROWLLL!

The monster growled, its eyes shooting toward Eliana's direction. It gritted its teeth loudly.

Below it on the ground, Seraphina moved with all her might. Her legs were covered with light, her sword shimmering in golden color.

Taking the chance while it was distracted, she slashed her blade.

Slash!

A cut appeared on Goremaw's disproportionate leg.

At the same time, a dark black line formed in the air. The shadowy hatchet moved through the air while spinning. Its trajectory shot toward the monster's neck.

It was the hatchet thrown by Amon.

Crushed!

It tore the flesh on its huge neck, digging inside it.

That only made the Goremaw roar in shrill pain. It started smashing everything in sight.

GROOAAAAR!!

The Goremaw thrashed wildly, its massive arms swinging with unrestrained fury. Trees snapped like twigs, dirt exploded upward, and shockwaves blasted across the clearing.

Seraphina leapt back just in time as a gigantic claw crushed the ground where she had stood a second ago.

BOOM!!

Amon's hatchet, still buried in the monster's neck, jutted out like a black thorn. But it didn't slow the creature at all. Instead, it only enraged it further.

Amon sprinted to the side, shadows trailing behind his feet.

'Damn it! That barely scratched it!'

He slid under a falling branch, feeling the wind of the Goremaw's fist sweep above him. The sheer pressure made his lungs tighten.

"Eliana! Keep its attention on the upper side!" Seraphina shouted while circling around, golden light gathering on her blade.

"I'm trying!" Eliana yelled back.

She fired three rapid mana arrows, one after another.

THWIP! THWIP! THWIP!

The arrows struck the Goremaw's shoulder and jaw, exploding on impact, but only burning patches of its skin. They didn't have much effect.

Instead, the monster suddenly jumped, the ground cracking beneath its crooked legs.

WHUMP!!

It landed on the tree Eliana was perched on.

The entire trunk snapped.

"Ah–!"

Eliana leapt off just in time, rolling across the ground as the tree crashed behind her.

Amon's eyes widened. "Eliana!"

But he didn't have time to run toward her.

Because a massive shadow rose above him.

The Goremaw's long, thin arm swung down like a whip. The sharp claws slicing the air.

Amon crossed his sword desperately.

CLANG!

The blow sent him flying.

He crashed through a bush and rolled across the dirt, coughing violently.

"Hah...hah–this thing… is a freak!"