This Is Not the Life That I Imagined

Walking through the muddy ground, John cautiously surveyed the surroundings. His enhanced senses allowed him to detect the faintest rustle of leaves and distant growls of nearby creatures.

 Toby couldn't contain his eagerness. "John, you haven't spotted anything yet? My hands are itching for another fight." Meanwhile, Maxwell, more reserved, quietly scanned the area for any signs of movement.

"No, not yet. We won't leave without facing every monster here anyway, so don't be impatient," John responded with a shrug, his ears twitching as he focused on a distant rustle.

"But it's been more than ten minutes since the fight," Toby grumbled, disappointment clear in his voice. Maxwell rolled his eyes at the battle-maniac's impatience.

John suddenly waved his hand, signaling them to stop. "I hear a noise coming from that direction. Follow me."

Toby's eyes lit up as he eagerly followed, "Finally." His footsteps echoing in the eerie silence. Without uttering a word, Maxwell kept up with their pace.

Attempting to move quietly, John quickly realized the futility of his efforts due to Toby's noisy footsteps. "Can you be quieter, man? If the monsters are stronger than us, we'll need to retreat before they notice us," John's caution was a stark contrast to Toby's carelessness.

Toby, moving without a care, questioned John, "Why are you so timid? All we have to do is kill them all." 

'Then go ahead, kill them all. I don't want to be here in the first place,' John retorted while spreading his arms wide in an inviting gesture.

After rounding a large rock, they were confronted by a dreadful sight—a massive group of Gigantic-Rats.

John and Maxwell unsheathed their swords, preparing for battle, while Toby concentrated his fire in a small fireball, ready to unleash it upon the creatures.

An explosion erupted as the fireball found its target, engulfing two monsters in flames. the other Gigantic-Rats growled in frenzy, dashing toward the group.

"Come on, you ugly beasts," Toby, hands ablaze, charged at them. His fiery fist slammed into the first one, burning its face. With a sweeping motion, he sent flames to his right, scaring the other monsters away.

John and Maxwell, not willing to be left behind, joined the fray. John thrust his sword into the throat of a leaping monster, ending its life. With a swift spin, he yanked his sword free and slashed another.

He sidestepped a ferocious claw swipe, striking the beast's head in the process, finishing it off.

Maxwell, having no fear of injuries, hardened his body and tore through any Gigantic-Rat in his path, turning the muddy ground into a butcher shop, with limbs and body parts scattered everywhere.

As the melee grew more intense, John caught a glimpse of a monster smaller than the rest. With his cautious personality, he parried the monsters' advances while retreating.

The smaller monster suddenly opened its maw, spewing a green smoke toward the party's direction. "GET BACK!! GET BACK NOW!" John's voice echoed through the surroundings.

John bolted from the fight after his warning, but his companions didn't react in time and were caught by the green smoke.

Toby was the first to get hit by the smoke. He started coughing, his face turning sickly purple. His coughing disrupted his movement, causing him to take hits to his chest and back.

Maxwell's retreat was a bit too late, and he too began coughing violently. However, he fared better, with the monsters' attacks barely affecting his hardened body.

The monster stopped its skill, but Toby and Maxwell's coughing persisted. After the green smoke dissipated, John sprang back into the fray—not to fight, but to rescue his friends.

Slashing through any monster in his way, John reached Toby first. He grabbed him by the collar and dashed over to Maxwell, pushing his agility to its limits.

Grabbing Maxwell by the arm, John weaved through the monsters, dodging their attacks as he sprinted into the distance. The creatures pursued them relentlessly, but with John's stats on full agility, he quickly lost them while running between the rocks and trees.

"P- (cough)... put me (cough)... down," Each cough disturbed the flow of words out of Toby's mouth. He and Maxwell's faces were turning dark purple as the minutes past.

 When John's senses didn't pick any trace of the monsters, he placed his friends down on a dry patch of ground, breathing heavily from the exertion.

"You guys okay?" John asked as he swiftly opened his backpack, taking the First-Aid Kit out.

"What was that smoke? Poison? Do we have anything for that?" John's hands trembled as he listened to his companions gasping for air.

"What was that smoke? Poison? Do we have anything for that?" John's hands trembled as he listened to his two companions gasping for air.

Frantically searching the First-Aid kit, he found a bottle labeled 'General Poison Antidote.' "When this is over, I'm giving you a hug, mentor Quinn." He muttered, hurrying to make them swallow a pill each.

The minutes passed with John staring at them in anxiety, his hands pale from clenching it for so long. "Come on, for God's sake, work."

After five minutes of waiting—finally, the color returned to their faces, and their breathing steadied. "Th-thanks, John," Maxwell murmured, still exhaling and inhaling slowly.

"Wh-what the hell was that smoke? Where did it come from? Damn it! Agghhh." Toby cursed, wincing as he opened his backpack to tend to his injuries.

John let out a deep sigh of relief. "it was from a rat monster that was smaller than the rest of its group. I tried to warn you guys, but..."

Toby cut him off, "Warn us? I thought you were just being your usual cautious self."

Maxwell, usually quiet, added, "We should have listened. That was way too close."

John nodded, "We can't afford to underestimate anything in this dungeon. We need to be more careful. Does anyone still feel the effects of the poison?"

Toby, rubbing his chest, shook his head. "I think I'm okay now. Thanks for what you did, John." Maxwell, examining himself, grunted in agreement.

"What should we do about that monster? Any ideas?" John placing everything back in his backpack as he asked.

"If you can spot it, Toby should be able to burn from afar," Maxwell suggested.

"Yeah, your senses are better than ours, John. And I'm the only one here with a ranged attack. I should be able to take out these beasts before they use their skills." Toby's eyes lit up, revealing his thoughts.

"It's either that, or one of us needs to go in the middle of the monsters in order to take care of them fast… Let's go with your plan," John thinking it over for a moment before agreeing.

After few more minutes of rest, the trio stood up, ready to take on the Gigantic-Rats once more. John led the way, retracing their steps to where the last battle took place.

John gestured. "Toby and I will climb this rock. I'll point out their positions, and Maxwell and I will engage once you throw your fire at them."

Peeking over the rock after climbing, John spotted only two small Gigantic-Rats. "You see, there… and there."

Squinting his eyes, Toby looked over. "Mmm… I see them now."

"I'll go down with Maxwell. We'll move in when you give the signal," John whispered, as he quietly joined Maxwell. "let's go". Unsheathing their swords, they saw Toby standing on the rock and throwing a ball of fire.

"Now!" With a shout, John charged toward the rest of the monsters from their last encounter. Another fireball blazed through the air, followed by an explosion and a howl of pain.

Unfazed, Maxwell—with his fully hardened body—unleashed mayhem amidst the monsters. He sheathed his sword and fought with his bare hands. Every punch, kick, elbow smash, or knee strike drew blood. Like a perpetual machine, his limbs were always in attacking motion. The number of hits he took made no difference in his dealing with the monsters.

John's violent attacks diminished the monsters' numbers. He swung his sword with relentless fury, each strike cutting through flesh and bone. Blood sprayed with every slash, painting the ground red. Every once in a while, an explosion echoed in the surroundings as Toby's fireballs found their marks, sending shockwaves through the battlefield.

 John dodged a claw swipe and countered with a powerful kick, sending a monster sprawling. Jumping on another creature's head—crushing it—he drove his sword into the neck of nearby Gigantic-Rat, impaling it to the ground. John took a deep breath before killing the beast as he yanked the sword out.

After half an hour of intense fighting, there were no monsters left alive. Toby jumped down from the rock, looking smug. "See? It's still too easy. All we needed to do is take out the smaller ones first."

John shot him a sarcastic glance," Yep, it was super easy. You almost died, nothing much." 

Embarrassed, Toby scratched the back of his head. "Well, I didn't know they had skills. Caught me off guard."

Maxwell cut their bickering short, saying, "I don't plan on spending the night in this dungeon. So, let's hasten in finishing the task."

Both Toby and John nodded in agreement, then they started moving again. As usual, John was responsible for searching the whereabouts of the monsters with his enhanced senses.

After a while, they spotted another group of monsters resting up ahead. But these weren't the usual Gigantic-Rats they'd faced before.

This time, there were more of the smaller type—poisonous one. A bunch with red fur stood nearby, their eyes gleaming with a strange intensity. And looming over all of them was an Oversized Gigantic-Rat, its sheer size dwarfing the others.

John's face paled at the sight. "Another unknown type… this isn't good."

"Any idea what they can do?" Toby clenched his fist, asking.

John tightened his grip on his sword. "Not a clue. Mentor Quinn didn't provide much information. We're in uncharted territory here."