This Is Not the Life That I Imagined

A tense silence filled the air as the trio exchanged wary glances. John steeled himself, took a deep breath, and made a decision. "I am the fastest here and have better senses, so I will go harass and eliminate what I can. Toby, your responsibility is taking out the poisonous rats first."

Maxwell placed a firm hand on John's shoulder, his eyes reflecting concern. "Be careful."

Toby nodded confidently. "I got your back."

John's gaze sharpened as he unsheathed his sword, charging forward while calculating every step. monsters, stirred by the sound, rose from their rest, growling at the intruder.

John stopped at a safe distance and shouted, "Come at me, you hideous creatures!" The effect was almost immediate— a red rat, reeking of foul stench, its filthy fur matted and eyes blazing with ferocity, charged at him.

John skipped across the muddy ground, deftly evading the monster's initial attacks. The beast, relentless in its pursuit, leaped with its mouth wide open, aiming to shred its prey.

Seizing the opportunity as the monster soared through the air, John thrust his sword into its gaping maw. The red Gigantic-Rat had no time to react, and the blade impaled it, ending its life.

Just as John about to sigh in relief, a deafening howl made his hair stand on end. Glancing at the rest of monsters, he noticed the veins on the red monsters bulging and their speed reached a horrifying level.

Panic set in as John's eyes widened and the color drained from his face. "TOBY, HELP!"

The remaining red monsters were already closing in, the oversize Gigantic-Rat eyed his every move, while two of the poison rats bared their horrifying maws, preparing to unleash their skills.

With a swift leap backward, John narrowly avoided a lunging attack from one of the monsters, the creature's foul breath hot on his heels. From the corner of his eye, he saw a green smoke approaching, even as he used his sword to fend off another monster.

Desperation clawed at him as he stumbled to evade another foe. "Guys, help! I'm about to die here!" Every ounce of John's effort was dedicated to survival.

Suddenly, the oversized rat appeared beside him, its claw struck John, sending him flying, only halting when he collided with a tree. Standing up midst the pain, wiping the blood on the corner of his mouth, John held the sword tightly, "you mother—!! I skin your ugly faces!"

The hit from the oversized rat had, ironically, flung him out of the poison skill's range—a blessing, as it might have been fatal otherwise.

Gritting his teeth, John swung his sword at the coming threat. With a formidable slash, he severed one of the red rats' limbs. Dodging an incoming claw, John shifted his attribute to strength and delivered a powerful blow, cutting off another limb of the red Gigantic-Rat.

Shifting back to agility, he moved with swiftly, leaving shallow imprints behind. Assailed by the loathsome scent of the monsters, he zigzagged to evade their relentless attacks, all the while keeping vigilant gaze on the looming oversized rat.

"Hold on, John! We're coming to help!" Seeing John under siege from all directions, Maxwell and Toby rushed to the rescue.

Finally, an expulsion ensured marking their arrival. Toby concentrated on eliminating the poisonous rats and aiding John, while Maxwell took up the task of protecting Toby.

Toby hurled a fireball at the poisonous rats. "Die, you beasts!"

One rat ignited with a sizzling sound and a painful shriek. The second fireball exploded near another rat, which howled as it turned toward its attacker, scorched by the heat wave.

John fought for his life, dodging and attacking at every opportunity. As his friends arrived, he shifted his attribute to INT— perceiving the monsters' movements as if in slow motion.

His eyes darted around, imprinting every monster's movement in his brain. he quickly switched back to agility and dashed across the muddy ground, sending splashes everywhere.

Reaching a poisonous rat in seconds, he shifted to STR and delivered a powerful cleave, severing its head. Without pausing to glance at the corpse, he shifted back to agility once more and sprinted across the battlefield.

A fireball landed three meters away, distracting the oversized monster and clearing John's path. Seizing the opportunity, John moved past it, shouting amid the chaos, "Focus on the poisonous rats! Don't let them use their skills!"

Maxwell, bashing aside a monster and stepping back from the impact, called out gruffly, "Toby, you heard him. I'll defend you; focus on killing!"

Recognizing the challenge of defeating the red rampaging monsters, Maxwell focused on defense, leaving the offensive to Toby.

"You got it." Toby unleashed fire from his hands, concentrating it for five seconds before launching a fireball from his right hand at a poison rat, simultaneously sending a wave of fire from his left hand toward a nearby enemy.

Battle cries and explosions filled the air as the trio gave it their all to reduce the monsters' numbers. The oversized rat cast its gaze on Maxwell. Howling, it charged and crashed into him, sending him skidding and rolling through the muddy ground. 'Aggaaa!'

With widened eyes and constricted pupils Toby moved backward, sending a stream of fire at the monster. "Sht! Sht! John, we need your help with this thing! MAXWELL, ARE YOU OKAY?"

Disheveled and covered in mud, Maxwell stood up with fury in his eyes, blood visible at the corner of his mouth. "Damn it!"

He sprinted and rammed into the oversized rat pursuing Toby with his hardened shoulder. The monster staggered back, while Maxwell took five steps to regain his footing.

Thanks, buddy.' Toby, with a cold sweat on his back, positioned himself behind Maxwell. Together, they defended against the oversized rat's onslaught.

"Die!" With a brutal swing, John finally eliminated the remaining monsters. He then turned his attention to the oversized Gigantic-Rat. A murderous growl rumbled from the beast as it saw its kin lying dead and was pushed back again by Maxwell.

Its body shifted from deep brown to red, its claws growing sharper and deadlier. "Toby, concentrate your fire to the limit and take it down with one blow. Maxwell and I will keep it occupied until you're ready." John took a deep breath before sprinting again into action.

A metallic clang and the scent of blood filled the air as Maxwell's hardened body absorbed the blows. Usually stoic, Maxwell couldn't hide his frustration at being wounded despite his talent.

John, circling the monster, shared the burden by leaving a series of deep, visible cuts on the creature's resilient skin and soiled fur.

"Are you done yet? We almost at our limit, Toby!" John shouted as he and Maxwell struggled to cope with the rat's tremendous strength.

"Almost, just one more second." Toby, drenched in sweat, brought his trembling hands together, forming a terrifying fireball that radiated intense heat. "INCOMING!" With all his strength, Toby hurled the massive fireball at the monster.

Sensing the heat, John and Maxwell leaped out of the way, goosebumps all over their body. The monster, sensing the impending threat, swung its claws at the fireball in a vain attempt to deflect it.

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The explosion erupted with a blast of searing hot air. Flames spread across the blast zone, carrying with them an agonized cry that echoed through the battlefield. After what felt like an eternity, the cries fell silent.

"That was a good one, Toby!" John grinning, gave him a thumbs-up.

"Nice work," Maxwell added, his gaze fixed on the still-smoldering flames.

Exhaling deeply, Toby wiped the sweat on his forehead, his eyes shining like torches. "I think it is dead."

Exhaling, Toby wiped the sweat on his forehead, his eyes shining like torches. "I think it is dead."

The flames died down, revealing the scorched corpse lying in a crater. The trio exhaled in unison, dropping to the ground as a shared sigh of relief echoed the end of the brutal battle.

"Mother of –! That was a struggle." John spit blood to the side as he shifted his attribute to VIT.

Unhardened his body, Maxwell, in rare moment out of his silence, grimaced while rummaging through his backpack for a bandage. "I didn't think anything could hurt me while I was using my talent. Damn that rat!"

"I almost got burned by my own fire," Toby admitted, his hands shaking as the adrenaline drained from his system. the strain of pushing his abilities to the limit evident in the slight tremors. His breaths came in ragged gasps, a mix of exhaustion and exhilaration.

.....

Once they regained some stamina, John spoke up, "Let's rest somewhere else, away from all these corpses."

Nodding, the group stood up and moved away from the fight scene. As they ventured deeper, the stench of monster blood and charred corpses gradually faded.

They eventually found a cavern nestled within a massive rock formation and settled on the dry, solid ground to rest.

"We should eat and recover our strength," John said with a sigh. "We've got more monsters to kill." His voice was heavy with fatigue.

Maxwell quietly reached into his bag, pulling out an energy bar and a bottle of water. His stoic expression revealed little, but the toll of the battle was evident in his weary movements.

"That was dangerous, but also exciting! We worked well together, and our training paid off," Toby said with a grin that nearly gave John a heart attack.

"No! Nope!" John retorted amid the rhythmic sounds of his chewing. "It was just dangerous. I almost died—there's no excitement in that."