We couldn't all survive.
Sacrifices had to be made.
It was as simple as that.
If they had tried to help him, another wolf might have broken through—or they would have injured themselves.
And even if they had saved him without losses…
What use would he be with a shattered shoulder and arm?
Pushing him into the wolves had been the best decision.
The wolves focused on their new prey.
And we gained some time to breathe without any further losses.
It was inhuman to sacrifice someone for your own survival.
Most people would condemn it.
But we weren't most people.
We were teens thrown into a death game—nothing more than entertainment.
Survival was our only goal.
Even if we had to abandon our humanity for it.
It was worth it.
Because it's better to live with guilt than to die as a good person.
AWOO!
The wolves finished their meal and howled in unison.
My focus shifted toward the wolves in front of me.
I had killed at least ten by now, yet their numbers barely seemed reduced.
The sand before me was still filled with wolves.
I lifted my sword into guard and watched the beasts before me while focusing on the enhancement again.
Warmth spread, mana surged into my head.
It felt easier now.
Still unfamiliar—but not blocked like before.
Enhancing my arms and legs felt natural to me, but the same wasn't true for my head.
While the method was the same.
The feeling wasn't.
The mana flooded upward, spilling into my senses.
Mouth.
Eyes.
Ears.
Nose.
Everything.
The sensation was overwhelming.
Everything changed.
The wolves no longer moved in blurs.
I couldn't follow their movements before.
Only when they were upon me could I track their movements.
Only when it was too late.
But now?
Everything seemed slowed.
I could see each motion clearly.
The way their legs moved, leaving claw marks each time their paws touched ground.
How their eyes shifted from teen to teen, searching for their next target.
The swirl of their fur as they circled us, droplets of blood falling to the ground.
Even the drops of saliva that traveled through the air each time they opened their mouths.
Color also seemed different.
Sharper.
More intense.
Their fur wasn't just grey or black.
It was layered in patches with different grey and black tones.
The streaks of crimson in their fur.
Every color seemed more intense.
Brighter.
Darker.
But that kind of superhuman vision came with its price.
"Aghh."
A hiss of pain escaped me as a small headache began to bloom.
It wasn't bad.
Not yet.
But it made it harder to focus.
The enhanced vision was just too detailed.
Too much happened at once.
My brain just wasn't able to process everything.
It felt like I was watching ten different screens at once, each playing a different movie.
I could see them.
Yes.
But it was just too much information at once.
And that was only my vision.
It wasn't just my eyes that were enhanced.
My entire head.
All my senses.
My hearing sharpened, too.
I was barely able to distinguish the approaching wolves from those that just ran around.
But now—
It felt like I could hear everything.
Dozens of paws trampled across the sand.
Their ragged breaths.
Low growls as if they were communicating.
Shrieks of pain.
The drops of blood falling to the ground each time their fur swayed.
But I didn't just hear the wolves.
The teens as well.
The sound of metal cutting through air, then flesh.
The shifting of sand as they took another step.
Their short, exhausted breaths.
My nose sharpened as well.
The first thing I smelled was—
Blood.
The air was thick with the stench of blood.
A mixture of iron and sweat.
Beyond the stench of blood, other sensations emerged.
The sweat of the teens around me.
The familiar smell of a wet dog, only that it stunk even more, clinging to my nose.
Even the faint smell of cigars and alcohol.
Too strong perfumes.
It wasn't that only one sense sharpened.
That would have been bearable.
No.
All my senses were sharper.
The mixture of them all put a heavy strain on my mind.
The example of the ten different screens and movies was still true.
Only that it wasn't just watching ten different movies.
I was hearing and smelling at the same time.
The headache intensified.
But I couldn't just magically learn to enhance my eyes.
There were only two options.
Keeping the enhancement and pushing through the pain.
Or giving up on it.
There was no in between.
I chose pain over comfort.
That was the only way to survive.
ROAR!
Another roar echoed.
My eyes snapped toward the sound.
Before, I could have only reacted when it was already upon me.
But now—
I could see every movement of it.
I didn't just react.
I could prepare.
The way it moved.
Where it was looking.
I could guess how it attacked and counter.
From now on—
The wolf sprinted in between the gaps of the corpses.
Its knees bent, pushing itself off the ground and jumping at me, aiming for my leg.
I had seen every motion clearly.
My blade was already moving.
Shing.
Before it even jumped.
Slrrsh.
I slashed a clean line through the wolf´s throat before it even reached me.
Thud.
It collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
Before—
My body reacted on instinct to their attacks.
But now—
Now it felt like my body and mind were resonating with each other.
I felt...
Complete.
The wolves...
Fighting them felt easy now.
I could even take on a pair of them without problems.
AWOO!
Another roar rang as I lifted my sword into position.
Another wolf rushed at me.
From now on—
Step.
I stepped forward and plunged my blade into its chest.
Shuk.
—It wasn't survival anymore.
Thud.
Another corpse was added to the pile.
It was time to fight back.
Just as I thought that and looked ahead—
Nothing.
They didn't attack.
The wolves just looked at me with a strange gaze before rushing at the other teens.
It wasn't hesitation.
It felt more like fear.
As if they were afraid of me.
It was good.
For me, at least.
The other teens had more work, but I had already killed my fair share.
Some time to breathe was always welcome.
And if it goes on like that—
It should be over soon.
Ten wolves each.
They should be done in no time.
That there were no wolves before me confirmed my thought.
Haah.
I took a deep breath after resting enough, then took my chance and looked at how the others were doing.
Maybe even count the remaining wolves.
I turned my head—
—and froze