"BLOOD!"
"Blood!"
"Blood."
The crowd's chants slowly faded as I focused entirely on the beasts that would emerge from the gates.
I felt the sand vibrate beneath my feet.
"Make a circle!"
A teen's shout rang out behind me.
Glancing back, I saw number 125 rushing toward the center, forming a half-circle with the other teens.
The girl, number 74, and the small boy, number 158, stood beside him. Even the other teens turned and ran toward them.
Step.
Keeping my eyes fixed on the gate in front of me, I stepped backward until I fell into line with them, completing the circle.
The moment we completed the formation—
The rumbling began.
Rumble.
It started low and grew stronger with every second.
Haah.
I breathed in and out while channeling mana through my body.
Haah.
Rumble.
The sound grew even louder. Loose sand began to fall from the gate's hinges as the ground vibrated.
RUMBLE.
Then—
They appeared.
At first, I could only glimpse something white that appeared in the darkness of the corridor. It was long and seemed like a thick stick.
Then another appeared.
And another.
Until the arena light shone upon them directly, revealing their true form.
RUMBLE.
The ground trembled beneath the pounding of hooves.
Their bodies were covered in thick brown fur that barely concealed their massive muscles—from their heads protruded long, curved horns—each as thick as my legs and as sharp as a spear.
One of them lifted its brown eyes and stared directly at me before slamming its hoof into the sand.
THUD.
White smoke escaped from their mouths as they lowered their heads to the height of my stomach, horns pointed forward.
THUD.
The first beast stormed into the arena, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Thud.
Behind it—
Thud.
Another pair forced their way through the gate.
Three.
Three beasts rushed out of each gate.
It couldn't be compared to the massive pack of a hundred wolves I had once faced.
But—
Somehow, these beasts seemed even more dangerous than the wolves.
They charged straight toward us.
"What are those things…?"
"Only six?"
Uneasy whispers spread among the teens behind me.
It didn't matter what they were.
There were only six.
We were eight.
I dug my feet deeper into the sand and gripped my sword tighter.
Thud.
The beasts drew closer with thunderous steps, continuing their charge.
Thud.
Only a few meters separated us when—
"Horned Boars!"
A teen's shout echoed across the arena.
It was number 125.
After shouting the name of the beasts, he screamed at the top of his lungs.
"DODGE!"
Hearing his words, I took a closer look at the beasts rushing toward us.
Horned Boars.
Their heads were low, horns aimed straight at us like lances.
They charged in perfect unison.
I understood it at that moment.
No.
Not really.
But my body did.
Or more like my instinct was telling me.
'Dangerous.'
Instinct.
It was something that most people had. But they could only use it under specific circumstances or in special situations.
Like in moments of extreme danger.
But I, who had spent more than a year in this arena, fighting daily for my life, had developed that instinct further and sharpened it into something different.
Something that couldn't be called instinct anymore.
I called it Danger Sense.
I couldn't see the future. It wasn't some supernatural ability. But whenever death approached—
My body knew it.
It was a kind of tingling sensation that spread all over my body.
It told me—
That something bad would happen.
That Danger Sense was closer to something like a heightened survival instinct.
You wouldn't walk toward a man with a weapon, right?
You would run away.
It worked similarly to it.
And looking at the charging boars while hearing 125's shout triggered that sense immediately.
Step.
I stepped back and jumped sideways out of the circle, rolling through the sand before catching myself with my hands.
SWOOSH.
A gust of air passed beside me as the horn of a boar barely missed my body.
But—
THCK!
"ARGHH!"
"AHHH!"
BOOM!
Screams of pain erupted behind me, forcing my head to turn. And there, where our group had stood moments earlier—
Was only a thick cloud of dust.
I couldn't see through it and instead focused on its edges.
Just like me, several other teens lay scattered in the sand after jumping aside. They had barely escaped and dodged their charge.
"ARG—!"
Another scream echoed from within the dust before abruptly cutting off.
I tightened my grip around the sword and stood up.
The cloud slowly settled.
And when I was finally able to see clearly—
My breath hitched, fingers circling the grip even tighter.
There before me—
The boars had charged blindly into the center of the arena from both sides. Two teens had failed to escape and jump away in time.
Number 214 floated a few centimeters above the ground.
One boar had charged right at him, its sharp horn piercing through his chest, impaling him.
He died instantly.
The curved white horn pierced straight through his body and protruded out of his back, making him hang in the air, body swaying.
Drip.
Each movement of the boar's head sprayed more of the teen's blood around.
Drip.
The sight was disgusting.
Not just his death—
But the indifference of the beast.
It didn't care and simply turned its head toward the next teen, not even attempting to get his corpse off.
But—
At least his death had been quick.
"ARGHH!"
The other teen who couldn't dodge was number 105.
He was still alive.
Though calling it luck would have been wrong.
The teen had tried to dodge—
He crouched down.
A terrible decision.
Yes, the boars horns didn't reach him and he wasn't pierced like 214. Instead, they had knocked him to the ground and trampled all over his body with their hooves.
He lay in a pool of blood as the beasts surrounded him.
"AGHH!"
Deafening screams tore out of him with each breath.
One of his arms had been completely cut off under the weight of the boars stomps. His other limbs were crushed beyond recognition. White bones protruded out of his flesh at grotesque angles.
But the worst part was his waist.
One of the boars had stomped directly onto it. It hadn't split him completely in half, but his upper and lower body barely remained connected.
His screams ended soon, after enough blood spilled onto the ground, coloring the space around him crimson.
I couldn't look at him anymore and shifted my gaze back to the boars, noticing something else.
One of them had pierced another during the chaotic charge.
Its side had been skewered by its horn, right through its heart. The beast lay dead on the ground.
At least one of them had fallen.
That was the only good thing amidst the horrifying scene before me.
Only five remained.
The other teens had survived without injuries, making it a six versus five.
The odds were still in our favor.
For now.
Thud.
The boars regrouped and turned toward us again, stomping their hooves into the sand.
Thud.
They lowered their heads. Horns aimed forward once more. Ready to charge again.
That was when—
"Horned Boars!"
125's voice cut through the arena again.
I followed the sound and saw him standing directly opposite me.
"Their fur and muscles are like armor! Don't try to fight them!"
He took a quick breath and continued.
"They charge blindly without thinking! They'll split now! Everyone, just stall the one targeting you! The free person helps to kill them!"
Thud.
The boars pounding hooves interrupted him as they rushed at us again.
"Just dodge for now!"
That was the last thing he shouted before the boars were upon us.
Thud.
Seeing one of them aim directly for me—
I ran.
Step.
I pushed more mana into my legs and sprinted away from the center.
Thud.
The boar's stomps thundered right behind me.
Thud.
Dust flew into the air with every step it made.
I didn't have time to look for the others or think more about 125's plan.
The only thing that mattered right now—
Was dodging.
That was enough for now.
I could think more after surviving.
Step.
Step.
I ran in a straight line toward the arena walls. About thirty meters away from it, I glanced back.
My heart stopped for a moment at the sight behind me, and I had to force my jaw shut to not let out a scream.
The boar was only a meter behind me.
Step.
Without thinking, I threw myself to the right and rolled through the sand.
Thud.
The landing was rough since I couldn't use both of my hands, as one held the sword.
Haah.
But I dodged.
Lying in the sand, I looked back.
The boar had tried to follow my sudden change of direction.
But it couldn't.
A ninety-degree turn was too much for it. The massive beast nearly stumbled as it struggled to change its path and slid through the sand before halting.
Watching its maneuvering skills reminded me of something I had once seen as a kid.
I didn't know if it would work.
But it was worth trying.
I placed my hands on the ground and pushed myself up.
The boar had already turned and was facing me again.
Our eyes locked.
We stood only a few meters apart.
Thud.
The beast slammed its hoof into the sand again, preparing to charge.
And I—
Thud.
Let my sword fall to the ground.