A hunting party was just about to head out from the camp when a loud commotion broke out at the perimeter. Tens of strangers appeared at the entrance, stumbling through the thick brush. Most of them were covered in blood and clutching wounds that looked like they had been torn open by claws or serrated teeth. It was clear to everyone watching that they had been running for a very long time.
People inside the camp rushed toward the gates to see what was causing the stir. While some were eager to help, many others remained vigilant and kept their hands near their weapons. In this place, danger did not only come from the monsters that prowled the woods.
The camp had only been built a few days ago, and the lack of resources was already starting to grate on everyone's nerves. Just this morning, two men had nearly killed each other over a small supply of food. Gareth had stepped in to resolve the issue, sending the guy who started it to a makeshift confinement area for the time being. Still, the tension had not fully dissipated. In a place like this, you had to watch your surroundings at all times.
The news of the arrivals soon reached Andrew. He arrived quickly and looked over the bedraggled group, eventually giving the order to let them in. Once they were inside the safety of the walls, he called for the healers.
The camp currently held about one hundred and eighty people. Out of that entire population, only six of them had been granted a healer class by the system. They arrived within minutes and began using their skills to close the wounds of the most critical cases.
"What happened to you?" Andrew asked. His voice was firm and steady as he looked at the strangers. "Where did you come from and how did you all get this badly hurt?"
A young woman in her early twenties looked up at him with sunken eyes. Her voice was a low and shaky rasp.
"Most of us were teleported here alone," she said in a sad tone. "We found each other by chance while wandering. The monsters attacked us almost as soon as we grouped up. They didn't stop chasing us until we saw your walls."
Andrew listened and waited until the healers had finished their initial rounds. He stood up and addressed the new arrivals with the tone of a leader who expected to be followed.
"You are free to live here for now," Andrew told the group. "But you must work for your living. Choose a work according to your class and your capabilities. Freeloaders are not allowed in this camp. We don't have the resources to carry anyone who isn't contributing."
The newcomers nodded quickly. They were too exhausted to argue. Andrew gave a single and sharp nod in return before he left to consult with Gareth.
As the commotion began to fade, the regular rhythm of the camp returned. Some of the older residents stepped forward to help the newcomers find places to sleep or to explain the different work details. The hunting party that had been delayed finally gathered their gear and headed out for the evening's hunt.
"With our combined strength, I am pretty sure we can easily take down a Level 30 beast without any doubt," a blonde-haired guy said as the party moved into the forest. He adjusted the strap on his shield with a confident grin.
"And I am pretty sure you were the first one to run yesterday when that Level 20 snake attacked us," another hunter replied while laughing.
The rest of the group joined in the laughter. The sound echoed briefly through the trees.
"That was different," the blonde guy defended himself. "I was only Level 8 back then. Now I am Level 11 and with all of us together, we can definitely pull this off."
"Yeah, yeah," a third hunter said. "Let's just focus on not dying today. That would be a good start."
They pushed deeper into the woods for about an hour. They were looking for edible monster species, but they could not find anything good on the way. The usual hunting grounds were strangely quiet. After a while, the group suddenly came to a halt.
Two human corpses lay in the dirt directly in their path. The hunters were shocked by the sight. They would not have been so surprised if these people had been killed by a monster or an animal. What shocked them was that this work was definitely done by another human. The kills were very clean.
One man had a single arrow protruding from his eye socket. It was buried deep into the brain. The other man's head had been chopped clean off with a single strike. There were no bite marks and no signs of a struggle. It was an execution.
As they moved further, they found even more of such corpses. Each one was a clean kill performed with a level of precision that suggested a human hand.
By nightfall, the party returned to the camp and went straight to the cabin shared by Andrew and Gareth. They told them everything they had seen in the forest.
Andrew sat at the table and rested his head on his hands while he thought. He had a grim expression as he processed the news of a lunatic moving through the forest and killing people. Gareth's expression was not much better.
After thinking for a long time, Andrew turned to the leader of the hunting party.
"Listen to me carefully," Andrew said. "You and your party are to keep this information between yourselves. Don't tell anyone else what you saw."
The hunter nodded as Andrew continued.
"I want you to keep an eye on these new people who just arrived," he said. "Be very careful while you are in the forest from now on. Don't get caught alone."
Andrew dismissed him and sat back in his chair. It was a very rational decision. People were already on edge because of the lack of resources and the constant threat of monsters. Spreading rumors of a serial killer would only spread panic and worsen the situation.
As the saying goes, a place with people is always bound to have conflicts. Andrew knew this better. He didn't trust the new survivors. Since the bodies were fresh and the kills had happened recently, there was a high chance that the killer had joined the group and walked right into the camp. He suspected that the murderer had used the group as a cover to gain entry. Andrew was not a foolish person. He was a good leader and he knew that sometimes the biggest threats were the ones that came with a sad story.
In another part of the forest, deep inside a damp cave.
A man suddenly appeared from the mouth of a massive frog. The creature died instantly and its body sagged as the man spilled out onto the floor. He lay there while covered in thick green saliva. He looked completely unconscious and weak, but a strange dark blue mist began to emit from his neck.
After a while, the mist stopped and a strange tattoo appeared on his skin. It looked like a snake that was half black and half blue. It was coiled around his throat like a living shadow.
In another cave miles away, Dustin was also struggling.
"I am so tired," Dustin complained as he sat down on a flat rock. "This cave is going nowhere. I have been walking for hours and I have found nothing at all."
He took a breath and leaned his head back against the stone. The silence in the deep cave was heavy and broken only by the sound of his own breathing.
"I admit that I am still too weak to protect myself," Dustin muttered to himself. "But a man has to rest sometimes. I couldn't do anything here that would help me get stronger if I'm too exhausted to even stand up."
He reached into his food storage vessel and took out the last of the fox meat he had stored earlier. He began to eat it while staring back toward the entrance he had left behind. He was a Level 10 now, but he knew the world was only getting more dangerous. He would have to finish his meal and find a way to make his next move count.
DING.