The Huntsman Of Death:A Gamer's POV As Side Character

An undead tiger lunged at her from behind, but Ava spun around just in time and shot her hands.

She caught its jaws mid-snap tightly with her fingers digging into its rotting maw.

"You think you can bite me?" she sneered with an excited smile before pulling with all her might.

She grabbed the jaw and used her strenght.

SHRRIING!

A sound of ripping flesh echoed as she yanked.

"GROUNHHHHHHHHH!"

A heart frightening painful shriek erupted from the tiger that shook everyone at the place.

Then, the tiger's head split apart with a wet, sickening crack.

Blood splattered drenching her with blood and pieces of flesh.

The laughter grew louder, more unhinged, as he turned to face the next wave.

"Hahah!I like it…No, I love it.."

"Training partners who don't cry… don't get tired when I hit…" she muttered between heavy breaths, flames intensifying around her fists turning into darker shades that illuminated the place.

One beast charged at her, only for Ava to grab its arm and tear it clean off. She used the detached limb like a club, smashing it repeatedly into the creature's skull until it caved in. "And someone I can just punch and practice on to my heart's content!"

Ava leaped high into the air, her fist glowing like molten lava, before slamming it down into the center of the horde. The ground quaked as flames erupted outward, engulfing several undead in an inferno.

"Fun… this is so much FUN!" she howled, her voice ringing with madness as she launched herself into another beast. Her hands grappled its head, her fingers sinking into the decayed flesh before she crushed it between her palms like an overripe fruit.

The other cadets could only watch in stunned silence as Ava tore through the undead with reckless abandon. Her movements were wild and unpredictable, yet terrifyingly effective. She didn't fight like a soldier; she fought like a feral beast, reveling in the destruction she caused.

"Heheheheh!" Ava's laughter echoed as she tore through the last of the undead. By the time the fight ended, the clearing was littered with shattered bones and smoldering remains.

Covered in blood and ash, Ava finally stood still, panting heavily. Her grin remained plastered on her face as she turned to the others, her eyes still glowing faintly.

Then she looked at her teammates who seemed to be scared out of their wits and were hugging one another while trembling.

Someone among them mustered the courage to speak.

"Av…Ava….Are you alright?"

Ava's smile faltered for a moment and she assumed her reserved nature with a shy embarrassed look.

"Sorry, I was just lost in thoughts."

"Uh…It's okay."

"Let's keep going," she said, her voice unnervingly calm as if she hadn't just fought like a maniacal force of nature

....

The Crift Forest loomed ominously, its edges shrouded by the encroaching mist. Inside one of the tents at the forest's perimeter, Emilia hunched over a map, the surface glowing faintly with moving lights. Each light represented the live position of a student participating in the test.

'What is this?'

Her pen moved rapidly as she scribbled notes, her sharp eyes catching anomalies on the map.

The longer she observed, the deeper her frown grew.

"Something's off," she muttered, tapping the edge of the map with her pen.

Across the tent, Alex adjusted the peaked cap that obscured the scar over his right eye. "What's wrong?" he asked, his voice steady but curious.

"The positions," Emilia replied, her tone grave. "Some of the lights… they haven't moved in a while. It's like they're stuck."

Alex's brow furrowed. He stepped closer, scrutinizing the map. The stillness of the lights was indeed unusual. A chill crept up his spine, but before he could say anything further, a staff member burst into the tent.

"Ma'am! Sir! There's an issue!"

"What is it?" Alex asked sharply. "A dungeon outbreak? A strong beast? Or did someone attack here?"

"Neither," the staff member said, his voice shaking slightly. "It's… the mist."

"Mist?" Emilia and Alex echoed in unison, exchanging a skeptical glance.

"Yes, sir. A thick mist has blanketed the outer forest. It's... unnatural. Visibility is almost zero, and it's spreading fast."

"We aren't able to enter properly and have lost contact with the monitoring staff there."

Without hesitation, Emilia pushed past them and exited the tent, Alex following closely behind. The moment they stepped outside, they stopped in their tracks.

The mist was unlike anything they had seen before. It clung heavily to the ground, rolling outward like a living entity. The thick, white tendrils reached toward the tents, suffocating the once-clear view of the forest. Instead of rising and dissipating like ordinary fog, it hovered unnaturally close to the earth, unmoving yet oppressive.

"This... isn't normal," Emilia said, her voice tinged with unease.

Alex turned to the staff. "Launch the return signal. Now."

"Yes, sir!"

The staff member quickly lit the prepared flares. Bright orange flames shot into the sky, erupting into loud explosions that illuminated the mist for a brief moment. The signal was a clear call for the students to return, but Alex shook his head.

"The signal should have been sent out earlier, exactly at 6 PM. Now, it might already be too late."

"Do you think they'll see it?" Emilia asked, her voice low.

Alex exhaled sharply, not answering. Instead, he lit a cigar, the flickering flame briefly illuminating his weathered face. "This mist... it doesn't feel natural. What do you think?"

Emilia stepped closer to the edge of the mist, her sharp eyes narrowing as she examined it. She reached out cautiously, her fingers brushing against the cold, damp air. A strange, metallic scent lingered, sending a chill down her spine.

"This isn't just mist," she said grimly. "It's a Mist Barrier. Blood magic."

Alex froze for a moment, then took a slow drag from his cigar. The ember glowed faintly as he exhaled. "Blood Mist Barrier, huh? That's not just trouble... that's high-level, serious trouble."

"That means surrounding the mist must be quite several spirits who would be blocking your space transportation right?"Alex asked.

"Hmm!" Emilia nodded solemnly and turned to him, her face pale but resolute. "Whoever cast this isn't just trying to trap them. They're planning something far worse."

Alex flicked ash from his cigar, his expression darkening. "Then we'd better figure out how to stop it… before it stops them for good."

...

The hunched man stood at the heart of a dark clearing, his shadow stretching unnaturally under the dim, crimson light filtering through the thick mist. Around him, a horde of zombie-like women swayed and murmured, their eyes hollow and their faces streaked with endless tears.

"My child…?" one rasped, her voice quivering with grief.

"Where are you, my child?" another whimpered, clutching at the air.

"Children… Children…" they muttered in unison, their voices blending into a haunting dirge.

The man paid them no heed, his gnarled hands working deftly as he arranged the components of his dark ritual.

Pieces of blood-red eyes, oozing with malevolent energy, were carefully placed in a circular pattern on the ground. His crooked staff, crowned with a cluster of jagged black crystals, was thrust into the center of the circle.

The air grew colder as he began his incantation, his guttural voice resonating with an ancient, forbidden cadence.

"Oh Primordial Evil, ruler of blood, death, disease, and decay,"

"Hear my plea, and grant me your guidance this day."

"From the essence of suffering, I summon your might,"

"Through this blood and rot, let your shadow take flight."

The circle of eyes began to glow faintly, their crimson hue deepening into a sickly, pulsating light. The ground beneath the circle trembled as a dark fume emerged, spiraling upward in thick, serpentine coils. The mist coalesced, spreading outward and upward, tainting the atmosphere with its malevolence.

Above, the sky began to change. Blood-red clouds gathered unnaturally fast, swirling in a grotesque dance. They thickened, forming a dense, mist-like shroud that blanketed the forest.

The man's voice grew louder, echoing through the clearing as he raised his staff high. "Go now! Go and find your children, trapped within the forest! Bring them to me, their pain and despair will fuel my ascension!"

The zombie-like women let out heart-wrenching wails, their cries piercing the thick air. With a burst of unnatural energy, they began to sprint into the forest, their skeletal forms moving with terrifying speed. Behind them, the earth cracked open, releasing a tide of undead creatures that joined their ranks.

The hunched man turned his gaze skyward, his face twisted into a grotesque grin as the ritual reached its climax.

The Primordial Evil's presence was palpable now like a suffocating weight in the air, a whisper of something ancient and unrelenting. He began to laugh, a maniacal, hysterical sound that echoed across the corrupted land.

"Today, I will finally advance! Today, I ascend beyond mortal bounds! Hahahaha!"

The forest shuddered under the weight of his ambition, the blood-red mist creeping through its depths like an unholy plague.