Chapter 12 - A Break In

With how packed the field and stands were, no one was going to be able to fight freely. If I wanted a chance to survive, I could roll the dice and head down the tunnel, hoping no monsters were there, or try to head higher up in the stands. Either way, I didn't have enough time or information to build a plan. I'd just have to hope—

 "Kieran!"

 I'm snapped out of my thoughts by Patricia smacking my arm, before apologizing profusely in fear. "What are we gonna do?" She asks, pointing to the invisible wall. The shimmering that it displayed so proudly is now showing how the wall is disappearing, fading back into nothing. Down the tunnel, pairs of beady black eyes stare hungrily at us, their eyes reflecting the light that we're standing under. 'Oh, shit.'

 "Use your Stealth. Make sure you stay the hell away from anyone with a big weapon or a staff, you got it? Try to get a few kills, but focus on survival first."

 I watch the fearful girl slowly die, a confident woman replacing her as she realizes what she can do. Nodding in response, she slips into the crowd. I can still tell vaguely where she is, but she's disappearing fast. 'Probably upgraded her Stealth, too,' I think to myself, walking deeper into the tunnel. Screams start sounding from the middle of the stands as people are hemmed in from the monsters pouring through the entryways. When I turn to look, I can see the far side of the stadium, where people are trying to run, fighting or preparing to fight, or simply dying before they can even cry. And, sure enough, the messages I was expecting began to appear in my peripheral vision.

[  Berserker has attacked a user. You will not receive a penalty for engaging in combat with this user for the next 24 hours.  ]

[  Great Warrior has attacked a user. You will not receive a penalty for engaging…

[  General Mage has attacked a user. You will not receive…

[ Elemental Mage has attacked a user…

 "Figures, when it's so cramped," I mutter, drawing my sword as the monsters in front of me begin charging. As the light finally hits them, I realize it's a mix of short monsters all working together — goblins, Mini Mutants, Chubbs, and weird skinny boar looking creatures standing on their hind legs, holding sticks and rocks. They all crash down the narrow walls like a flood, heading straight for me. I hold out my left hand once they get unnervingly close, cocking the sword back at the same time. "Absorb all."

[  Error. Too many enemies. Gluttony's Mark cannot activate.  ]

 "Huh, so there's an enemy limit, then?" I wonder as I swing my small sword with as much force as I can muster, cleaving through the horde of monsters. The living ones behind the dead monsters push forward, screeching, and I leap back, closer to the exit, before repeating three more slashes. There are already so many bodies that I can't see a living one. 'They piled up to the ceiling quick.'

 The wall of bodies bursts apart and surges forward as enough force from the other side is finally applied, the little things tripping and falling over their fallen comrades as they charge. Making sure I don't move too deep into the tunnel and get myself surrounded, I slash down several more waves of the little buggers before retreating once again. I'm now positioned about 15 feet from the exit back out into the field, with no end to the 2-4 foot rowdy beings swarming the comparatively small tunnel. 'Still, I need a bit more if I want to survive this.'

 I've ignored most of the damage I had taken, since I had progressed to the point now that I hadn't even lost a quarter of my HP yet — it probably helps that the majority of their weapons are blunt. Even the swords and axes and the like aren't sharpened more than a slight prick's worth. Funnily enough, the sharpest weapons are the pickaxes the boarish creatures all carry, and they were wildly inaccurate at times.

 I continue my hacking and slashing, occasionally moving back so that too many don't get past me. Though, the ones that do treat me as if I'm simply a road block, darting past into the field of juicy prey behind me. That is, if they continue to kill each other like they have been. It has slowed considerably, but I can still see the messages pop up every now and then.

[  Elemental Mage has attacked a user…

[  Barbarian has attacked a user…

 The field still seems active, most people fighting for their lives. These kinds of monsters were easy by themselves, or even in groups of three or four, but every time I had run into the Mutants had been with at least six at once, and Chubbs traveled in groups of two to three.

 'They really are low-level monsters, though,' I think as I cut several more down. 'The only ones who don't die after one hit are the Chubbs, who are all defense, and the Mutants who manage to block. Still…'

 The fighting continues for almost ten more minutes, and I end up right at the archway for the tunnel. The dead bodies are stacked so high and packed so dense that even if there were more enemies behind all the carnage, there was no way they could push through. It was a good thing, too, because I was exhausted. I had taken a good number of hits — my hoodie is barely hanging onto my body with a few threads, which snap as I yank it the rest of the way off. I only have minor scratches on my skin, and the clothes from the Gluttony Set seem pretty much untouched. But I open my menu to see the real damage done.

[  Name: Kieran Bright ] 

[ Grade: E- Race: Human Lv: 2{91%} Class: Adaptability  ]

[  HP:54/120 MP:200/200 FS:100/100 SP:13/200 ]

[  Skills: Lv1 Gluttony's Mark {68.75%} ]

[  STR: 34 (E+) VIT: 14 (E-) END: 12 (E-) SPE: 42 (E+) INT: 56 (D) CHA: 26 (E) LCK: 23 (E) STL: 8 (F+) PER: 1 (F) GRE: 2 ]

 "Yeah, I figured. Did my grade drop?" I wonder with a sigh, creeping my way over to the wall to lean against it several feet away from my mass murder — I mean, defense of the tunnel. Several people had the same idea, clearly, as many are already leaning up against the side of the stadium too.

 There are no more messages, but the losses to humanity were clear: where a few hundred thousand people were crammed into half the stands and the playing field, most were little more than bloodied corpses accompanying the stained ground and slain monsters. The majority of the invaders were also now dead, aside from a few groups which were being taken care of as I watch from the literal sidelines.

 There was the little girl from before, casually chucking something sharp at anything within 20 feet of her. Luckily for her, she didn't seem to be aiming at any humans, and while her accuracy wasn't perfect, she did enough damage that her father could either finish them off or cripple them for her to kill, wielding what looks like a normal saber. 'What a terrifying duo.'

 Turning my attention around, I spot Patricia, still working hard, and using humans, corpses, and even more monsters to conceal herself so she could strike down enemy by enemy. There were a few more holding their own as well amongst the bodies on the field, but no one else was working solo. 

 The first person I saw when I looked to the stands was none other than the Star, Cindy. She looks like she's been doused with a bucket of blood, her previously blond and brown mix of hair now matted and knotted against her scalp. She was shivering, which would mean she was certainly alive. She was sitting hunched behind a pile of bodies. A staff was clutched in her hands, similarly covered in blood. Honestly, it looked like she had used it to beat down a couple monsters with it. 'That makes sense, actually. At such a low level, MP would probably run out quickly with this many enemies…'

 Curious, I look around the stands for any more Mage-types that were still living. Almost any I saw that would fall under that category were resting or casting a spell. I did see one or two whacking monsters with the staffs they were provided with, too, proving my theory. '200 MP will only get you so far, even with two MP pills, I guess.'

 A few minutes later, and almost none of the monsters are moving anymore. In fact, there's only one.

 The remaining survivors, who aren't many, are forced to watch in a mix of fascination and a stupefied emotion of pure 'what the FUCK?' as the Dragonscaled man casually teaches his all of 8-year-old daughter the most effective way to end a life. 

 "The eye is one of the easiest places to get right to the brain. Remember, stab straight down, okay?"

 She nods confidently, raising a bread knife high above her head, staring down at the poor goblin pinned down by the saber stabbed into the ground through his shoulder. She stabs down suddenly… and the blade enters the goblin's eye at an angle. A collective wince flashes across the stadium as the psychopath — rather, her father calmly helps her yank it out and tells her to try again. This time, amidst the horrible wails of the creature, she hits her mark and the creature falls limp, earning a sigh from everyone as they can finally relax.

 Of course, the system says otherwise, with a new message.

[  Emergency Event Complete!  ]