Chapter 43: Hunted

Recalling the contestants who had died horribly hanging from tree branches, Hatsune tightened his grip on his sword.

The spider demon struggled even more violently.

Suddenly, from the forest behind, there was a deafening roar accompanied by the sound of trees snapping.

Hatsune felt a strong gust of wind coming from behind. He increased the pressure on his sword, trying to sever the spider demon's neck quickly. However, the spider demon's survival instinct was strong, and it used its hands and legs to desperately stop the blade from moving.

With no other choice, Hatsune quickly withdrew his sword and turned around as the strong wind reached within a meter of him.

As he retreated, he swung his sword to block the approaching attack. Although he initially didn't know what it was, judging by its temperature, it was similar to that of a demon. It was likely another demon.

Only when he turned and saw what was behind him did he realize that it was a series of three massive, tree trunk-sized arms, each about seven or eight meters long. Three huge hands were reaching out towards Hatsune.

Indeed, it was another mutated demon.

Hatsune continuously swung his sword, slashing at the enormous hands. Finally, after retreating a certain distance, the hands stopped chasing and retracted into the forest.

The spider demon took this opportunity to scurry up a nearby slope and disappeared.

Hatsune didn't pursue but stood his ground, watching the direction where the hands had disappeared, expecting that the large creature would soon appear.

"Run, quickly…"

From the mountain path, an urgent voice could be heard. It was familiar. Indeed, it was Nae and Akino.

At this moment, Nae was carrying Yuka on her back and running quickly towards Hatsune, occasionally looking back over her shoulder.

"Why did you come back?" Hatsune asked curiously as he saw the two gasping for breath in front of him.

"Demons… demons, they're everywhere down the mountain," Akino said, his eyes filled with fear, his body trembling uncontrollably, speaking in broken sentences as he struggled to catch his breath.

Nae gently laid Yuka on the ground and used torn cloth strips to roughly bandage her wounds.

Yuka had regained consciousness and, using her last bit of strength, weakly whispered her thanks.

Nae forced a pale smile. It was hard to smile in such a situation. After some brief comfort, she got up and approached Hatsune.

"What's happening?" Hatsune asked.

"A lot of demons suddenly appeared down the mountain. There's one every few meters, searching for contestants. They hardly leave any hidden spots unchecked. But what's strange is that even when they encounter people, they don't capture them. It's as if they're driving us up the mountain."

Akino turned his head towards Nae, unsure about the driving part but confirming the abundance of demons.

Hatsune thought for a moment and then blurted out, "They're hunting us."

"Hunting us?"

Nae and Akino were shocked by Hatsune's words. They had only heard of humans hunting animals and never expected to one day become the hunted.

"You came back at a bad time. There might be more surprises later."

Surprises? Or shocks?

Nae was skeptical, scanning the clearing ahead. The spider demon was gone, leaving behind only a bizarre, twisted skin lying on the ground.

"What is that?"

"The demon's shed skin."

"A demon's shed skin?" Nae wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Did you kill it?"

"No, I almost cut off its head, but three arms suddenly appeared from the forest, allowing it to escape."

"Arms from the forest? Three arms? What kind of thing is it? Another demon?"

"Probably. We should see it soon."

Listening to their conversation, Akino felt a lump in his throat, especially when Hatsune mentioned "almost cutting off its head."

That demon had been the cause of Kimura's team falling apart. Many couldn't handle it, yet the boy before him nearly beheaded it.

Standing beside the two, Akino felt insignificant.

Panicked figures started to appear in the surrounding forest.

Seeing the three in the center of the clearing, everyone instinctively moved towards them, perhaps believing that gathering together would offer some comfort from their fear.

Kimura and Eimi also emerged from a dark corner.

Kimura no longer looked as confident as before. He and Eimi appeared like beggars, their spirits broken, their bodies filthy.

Others looked similarly disheveled, except for Hatsune and Nae, who stood out in their clean appearances.

The team, once so bright and shiny, now seemed utterly defeated.

From the original fifty-odd people who climbed the mountain, only about twenty remained.

Kimura and Eimi spotted the clean Hatsune and Nae at once. Compared to their miserable state, Hatsune and Nae looked almost unchanged from when they first climbed the mountain. This stark contrast brought shame and embarrassment to Kimura and Eimi, who quickly lowered their heads and joined the group.

Nae noticed them too. Meeting in such a situation was awkward. However, Nae felt somewhat grateful to them. Without them, she wouldn't have met Hatsune.

Nae stepped back to Hatsune's side and whispered, "What should we do next?"

Looking at the ragtag group in front of him, Hatsune felt increasingly uneasy.

The saying "a defeated army is like a landslide" seemed fitting. When they first climbed the mountain, they were scattered by demons in one night. Now, after six days of being scattered and regrouping, this disheartened group was unlikely to accomplish much besides being a burden.

"I don't know. Let's wait and see."

Finally, someone in the group noticed that something was wrong. They had been hiding in various nooks and crannies in small groups for six days, and now suddenly they were all gathered together. It seemed unusual.

"What's going on? Why are you all here?"

"We were hiding well, waiting for the exam to end tomorrow, but suddenly demons appeared around us. They didn't attack, just seemed to drive us up the mountain."

"That's what happened to us too."

"…"

The group finally realized that the reason they had all gathered here was because the demons had intentionally driven them up the mountain.