Survival

Do-cheol clenched his fists and frowned.

"There is still time before a one-hour deadline is up. Everything will be alright.

"So, now. What do you guys get in the way."

The captain of each group prepared their speech. Not long, the first group reported the information they got.

"We can only go for 200 yards from here before we find the beasts stand in our way. It's the Three-tailed Sabertooth, with armor around their body. And, there are seven beasts blocking our path. Since we can't go further anymore, we decided to return with limited information. There are no other creatures except those beasts."

The second group continued afterward. "We're in the same situation too, leader~nim. Only, the number of Three-tailed Sabertooth are eight on our side."

And that went on to the third and fourth groups. All of them have the same situation. Even the number of beasts was not that different, around seven to eight.

Do-cheol didn't have any information about the Three-tailed Sabertooth. So, he didn't know how strong the beast was against his team members.

"Let's wait for the last group to come back here. If the circumstance is the same for all of you, we can take a step back and tackle that one herd of beasts with our numbers to find out their strength first."

All the hunters on the spot agree with Do-cheol. They also only had the confidence to fight such beasts with their numbers.

All of sudden, "Hyung~nim!!"

Do-cheol and the hunters were shocked by the screams in the middle of the deserted barren forest. After looking at the direction the voice came from, they realized that this was the last group they were waiting for it.

"What happens?!"

Do-cheol saw that the group looked like it was in a miserable state.

Hosh, Hosh--

The hunters from that last group were struggling to breathe. They seem to run with their lives on the line.

"W-We got caught by several Three-tailed Sabertooths on our way. We tried to avoid clashes. B-But in the end, we had no choice and had to fight our way back here.

"We lost two hunters while coming back here. I'm sorry!"

Do-cheol bit his lip in anger.

"It's okay. It's not your fault. It was mine for not realizing that there was a chance the beasts would be stronger than our group. I was too hasty."

Do-cheol was about to ask the group about what had happened to them when he suddenly stopped, his expression turning grim.

Ji-woo was also frowned upon and looked in the same direction where Do-cheol's gaze got directed.

The enemy was coming!

"We don't have time to be discouraged. Prepare for a battle!"

All the hunters got frightened from hearing Do-cheol's warning. They instinctively get ready and put up fighting stances.

Soon, the hunter's eyes could see a cloud of dust in front of them. They also hear the sound of the beasts.

Grrr, Rawr--

The Sabertooths with black eyes and white fur covered in soft black and maroon color shade armor emerged from the cloud dust. The beast's tails were also wearing the armor-like their bodies. And the size was the same as an adult polar bear.

The Sabertooths numbered about 45, which surrounded the hunters in almost a circle. Even though the hunters had the advantage of trees capable of blocking the movements of such big beasts, it was only beneficial for a short period of time when the battle broke out.

The hunters' expressions were solemn and somewhat horrified after seeing the dozens of Sabertooths baring their fangs.

Meanwhile, Do-cheol just looked around. He was searching for a way to get out of the beast's siege. And there was only one chance, which was the space behind them. The path that did not get blocked by the Sabertooths.

Ji-woo knew what the team leader was thinking. He quickly stopped him before giving orders to the other hunters.

"Do not! It was likely a trap."

Do-cheol, not happy and confused by Ji-woo's words, asked. "What do you mean?!"

"When those beasts spotted us. It's not immediately attacking. Instead, they stopped and only watched.

"Why? What are they waiting for? With their speed and ambush, we can get surrounded easily. Why not do it and leave that path empty?"

Ji-woo voiced his excuses while pointing toward the empty road that lay behind them. He gave his opinion out of consideration for the first team he had joined since becoming a hunter.

Either Do-cheol chilled his head and thought about what Ji-woo said or insisted on going down that road knowing there was a chance it might be a trap. It was up to Do-cheol to decide.

As for what choice his team leader chose, Ji-woo didn't care. He already said what he wanted to say.

Going against the Three-tailed Sabertooths head-on was not an option!

Thankfully, Do-cheol could put his mind at ease after the previous mistake of his orders, which resulted in two casualties on his team. He didn't want to rush and act carelessly at the moment.

"Alright. You can go back to Dong-hyun over there. I can handle this.

"Ah, right. What's your name? Are you the new recruit?"

Do-cheol asked before Ji-woo turned around and left.

"Yes. My name is Kim Ji-woo."

"Ji-woo~si. Thank you!"

After being reprimanded by Ji-woo, Do-cheol had already formulated his plan to escape the Three-tailed Sabertooth herd.

Do-cheol wanted to take advantage of a hit-and-run tactic. After seeing the beasts just pacing back and forth, he was sure the Three-tailed Sabertooths would only force them back without attacking at full force. Even with their plan, they had the opportunity to catch those beasts off guard and kill it. He then gathered the captain from each group.

Ji-woo returned to Dong-hyun's side and glanced at Do-cheol. He hoped that the plan that had got prepared went well later. And he thought to help a little like when he did with the hunters of the Ganjang guild.

"What! Move to the right side!?"

"Slowly!? While keeping our guard up?"

Some of the hunters didn't understand Do-cheol's plan. Why bother dealing with the beasts when the road behind them was empty? And there were no enemies at all. They should be able to escape easily.

However, the other hunters held their trust in Do-cheol and prepared to carry out orders without questioning.

"As I said before. You must strictly follow my instructions! As long as the Dungeon Owner is not here. We can escape this encirclement!"

In the end, all the captains from each group nodded their heads. After all, Do-cheol was their Team 3 leader. The command must get carried out. Whether some of them like it or not.

Do-cheol covered up his nervousness and took a long breath.

"Go!"

The other Hunters ran to the right side but at moderate speed when hearing the signal from their team leader.

Grrr, Rawr--

The Three-tailed Sabertooths immediately charged toward the hunters due to the sudden movement.

Meanwhile, Do-cheol, having started his plan, burst out his Mana presence. He wanted to try to slow down the beasts after seeing them run.

Hyaaa!

Do-cheol slammed the ground with one foot in front. He was a combat-type hunter who wasn't familiar with using any Artifact weapons. Instead, he relied on Artifact items and his enhanced physical strength to fight creatures from the dungeon.

Bam, Duarghh!

The land shook, and the surrounding ground cracked!

Eing, Rawr--

The Three-tailed Sabertooths stumbled while chasing the hunters due to the uneven ground from the impact of Do-cheol's stomp.

It was not enough to shatter the ground. Do-cheol extended his attack of distraction. A large chunk of rock from the cracked terrain lifted in front of him.

Tha, Taa--

Do-cheol punched that rock several times with his right hand, and the shards flew toward the beasts.

Tenk, Teng--

However, it was not enough to hurt those beasts. The rock fragment couldn't even leave a scratch on the Three-tailed Sabertooths armor.

Do-cheol knew that too. So he didn't think about it too much and immediately left those perplexed beasts with a maximum speed. Soon, he caught up to his teammates.

Suddenly, Do-cheol leaped from behind the hunters. He jumped pretty high and instantly landed in front of them. Not stopping there, he then charged forward at the three-tailed Sabertooth that was blocking their path.

"Assault of Mnevis!"

The Do-cheol's armor shone. His whole body enlarged slightly, and his muscles tightened. The silhouette of a Sacred Bull with blue light appeared and covered his upper body.

Duarghh, Kaboom!

The explosion was causing a cloud of dust, and it was visible from the place where the hunters ambushed earlier.

Grrr, Rawr--

Surprisingly, there were still 20 other three-tailed Sabertooths that hadn't chased the hunters yet.

Behind those beasts, a six-meter tall creature with four arms crossed spoke in a rough and heavy voice.

"Hm, troublesome. Ukn'zal wouldn't like this!

Hhss, Hruagh--

The six-meter creature breathed heavily.

"Go! Chase and force them to the underground!"

Grrr, Rawr--

Teep--

Those dozens of Three-tailed Sabertooths immediately carried out their orders and ran at full force to catch up with the hunters.

Now, with the addition of those beasts. The Three-tailed Sabertooths chasing the hunters numbered around 65. The number easily exceeded Demigod Team 3, and, also the difference in strength was increasingly unmatched.