Galaxy Fall: All My Skills Are Maxed-Chapter 11: Run! Run! Run!
"Oh my God!! What the hell is that?!!!" Ethan screamed, his silver hair plastered to his sweating forehead. He was running with a desperate, animalistic speed, leaving his companions struggling behind. ππ»πππππ«π£π€πππ΅.ππ€π’
βThe βstickβ he gripped, rattled uselessly in his hand.
β"Hey!! I thought you said you were strong with that stick?!" Alice shrieked, her voice hoarse with panic. "You said it could save our lives! Why are you running now?!"
β"Are you mad, Alice?! Thatβs a Boss!A very dangerous boss! Even those Level 5 wolves are like flies to him! Do you want me to sacrifice my life for you guys?!" Ethan yelled back, not even bothering to look over his shoulder, increasing his already frantic pace.
β"At least wait for us, you bastard!" Miranda wheezed, stumbling as she tried to keep up.
β"Miranda! You might be a beauty, but beauty canβt save us here!" Ethan was already focused only on his own survival.
β"Shameless!" Angela hissed.
βSCREECH!!!!
βThe air tore above them. The Dark Eagle Demon Hunterβa unknown level Bossβdove low, its massive black talons effortlessly snatching two Level 5 wolves. With a wet clench, the wolves were crushed instantly. The Eagle then dropped the carcasses, swallowing them whole with an unnervingly human gulp.
βWHOOSH!
βThe dark avian predator shifted its crimson gaze from the wolves to the running humans, then back to the ten remaining wolves, and chose the easier, more familiar prey. It chased the wolves.
β"Huh?! Does that thing think weβre insufficient? That weβre not even worthy to be food?!" Ethan dared to look over his shoulder, momentarily bewildered by the Bossβs choice.
β"Shouldnβt you be happy?!" Alice snapped, trying to regain her breath.
β"Yes. You are right, I am happy!" Ethan shouted, already pivoting his survival plan. "Letβs run to that forest! We can hide in there!" He pointed toward a dense curtain of deep green trees looming ahead.
βWHOOSH!
βThe Eagle abruptly changed its mind. It banked sharply and began moving toward the human group.
β"Hey!!! Why is it coming towards us now?!" one of Ethanβs friends, a tall, exhausted boy named Leo, yelled in pure horror. He was already running on fumes.
βAngela glanced over her shoulder. She saw the reason: the wolves had regrouped, standing behind a hulking, white-furred wolf with cold stone eyes that now stood menacingly at the entrance of a cave.
ββThat wolf must have scared the Eagle! Does that mean the white wolf is also a powerful Boss?!β Angela thought, the complexity of the threat dawning on her.
βSo many Bosses in the Beginnerβs Round! Are we going to die here?!β
β"Run! We are almost there!" Ethan screamed, injecting a burst of speed and plunging into the welcome gloom of the dense forest. He collapsed a moment later, clutching his knees.
β"Thank goodness I was a track runner," he gasped, hyperventilating. "Otherwise, I would be dead."
β"Ahh!"
βAngela, Alice, and Miranda all shrieked as they smashed into Ethan, sending the four of them tumbling onto the tangled roots and damp earth.
β"No!! Help!!" Leo, the exhausted guy, screamed behind them, forcing his legs to pump the last remaining burst of strength.
βEthan scrambled to his feet, staring back at his two friendsβLeo and Mark.
"One of you is fat, and the other is thin! Come on! You can do it!" he screamed at them, his voice raw with adrenaline, not one ounce of concern in his tone.
βWHOOSH!!!
βThe Eagle Boss dove, and in a sickening flash, its talons caught Mark. The force instantly separated Markβs body into two bloody halves, which fell to the ground like discarded dolls.
β"Oh my God!!" The three girls gasped, Miranda covering her mouth in horror while Alice turned away and wretched violently, emptying her stomach onto the forest floor.
βThe Eagle turned its lethal focus to Leo. Dark beams of pure light shot from its eyes, impacting the thin boy. Leo was instantly shattered into bloody, unrecognizable particles.
"...?!!"
βThe four survivors recoiled, stumbling backward. The Eagle advanced toward the forest line, flapping its massive wings, but it suddenly froze, visibly hesitating. It let out a frustrated screech, turned abruptly, and flew away into the red sky.
β"Thank goodness itβs gone." Angela collapsed onto the ground, sobbing with relief and shock.
β"Something isnβt right," Miranda muttered, wiping tears and dusting the dirt from her clothes. "That Bird Boss was scared of the white wolf, and now itβs scared to enter this forest. Does that mean thereβs another Boss here? A Boss more powerful than that bird?"
"...?!!"
βHer words brought a fresh wave of panic. They all turned their heads toward the dense, mysterious depth of the forest, unsure if they should retreat to the terrifying wilderness or risk the unknown within.
β"You might have a point, but we canβt go back out there," Ethan said, clutching his worthless stick tightly. "We can only take our chances here. If weβre lucky, weβll meet other people."
β"Do you even know where weβre going?! God, I wish we had a map!" Alice muttered, still shivering uncontrollably.
β"Come on! We canβt just sit here and do nothing! The clock is ticking!" Ethan snapped, masking his fear with bravado. The three scared women looked at each other, swallowed their fear, and slowly nodded.
β"Good! Letβs go! No matter what," he said, forcing a charismatic smile, placing the stick on his shoulder, "I will protect you all."
β"Yes, thank goodness you are here, Ethan..." Miranda said, dusting the sand from her school uniform. "But if we are here, what about our families?"
β"I think we should worry about ourselves for now," Ethan cut her off, already walking deeper into the shadows of the woods. "Letβs go! Donβt worry, I will protect you all!"
_
β[Half An Hour Later]
βSWISH!
SWISH!
β"I thought you said youβll protect us?!!" Angela screamed, tearing through the thick undergrowth, her expensive school uniform snagging on branches.
β"Why are you always believing me?! Those are hundreds of Level 7 Blood Rats! They move in swarms! Do you want me to get eaten alive?!" Ethan yelled, running several feet ahead of the three girls, not once turning back to check on them.
β"You...!!" The girls were speechless, utterly disgusted. The charming, protective boyfriend they knew had dissolved into a self-serving, screaming coward. Their fate in the hands of this man was now terrifyingly clear.
