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

As we stepped out of the tavern, I took the lead, my eyes narrowed as they swept over the smoke-and-dust-drenched landscape.

I surveyed the area and chose a route that kept us close to cover, using the crumbling walls and narrow alleys to shield us as much as possible. I could feel the tension radiating from the others, their breaths sharp and cautious behind me.

Then, I heard a low, guttural growl cutting through the silence. I raised a hand, signaling everyone to halt. Out of the mist, a creature began to emerge, and I could tell immediately this was no ordinary threat. It moved with an eerie, unnatural grace, its skin slick and dark as if it had been drenched in oil, and its eyes glowed with a sickly green light that locked onto us like prey.

For a split second, Gremlin froze and acted, seeing the beast twisted in its huge blackish hideous body that seemed to paralyze the children.

But before it could reach him, I had already stepped forward with my gun.

With steady hands and sharp focus, I fired a single, clean shot at the creature’s shoulder which he dodged narrowly and then aimed at the head.

BANG!

And I got a headshot.

The bullet drilled into the head, knocking the cranium and blasting a hole. I fired a few more, feeling a cold satisfaction as it staggered back, momentarily thrown off balance.

"Stay close," I voiced coldly, a bit colder and sharper than I intended, but I didn’t care.

There was no room for mistakes here.

Soon, another lunged at us again. I shifted, sidestepping smoothly and squeezing the trigger.

BAAM!

This time, the shot hit right between its glowing eyes, and it collapsed with a sickening thud, with a blast splattering blood over me.

"Well done!" Saber praised.

Without wasting a moment, I motioned for the others to keep moving, keeping my gaze ahead. They followed, silent and tense, and I knew they felt the weight of what we were up against. But I pushed on, ignoring the questions in their eyes. There would be more monsters and more dangers ahead, and I was ready for them.

I could feel the rush of wind against my face as we darted through the debris-strewn streets, dodging shadowy attacks that lunged at us from every direction. The chaos around us was unrelenting: small monsters scrambled toward us, their twisted bodies scurrying through the dark, ready to tear us apart.

I raised my gun, taking down as many as I could while eyeing their dead bodies.

’Many might have a core that would surely fetch a huge sum.’

I wanted it, but it was impossible to stop for their cores. A few shots missed the target, to which I backfired with double hands in quick motion. I clicked my tongue, feeling my heart bleed due to the loss because each bullet cost a lot, yet at this moment, survival came first.

Beside me, Gremlin and Saber had a hard time holding back as they saw people writhing in pain and calling for help.

They rushed to aid a man who collapsed against a broken wall and then a woman clinging to her child. Their sense of duty was admirable but foolish.

’We were barely hanging on ourselves, yet these fools are rushing to save others.’

’First take care of your own ass, you idiots.’

"Damn!" I clicked my tongue in frustration, realizing the risk, and pulled them forward, reminding them that in this nightmare, we couldn’t afford these delays.

At that time, Saber spotted a huge shadow and screamed, "DODGE!"

BOOM!

A huge blast from the aftermath of the fight between the City Lord and the monster rained down around us.

The ground was blasted into tatters by a mass of sword arc and aftermath that crashed around us, sending us flying.

BANG!

I was flung by the aftermath, crashing against the wall behind me and bouncing onto the ground.

Rolling on the ground, I got up and spat the blood.

"Is everyone alright?"

"I... I am good." Saber’s voice came from afar.

Not hearing Gremlin’s voice, I stood up and saw him rising from a flatbed of debris while shielding a few kids, though some of them were flung away.

"A few are missing?" Gremlin shouted hurriedly and looked around. At the last moment, he used his whole body to shield the kids.

Just as we got back on track, an eerie, chilling voice floated through the air, striking us.

"My child, where are you going? I missed you all... stop running," a soft whisper of a woman echoed.

"My child… My precious child."

"What?" I reacted, grabbing my ears and looking around, searching for the source.

The voice seemed to come from everywhere at once, each word coated in an unsettling familiarity.

It was like a whisper from the past that clawed into my mind, dragging up memories of the real Lukas, which he tried to bury.

My head felt heavy, my vision blurred as the sick body of my mother appeared before me, reaching out with the same soft, caring look she had when I was a child. Her face was pale, her eyes hollow, her form flickering with the aura of a specter. The urge to reach out to her was strong. But I forced myself back and slapped myself with a jolt, snapping me to my senses.

I looked around, and my heart sank. The others weren’t faring as well. Gremlin was weeping, muttering his brother’s name. Saber had sunk to his knees, calling for his parents, trapped in a hallucination that left him vulnerable. The sound of their pain dug at me, but something else caught my eye.

A blonde-haired boy standing nearby, strangely calm amidst the turmoil.

The moment my eyes fell on him, my heart was squeezed forcefully. I felt a lump stuck in my chest which I found difficult to cough out.

"C... Chris..."

Words stumbled as I glanced at him.

Unlike the others, he wasn’t crying or calling for anyone. His gaze was steady, too steady, watching us with an unsettling composure. There was a large gash on his head, seemingly hit by something, and his face was covered with dust.

The moment I looked into his deep yellowish eyes, my Hunter Instinct flared up, which told me the situation.

"He... He is dead."

The realization hit hard, and without hesitating, I raised my gun and fired.

Chris leaped back, dodging the first shot, but I continued, my instincts screaming that he wasn’t what he appeared.

As Chris moved, everyone woke up, and the first thing they saw was me firing shots.

"Lukas! What are you doing?" Gremlin shouted, his face twisted in horror.

Ignoring their protests, I fired again. This time, Chris took the hit, collapsing to the ground, and made an uncanny expression.

"Bro... Brother... Why did you shoot me?"

His voice crackled with pain, and drops of tears squeezed out from his eyes. My heart churned, and memories of Chris flashed onto me.

It was burning like an ember that flared up the more I thought.

Death...

A heavy, desolate feeling burdened the heart.

I could feel everyone’s eyes filled with accusations burning into me.

Disbelief, anger, and hatred shone across their faces as they couldn’t understand.

"You. What have you done?" Gremlin roared and ran towards me, shoving me apart.

"It was a specter," I said coldly, not having the time to explain, but my words did nothing to ease the mistrust in their eyes.

Gremlin was about to erupt when Saber stepped between us. "Everyone, stop!" His voice cut through their anger. "You all know Lukas. He’s not reckless. He wouldn’t do something like this without reason."

He turned to me, his gaze hard. "Lukas, is this real?"

I nodded, with every fiber in me certain of what I’d done. Yet still, doubt clouded the faces around me. And then, a soft, eerie laughter broke the silence, and we all turned. The dead body of Chris rose and then clapped.

Slow claps echoed as he grinned, his face beginning to warp and twist.

"Absolute Cinema... Heheh!"

"What a good show," he sneered. "And you ruined it. I wanted you to turn against each other and kill one another. Alas..."

He morphed, shifting into a ghastly shape that towered above us, eyes gleaming with malice, nails sliding over the skin. I stepped forward, readying the blades, feeling the gravity of the moment settle on me.

"Everyone, run! I’ll hold him back," I commanded, not willing to lose anyone else tonight.

"We’re not leaving you!" Gremlin, who was surprised, argued, defiance flashing in his eyes.

I cut him off, raising my foot to kick.

Then, I sent him stumbling back with a quick, powerful kick. "This isn’t a choice. You’d only get in my way," I snapped coldly.

Turning to Saber, I locked eyes with him. "I saved your life once. Don’t waste that chance. Get out of here and survive."

Saber’s expression changed as he read my signal and then hesitated, his expression filled with regret and respect, then nodded. He grabbed Gremlin, pulling him away. With quick parting words, they turned and fled along with the children, leaving me alone in the shadow of the creature’s dark, malevolent presence.

The silence thickened as they disappeared into the layer of dust, and I steeled myself, ready for whatever came next.

"Kekekekekkeke! Your friends ran away... Aren’t you scared?" The spectre laughed eerily as I turned towards it, its image blurred, and in the next moment, it appeared right before me with a huge opened mouth.

"You are going to die!"

A scream erupted to which I smiled.

[Predator’s Gaze.]

[Keen Insight]

Activating two skills, I declared.

"Definitely not!"