Chapter 32: CH 032: Overwhelmed(Mass Release 3)
The front lines were littered with fallen beasts, their bodies spread across the field in twisted heaps, but that victory felt short-lived.
The beasts that had been pushing forward in a relatively manageable group now seemed to multiply, surging towards them in a thick, lumbering mass. Dave looked up from his current opponent, only to see the sheer number of beasts that had arrived behind the first wave.
Before, they had been dealing with a few at a time, but now they were surrounded by six, some people even eight at once. The beasts had learned quickly, their instincts kicking in as they adjusted to the humans’ tactics.
It didn’t take long for them to close the gap, and Dave realized with a sinking feeling that they were no longer dealing with isolated attacks. They were now in the heart of the swarm, the tide of creatures pushing in from every direction.
The group had been spread out across the field, each person fighting their own set of beasts, separated by distance. In theory, this strategy worked, it kept the group mobile, preventing them from being cornered in one place.
But now, with so many beasts closing in from all sides, Dave could see the flaw in their formation. No one was close enough to help one another, and it was only a matter of time before one of them would be overwhelmed.
Chris, who had been fighting beside him, shouted across the field, his voice strained, "Stay close! We need to group up!" But it was already too late. The beasts were too numerous, and the space between the group was too vast.
Dave barely dodged a massive claw attack from one of the creatures, its rancid breath washing over him as it growled in frustration. He sidestepped, spinning on his heel and thrusting his sword into the beast’s side, piercing through its thick hide. But before he could pull the blade free, another beast lunged toward him, and he barely had time to block its attack with the flat of his sword.
It was then that Dave realized something, something crucial. They couldn’t keep fighting like this. There were too many of them. Each moment spent engaging in one-on-one combat drained his energy, and although his sword was light, his stamina wasn’t infinite.
Sweat poured down his face as he wiped it away, gripping the hilt of the sword tighter. He could see the others struggling too, each of them becoming increasingly surrounded by the beasts. If he had been his usual self with his stats and abilities, he would have had a chance, but being an ordinary human, he was starting to get tired.
"Gunther!" Dave shouted, hoping his voice would carry over the din of the battle. "We need a new plan!"
Gunther, who had been hacking at a beast in front of him, paused for a moment and looked around, his eyes scanning the growing crowd of beasts. His expression hardened as he took in the sight, and Dave could see the realization dawning on him as well. They were running out of time, and if they didn’t act quickly, they might not make it out of this alive.