Night fell thickly in the dense forest, lit only by the faint moonlight that filtered through the thick foliage. The stench of blood was still thick in the air, mixed with the putrid scent of rotting bodies. However, tonight, there was something more dangerous than the darkness.
In the distance, the sound of footsteps echoed. Lines up neatly, full of vigilance.
The hunters had arrived.
Ragnir walked at the forefront, his sharp eyes sweeping across the darkness. Behind him, five of the city's strongest Hunters followed with their weapons ready. They were no ordinary fighters—they were top-ranked Hunters who had hunted monsters for years.
The silver-haired woman carrying a longbow—Lyra the Shadow Devourer—lowered her head, listening to every sound around her.
Beside her, a man in black armor, larger than the others, held a giant axe in his hand. Vargas the Behemoth Slayer.
The other two were twin brothers—Orin and Elric, mages of the elements of fire and ice working in perfect harmony.
And finally, a tall man wielding two swords, his cold eyes betraying decades of battle experience. He was Darius, the Hunter Captain of this city.
"Our target is up ahead," Ragnir said quietly.
They had tracked a trail of blood that led to the deepest part of the forest, to the lair of the monster that had slaughtered their village.
Gorath.
A monster that not only killed, but also ate humans to gain their strength.
"Our plan is simple," Ragnir continued. "Vargas and I will fight on the front lines. Lyra will provide support from afar. Orin and Elric, you prepare your magic attacks to weaken him."
Darius stared at them coldly. "Don't underestimate him. If he can slaughter an entire village by himself, then he's no ordinary orc."
The Hunters nodded. They had killed many monsters, but something about this creature felt... different.
In his dark cave, Gorath sat on his throne of human and monster bones.
He could feel them coming.
"At last..." he whispered, his eyes glowing red in the darkness.
He stood, tightening his grip on the giant axe he had taken from a soldier earlier.
Outside the cave, the remaining goblins began to sense the humans' presence. They hissed in dismay, but Gorath held up a hand.
"Stay still," he said firmly.
They did not understand, but they obeyed.
Gorath grinned. Let me greet them.
As the Hunters approached the cave, Lyra raised her hand. "Halt."
They fell silent.
From within the darkness, two red eyes glowed.
Gorath was waiting.
"Hmph," Vargas growled, raising his axe. "So this is the monster we seek?"
Gorath stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself to be larger than an ordinary orc. His dark green muscles reflected raw strength, and his red eyes shone with hatred.
"So you have come," he said in a deep voice. "Good. I have grown tired of hunting weaklings. I want a more challenging opponent."
Darius drew his two swords. "Don't get too cocky, monsters."
Gorath grinned, stabbing his axe into the ground. "You have come to my lair, and yet you dare talk big?"
He raised his hand.
"I shall enjoy killing you."
Quick as lightning, Gorath charged towards Vargas, swinging his axe with incredible force.
CLANG!
Vargas raised his own axe to block, but the impact cracked the ground beneath him.
"Damn... his strength is insane!" Vargas hissed, being pushed back.
At the same time, Lyra leapt up into a tree and drew her bow. In an instant, three arrows were released.
Srett! Srett! Srett!
Gorath moved his body with unexpected speed, dodging the first two arrows and catching the last with his hand.
His savage grin widened. "You guys have to do more than this."
From behind, Orin and Elric began to ignite their magic.
"Inferno Burst!" Orin threw a giant fireball at Gorath.
Elric followed with an ice attack. "Frozen Spear!"
Gorath grinned and leapt into the air, dodging the fireball that destroyed the tree behind him. However, Elric's ice spear stabbed into his arm.
"Tch!"
He ripped the spear from his flesh, green blood dripping.
They were no ordinary opponents.
But he was no ordinary monster either.
With startling speed, Gorath hurtled toward Orin.
Orin's eyes widened. "What—!?"
Too late.
Gorath grabbed his face and slammed him into the ground.
BOOM!
The ground cracked, and Orin was no longer moving.
Elric shouted, "ORIN!"
He raised his hand, preparing a larger ice spell, but before he could strike, Gorath was upon him.
With a single slash, his claws ripped through Elric's chest.
Elric coughed up blood.
"So easy," Gorath hissed.
But before he could finish Elric off, Darius' sword slashed from the side.
CLANG!
Gorath blocked with his axe, but Darius had already prepared another slash.
"Wind Slash!"
A sharp wave of wind hit Gorath, pushing him back.
Vargas immediately jumped up and swung his axe at Gorath's head.
THUMP!
For the first time, Gorath's blood actually flowed profusely.
He grinned. "Heh... finally a decent attack."
But the wound didn't make him back down.
On the contrary...
He became even more excited.
"More! More!" Gorath laughed wildly, his body starting to emit a black aura.
Darius and Vargas stepped back.
"What is this...?" Vargas muttered.
Ragnir narrowed his eyes. "He's evolving... we have to kill him now!"
Gorath looked at them all with increasingly red eyes.
"It's your turn to hunt."
"And I am the darkness that will consume you all."