SSS Ranked Beast Tamer: My EP increases with girls-Chapter 29: CH 0: Survive

[You are now currently undergoing your Punishment]

[On the north where the truck is headed, a total of 200 beasts approaches] novelbuddy.cσ๓

[All stats and abilities have been nulled, the user won’t be able to utilize any of them]

[How long can you survive till the end of all four stages of the punishment?]

[Survive and obtain a reward]

The message was cold, clinical. Dave’s heart skipped a beat. Panic clawed at his chest, but he fought to keep his composure. Two hundred beasts. The odds felt impossibly stacked against him now, and without his abilities, he was just like any other human, vulnerable, fragile. But hopefully, they get to use weapons and other sharp items to fight, so he should be able to deal with any beast that comes his way.

Before he could process the gravity of the notification, the truck suddenly lurched to a halt, the sudden motion throwing everyone forward in their seats. The abrupt stop caused a wave of confusion to ripple through the group. Everyone exchanged glances, eyebrows furrowing in unison.

"Are we there yet?" someone asked, voice tinged with uncertainty.

"But it’s only been five minutes since we started moving," another replied, disbelief thick in their tone. "Have we really arrived already?"

The chatter picked up, growing louder as more people offered their thoughts. "No, that doesn’t make sense," someone said, shaking their head. "TT Junction from the casino usually takes about half an hour by car. This doesn’t add up."

"Could it be that the truck is just fast?" one person suggested, but the words sounded more like an afterthought than a serious guess.

"I doubt that," came a skeptical voice. "There are too many potholes and roadblocks. This truck would need to be moving at some ridiculous speed to make it there in five minutes."

The speculations swirled around the cabin, everyone voicing their own theories, but none of them felt certain. The uncertainty hung in the air, thick and palpable.

Then, the door to the truck creaked open, and the sound of metal scraping against metal sliced through the murmurs. Gunther stood in the doorway, his usually calm demeanor replaced with one of urgent seriousness.

"Everyone out, we have a problem!" Gunther’s voice rang out, sharp and commanding, making the atmosphere inside the truck shift instantly. The usual murmurs of confusion turned into frantic movement as everyone jumped to their feet, scrambling to the door, their earlier chatter replaced with tense silence.

"What’s going on?" someone asked, pushing past Dave as they moved toward the exit.

"Is something wrong?" another voice called out, but no one had the answers yet. The truck was quiet except for the sound of shoed hitting the floor and the rustling of bodies eager to find out what had caused the sudden stop.

Dave’s heart raced, and his thoughts swirled in a storm of worry. What was going on? His mind screamed at him to be ready, but for what, exactly?

As the truck’s door swung open and the group piled out, the sight before them was enough to freeze everyone in their tracks. The landscape ahead was a chaotic and terrifying scene.

"Beasts!" someone cried out, their voice laced with panic, eyes wide as they took in the swarming mass of creatures in the distance. "There’s beasts

"And a whole lot of them," another voice added, trembling with disbelief, their gaze sweeping over the sheer number of beasts that were slowly making their way toward them.

The creatures were massive, hulking figures with glowing eyes and snarling teeth, their forms shifting in the distance like a dark, undulating tide. The air itself seemed to thrum with an electric tension, a kind of primal energy that sent shivers down everyone’s spine.

"How did this happen?" An older man, a member of Simbi’s group, asked, his brow furrowed as he placed his hand thoughtfully on his chin. His voice was steady, but there was a flicker of unease in his eyes. He scanned the horizon, trying to make sense of what was going on.

It was Chris who broke the silence, stepping forward with a furrowed brow. "It must be that there’s a mother crystal nearby," he said, his voice calm but carrying an edge of urgency. "That’s the only reason there would be so many of them. Or they might’ve been drawn by the sound of the truck. But... no, that doesn’t seem likely either."

A murmur of agreement rippled through the group as they turned to each other, their faces etched with uncertainty. The beasts weren’t charging at them; instead, they moved at a slow, deliberate pace, as if they were waiting for something, or perhaps, they simply didn’t feel threatened by the humans in front of them.

"What do we do then?" A young man, his eyes wide with fear, asked, glancing from Gunther to the others. His question hung in the air, unanswered for a long moment as everyone turned to look at the man in charge.

All eyes were now on Gunther, who stood in the front of the group, his mind racing. The beasts were still a distance away, but their presence was overwhelming. Despite the slow, almost methodical pace of the creatures, their numbers were enough to make anyone’s stomach churn. Gunther’s mind churned as well, trying to piece together a strategy.

The beasts, unlike any they had encountered before, seemed oddly calm, their movements almost synchronized. Their bodies, bulky and tortoise-like, were lumbering forward in unison, one after another, the monstrous mass of two hundred creatures stretching out as far as the eye could see.

Gunther noted the way they moved, slow but sure. Their movements were deliberate, not frantic. It was almost as if they knew the group couldn’t run. Or maybe they simply didn’t care. The way they bared their teeth as they moved made it clear: they weren’t afraid.

The group held its breath, watching the beasts inch closer with each passing second. The air felt thick, like a storm waiting to break. But still, the creatures didn’t charge. They weren’t rushing, not yet. They moved like a creeping tide, too slow to be effective right now, but still, their presence was enough to rattle anyone’s nerves.

Gunther’s mind worked quickly, trying to gauge the situation. The beasts weren’t moving fast, but they were closing in. The group’s options were limited, and everyone could feel the weight of that reality pressing down on them.

"Okay, guys, this is what we’ll do..." Gunther’s voice cut through the tension, strong and steady, rallying the group to focus. He stood tall, his eyes scanning the group as he made his decision.