Chapter 22: Monster Attack (1)

'Here we go...'

A pack of six menacing dogs awaited me, their eyes glinting with primal hunger. I slowly came out of the water, every fiber of my muscle tense with caution. If I were to wait in the water I would only be at a disadvantage once the dogs figured out that the water was harmless.

I moved forward, the cool water receding to my ankles, and assumed a poised stance, ready for the impending clash. The sun's rays danced upon the polished celestial bronze of my daggers, sending shards of light scattering across the scene. Observing the dogs' reluctance to enter the water, I resolved to exploit their hesitation with a bold strike, making the first move and catching them off guard.

I pressed my foot into the yielding sand and propelled myself toward the nearest dog. The improvement in my agility stat was showing itself off as I propelled forward swiftly. In a heartbeat, I was upon the beast, my dagger slicing through the air with lethal precision before it could even react.

My dagger sliced through the air with a whispering hiss, its sleek blade cleaving the silence. It found its mark in the neck of the snarling dog, severing the head from its body in a swift, fatal stroke.

The remaining dogs' growls deepened into a chorus of fury, each beast witnessing the death of one of their brothers at my hands. Now that I had used up my surprise attack card, I was left with five adversaries, their eyes burning with vengeance.

They lunged at me, jaws snapping, a whirlwind of fangs. I couldn't fend off their relentless assault all at once. I retreated, step by step, biding my time, scanning for the slightest hint of vulnerability to isolate one of them and kill it.

As they charged at me once more, one of the dogs surged ahead of the pack. I commanded the Earth to rise, and instantly, a rigid wall of sandstone sprang up between that one dog and the rest of the pack, isolating the lead dog from its brothers. These mere seconds of momentary separation were all I needed to finish it off.

I plunged my dagger towards the isolated dog, but it caught the blade in its powerful jaws. I struggled to wrench the blade free, but the beast's grip was persistent. The crack spreading across the sand wall served as a grim reminder of the incoming assault. Abandoning my dagger, I enveloped my shin in divine energy and delivered a fierce kick to the dog's chin. The force of the blow snapped its neck, ending its life in a brutal twist.

I reached for my dagger, still clenched in the lifeless dog's mouth, but the sand wall shattered under the relentless onslaught of the remaining pack. Exposed and vulnerable, I faced the fury of four dogs. One leaped at my head, and I instinctively raised my arm to block. Pain seared through me as its fangs sank deep into my forearm.

The pain shot through my arm, momentarily numbing my mind and knocking the breath from my lungs. Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to push through the burning pain. I saw the other three dogs lunging for my legs. If they succeeded in biting my legs, that would be the end of me. Getting pinned to the ground and lying down helplessly with four bloodthirsty dogs chewing on me wasn't something I wanted to experience.

Ignoring the stinging pain, I thrust my remaining dagger towards the dog that was clamped onto my forearm. The blade pierced its forehead with a sickening crunch, snuffing out the fiery glow in its eyes. It collapsed, lifeless, to the ground. My dagger remained embedded in its skull, so now I had lost both of my daggers.

'Oh... Great...'

Having dispatched the dog latched onto my forearm, I shifted my focus to the trio converging on my legs. But my reaction came too late, leaving me helpless as their jaws closed in, a dread-filled scene unfolding before my eyes. With each passing moment, the menacing gleam of their fangs drew nearer to my flesh. I braced myself, biting down on my tongue in anticipation of the inevitable surge of excruciating pain that would surely follow.

*Swoosh!*

*Spurt! Spurt! Spurt!*

However, to my surprise, before I could feel the pain, the dogs met their end as spikes of water pierced their skulls, extinguishing their lives before they could grasp what had befallen them. Their forms dissolved into liquid, carried away by the swiftly surging waves. I whipped my head around to locate the source of the water spike, though I already knew who did it.

There, amidst the swirling waves, stood a solitary figure of a girl, submerged up to her waist. She looked as if an ocean nymph, was completely soaked in water, with her black hair cascading down to just above her waist. Her clothing clung to her slender frame, revealing her tan skin beneath.

Succumbing to exhaustion, I surrendered to gravity, and let myself fall onto my butt. Eleanor, spurred by urgency, dashed towards me, her frenzied steps sending sprays of water in every direction. Some of the water splashes found their way to the wound on my forearm. The salty seawater ignited a burning sensation, exacerbating the already agonizing experience.

"Arghh!"

"Ahh..! I am so sorry!"

With an expression etched with worry, she sat beside me. Her gaze lingered upon my wound, examining it for a few seconds. She seemed nervous after seeing the wound was quite deep. Then, as though struck by a sudden idea, her face brightened up, suffused with a glimmer of hope and determination.

"Give me your hand!"

"Sure..."

I reached out my hand to her, and she clasped it, intertwining her fingers with mine. She shut her eyes tightly, channeling her inner strength and focusing intently on her divine energy.

As I glanced between our entwined hands and her concentrated expression, I could see a subtle furrow of her brows, her cherry lips gently pressing against one another. Then, after what felt like an eternity, she unveiled her eyes with the excitement of success.

"Yes! I did it!"

As I grappled to comprehend what she did, a sudden sensation of cold water coursed through my hand, against the warmth of her skin. In that instant, it dawned on me what she had done. With a mesmerizing display, the water drifted up gently toward my forearm before delicately pouring into the wound. Yet, unlike the expected sting of saltwater, a cool, soothing sensation enveloped me, relieving me from the pain. The bleeding ceased as the wound began visibly healing.

'She can pull this off at this point of the story...? She really is a monster.'

Children of Poseidon, other than having authority over water, possessed some kind of passive ability. This innate ability allowed them to harness the profound essence of water as the very essence of life. When in physical contact with a body of water, their combat prowess would get buffed considerably while also gaining extraordinary regenerative abilities.

It was quite OP, to be honest.

That's why I had carried Eleanor into the sea as soon as possible, to let her recover quickly. What was happening with my forearm was that she was using her regenerative abilities to heal my wound. She was able to connect our bodies and make the water flow through our joined hands, guiding the healing currents of water to mend my wound.

"Thank you... Would you mind?"

Snapping out of her daze, she realized her fingers were still intertwined with mine in a steadfast grip. With a swift release, she withdrew her hand, a faint blush tinting her cheeks as she averted her gaze in embarrassment. She mumbled softly, her words barely audible.

"It's nothing, really. Take it as a payment for carrying me to the sea..."

However, our small exchange was abruptly interrupted by a piercing scream that echoed across the shoreline, drawing our attention towards the distant spectacle unfolding before us, where Adriel engaged in a perilous battle against the monstrous humanoid.

Things weren't going in Adriel's favor at the moment. Adriel found himself in a dire situation as the colossal foe landed a devastating blow, shattering his ribs. Struggling to maintain his footing, Adriel faced an uphill battle against the relentless onslaught of the creature.

Eleanor and I rose to our feet and began running to aid Adriel in his struggle against the formidable colossal monster. However, while Eleanor and I were dealing with the horde of monstrous dogs, the boss monster had dragged Adriel and others further away from our reach. With each passing moment, Adriel's movements grew more labored, his strength waning against the overwhelming might of the giant.

Faced with the grim realization that our intervention would likely come too late, I turned to Amelia, shouting at her. Even if she were to stall the monster for a second, that would be enough.

"Amelia! Shoot an arrow! Now!"

"Hii..!"

She flinched at my shouting. Her fear was getting ahead of her. The sight of Adriel's quarrel, coupled with the agonized cries that echoed across the battlefield must have been too much for her mind. But right now I couldn't care less. In the heat of the turmoil, I didn't have any sympathy for her, instead, I was just annoyed at how useless she was.

'Tsk. It can't be helped then. I can't afford Aderiel's death at such an early stage.'

"Amelia! Get a grip on yourself! Don't just stand there! Adriel's life is on the line. If you want to save him, do something now! Or else that monster is gonna tear him apart!"

"I want to save him b-but... my hands won't stop trembling!"

The bow slipped out of her trembling hands, unable to retaliate the paralyzing fear. She desperately tried to pick up the bow but her body rejected her orders.

'Tsk. Of course it had to backfire in such a critical moment.'

My heart clenched in dread as I redirected my gaze towards Adriel, whose situation had worsened in the blink of an eye. With his agility compromised and his defenses breached, he bore the brunt of the monster's relentless assault. Helpless, he succumbed to the force of a brutal kick, his body sent tumbling across the sand until he lay unable to move.

As Adriel lay defenseless, the monstrous giant loomed over him, casting the shadow of its menacing silhouette over him. It raised its massive arms skyward, clasping its hands together. Every fiber of my being screamed in protest as the impending blow threatened to crush Adriel beneath its unfathomable strength, turning him into a mash of meat.

'Fuck! This is really bad!'