The first Vine Coyote pounced, heading for Alpha. Alicia saw it instantly and was about to head for it when a gunshot rang out. Emma Holt had moved. The bullet pierced through the creature’s left eye, causing it to fall to the ground and howl in pain. Normal bullets and guns wouldn’t work against an awakened monster, especially a C-Rank monster. Even the A-Ranks and S-Ranks could snuff out an atomic explosion with a sneeze, which meant that the weapon Emma used was a Ranked Weapon, weapons crafted from monsters and other materials to kill monsters, and in some cases, awakened. You fight poison with poison after all.

Two, seeing that Alicia was distracted, rushed with insane speed toward her, their jaws open wide, fangs out, and dripping with saliva. They were hungry, and she looked juicy. Alicia’s senses pricked painfully. She rolled across the ground as claws tore through the space where her head had been a moment earlier and slammed her claws into the side of the attacking coyote. The beast yelped and crashed into a nearby boulder. Before she could finish it, three more lunged at her.

"DAMMIT!"

On the other side of the battlefield, chaos erupted.

"THEY’RE TOO FAST!" Darren shouted. A vine-covered coyote burst out of the grass and slammed into Christian. The giant boy screamed as the monster’s jaws snapped shut on his right hand. Blood sprayed everywhere as Christian’s right hand disappeared.

"AARRRGHHHHHH!"

The severed limb flew through the air while Christian collapsed, clutching the bloody stump. The sight almost made Natalia faint. Emma fired.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Three bullets struck the coyote’s side, causing the creature to stagger but it didn’t fall. A C-Rank monster wasn’t dying that easily, despite the bullets being reinforced. Victor immediately appeared, his metallic fist smashing into the beast’s jaw.

BOOM!

The coyote rolled several meters before regaining its footing. Its growl deepened. Meanwhile, Peter wasn’t doing any better. One of the larger coyotes suddenly broke through Alicia’s defensive line. The monster crossed the battlefield in seconds and Peter... Peter only had enough time to widen his eyes.

SHHHHK!

The monster’s claws tore through his stomach, causing blood to explode outward. His spear dropped as his body froze. For a moment, everyone thought he was dead. Peter himself thought he was dead. That was how it appeared to be. His guts were spilling out. He was losing blood and life so fast. It would only take a miracle to save him. And that miracle happened.

Mana exploded from his body. A bright green light erupted around him. The wound stopped bleeding, and the torn flesh began reconnecting. His organs regenerated, his muscles reformed, while everyone, coyote and man, stared.

"He’s awakening!" Darren shouted.

Peter fell to his knees, his face pale. The awakening had saved his life, barely. He was still weak, terrified, and still surrounded by monsters. The battle only became more desperate.

Alicia was bleeding from several claw wounds, Victor had deep bite marks on one shoulder, and Emma was running low on specialized ammunition. Christian was rolling on the ground while screaming about his missing hand, while the coyotes continued attacking relentlessly and mercilessly.

One pounced toward Natalia, while another targeted Alpha. A third rushed Peter. The pack had realized the weaker prey were easier targets, and there were too many of them. Alicia began to feel despair.

Ten C-Rank monsters against two awakened students: It was too much. She was breaking down, when suddenly, the ground shook, causing everyone to freeze. A familiar voice echoed across the battlefield.

"You kids are disappointing."

The students turned and saw a large figure walking down the rocky slope behind them. Mr. Fatars. His expression was calm. The next second, he vanished, the earth exploding under his feet. One coyote barely had time to react before a hand grabbed its neck. Its neck snapped instantly and its body went limp.

The other coyotes immediately attacked, yet Mr. Fatars smiled. A second coyote lunged, but he caught it by the jaws. The monster struggled to flee but failed. Mr. Fatars still smiled and pulled, tearing the beast apart alive.

Blood rained across the battlefield as everyone stared in horror. Even the coyotes seemed shocked. Mr. Fatars casually tossed both halves aside and turned to the growling monsters. That was when everyone noticed that he had grown a few more feet, almost 7 feet tall.

"Come."

The surviving monsters obeyed, or rather did as he expected. Unfortunately for them, it was the last mistake they would ever make. The ground beneath them glowed brown as an enormous amount of mana surged through the terrain. Earth pillars erupted everywhere, while boulders larger than cars shot upward. Three coyotes were flattened instantly, another lost half its body, and a fifth was buried beneath tons of stone.

The battlefield transformed into a graveyard in an instant. The surviving monsters panicked, and that panic gave Alicia and Victor the opening they needed. Alicia pounced, her claws flashing wickedly, and a coyote’s throat opened.

The beast collapsed, but she didn’t spare it another look. She immediately turned, and a second coyote lost its head. Victor wasn’t idle either. His entire arm transformed into a giant metallic blade. He roared and swung, and the blade sliced cleanly through a wounded coyote’s torso. The beast split into two pieces.

The last surviving coyote looked around, seeing dead pack members and blood everywhere. The monster made the smartest decision of its life. It ran. But unfortunately for it, a boulder the size of a truck fell from above. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

The battlefield finally became quiet. There were no more growls, no more screams, well, except for Christian’s disgusting screams.

Mr. Fatars dusted his hands.

"Well." He looked toward Christian, the giant boy who was still crying.

"My hand!"

He turned to look at Peter, who was still glowing faintly from his awakening, then the others, terrified, covered in blood, and exhausted, and nodded.

"Good." Everyone stared at him.

"Good?!" Victor exploded.

"You’re all still alive," Mr. Fatars shrugged.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Congratulations."

Nobody felt congratulated.