n

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nMy body froze for a brief second while many things started to flash fast in my mind. I recalled what the old man warned me about, the group of traitors we met, and now this.

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"Dammit!

" The next instant my body moved on its own while trying to stop a disaster.

"Why the hell is someone like him here?!

" This was a question that I instantly got the answer to in the next moment. My mind didn't give me the answer, but the scared tone in Isabella's shaky voice.

n

"What's going on? Why is he heading towards that room?

"

n'Yes indeed,' I couldn't help but turn my head and take a fast glance at Isabella.

nArnold was the one I admired before thanks to his quick wits. However it seemed I read him wrong. He didn't volunteer to go up there out of nothing.

nThat high place secured him a safe spot away from monsters, but it also saved him from the trouble of meddling with us or dealing with the bright light here.

nHe was a traitor! Just like the group I met before the start of this quest. However a traitor being here, at this time and place seemed weird.

nUntil I heard her voice. Yes indeed he was here for her! There must have been a reason behind someone as powerful and resourceful as Isabella to not be mentioned in the historical records of my time.

nShe was killed! Targeted just early on when the stages of the apocalypse were still developing. In fact when I saw it this way, based on what the old man told me about her, it looked like this was the perfect timing to dispose of such a troublesome opponent in the future.

nHowever I didn't see this coming. Not even the thought crossed my mind. And that made me shaken from within. 'Even after coming here with all the knowledge, I still was tricked in such a way,' I honestly admitted the advantage of my enemy over me.

nI wasn't the only one here with knowledge, but I was the one limited by my power and resources. While I was struggling to survive and yet to acquire any stat, my enemy had legions of monsters and armies of traitors under his command.

nThe last words of the old man before he sent me here rang clearly in my head. His last unbelievable story about that enemy with the power to return in time seemed to be true.

nHowever I had to deal with that imminent threat right now. Or else everything I worked so hard to acquire would be puffed in thin air.

nI realized from a single glance what that traitor was trying to do. Traitors were humans in their cores, supported with systems and got their stats augmented before the real start of the apocalypse.

nThey had their own path to walk, unique quests solely crafted for them. I knew he wasn't a simple traitor to be sent to achieve such a mission.

nIt seemed my intervention came as a surprise to him, toppling up his plans. But he quickly adapted to my actions and saw the sole weakness here; that generator who supported the lights in the field.

nDespite being human, they were also subjected to the same weakness like monsters. After all, their bodies and souls got tainted by the dark energy of monsters, turning them into hybrid species that could evolve fast and cause trouble.

nBut that also meant he couldn't withstand too much of light. As I tried to run as fast as I could, I gazed up at the spot that damn bastard selected back then. He wasn't fooling around and it seemed he got his mind on that plan from the early moments of my intervention.

nThat small light tower was the closest one to that generator room. I was now delayed by almost half of the field away from him, with many hyenas standing between the two of us.

nHowever that wasn't the main problem here, my poor physical condition was. I couldn't outmatch him in speed even if I tried. He was supported already by the system and got his stats risen, not like myself.

nI had to stop him! Also I had to put into consideration what was going to happen if I failed.

nAnd frankly speaking, my odds of success were very low considering everything.

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"Listen up…

" I suddenly raised my voice while aiming towards the closest hyena to me,

"gather around in a small circle, take Isabella as the center and stay together no matter what.

"

nIf that damn traitor thought even for one second that his actions would end up killing all of us, I beg to differ.

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"Hye!

"

n'Stop screaming, I know what I'm doing!' Just as I moved directly towards the hyena, it was clear that I didn't aim to kill it.

nIt was futile to do so. Not only wasting my limited time on these useless monsters, but also a waste of my stamina.

nIsabella screamed in panic as if she saw me acting a bit suicidal here. She was partly right, but my suicidal act wasn't about directly confronting this berserk hyena right now. It was what was going to happen next.

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"Woosh!

"

nJust as I got closer to it, I felt danger from this monster. It was a pathetic monster considering my previous standards, but now it was a really terrifying one.

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"I'll borrow your help,

" I wasn't fazed as I slowly avoided its heavy head and bypassed its weak point at the neck. My aim from the start wasn't its weak spot, but its strong and violent moving back legs.

nAs I reached there, I embraced myself for the impact. However no matter how hard I readied myself, the pain I felt was really immense and severe.

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"Tuck!

"

nLike a cannonball, my body was thrown into the air by a simple touch from that monster's rear legs. I was thrown fast towards one direction, a direction that I desperately wanted to reach.

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"Hye!

" I faintly heard the screams of Isabella meddling with the intense pain from the hit and the fast air howling around my ears.

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"Bang!

"

nI fell like a dead rock on the side of that room. My body ached and I rolled for a couple of times before forcibly stopping myself.

nI still held my club while leaning on it like a cane to stand. I was lucky to land on the place I wanted, conscious despite all my pain and injuries.

nBut not that lucky after all.

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"Raor!

"

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"Roar!

"

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"Roar!

"

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"Dammit! He is even prepared for such a case,

" I gnashed my teeth while holding my club firmly with both hands. At this critical moment, there was no time to fool around this group of ten hyenas that guarded the front of the generator room.

nI needed to carve my way in that damned room by any means, no matter the price I would pay.

n