"Then what do you want?" Nox asked the monster, his voice cutting through the thick air of the tomb.
The creature's grotesque form shifted, eyes focusing on their group with predatory interest.
"What I want? Of course, it's a sacrifice."
A chill ran down everyone's spine. The word hung in the air like poison.
"I want that woman." The monster's gnarled finger pointed directly at Irene.
Irene's body went rigid. Blood drained from her face as the implications hit her. The monster continued speaking, its voice echoing off the glass floor.
"This place is a tomb of the Skin God. We want a sacrifice a human that is pure, a virgin maiden."
Irene's face turned crimson. The embarrassment was almost worse than the death sentence. She could feel everyone's eyes on her, studying her reaction, drawing their own conclusions.
"Huh, so she's a virgin, ha," someone muttered from the back of the group.
"Uhh, it's okay, Irene. We won't judge," Old Hans spoke up, trying to sound reassuring but only making things worse.
"Yes! Being a virgin means your standards are high. So cool, Irene."
Henry gave her an enthusiastic thumbs up, completely missing the room's tension.
"Shut up!" Irene exploded. "Now my virginity is not the point, is it?"
Everyone tensed up again, realizing they'd made a terrible situation even more awkward. The monster watched this exchange with what might have been amusement, if such a creature could feel amusement.
Nox glared at the monster, his jaw set. "And what if we refuse?"
"Well," the creature said, almost casually,
"I will have my minions kill you and take your corpse anyway. Oh, and don't think this is all we have. There are more than 100,000 of us as reinforcements."
Henry's face went pale.
"What? That's unfair! This isn't even an S-rank gate anymore. Even master-rank hunters would have trouble dealing with these sheer numbers."
The sky seemed to grow darker as the implications sank in. They weren't just outmatched they were drowning in an ocean of enemies.
"You guys, stay behind me," Nox suddenly said, his voice calm despite the chaos around them.
Without asking questions, everyone moved behind Nox's back. There was something in his tone that brooked no argument, a certainty that cut through their panic.
"We refuse," Nox shouted, his voice ringing with finality.
The monster looked genuinely taken aback. Its head tilted in confusion, as if it had never encountered such defiance before.
"May I ask why you would throw your life away for a woman?"
If she dies, I'll be killed, Nox thought, but he didn't say this. The system's requirements were his burden to bear alone.
"First, we hunters don't negotiate with monsters," Nox declared, stepping forward.
"And second, I can kill all of you here."
The monster went quiet for a moment, processing this bold claim. The silence stretched, heavy with tension and the weight of impossible odds.
"So I thought you were going to say something logical. You're just a madman, huh?" The creature's voice carried disappointment, as if it had expected better from a human.
"Kill them."
The command echoed through the tomb like thunder. Immediately, the monster horde began to advance rapidly toward them. The sound was overwhelming—thousands of claws scraping against stone, guttural laugh filling the air, the ground trembling under the weight of their charge.
"Henry, protect Irene and Old Hans," Nox commanded without turning around.
Henry nodded, drawing his bow and positioning himself in front of the two. His hands shook slightly, but his grip on his weapon remained firm.
The approaching horde was a nightmare made manifest. Creatures of every conceivable horror charged forward—some crawled on multiple legs, others bounded on powerful hind limbs, and still others flew overhead with leathery wings. Their eyes glowed with malevolent hunger, and their collective laugh was deafening.
Nox stood at the front of their small group, watching the tide of monsters approach. His companions expected him to draw his weapon, to prepare some grand strategy, to at least look concerned about the impossible odds they faced.
Instead, he cracked his knuckles.
"Let me solo them," he said quietly.