The clash of steel drew him deeper into the woods.
He moved like a shadow, weaving between trees until the clearing came into sight.
Five figures stood back-to-back, their breathing ragged, their clothes torn. A balanced party—two swordsmen, a shield-bearer, a healer, and a bow-user—yet the desperation in their eyes told the truth.
Around them circled three monsters, all level 29, their hulking frames bristling with muscle and scale. Their eyes glowed faintly red, not of natural beasts but something… enhanced.
The shield-bearer's guard shook as claws slammed into it, forcing him to his knees. The healer cried out, chanting a spell that sputtered from exhaustion. An arrow loosed wildly into the night, missing its mark.
He crouched in the shadows, observing.
Normally, this wasn't his problem.
But something about their struggle… their unity despite the odds… made him hesitate.
"They'll die without help," the gauntlets said flatly. "Why risk yourself? You've already bled enough."
"…Because I know what it feels like," he whispered.
The gauntlets gave a sharp laugh. "Ah, sentimentality. Dangerous. But fine. Let's dance."
He sprang forward.
The first monster lunged for the archer, but a sudden gauntlet-blade intercepted, sparks flying. With a twist, the blade shifted into a mace mid-swing, smashing into its jaw and staggering it back.
The party froze, wide-eyed, as the masked stranger moved like a storm.
The second beast charged; he ducked under its claws, morphing his weapon into a crossbow. A bolt of pure mana slammed into its shoulder, exploding on impact.
The third reared, preparing to maul the healer—but he was already there, tonfa-guard raised, flames coating the strike as he bashed its head aside.
Fifteen seconds. Three monsters reeling, disoriented.
The party leader—the shield-bearer—stared at him in disbelief. "W-Who are you…?"
He didn't answer. His focus was locked, every muscle taut, as the gauntlets whispered, "Five against three. Now it's even. Don't waste this chance."
The battle wasn't over. But hope, once flickering, now blazed anew.