"Where am I?" Ren thought, slightly out of focus.

The last memory he had was the overly crowded event's place of Comiket, and then there was Mikumin, she was trying to call him up on stage. Just by the thought of it makes him a little queasy.

"Mikumin!" Ren exclaimed as the thought dawned on him. He's supposed to be at TBS right now, in the middle of Mikumin's performance. But where is this place? Is this part of Mikumin's act? No, this is far too realistic.

"VR?" Ren tried to touch his face for any signs of a VR set but found none.

"Alright, I have to calm down and think this through." Ren thought to himself. He tried touching parts of his body, making sure that it's still there. Then he tried touching the grass around him and then the ground beneath him. "This looks pretty solid to be VR. But where exactly is this place?"

He started to look around, this time, making sure to take note of everything he sees. The sky looks pretty normal to him, blue and a few clumps of clouds rolling overhead. The stretch of grassland looks plain — no trees, no road, not even a hill, just a long stretch of grass. However, if Ren squint enough, he could make out an outline of mountains far north, or was it east?

And then he saw them — six figures moving not too far from him. Ren instinctively lowered down his gaze, a reflex he had whenever he's in the presence of other people. He can feel the panic creeping up at his chest — he's not alone. Suddenly he felt extremely conscious of himself.

"Get a grip of yourself!"

When he has mustered enough courage to look up, Ren had a better look at the strangers. They all appear to be around the same age as Ren, however, they don't look Japanese at all, plus, they wear weird clothes that looked rather outdated.

After a while, one of the kids attempted to initiate interaction on one of the bigger kids but was immediately answered by growls and shouts of anger, or at least that's how Ren heard it. And then...

"Translator level 1 acquired!"

Ren jumped at the sudden sound. No, it wasn't sound, it almost feels like a thought inside his head, except that its not his own. And then, for some reason, he started to understand what the other kid is saying now.

"Why does this situation feel awfully familiar?" Ren thought nervously while thinking about the games, anime and manga he has read.

"Welcome to Kairelith. Your new life begins here. Please accept the goddess Kaireth's blessing as a commemoration of your arrival."

With this, Ren can virtually hear all his hope crumbling away. What he heard only confirmed his suspicions, that this is no longer the usual Earth he knew — he's been transported to another world.

At the last word of the mysterious speaker, Ren suddenly felt a strange sensation going through his entire body. It faded just as quickly as it came.

"Decide your path. A second chance was given to you by the merciful goddess, use it wisely."

He's totally screwed. Living outside the four walls of his room is not Ren's strongest suit, much less surviving in an alien world.

As if on queue, several orbs of light appeared not too far from where the biggest kid is standing. The orbs just hovered there for a moment and then, all of a sudden, each one popped and came a person. Soon enough they are surrounded by an army — a mix of men and women clad in full medieval armour.

"This is where we detected the sudden convergence of magic, sir." A woman from the group said.

A burly man started to make his way towards Ren and the others, "This place is under the jurisdiction of the Froviel Empire." Barked the man, one hand against his sword. "Explain yourselves! Who are you? Where did you come from? Are you spies from another country?" The man pressed on. By the looks of him, he seems to be the one in charge of this battalion.

"This is starting to sound like a regular RPG." Ren thought ridiculously.

"Well? Are you?" The huge man repeated.

Ren decided to leave the interaction to the other kids, and see how things will play out. Anyways, it's not like he'll be able to speak with this many people around him.

Sam was working on Greed and Wrath, the two had been damaged while practicing a new skit. Absentmindedly, he noted to use less gunpowder in the pyrotechnics, unconsciously making Greed make an angry face.

"Don't give me that look!" he admonished the puppet, "I had to build you both a new pair of legs after that!"

"Worth it!" he made the puppet say, "Wait... why's everything going fuzzy?"

Sam quickly grabbed onto Wrath and Greed as he seemed to lurch out of reality. It looked like the time he forgot to open the window while gluing a puppet together. It was a kaleidoscope of stimuli, with visual tastes and audible smells, before he appeared in a random field. As he landed, he grabbed onto Wrath and Greed to make sure they weren't damaged.

Skill Golemancy level 1 acquired.

"Well that was definitely weird. How are you doing Wrath?" Greed spoke, surprising Sam, as he hadn't made the puppet talk. Even more surprising was when Wrath moved on his own and threw up sawdust.

"That was almost as bad as your last sketch..." the Cat puppet said, "Wait... how are we alive?"

"That's what I want to know!" Sam exclaimed. The three were too busy freaking out to notice anything else going on until they became surrounded by soldiers in medieval armour. Greed immediately raised his hands and yelled: "WE SUURENDER!!!" Causing Sam and Wrath to facepalm.

---

Cheers and laughter filled the command tent. Despite her contributions, Zhao had not expected to be dining at her father's table among all the army commanders and generals. She had proven herself instrumental in defeating the Imperial Army, recruiting soldiers from villagers along the way and leading raids on their caravans and camps ahead of the rebels. When the two forces clashed, the Imperials broke rank and retreated after a single day of battle. She felt so honored by the recognition that she found it difficult to hide a smile. Even the stoic generals and retainers had a more relaxed expression, while many of the others wore merry grins and boasted about the greatness of the rebel army and Li Yuan, her father, the future Emperor of China.

Shimin, her older brother, rose his cup and began toasting to their recent victory, when Zhao heard a rustling behind her. She turned, catching a glimpse of an arrow tip through the fleshly torn slit in the wall of the tent. Her hand grabbed the sword resting beside her. "Assas-" The words barely had time to escape her mouth as she leaped to her feet to meet the assassin.

The last thing she remembered were shouts and screams, and the pale face of her brother, Shimin, as she looked down at the arrow buried in her chest.

---

Zhao awoke under a bright blue sky. She blinked and shook her head, feeling groggy as if she had slept for hours. Sitting up, she noticed the rolling green plains stretching out from her in every direction. Memories flooded into her, fresh and visceral. Immediately her hand moved to her chest. There was no arrow, no blood, nothing. She looked down at her clothes in disbelief.

"But I died..." She mumbled quietly as she looked back at the sky. "Have I ascended to heaven?"

Movement to her side caught her attention, and she quickly turned. There were several other people around her as well. All of them wore strange garb and many appeared to be foreigners. A few of them were having a heated discussion that Zhao didn't understand.

"Translator level 1 acquired!"

A smooth, sibilant voice chimed in her head.

"Welcome to Kairelith. Your new life begins here. Please accept the goddess Kaireth's blessing as a commemoration of your arrival."

"Goddess... Is this really heaven then?"

"Decide your path. A second chance was given to you by the merciful goddess, use it wisely."

Before she could even process what was happening, dozens of armor-clad warriors appeared in a rapid procession of flashing lights. One after another they materialized around her, quickly forming ranks into a small army. What she assumed was their leader marched down the hillside towards them.

"This place is under the jurisdiction of the Froviel Empire." Barked the man, one hand against his sword. "Explain yourselves! Who are you? Where did you come from? Are you spies from another country?"

Froviel Empire? She strained to recall any such place existing in China. Zhao had memorized many maps while serving in her father's army, and was well-acquainted with the neighboring territories as well, but this was new. Whatever the case, she was being stared down by a battalion of imposing soldiers and being barked at, yet again, by someone with an ounce of authority. She thought for a moment, unsure of what to say, or what the others would do, but she did remember the Goddess's blessing. She had never heard of Kaireth before, but surely anyone would yield to a messenger of Heaven. It was a gamble for sure, but it was all she had. There was no way she could escape that army.

She drew herself up, holding herself with the same poise and confidence she carried into the battlefield. "Spies? Are the people of Froviel so ill-mannered that they would disrespect an envoy of the Goddess? Only a fool would invite the wrath of Heaven." Zhao spoke calmly, but firmly, pretending to be annoyed at the leader's questions. "We have questions as well, so for the sake of your men and their families, I urge you to stand down."

"Charisma Level 1 acquired"

Erika twisted herself to her side, supporting herself with her arm as she hacked out... air? She took deep breaths and clutched at her chest. No... water? She was on land. Her lungs didn't burn with saltwater anymore nor did the smell of the ocean linger around her. In a dazed moment, she sat down and surveyed the area and she didn't even properly register anything that she saw. All she knew is that there were green as far as the eye could see.

She didn't remember landing anywhere.

"Mom? Dad?"

She called out but when she looked around again, they weren't there. In fact, there were only a few others with her and no one else... and she doesn't remember anyone wearing such ancient fashion. Most of them looked foreign too. Some of then spoke but she couldn't understand them.

"Translater level 1 acquired!"

The voice struck through her head and she looked around, wondering who said it. Suddenly, what the others were talking about made sense...

Wait a minute...

"Welcome to Kairelith. Your new life begins here. Please accept the goddess Kaireth's blessing as a commemoration of your arrival."

Kairelith? Erika stood up, dusting herself off. Is this what this place was called? A new planet of some sort? She could remember watching a few shows that seemed eerily like this - when you died, you were transported to another world... or something like that. Could it be that it was real? That it could happen?

It felt so surreal, but here she was. She remembered drowning in the malfunctioning plane, which had torn in the middle of its flight. It must have been a premeditated attack but that was behind her now. She wasn't there anymore.

She felt a rush inside her body and it dissipated. She looked down at her hand, wondering what that was. Could that be this Kaireth's blessing? Guess it was up to her to find out what that meant.

"Decide your path. A second chance was given to you by the merciful goddess, use it wisely."

So it was death and this was a new world she was sent to. Erika absentmindedly looked towards the others. Could they have been subjected to the same thing? Did all of them die at some point and were returned to this place? That seemed to be the only explanation as to why they were all together and-

Several orbs of light floated towards then and she narrowed her eyes. Then they popped and suddenly more and more people came. People clad in armor. An army was surrounding them and from the man's tone of voice, it looked like they were in deep trouble. He spoke about the Froviel Empire. So that's what this place is called. He accused them of being spies but that was the furthest thing from the truth right now. She was pretty sure that all of them were confused teenagers that popped out of nowhere thanks to this goddess. To the side, there was this man and two companions who were speaking and one of them surrendered.

However, someone else drew up. She exuded such confidence that it felt like this wasn't the first time she had gone face to face with such an adversary. She spun a story of them being an envoy of the goddess - ah, was she using this Kaireth goddess to her advantage? Certainly, it was the only solid piece of information that they had aside from the names of the locations. She fixed her posture and her expression - from confusion to wariness. She eyed the other soldiers who surrounded them for any sudden movements as she drew closer to the woman, just so she was within proximity if she ever needed help.

Erika certainly hasn't fought before but hey, she could throw a few punches and maybe that wouldn't help but for some reason, she felt... lighter and more confident in such abilities than before. Maybe, just maybe, those stories were right and she was gifted some skill in fighting.

She waited to see if the situation would turn to their favor. Questions, Erika had plenty of them.

Some women among the new crowd muttered under their breaths and made a couple of complex gestures at the mention of the deity. It seems like the goddess is revered highly in this world and not just an occult figure. Ren decided to make a mental note to find more information about the goddess if they get through this mess alive.

The first girl seems to exude herself with great confidence. Ren felt relieved that at least someone from their group can handle the situation. If it were him, they would probably end up in a dark dungeon somewhere.

"But if they really mean harm, they could have rounded us up right off the bat. We're all just kids after all." Ren thought weighing their chances, "If only there's a way to convince them that we're not here to cause any trouble."

"Be that as it may," The armoured man started to say, "we cannot allow you to walk around without proper clearance. I'm afraid we have to ask you to come with us for further questioning."

Whatever sense of relief Ren felt earlier has vanished just as quickly. His extensive gaming knowledge tells him that multiple things that can go wrong with this recent development. Besides, they don't know exactly if these people can be trusted, they might be dressed like regal knights now, but, they could very well be bandits wanting to take advantage of kids like them, or worst, they could be slave traders looking for new slaves to sell. "I have to calm down! I have to think of something, and fast!"

And then suddenly, there was a huge blast coming from the farthest flank of the newcomers. Soon enough everything is in chaos — people shouting directions, some screams of pain, more explosions, and what sounded like wolves howling.

"Just what the hell is happening!?" Shouted the armoured man.

"Sir! A pack of Kobolds has appeared! It's an ambush!" A young man came up to his commander, panting, and panic-stricken.

The huge man turned to us, his face enraged, "You!? Do you have anything to do with this!?"

And then, Ren saw them. Their head looks very wolf-like — long snouts with menacing set of sharp teeth. From neck down, they very much resemble that of a human body, except they are covered in fur, and in exchange of hands and feet are paws with sharp claws. They also have furry tails, but some had theirs cut down in half. Some Kobolds wear beaten down armour made of wood, but most of them are in their bare fur.

"Oyy this is worst than slave traders!?" Ren thought ridiculously.

"Appraisal Level 1 acquired! Would you like to use Appraisal skill now?"

Ren almost jumped off from where he's currently standing, surprised at the sudden interruption of his thoughts.

"Man, is this going to be a frequent thing?" Ren thought towards the voice inside his head, annoyed. "It mentioned some Appraisal Skill. Wait, you don't mean..."

"Appraisal skill activated!"

Suddenly an almost translucent panel appear beside one of the monsters. It reads:



"Of course, they have stats!?" Ren thought in disbelief.

Considering these numbers, these monsters are pretty low levelled. But still, what would a shut-in nerd like him know about fighting? The only physical work he knew is walking to and from the convenient store or doing household chores.

"Would you like to use Appraisal Skill to your self?"

"Well, this is interesting." Ren thought mockingly. "But I doubt my stats are any good though. Whatever, sure use it, whoever you talking inside my head."

"Appraisal skill activated!"

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS INSANE STATS!!?" Ren said a little too loudly.

This snapped him back to reality and became more aware of his surroundings. Most of the Kobolds are now fighting the newcomers — swords, claws, and teeth actively hacking at each other. He might have seen several streaks of light speeding in and out of his peripheral vision and also some blood, but he's still a little out of focus to pay attention. This new information presenting itself to him is just too overwhelming to process.

He can't even tell what is real anymore. If he's dreaming, this is the best time to wake up. Ren pinched himself one more time to make sure. "Damn that hurts!"

"We'll have to deal with this pack somehow before reinforcements arrive!" The armoured man turned to his men, all the while drawing his sword. He raised it at arm's length — the sword glistened against the sun that it's almost blinding. "We need to regroup! Form a perimeter! Don't let anyone get separated or fight alone, that's what these damn bastards want you to do!"

"Yes, sir!" The group replied to his command, and then, bit by bit, the Knights efficiently regroup themselves to form a circle around Ren and the others.

The commander turned towards us, "You better have a good explanation to all of this once we get to the encampment."

Darkness, heavy and suffocating, crawling down her throat and emptying out her lungs. She sucked in a breath, only to hack out more phlegm, her eyes squeezed shut from the stinging sweat. What comfort a damp cloth offered was meaningless; the maid’s platitudes fell upon deaf ears, and the chanting of the priest did nothing for her either. What she would give for relief. What she would give to be normal. What she would give for a cup of water.

She burned, even as she shuddered, arms ineffectually wrapping around herself. Silk sheets clung to her body, translucent from the secretions from her skin. Rancid odors, of medicine and her own filth, seeped into her wrinkled nose and colored her fragmenting imagination. She felt like she was dying. She knew she was dying.

She was dead.

And in that moment of mortal clarity, she opened her eyes and found herself elsewhere.

The fever had broken, and her throat was no longer dry. The sweat that stung her eyes had disappeared, and her silken clothing no longer clung to her. Around her, strange individuals stood, the movement of their mouths not matching the words they spoke. It was unnerving, seeing blue-eyed, pale-skinned men speaking her own language, but it became more unnerving when a voice resounded within her mind. A new life? Kairelith? A second chance?

It wasn’t Heaven then, which she had found herself in. Like so many, she failed to escape the cycle of death and rebirth, condemned once more to live out what years she had in this depraved world.

The lady looked at her hands, as unmarked as always, before blinking. A red, braided cord was wrapped around her forearm, forming eight loops. Faith in man’s progress worked inversely to faith in superstition, didn’t it? She brought it to her face, breathing in the scent of incense as she smiled bitterly. Reborn not as a baby bereft of memories, but rather as herself, granted the freedom she dreamed of. Her gaze settled onto the others once more. A circus performer, a grimy peasant-child, a freckled white devil-

Light burst around her, steel-bound warriors of both genders surrounding her. A reception fitting of the eldest daughter of Geng. She paid them no mind as she took in her first companions.

-an unfreckled white devil, a strangely pale and pathetic-looking islander, and a woman who exuded a sense of privilege similar to herself. No, not just that. A woman who could speak up with authority too, judging by the way she addressed their reception. Good. It would be a waste of breath to speak to such a motley crew either. Accusations of espionage, really? That was grounds of twenty lashes, back in her first life. And threatening them at sword point too…this withered man seemed to be inviting death!

She furrowed her brow.

Threatened, unarmed, and outnumbered as she was, and yet, she failed to feel any sense of urgency or danger? And this sensation only persisted, when from behind them, the sounds of battle and the howling of wolves rang out, evil spirits surging out with a hunger for the living. They were dogmen, bearing scythe-like claws that competed with the ringing steel of the knights, while the madman levied further insults towards them, his words like water scattered against stone. Incoherent and without value, the last words of a headless chicken. The man’s time will come. Not now, but soon.

She turned instead, towards the crashing tides of evil spirits. This was a battle, wasn’t it? This was the precursor of a war. Blood was being shed, and the grassy field would be drenched red. This was the world outside her estate, the world that her desire for freedom granted.

This…this was a chance.

The evil spirits, the armored men, all looked so slow. And she had her own strange enlightenment too, when she had first touched the cord coiled around her arm. The most curious of thoughts, the most novel of ideas.

The lady stepped past the perimeter as she unwrapped the red cord. It was five feet in length, trailing against the ground. The dead man shouted words, but she didn’t acknowledge them when she turned her mahogany gaze upon him. A small, secretive smile formed.

“Don’t blink, lest you miss the misery of their deaths.”

Air cracked, and an instant later, the kobold that leapt for her back had its head snapped off by an unseen force. Three more lunged from the mob, three more cracks sounded, and three more heads were sent skywards, droplets of blood scattering like autumn leaves on the eve of winter. She looked at her hand, gripping onto the cord.

A flick of the wrist, and the cord cracked out at supersonic speeds, striking the dogmen with a preternatural force that popped their heads right off.

That most curious of thoughts was correct, wasn’t it?

I can kill with this.

And, striding with the grace and poise of a lady on a walk through her betrothed’s garden, she continued her path deeper into the monstrous hordes, heralded by the crackling of air and accompanied by the percussion of heads striking the ground.

On that battlefield, a bloody butterfly floated, her ten-foot domain promising a peaceful demise to all who encroached upon it.

All Weapon Mastery, activated.

Milo Thomas

The first thing Milo felt upon waking up was surprise that he was waking up at all. The last thing he remembered was lying in bed, coughing and barely able to breathe, with his parents by his side while the doctor announced that there wasn't anything more he could do. Milo was dying, and nothing could stop that now. His parents had spent their last few pounds hoping for a miracle, but it wouldn't come. The doctor showed himself out while the grieving parents knelt at the side of their dying son. Milo remembered the kind, careworn face of his father, always so strong, now breaking down into tears as he gripped Milo's hand tightly, as if his strength could anchor Milo's soul in his body and keep him alive. He remembered his mother, her rough, calloused hand stroking his hair gently as she sang him to sleep. Milo couldn't remember if he ever did fall asleep or if he just kept coughing and hacking until his lungs finally gave up.

But, strangely enough, Milo was alive. Maybe his parents had received their miracle. Milo was alive, and his lungs felt as strong as they had ever been, not clogged with soot like they had been when the doctor had seen him. "Mother," he began as he opened his eyes.

The sentence died in his throat as he realized that this certainly wasn't his home, and his parents certainly weren't with him. It was at that moment that Milo understood that he most certainly had died. But then, was this Heaven? He pulled himself to his feet to see a broad field extending in all directions as far as his eyes could see (which wasn't very far for someone who was barely four feet tall). It was pretty enough, and it looked cleaner than London. The air had an odd scent to it, which Milo assumed was what clean smelled like, but he couldn't be sure as he had never before experienced it. If this was indeed Heaven, it didn't look anything like what the priests at church had talked about with mansions and streets of gold and pearly gates. But it certainly wasn't Hell with fire and brimstone and tortured souls everywhere. Purgatory, then? He couldn't remember any clear descriptions or explanations of what Purgatory was like. But this didn't match the descriptions of Heaven or Hell, but he was absolutely certain that he was dead, so this must be some sort of Purgatory, or the priests and bishops at the church didn't know what they were talking about.

As his mind tried to process this, he looked down at his body, surprised to find out that it was clean. He still looked emaciated, which made him immediately feel hungry, but all the filth that had covered his skin was gone, revealing skin that had become nearly transparent so that every vein in his body could clearly be seen. He ran a hand through the tangled hair on his head, surprised to find that no soot came off on his hand, or any fleas or lice that had once called his scalp home. Whatever process had brought him to this place, it seems that only his body and clothes had made the journey, and the filth and beasties that he had carried with him back in London had been left behind. Oddly enough, he did not regret their loss. In fact, the feeling of being truly and completely clean was so novel to him that he almost jumped for joy because of it.

That emotion was quelled quickly when a second survey of his surroundings informed him that he was not alone. Six other people (and two puppets?) were in the field with him. They were all bigger, older, and stronger looking than him, and Milo suddenly felt very afraid. The other people hadn't seemed to notice him yet, and that was good, but he didn't want to take any chances of that changing, and so he crouched low in the grass, barely keeping his head high enough to observe the others while they hopefully continued to not observe him.

He watched as one of the men approached another and the other began speaking in gibberish, or at least it was gibberish to Milo for all he understood of it until suddenly,

"Translator Level 1 acquired!"

Milo wasn't sure what had happened, but suddenly he could understand what the other person was saying. Feeling guilty for eavesdropping, Milo shifted his focus away from what the other man was saying to contemplate the more immediate problem: Where is he and what is going on?

"Welcome to Kairelith. Your new life begins here. Please accept the goddess Kaireth's blessing as a commemoration of your arrival."

Well, that answered one of those questions, but it also made a thousand more come to life in his brain. He also felt a strange, indescribable sensation wash over him for an instant, but when it was past he could tell that somehow, something about him was now different. He wasn't entirely sure what was different, just that something was no longer the same as it had been before the strange voice began speaking to him.

"Decide your path. A second chance was given to you by the merciful goddess, use it wisely."

"If that voice speaks to me again, I'm going to have to give it a name," Milo thought as he looked across the field once more. There were no paths anywhere that he could see from his still crouched position, and he didn't remember seeing any when he had been at his full, unimpressive four feet either. In fact, everything had looked basically the same in every direction: green grass and blue sky extending to the horizon. If the field was truly so vast, there would be no way that he could just strike out in a random direction and have even a prayer of getting anywhere before collapsing from exhaustion and starvation. Some second chance this was: dropped into the middle of a field with nothing but the clothes on his back. It seemed more like a death sentence, and he had already died once. Why had he been brought here if only to die again?

This was as far as Milo's thought process went before things happened to disrupt those thoughts. Several orbs of light suddenly appeared in the sky and popped, turning into men and women clad in strange armor that reminded Milo of what he had heard about knights in the Middle Ages, though he had never personally seen such knights or the armor they wore. But Jack, a street urchin who had been a friend of Milo's, claimed to have once sneaked into Buckingham Palace and seen such suits of armor lining the halls. Milo had never really believed the story, but the suits of armor that Jack described did look similar to the ones he was seeing on these soldiers now. That, however, was completely irrelevant to the situation at hand. What was relevant was the fact that these soldiers suddenly surrounded Milo and the other people that had appeared here. Milo's flight instinct immediately kicked in, and he looked at the soldiers, looking for any gap in the line that he might be able to slip through, hoping that his small size and obviously frail build would cause him to be overlooked, especially as one of the soldiers accused them of being spies. Milo knew what happened to spies, and he had no desire to be hanged, especially for a crime he hadn't committed.

Just then, one of the women in Milo's group stepped forward to try to diffuse the situation, dropping the name of Kaireth - the same name that voice in Milo's head had mentioned - presumably in an attempt to gain favor with these soldiers. This didn't have quite the effect that Milo would have liked, but being taken for further questioning was better than being assumed to be spies and hanged, though Milo was still trying to be invisible and looking for gaps that he might be able to slip through and thus avoid either being assumed to be a spy and hanged or being taken for further questioning (which might still end in him being hanged if his answers (of which he had none) proved unsatisfactory). But even if he did manage to escape from these people, what would he be able to do on his own? He would be right back at square one being lost in a vast field with no hope of getting anywhere before collapsing from exhaustion and/or starvation, and then he would die. Again.

These musings were cut short as an explosion struck one flank of the soldiers and pandemonium ensued. Apparently, they were being ambushed by kobolds, whatever those were, and the leader of the soldiers apparently assumed that Milo and the others were somehow responsible for this. Then Milo saw the kobolds, and he had a decision to make: did he want to take his chances with the kobolds on his own, or did he want to take his chances with these soldiers, the leader of which seemed to assume that he and these other strangers were the source of all evil in this world. Milo quickly decided that being hanged unjustly was a better alternative than being torn apart (and likely eaten) by wolf monsters, and so moved a bit closer to the other strangers as the soldiers closed ranks around the group.

Sam looked around as he realized there were other people like him there. Well... like him was a stretch, but they weren't soldiers at least. There were three Aisans and three Europeans, at least he assumed so, but without them speaking he really didn't have a basis to know their nationality. One of the Aisan women moved forward and begun to talk in an old style... was she a real version of Pride? He wasn't sure he'd remake the melodramatic bird if he had a living twin. There was only so much Shakespeare he could stomach. From the reply from the commander, it seemed like they were just following their equivalent of police procedure. I mean, if someone suddenly appeared out of thin air the police back home would do the same thing.

His musings were interrupted by the explosion, and the swarm of the dog-lizard creatures, (Kobolds, the soldiers called them) attacked. Sam and Wrath retreated back, but Greed had other ideas.

In the moment that the dog creatures attacked, Greed launched into his own maneuver. Moving quickly into the throng of disorganised soldiers to steal money from them. Ducking and weaving, he was focused on his goal of obtaining money. Under his breath you could hear him muttering; "More money means more bombs, more money means more bombs..."

Wrath would normallly have been reprimanding his fellow puppet, but the cat and his creator were currently occupied with the onslaught of kobolds. He had gotten out his Idiot Stick amd was clubbing any Kobold who got past the soldiers. Imagine the puppet's surprise when the hits managed to actually cave in their skulls. Usually in their sketches it just gave Greed a headache.

"Huh..." he remarked, "Either these Kobolds are really weak or I was right when I said that Greed was thick skulled..."

Sam himself was trying to dodge the attacks which seemed insanely easy. It was like they were moving in slow motion or something. Though them not being able to hit him meant nothing if he couldn't fight back. Weirdly since he got here he felt this strange sensation, like he had ice in his veins. It was odd, like the feeling of a cool drink on a hot summers day. As he was focusing on it, he held his hand out as a phrase leaped into his mind.

"Ray of Frost!"

A beam of ice shot from his hand, hitting a kobold and causing it to seize up as it near instantly froze to death. Sam looked at his hand, frost still covered his fingers but it felt strangely warm to him.

"I have ice powers?" he said, lips curling into his Puppeteer grin, "I can definitely work with this..."

---

The explosion and ensuing shouts caught Zhao off guard. It seemed like the situation was getting worse by the second. At the mention of "kobold", her brow pinched together with confusion. "What is a kobold?" She wondered. Her eyes followed the source of the commotion. Small, beastly creatures fell upon the armored warriors one after another. She squinted to make out the details, but instead she felt her eyes relax, feeling a little warmer.

"Mystic Eyes Level 1 acquired."

Despite the several meters of distance between her and the front line, she could see everything in vivid detail as if she were standing next to them. Between the gaps in the soldier's ranks, she could see furry demons snarling, biting, and clawing their way through the soldiers. Their fur was matted and unkempt, and their armor was the shoddiest woodwork she had ever seen, but their small beady eyes were the color of molten iron. A sinister intelligence gleamed through.

The commander barked at her again, and Zhao wrinkled her nose with derision. It wasn't an act. Being falsely accused for everything little thing was tiresome enough, but her patience was running thin. Before she give a pithy reply, one of the girls nearby sprinted towards the sound of battle. She stared in awe as the girl beheaded a dozen monsters with only a decorative rope cord. "Unbelievable... Is that the power of the Goddess?" One of the foreign boys too joined the fray, walloping and freezing any of the creatures that broke through the formation.

She balled her fist and blinked hard. It took all of her self-control to not get carried away by the moment. She had heard of Taoist sorcery before, but until now believed it was only a myth. With how powerful they were, she wondered what blessing the Goddess Kaireth had given her. She had so many questions, each incessantly nagging at her for attention, but still Zhao remained calm.

She noticed the youngest among them, a small boy (@Sedjwick), retreating closer to her. His skin was a pale as white jade, but she recognized the tension in his face all too well. It was fear. Caught between a bevy of armed warriors and a raiding party of monsters, she would be scared too, if she wasn't still in the throes of shock. Seeing him reminded her of her younger brother, Li Huang. Her chest tightened. She crossed the distance between them, and knelt down to put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "The battlefield must be a scary place for a child." She said quietly, her expression softening. "Don't worry. I won't let them harm you."

Despite desperately wanting to prove that rude commander wrong, and prove her intentions by jumping into the fray, but she couldn't bring herself to leave the boy's side. Besides, the others seemed to be efficiently handling the raiders. She stared critically at the old knight. "As I said, we're not spies and we're not your enemy. We were sent here by the Goddess. Or is seeing Heaven's envoys in action, still not enough for you?"

An explosion. An ambush.

Erika stiffened and quickly turned to the source. Someone had reported that there was a pack of kobolds that had ambushed them. It looks like the soldiers are easy pickings for the kobolds. Right, it looked like they would have to fight. But in the end, could she really do something about it? She looked around for a weapon - any weapon. She didn't have anything on her right now, none of her things seems to have been brought with her aside from her clothes. And even if they did, she wasn't exactly carrying a sword to fend someone off with. Ah, that would have been nice though.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS INSANE STATS!!?"

Stats? So this was how it is. This was like a game of some sort? For a moment, she wondered if she could take a look at these stats herself but that was quickly dashed by the fact that there was an incoming threat and, unfortunately, there was no pause button to check one's stats.

It was then that one of the women had charged into the thick of the battle and beheaded kobolds with nothing but a red cord. Ah, that was so cool. Then the person with the two companions let out a yell of his attack and instantly froze one of the kobolds. A mage? That was definitely a mage. These were all the strangers that had woken up with her so... it could be possible that she had her own niche. Now it was a matter of how to figure it out.

The army was scrambling to form up with their captain and Erika approached one of the people. While the woman seems to have everything under control, Erika still wanted to give aid. So she asked for any weapon the man could spare. With a sneer, he threw her a small dagger. Wow. Rude. She took a couple of steps back and unsheathed it. It definitely wasn't anything special but at least it wasn't dull. She turned to the wolf-like monsters and sped toward them.

If there was anything she learned from all the action movies she's seen, the neck is the weakest point.

There was a kobold and, with pure instinct, she slashed against its throat. It collapsed without resistance.

"Dagger Mastery Level 1 acquired!"

The voice in her head jingled. Well, it looks like she found her first weapon in this little game-like world. It seems like instinct was the only thing driving her as she stepped aside to dodge a kobold's attack and drove the dagger into its head. With the powerful and quick strike, the kobold went limp. She let out a breath as she moved on to her next target.

The fight is turning out for the worst, although the Knight's party has a decent number of people, the Kobold pack is much greater — an easy five is to one. Most of the Knight's party members are now severely wounded and some remaining ones who can fight are really struggling.

"This is bad." Ren thought worriedly.

The Kobold pack is closing in on them. The perimeter is failing and they only have Ojisan (referring to the old Knight) as their last line of defence.

"Damn these mutts!" The Knight's leader swore under his breath.

For someone who looks old, the man sure moves rather nimbly. He hacks and slashes at monsters with such precision and force that Ren can't help but stare in awe.

But this was cut short as more curses ensued from the Knight's mouth as more monsters break into their formation. "Hold the lines!!"

To Ren's surprise, some of the other kids decided to join in the fight too. He heard loud whipping cracks as one of the girls from his group started to take down wolf after wolf using some kind of a rope. Another kid started to freeze Kobolds on their tracks, literally turning them into ice.

"They can use magic!?" Ren thought incredulously.

Although despite their combined efforts, there are still way too many monsters around.

From his peripheral vision, Ren saw a wolf creeping up towards the girl who fights with a dagger (@Polaris North). The wolf inching his way from the back, bloodied claws at the ready.

Ren knew there's no time to hesitate. "But what should I do?" he thought in panic.

Then he saw a discarded bow and quiver on the ground, probably used by one of the wounded knights. Ren picked it up, and then, suddenly felt a tingling sensation in his fingers.

"Bow Mastery level 1 acquired!"

Although he's never held a bow in his life before, Ren handled the thing rather deftly. The wooden bow felt light, and the grip was right like it was made just for him. Was this because of the skill he just acquired?

He took an arrow from the quiver, loaded it into the bow, and then pulled. He aimed for a few seconds, and when he's certain, he let go of the string. With a loud 'ffwwiish', the arrowed sailed through the air with so much force it created wind pressure that knocked Ren down.

Within a heartbeat, the arrow found its target. It pierced right through the first Kobold's head, and then flying further to get two more Kobolds behind it, all disintegrating the wolf-like creatures upon impact.

Ren was left astounded, his mouth agape looking at the destruction he just created. He can't believe he did that.

Then he remembered the girl, "A-are you o-okay?" Ren stammered, realizing that this is his first actual conversation with a person, much less a girl.



More than half of the 3rd battalion has fallen. They knew Kobolds attack in groups but they've never seen this many before in one place. Also, they seem to be a little aggressive than usual.

"Something's not right." Said one of the remaining Knights as he slashed through one of the wolf-like creatures.

"There's just no end to them!" Exclaimed one woman garbed in white silk robe while she pointed her staff towards her colleague, "Lesser Healing!"

The Knight glowed in green for a moment, then started to hack and slash at the monster again with renewed vigour.

They can't help but noticed the foreigners (referring to the kids) joining in the fight. To their surprise, most of them seem well capable to take down Kobolds considering their age.

"Just who exactly are these brats?" Another Knight chimed as he raised his shield to block an incoming attack.

"Hey, missy! You sure can fight well with that rope of yours." Called in the first Knight to the first girl (@ERode) in the group, looking genuinely curious.

"Oy, eyes on the enemy!" The second Knight snapped at his colleague as he blocked an attack for him.

"Well, that kid seems to know how to use Arcana too." The woman in white silk robe nodded her head towards the boy who freezes wolves on their tracks. She waved her staff towards an incoming enemy, "Lesser Holy Smite!" Several bolts of light rained down on 3 Kobolds from her left, impaling each one on the head.

"Arcana, huh? I'm jealous." Said the first Knight while nimbly dodging attacks coming his way.

And then they heard it - a howl so terrifying that made all of them froze in fear.

"O-oy, don't tell me it—" But the first Knight didn't get to finish his sentence as his head gets lopped off from his neck by an unseen force, spraying blood everywhere.

"What the fuck just happened!!?" The second Knight with the shield screamed at the others, sheer terror in his face.

The woman in white silk robes dropped to her knees, tears in her eyes, "Kairelith save us. It's a Kobold Lord!"

Sam slicked back his hair and pulled his goggles over his eyes. The lenses were made of a green glass that seemed to sparkle in the light. Giving a whistle, Greed immediately stopped stealing from the distracted and dying soldiers and rushed back to the Puppeteer's side. He actually had nicked a couple of knives that looked like swords in his diminutive paws.



As if moving to an invisible beat, the puppet's and their master began to dance through the kobolds, causing chaos as they proceeded to kill them with various slapstick methods. There was an unfortunate lack of props, but Kobolds found themselves sliding, tripping, and even getting into fights with each other, as the Puppeteer and his companions continued their dance.

Golem 'Greed' has Acquired Dagger Mastery Level One

Golem 'Wrath' has acquired Blunt Weapons Mastery Level One

The Puppeteer paused for a moment to unpack that. So his friends were now Golems, whatever those were, and could gain skills by repetitive actions. Which would mean that the Golemancy skill-

ERROR- Insufficient levels and resources to create a third Golem

-okay, that skill brought the dynamite duo to life. Eh, no point thinking too hard right now, this is the middle of combat. And things had certainly shifted in the Kobolds favour, as an even uglier prick called the Kobold Lord had appeared. Sam turned to the others:

---

The sound and fury of blades and shields clashing was all too familiar. Surveying the battle, Zhao could plainly see that the knights were being overwhelmed. The monsters seemed weak enough, in fact, dozens had been dispatched by the others that arrived with her. Her mistake was in overestimating the knights' strength. She knew her knowledge of this world was lacking, but watching the chaos made the shame burrow even deeper. She couldn't stand idle any longer, regardless of how much she wanted to protect the child next to her. @Sedjwick



A twinge of pressure and a sharp, but mild pain throbbed at her thigh. Looking down, she noticed a small tear in her ceremonial dress and a stray arrow settling in the dirt at her feet. She stretched the fabric of her dress to inspect for wounds, but found none. There was only a small, red blemish on her skin where the arrow had struck her. Bewildered, she retrieved the arrow and held it before her.
"It can't be..." She pressed her thumb against the sharpened tip of the arrowhead, but barely felt any pain at all. She pressed harder, wondering how much it would take for the arrow to break her skin, but the arrowhead broke off instead. The tip didn't cut her at all.

Then she realized it. This was her blessing.

A terrible howl sundered the air, ripping at Zhao's ears. Her eyes searched for the source, cutting through the dust in the air and found it: a grotesque creature, more mongrel than man, standing head and shoulders taller than any of the other kobolds. The morale of the knights seemed to hit rock bottom at the mention of a "Kobold Lord."

She turned to Milo. "I'm sorry, but we won't make it out of this alive, if I don't help them. I promise I'll come back."

Zhao sprinted towards the frontline, scavenging a sword from one of the fallen knights along the way. A two kobolds lunged at her as she drew near. They both fell to the ground in two bloody chunks as she cut them apart with her blade. She felt no resistance at all, it was like the kobold were made of air.
Another one tried to ambush her, but she jabbed at it with a snapkick. It was like crushing eggshells as her foot connected with its chest. The kobold's body caved inward, and it let out a deathly wail as it flew several meters into the air and landed far out of sight. Interesting.

Finding a gap in the front line, she charged through and overrunning any kobold that got in her way. She used the bare skin of her arm to block the rending claws and crushing bites, but all they did was tear at her clothes. Even if she could cut through them effortlessly, it did little to control their numbers. Dozens more were still flooding in.

She shouted at the archer (Ren, @Travesty) she was watching earlier. "Hey you! Aim at the Kobold Lord! If we can kill their leader, these beasts may retreat." She turned to the knights on either side of her. "Close in the ranks behind me, I'm going to try drawing their attention away from you all."

Zhao was no master swordswoman but no matter how imperfect her technique, her blade cleaved through any creature it cut. The sword felt so light in her hands, like holding a feather. Making wide swings, she began carving a path into the enemy vanguard while shouting and cursing them to draw their attention.

Chaotic emotions, fear, anger, despair, suffused the trodden fields just as thickly as viscera and offal of men and monsters alike. They cried and they roared, stronger warriors falling against greater numbers, even as their leader tried what he could to bolster morale. And yet, even in this seething cauldron of conflict, Ying Yue danced unconcerned. Others may die, but she was above such paltry terrors, not even the blood of her foes having stained her form. The rope, once red with rich dyes, was now heavy with the lives it had taken, striking with ever-increasing force.

One of the warriors called out towards her, and she turned to spare a smile. Some of them were worth keeping around, at least. The dead man’s attitude didn’t drip down into his men. An arrow whistled past, and her eyes followed as it practically vaporized three other dogmen. Her eyes shone.

Let’s try that.

Fortunately, with the lines having been broken, there were plenty of dead archers for her to borrow from. Snatching up a quiver and a longbow, Ying Yue rolled under the swing of one kobold, hopped over the lunge of another kobold, and let out a breath. There it was again, that deathly certainty that told her that she could kill with this. The lady nocked three arrows, noted both the groan of the wood and the relative ease of her pull, and fired. A roar of wind, and the area right in front of her cleared up in an instant. She smiled, fired five more times, then frowned. Powerful, but boring. The bow was discarded without another thought, and Ying Yue pulled a sword out of the grasp of a headless knight instead. An artless construction, nothing like the weapons of yore, but the steel had been well-maintained. It sang as she flourished it, and thrummed when she turned towards the largest of the dogmen.

“Do not fall to your knees so readily, woman,” Ying Yue chided, mahogany gaze sliding sideways onto the priestess. “It would be pitiful if so few remain to attend your comrade’s funeral.”

Already, her compatriot was leading a charge through the horde towards the big dogman, and Ying Yue ran to follow, a warrior’s sword slipping through flesh and bone with such ease that the monsters only fell apart two seconds after she had passed. Soon, she was at the vanguard with Zhao, a wider smile on her face at the hilarity of the vulgarities that the woman spewed.

Her gaze, however, was set solely on the big dogman’s tomahawks.

Let’s try that.

Being swept away by the thrill of battle and never before felt strength, Erika wasn't as aware of her surroundings as the others. She turned around, eyes wide and knowing that it would be far too late to defend when an arrow pierced through the kobold - and decimated two others. Erika stumbled backwards a bit in pure awe. Whoa. It was something different to see it so close instead of seeing it from afar with the lady with the cord. She jerked into motion as a wayward kobold lunged at her and she drove the dagger into the back of its neck and pulled out.

She headed towards Ren, who seemed astounded by what had just happened. She held out a hand to him to help him stand up. Erika gave him a bright grin in response to his question. "Thanks to you I am!" Once he grasped her hand, she would pull him up with surprisingly little effort. Must be the goddess at work again. "Hey, you mentioned stats or something. Do you think-" She stopped herself when she looked back to where the cord woman had been continuing her rampage with other soldiers. The diplomatic woman has also taken the lead as she charged into the thick of things.

"They're so cool, aren't they?" Erika nudged Ren with her elbow as she flipped the dagger in her hand.

"We have to talk later about these stats. For now, we got something else to worry about." It would seem that a powerful monster had appeared and that was what the two women were heading towards. The mage from earlier had also been asking for volunteers of some sort. "We got an interesting bunch with us huh? Cover us. And the kid." Erika tilted her head to the direction of the young one that the diplomatic woman had left. Indeed, the fast they get this over with, the safer everyone would be. She patted the guy's shoulder and rushed towards the others.

She weaved through the kobolds, slicing through them as she did and came to a stop near the eccentric man and his puppets. "You already got some volunteers man!" Erika called out to him and gestured to the two women advancing to the kobold lord. She backflipped to avoid one of the kobold strikes and would have been stunned that she did such a nimble action, but there was no time to think about that as she rushed forward and stabbed the kobold. It was clear that she wouldn't be able to match them in terms of pure destructive abilities but she could probably aid them in distracting the kobold lord for them to finish off.

As the kobolds attacked, Milo was surprised to see some of the other strangers jump into the fray. He was even more surprised when he realized that these strangers were not only holding their own against the monsters; they were outperforming the trained soldiers in killing the wolf creatures. He also noticed one of the strange puppets running amongst the soldiers, picking their pockets as deftly as any street urchin in London. Milo remembered his friend Jack was particularly skilled at lifting anything of value from its owner, and only Milo's familiarity with such actions allowed him to recognize the same movements being performed by the puppet. Chaos was all around, and Milo didn't know what to do. He couldn't fight (or at least the scraps he had gotten into back in London had always ended badly for him), and he didn't have any other useful skills aside from running away, which wouldn't do him much good since all around was a vast field that was apparently infested with monsters, so if he did manage to escape these kobolds, he would likely end up getting lost and killed by some other monster. Maybe this was Hell after all? Not exactly fire and brimstone like the preacher talked about every Sunday, but it was certainly frightening enough with so many monsters wanting to kill them.

As Milo was processing all this, one of the other strangers approached. Milo felt his legs tensing to run, but before he could, she knelt and put an arm on his shoulder. Her reassuring words and charisma caused Milo to relax, and he gave her a small smile. "Thank you, ma'am," he said as he watched the battle progress from bad to worse.

The knights were falling to the kobolds far too quickly, and even though the other strangers were joining in the fight and doing as much against the monsters as ten knights, it still wasn't enough. And then came a howl that chilled Milo to the bone. Whatever had made that sound, Milo didn't want to find out. Suddenly, his eyes were back to darting around in fear, looking for any gap that he could slip through to get away from this terror.

It looked like all the other strangers were joining in the fight in their own way. Even the puppet that had been picking the pockets of the soldiers had returned to the side of the other puppet and the young man that seemed to be their master (just how that relationship worked, Milo wasn't sure, but the young man was certainly the ringleader of the trio). Milo was left all alone in the middle of a battlefield with no useful skills, and the monsters still seemed to be getting the best of them. The other strangers seemed to be focusing on the huge monster that had just appeared on the battlefield: a giant version of the wolf monsters that were assailing them. And as the strangers shifted their focus to this larger threat, the smaller ones began to break through the front lines, beyond which Milo was alone and vulnerable. The monsters, the carnage, the noise, the strangeness; it was more than Milo could bear. And so, he did the one thing he knew best: he ran.

The action was instinct after so many run-ins with street urchins and chimney sweepers that were desperate enough to beat another of their own to within an inch of their life for even a single shilling. Milo simply turned and bolted before his brain had even fully processed what was happening. As his feet carried him away from the advancing monsters just as fast as they could, that voice in his head spoke up again.

Run Away Level 1 acquired!

Run Away Level1!? Milo thought as he continued to run. What does that even mean? He risked a glance back and realized that the kobolds that were pursuing him were falling behind. Is that what Run Away Level 1 does? he wondered, hoping for some sort of explanation from the voice in his head, but the voice had been rather short on explanations, thus far, so Milo wasn't going to hold his breath for an explanation this time. He just kept running.

Ren started to panic when the girl with a dagger decided to walk towards him. Back in the original world, a girl would only walk towards Ren to either ask for direction or to make fun of how big of a nerd he is. He knew things could be different this time, but Ren's not simply trained to deal with this kind of things.

Although to his surprise, she turns out to be quite friendly. Ren felt his face flush when the girl smiled brightly at him and offered a hand. Ren smiled back reluctantly. "I-I'm glad to hear it."

The girl started to ask Ren about stats. "Can't she access her stats like I do?" Thinking back how the voice inside his head told him about acquiring an Appraisal Skill, Ren surmised that each kid gained different skills. "So that's how it is then? It's like those RPG games where each character grows uniquely, gaining different skills and stats depending on which path they take." Ren wondered what sort of skills the other kids have gained, "Ah! That's right, I could probably use Appraisal skill on humans too."

"Appraisal skill activated!"

Just like the last time, an almost translucent panel appeared beside the girl with a dagger. And it reads:



"Hmm, this one looks a little rough compared to when I used it to myself and monsters. The name even says Girl From Another World. It seems like I need to level up my Appraisal Skill to access specific information." Ren thought, "Level-up, huh? If this world follows the same mechanics of a regular RPG, this would mean that I need to gain some kind of experience for it level up. But ho—"

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a terrible howl. If fear took form, it would be this huge monstrosity in front of them. It looked similar to it's wolf-kin except it stands two or three times bigger and looked more dangerous. It holds one bloody axe on each hand that it swings with such ferocity, it sends strong pressure of unseen force throughout the field. Ren heard someone say "Kobold Lord" amongst the remaining Knights.

"A boss level monster just appeared?!" Ren thought ridiculously.

"Hey you! Aim at the Kobold Lord! If we can kill their leader, these beasts may retreat." Called the first girl as she darts pass through Ren and Erika. Soon enough, the others decided to join in too.

"We got an interesting bunch with us huh? Cover us. And the kid." Erika motioned towards the little kid not too far from them. When Ren looked back, Erika's gone.

Ren gripped the bow in his hands tightly. As scared as he is right now, Ren wanted to be of use to everyone. For some reason, seeing the other kids eagerly joining in the fight inspired Ren, and made him braver even. "That's it, I'll help too!" Ren thought resolutely.

With this, Ren raised his bow, loaded 2 arrows and pulled. He aimed his shot towards the Kobold Lord's right flank. He took a slow deep breath, and then, with great certainty, let go of the arrows.

It shot right through multiple Kobold Underlings until it connected to its intended target. Blood splattered everywhere as the dismembered limb sailed through the air due to the force of impact. The Kobold Lord growled in raged at this and started to swing his remaining axe violently in all direction.

The remaining Knights all cheered at this new development, raising their morale somewhat. However, this too, was short lived as the Kobold Lord suddenly stopped in the middle of its rampage, its stubbed arm began to shudder uncontrollably, then slowly, a new arm started to grow in place of the lost one.

"Regeneration?" Ren thought.

The Kobold Lord retrieved its other axe from its dismembered arm and then started to attack everyone on sight.

"This is bad." He can sense the remaining Knights' exhaustion, and although the other kids can still fight, they too would eventually run out of gas. "We can't let this fight drags on for too long. We need to somehow deal damage greater than it can regenerate."

"We need to attack it all at once!" Ren shouted at the others while sending 2 shots of arrows to get incoming Kobold Underlings, "I'll create an opening!"

Ren loaded an arrow to his bow and then pulled at the string as hard as he can. He started to aim the arrow towards the Kobold Lord's feet. "Die, you bastard."

The arrow connected with a loud crack. It pierced through the Kobold Lord's left ankle and through the ground pinning the Boss's movement. "NOW!!" Ren shouted. He began to shoot arrow after arrow towards the Boss monster, not letting up even for a second.

Sam gave a grin to his compatriots as they continued their assault upon the lord. The others who were teleported with him seemed to have enhanced abilities. One of his companions even played along with him. He moved in towards the foe with Greed and Wrath defending him against the horde of lesser kobolds. As he did though, one of the others revealed something irritating. Regeneration.

"Well, that's just cheating..." he remarked, preparing a Ray, "Why don't you just cool off!

He started blasting the Kobold Lord with rays of frost, however the damage done was being healed by the pesky regeneration. What wasn't being stopped was a layer of frost beginning to form around the beast. On the tenth or so shot, he was astonished as the kobold became entirely encased in ice, only to be broken out when someone else hit him. The result of which seemed to do far more damage.

"Cool, the beams can freeze people!" Greed grinned, as he simultaneously shanked and pickpocketed a kobold trying to get near Sam. Wrath also silently noted his astonishment, though was preoccupied with his kobolds. For some reason (his shitty Luck) the Kobolds were attracted to him over his companions.

Sam himself grinned, this had much potential.

"HIT HIM WHEN HE'S FROZEN FOR EXTRA DAMAGE!" he yelled to the others, continuing to blast the big bastard.

---

Zhao waded through the rising tide of kobolds, but no matter how many she slashed to pieces it felt like she was fighting the sea. She was so engrossed in hacking away at the relentless beasts, she almost didn't hear Ren announce his plans.

Your level increased!
Sword Mastery Level 1 acquired!

There was that voice again, distracting her. She had no idea what it was, but there was no time to think about it. Her eyes flared with mana as she cast a glance in Ren's direction, and watched as his arrow nailed the Kobold Lord's foot to the ground. It seemed to move in slow motion as her eyes traced its path through the air.

Meanwhile, the kobolds around her didn't miss the opening. They had given up trying to wound her, and instead clung to her legs and feet in a desperate attempt to slow her down. Realizing she had an opportunity to take on the monster directly, she tried jumping out of their grasp. The moment she kicked off the ground, she soared several meters into air and let out a panicked yelp. Her heart hammered in her chest as the ground fell away. She may have trained relentlessly to overcome her fear of battle, but she was still terrified of heights. She sailed over the kobold lord missing her mark, and the ground swelled toward her with increasing speed. Another helpless cry escaped her as she fell hard against the ground.

Zhao reminded herself that she was much sturdier than before, and quickly leaped to her feet. At least she hadn't let go of her sword. When she looked back at the kobold lord, she noticed he was completely encased in ice. "One more try..."

She looked across the battlefield at the other girl (@ERode) who had been fighting alongside her. "Aim for its head! We may not get another chance!" She shouted desperately.

Zhao on the other hand had even more distance to cover than before. She wound herself into a tight stance, power building in her legs. The earth heaved beneath her feet as she kicked off the ground, and flew overhead once more. Twisting mid-air, she pointed her blade downward, aiming to strike its heart even as her own tried to leap out of her chest.

The bigger dogman, though bigger and better-armed, wasn’t much of a threat at all, if only a couple arrows could take off a limb. Though it had some monstrous ability to grow back parts of its body, it was the novel sorcery of a weakling, undeserving of remark nor envy. What could such a creature do, after all, when it was forced to kneel from the weight of ice coating its body, from the arrows that pinned it to the ground?

Nothing, hm?

An ephemeral image upon the blood-drenched fields, Ying Yue continued to carve through flesh and bone, scarlet petals bursting as she passed. Her battle-sister leapt on ahead, a cloud of dust and an explosion of dirt in her wake as she sailed over the heads of the dogmen to engage their champion directly. A pincer attack? Well, there wasn’t any real distinction to be earned through slaying a beast so frail; all the bladedancer wanted was to try out the monster’s weapon. Discarding her sword, which had been reduced to a nicked and scraped mess after chopping through dozens, if not hundreds of dogmen, she closed in on the champion as well, the ice now having covered its body entirely.

There would be no saving it from what came next.

Using Ren’s arrows as footholds, Ying Yue leapt up and grabbed the haft of the dogman’s tomahawk with one hand. Knowledge, akin to epiphany and enlightenment, struck her. She could kill with this, and more than that, she could take this. With the momentum of her leap, she wrenched the weapon out of the monster’s grasp, its frozen fingers shattering at the impact, and landed on its still-frosty arm. It would thaw in time; already, its eyes were moving frantically beneath the crystalline ice. But it was too late. Its heart was taken, and its head will soon follow.

With the gravitas of an executioner tasked with the disposal of a common criminal, Ying Yue swung her tomahawk and removed its head.