»Impossible…« Tobi whispered.

At that moment, a cold shiver ran down my spine and my skin began to tingle. Sweat gathered on my forehead and goosebumps spread over my body.

It was as if the air had become thicker, making it harder to breathe.

I had not yet realized what had happened, but my instincts were reacting on their own.

Danger seemed to be the message.

For the first time today, I unsheathed my sword.

I didn't think it would change anything about the current situation, but I didn't know what else to do.

Contrary to my expectations, the others did not do the same. They just continued to stare in the same direction.

I was confused but had no time to think about it. Because a roar went through the forest. At the same time, my feet perceived a slight tremor in the earth.

Something was on its way and it was running towards us.

And indeed, moments later, I could see them in the distance. Two huge monsters, nearly ten feet in height, were making their way in our direction, ramming over everything in their path.

While they had the same green skin as goblins, they were essentially different in build. If goblins had arms and legs resembling tree branches, the limbs of the monsters in front of us – covered in huge, protruding muscles – took more after tree trunks.

And looking at them, I felt a hair-raising fear welling up inside me. 

Their huge hands could effortlessly tear my body in two and I could do nothing about it. One hit with their club and I would end up as mush on the ground. They wouldn't even have to attack me. They could just trample over me and crush me under their enormous weight.

While I had found myself in numerous dangerous situations in the past, these massive monsters running towards me with murderous killing intent, making the ground shake with every step they took, was beyond anything I had ever experienced.

The reason was simple. These were hobgoblins – monsters classified with a danger level of B-Minus. 

They should never be found in the Manto-Forest – a D-rated area. The fact that they were here had to mean that they had broken through several defense lines. Something that should not be possible.

But the reality was different. Here they were, and here we were. Hunter and prey were once again facing each other. Only this time, our roles were reversed.

Adrenaline shot through my body and my hands began to shake badly. Still, my brain was running at full speed.

Could we win? I saw how strong the others were. A horde of goblins caused them no problems at all. Besides, we had the perfect team constellation. Shield, sword, bow – balanced in attack and defense.

I started to get my hopes up, but in my desperate wishful thinking, I blanked out an important fact.

Goblins were among the weakest monsters of all. They were classified with D – the lowest level possible. Hobgoblins on the other hand were far, far rarer. They were to some extent the evolution of ordinary goblins, classified as B-.

The difference between two stages was large. A D-level monster would not be able to win against a monster classified D+. But the difference between two whole levels was like that of day and night. You could have 1000 rabbits, but they would never be able to compete with a lion. This was simply due to the nature of things.

A glance to the side confirmed my assumption.

Aileen and Ralf had an expression of pure horror on their faces. They were pale as chalk and shaking all over.

»How... that can't... how can that…«

Ralf clung tightly to his shield and muttered imcomprehensible words to himself.

»Aaahhhh!«

Aileen screamed in panic and pulled an arrow from her quiver. With trembling hands, she drew her bow and shot at the approaching enemy. In her nervousness, however, the arrow missed by a wide margin and shot past her target into the forest beyond.

»Fuck!«

Hastily, she drew another arrow and fired. This time it hit a hobgoblin in its muscular thigh. However, the arrowhead only managed to penetrate the monster's skin by a few inches and from a distance it looked more like a toothpick than a weapon meant to kill.

It didn't seem to bother the monster much. If anything, it only got angrier as it let out an ear-splitting scream and began to run faster towards us.

»Staayaaahhh… s–stay away from me!«

At the sight of how ineffective her only weapon was, Aileen panicked even more. She backed off several steps, tripped over a root, and fell backward onto her butt.

Now the enemies were only a few hundred meters away. 

We were running out of time.

'What should we do, what should we d–'

»Hey, stay calm! Now is not the time to lose your nerve!«

At that moment, the loud voice of the team leader resounded from behind me.

»We are hunters, for god’s sake! Hunters! This is what we were born for! To hunt!«

The voice was deep and confident, and it seemed to have reached the other two as well because they closed their mouths and looked to their captain.

»You said it yourselves, didn't you? We are now part of the Eagles guild! Ranked 47th in Germany!«

Mentioning their guild – the pride of many hunters – seemed to be effective.

Aileen rose from the ground and Ralf also took his gigantic shield off his back.

Tobi’s mouth formed a satisfied smile.

»That's right…«

He then drew his own sword. The sharp blade reflected the setting afternoon sun, letting off a dangerous bluish glow.

»We wanted to be closer to the front anyway, remember? Glory and honor! Today we can prove, we are more than our rank says!«

He paused for a moment to let the words sink in.

»Today, we slay a B-level monster and get rich.«

For a couple of long seconds, nothing happened. No one reacted.

Then…

»Fame and glory…« Ralf whispered repeatedly.

»Rich…« muttered Aileen.

Tobi’s words seemed to have put them into a trance. Forgetting their fear, they now faced the enemy with drawn weapons, determined expressions on their faces.

»Ralf, you repel the first attack with your shield. Try to draw both of them on you at the same time. Meanwhile, Aileen, you distract them with your arrows so they don't attack Ralf with everything they have. Aim for the eyes and the neck. When the time is right, I'll sneak up behind them and finish them off.«

»Roger that!«

»Hektor, hand me that backpack, will you?« said Tobi, now turned to me.

I did as he asked.

He took the backpack, put it on the floor, and rummaged around in it with his back facing us.

After a few moments, he pulled out an oblong object. It was an 80 inches long, bronze spear with a sharp, extended head.

Tobi rammed it into the ground where it stood.

»Here is a throwing spear. Don't try to use it when Ralf or I are near the enemies. However, if the situation is critical, aim it at the eyes.«

»…«

»Got it?«

I heard that someone was talking to me, but only a low murmur reached my ears. 

I saw nothing and felt nothing around me. I stopped shaking and the mortal fear I had felt a moment before faded.

All my attention was on the bronze spear – from the moment Tobi pulled it out of his backpack.

A whirlwind of emotions overtook my entire body. Joy, anger, sadness, fear, nostalgia, and more.

There was just so much more, I thought I would lose my mind.

These feelings were not mine and they did not fit this moment, yet they were real. Possibly more real than my entire, previous life.

»…tor!«

I wanted to go. I had to go. I had to take the spear to me. I felt like it was the only right thing to do.

»…ektor!«

But I did not know why.

Slap!

»Ow!« I cried.

I rubbed my cheek and looked up.

Tobi looked me in the eye with an expression contorted with anger.

»Do I have to slap you in the face for you to hear me?! This is no time for daydreaming! Did you understand what I said?!«

»I…«

I didn't understand him, because I didn't even realize he was talking to me until just now.

»They are here!« Ralf shouted at this moment.

But now, that didn’t matter anymore.

For with a loud bang, the first hobgoblin crashed its entire weight into Ralf's shield.

»Aaarrgh!«

The latter was unable to stay on his feet due to the enormous difference in weight and flew back 10 feet before crashing to the ground, where he writhed painfully and gasped for air. Sure enough, several ribs were broken.

I realized immediately, nothing was going as planned. My emotions came back to me. I was scared, terrified. I didn't know where to go with myself. I didn't know what to do. In my panic, I just stood there with my sword in my right hand. As if frozen in stone, I didn't move an inch. I only let my eyes wander left and right, seeing that the others were not faring any better than I was.

»Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck!« screamed Aileen to my right as she shot arrows in a panic.

The hobgoblin, who now had several arrows stuck in him, became enraged and turned away from Ralf, who was still desperately trying to pull himself up by his shield.

But by now, the second hobgoblin had also reached and was lashing out at Aileen with his gigantic club.

»Toooobii! Noooooow!« she screamed at the top of her lungs while backing away.

However, she tripped over her own feet and fell backward – for the second time today – onto her butt.

The monster paused for a moment, turning his head to look around for danger, but nothing happened.

»Tobi, where the hell are you!?«

Still, nothing happened.

Realizing that he was in no danger, the hobgoblin turned its attention back to the woman lying on the ground and lashed out once more with its club.

Aileen, seeing this, seemed to have lost all strength, because she dropped her bow and turned around. With her eyes, she searched for her team leader.

»Ah…«

A few hundred meters away, Tobi ran. Or rather, he ran away – with all his might. In his panic, he stumbled several times over the uneven forest floor and fell down ungently. But he immediately got up again and just kept running without looking back.

At first, I was confused.

Although I couldn't see him clearly, judging from the silver sword stuck in the ground a few feet beside me, he had no intention of helping his teammates.

But as the confusion wore off, realization and shock set in.

How could someone who had radiated so much self-confidence just moments before fall into such a miserable state?

Had he not slaughtered all those goblins with his sword, demonstrating his mighty strength? Was it not he who seconds before had spoken of the honor of a hunter, giving hope to his friends and teammates? Wasn't he the calm leader who never lost his temper and was gentle and kind at the same time?

And at the end came anger.

'What a bullshit.'

He who calls himself a hunter had to act like one. He had to risk his life to protect others. Hunters received strength to be a shield for the weak, a spear for the powerless. In return, they were guaranteed fame and fortune. If a hunter did not fulfill this duty, he was merely a fraud.

It was not fair that he was allowed to live on while others who relied on him had to die.

It was not right.

Rage washed over me at the thought that my parents had died protecting people like him.

They were not hunters, nor were they awakened, and yet they sacrificed themselves for the good of others – for the life of hunters. In the end, however, they were abandoned, betrayed by those who had the power to protect them.

If these self-proclaimed hunters had not been so selfish, so cowardly, my parents would not have died. Mia could have had a mother and a father and not just a deadbeat brother like me who can’t even pay for her bus fare to school.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the giant monster swing its gigantic club down at Aileen, who was still looking in the direction of her fleeing friend while muttering something to herself with dead eyes.

Crack!

The hunter’s tiny body folded up like paper. All the bones – unable to withstand the enormous force – broke and produced an unbearable crunching sound. Her internal organs burst and blood shot explosively from all orifices. The part of the skull that was grazed by the club slumped unnaturally inward and the right eye popped halfway out of its socket.

In the end, all that remained of the once-proud hunter was a bloody mound of flesh on the forest floor.

It wasn't right.

Like a fish stranded on land, her mouth opened and closed a few times. I didn't know if she was simply breathing or trying to say something, but shortly thereafter, that movement also stopped.

She was dead.

I looked into her motionless left eye, which was still directed in the direction where her former comrade disappeared.

It wasn't... right?

At that moment, an unknown feeling came over me. My head cleared, my body stopped shaking. My racing pulse calmed down. I was no longer angry, stressed, or afraid. Neither was I irritated or unsettled.

A warm feeling ran through my entire body. Everything around me seemed to be happening in slow motion. I could see everything, smell everything, feel everything. My senses sharpened to the point where time could have stood still.

I did not understand what was happening to me, neither did I care. I knew what I had to do. There was no hesitation or doubt to stop me.

»Conditions for class advancement met.«

»Synchronization initialized.«

I thought I heard a female voice at that moment, but I paid it no attention. Right now, it was of no importance.

I dropped my sword.

»What was it again?«

With slow and steady steps, I made my way across the ground. Both hobgoblins paused and followed me with their gazes.

»The law decides what is right.«

I stopped short of my destination. In front of my feet: an elongated object with its tip stuck into the forest ground.

I reached out my hand and a smile naturally formed on my face.

»And he who is strong writes the law.«