Chapter 23: Zombie Tide (1)

One part of the Everlasting Zombie Forest is dominated by a strange mountain range with five distinct opings. At the heart of this range lies a large, op clearing. Thanks to the natural barrier provided by the mountains, this area has be made safe for the humans who vture into the forest, offering them a place to relax and regroup.

Tts made from highly advanced fabrics were scattered throughout the clearing, providing shelter for the human experts who came here to hunt. The mountains served as a protective wall, and since the five opings were the only try points for monsters, the humans had set up defses to sure that any creature that dared to ter never made it out alive.

It was a place where hunters could catch their breath and ev turn a profit. But suddly, this peaceful hav, which housed thousands of people, began to tremble. The g rumbled ominously, and small stones started to bounce across the earth.

One by one, experts rushed out of their tts, weapons at the ready, their faces etched with confusion and concern.

"What's going on?" a young man with a spear in hand asked, his eyes fixed on one of the opings.

"Everyone, get ready! There's a monster tide!" A shout came from near one of the mountain opings, the voice filled with urgcy.

"A monster tide in the Safe Zone? How is that possible?" panicked cries echoed through the clearing as experts began to realize the gravity of the situation.

"What the hell is happing?" another voice called out, panic rising as the g continued to shake.

"This place is supposed to be secure!" a woman yelled, her bow drawn as she glanced nervously a.

"Did something break through our defses?!" someone else shouted, their voice tinged with fear.

The tremors grew stronger, the g almost vibrating beath their feet. The once-sturdy tts swayed precariously, some of them collapsing as the quakes intsified. The safe zone, which had always be a place of security and comfort, was now filled with fear and uncertainty.

"We're sitting ducks here!" a hunter cried, his eyes wide with terror as he looked toward the nearest mountain oping.

"Why now? Why here?" a young woman whispered, clutching her sword tightly, her knuckles .

"Monsters! They're coming!" someone near the front lines screamed, their voice barely audible over the growing roar.

The panic spread like wildfire. Ev the Master level expert started to panic.

"We are doomed," a young man muttered as his grip on his sword loosed, and the weapon clattered to the g. From kilometers away, Tier monsters of all sizes and shapes surged toward them from four of the five opings. There were hundreds, maybe ev thousands, of them.

Their teamwork was seamless, a clear sign that they had fought side by side many times before.

At the last of the four opings, five experts held their g, their faces set with grim determination. Two of them were at the Master stage, their power evidt in every move they made. The other three, still at the Ascded stage, fought with equal ferocity, refusing to let the monsters breach their defses.

Across the battlefield, those who hadn't fled were gaged in their own battles, striking down any monsters that slipped past the main defses. It was a sce of organized chaos, each fighter focused on their task, but all working towards the same goal—survival.

"NO!" A panicked shout tore through the battlefield as a young man was suddly lifted into the air by the razor-sharp leg of a massive spider. His scream echoed as the deadly leg pierced through his body, the horror of it freezing those a him in their tracks.

"Tier 3 monsters! Everyone, run!" Panic spread like wildfire. The orderly retreat turned into chaos as humans scattered in every direction, desperate to escape the monstrous threat. But some wer't fast ough. They were cut down before they could ev move, their bodies falling lifeless to the g.

Others managed to flee, though not without injury, while a few were lucky ough to escape unscathed.

The battlefield descded into madness as more and more monsters poured in from the trances. Those who panicked met quick ds, while the ones who managed to steady themselves raised their weapons and fought back with everything they had.

"Something's not right," the young lady fighting beside the young man said, her voice barely audible amid the chaos. She continued to fight, her sword flashing as she struck down another monster.

"Lily, what's wrong?" Kilian, the young man fighting beside her, asked betwe swings of his sword.

"Look at the way the monsters are running," Lily said, her voice tse with realization. "It's like they're fleeing from something."

"You mean to say something's driving them here?" Kilian asked, his grip tighting on his weapon.

"Yes. If I'm right, these monsters ar't attacking—they're running for their lives. Something else is behind this," Lily replied, a cold sweat breaking out on Kilian's brow as her words sank in.

"Lily, what should we do? Just give the order, and I'll follow without question," Kilian said, his voice steady despite the fear gnawing at him.

"You overestimate my authority here, Kilian," Lily said, shaking her head, her expression grim.

"What do you mean?" Kilian asked, but before he could get an answer, a cold, ominous voice chanted something in the distance. Suddly, the temperature across the battlefield plummeted, the air turning icy as if winter itself had descded in an instant. The chill cut through the chaos, and everyone on the battlefield paused, the breath of fear hanging heavy in the freezing air.

"Eternal Freezing Domain, Ice Que wrath"