Noah silently looked at the people around him, observing their hesitation and fear of the unknown. The bearded man who had chosen the greatsword stepped forward again with a confident posture.

  "I'll go alone," he loudly said, gripping his greatsword tightly. "I don't trust any of you to watch my back. If I'm going to survive, it'll be on my own terms."

  His words caused the rest of the group to become uneasy. Some nodded in agreement with his boldness, while others shook their heads and muttered quietly about his recklessness.

  Garrick looked at him with both pity and disappointment, "Suit yourself," he slowly said, "But don't expect any help from us. It's not that we are heartless but we ourselves are barely surviving."

  The bearded man shrugged and strode off towards the village gates without another word.

  Noah looked at the fading back of the bearded man, his thoughts churning as he calculated his own chances of survival alone in the wild.

  But before he could think further, three others from the group stepped forward with similar words as the bearded man. A lean man with daggers, a muscular woman with a spear, and a quiet teenager carrying a short sword all decided to part ways with the others.

  Each one of them wore varying levels of expression that ranged from grim determination to excitement of exploring a new world.

  Garrick sighed heavily, his face filled with pity, "Alas, all we can do is pray for them."

  Meanwhile, the remaining people began forming small groups. Two groups of five quickly formed, consisting of those who seemed to share the same ethnicity or had similar interests. The rest of the crowd hesitated, unsure of whom they could trust.

  Noah observed the faces of the remaining individuals, weighing his options. He knew going solo wasn't an option for him. Even during his previous life, he was at most an average human, he had never killed a chicken, much less faced monsters.

  He didn't even know whether he would be able to adapt to this new world or not. Especially hearing about the unknown amount of dangers.

  "Hey," a soft voice interrupted his thoughts. He turned to see a young woman with short, messy brown hair and sharp eyes.

  She carried a bow slung over her shoulder and a quiver of arrows strapped to her back. "Wanna team up? You at least seem like a level-headed guy. The rest are either losing their minds or already formed teams."

  Noah hesitated for a moment, but as his gaze landed on the other quickly forming teams, he nodded his head. "Sure. I was thinking the same thing."

  She extended a hand. "Leah."

  "Noah," he replied, shaking her hand firmly.

  Two more people approached them. One was a broad-shouldered man with blond hair wielding a sword and a shield, his face calm and thoughtful. "Mind if I join? Name's Victor. I don't wanna die alone in the wild."

  The other was a thin, lean man with brown hair and a set of throwing knives strapped across his chest. He had an easygoing smile but sharp, observant eyes. "Do you guys mind if I join in as well? Name's Daniel. I'm quite good with knives if I say so myself."

  Noah raised an eyebrow at Daniel. "Oh? Were you an athlete back on Earth?"

  Daniel smiled and shrugged, "Nah, nothing like that. But I was quite good at throwing cards, so I'm pretty confident in my ability."

  Noah and the other two's lips quivered as they heard his words, but none of them decided to mention it as Noah exchanged glances with Leah before nodding. "Alright, that makes four of us. We just need one more."

  As they looked around, a petite woman with long black hair and a bow stepped forward cautiously. "I-I can help in treatment," she said softly. "At least, I think I can. I've always been good at first aid back on Earth. Maybe it will come in handy here."

  Emma gave her a calm smile. "Medic, eh? You're in. What's your name?"

  "Emma," the woman said, her voice becoming a bit more confident.

  "Welcome to the team, Emma," Noah said. He turned to the group. "Alright, we're five now. Let's stick together and figure out what to do after this."

  Garrick watched as the group of five approached him. He raised an eyebrow and nodded approvingly. "Good. At least some of you have sense. You'll last longer as a team."

  He gestured toward the village gate. "Out there, you'll find Soul Beasts. Stick to the outskirts at first. The closer you get to the forest's heart, the stronger the beasts will be. Don't get cocky, and don't bite off more than you can chew."

  "Understood," Noah and the group replied, their voices resolute despite the burning anxiety clawing at their hearts.

  The group of five exited the village together. Noah raised an eyebrow as he saw the wooden fortifications outside the village.

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  "Looks like the Soul Beasts are more dangerous than we thought," Leah said softly, her eyes narrowing as she looked at the village defenses.

  Daniel yawned, "Well, there are Soul Beasts in this world; I doubt the nights will be peaceful."

  Victor nodded his head, "Yes, we know next to nothing about this world. Maybe we should first ask the villagers for the details of the beasts."

  Noah shook his head, "It wouldn't be helpful, as Garrick had said, we don't have enough time. We might die in a few days to a few hours due to the Soul Poisoning. We need to hunt some beasts first."

  They continued chatting while moving towards the open plains some distance away from the village. There, they met the other humans who had gone out to hunt as well.

  But none of them interacted as everyone was either occupied looking for beasts or nervously walking around.

  "There, you see that forest?" Leah said, pointing towards the dense forest in the distance.

  Noah and the others turned their heads and looked at where she was pointing. "Ohh, a forest. Perfect! There should be a lot of beasts inside."

  Daniel nodded his head, "That's indeed quite a good place, but we need to make sure some beast doesn't sneak up on us."

  Emma nervously said, "Th-there can be poisonous animals there as well. W-we need to be prepared."

  Noah glanced at his group, "Then we should proceed with caution, but we need to head inside anyway. We can't find beasts to hunt in these plains."

  The group discussed for a bit before walking towards the forest. There, they saw the bearded man who went solo heading into the forest.

  "Quite the reckless guy, I would say," Daniel commented with an amused smile on his face.

  "Leave him be; we can't help those who don't want to be helped." Victor shook his head while adjusting his shield. "I will take care of the front; you guys cover the back."

  Noah and the others nodded their heads as they got into position. Leah went to the back of the group while taking out her bow. Daniel, Noah, and Emma stood in the center.

  "Let's flank Emma. She can't fight much with her weak body, and we can keep her safe for emergencies like that." Noah said while walking towards the left of Emma.

  Daniel nodded as he shared similar views to Noah.

  "Wh-I-N-" Emma couldn't form words as she saw the two of them flanking her to keep her protected.

  Noah's lips curled into a gentle smile as he said, "No need to fret over it. We will need your help later if someone among us gets injured."

  Emma tightly clutched her hand and nodded her head hard.

  Leah and Victor smiled, seeing the scene, and the group soon started to advance through the dense forest.

  The terrain was rough, with overgrown roots jutting out of the ground and vines dropping down from the trees.

  "Stay alert," Victor said, his shield raised as he led the group. "We don't know what might jump out of the forest at us."

  Leah walked at the rear, her bow half-drawn and an arrow nocked, her calm eyes scanned their surroundings. Noah, Daniel, and Emma stayed in the middle, looking for any possible ambush.

  A low growl suddenly echoed through the forest, freezing the group in their tracks. The sound was low and guttural, sending a chill down their spines.

  It seemed to come from ahead, growing louder with each passing second. Each member of the group exchanged nervous glances, their hot breaths visible in the cold air.

  "There…" Leah whispered, her voice trembling as she pointed a shaky finger at a shadow moving between the trees.

  The leaves rustled, parting to reveal a massive wolf stepping out of the darkness. Its glowing red eyes stared at them, filled with malice. The beast's fur was so black it seemed to swallow the light around it, and its sharp fangs gleamed as it snarled.

  "Fuck, fuck, fuck, why the hell is this beast so big??" Victor said with a panicked voice, his grip on his sword and shield tightening to the point his knuckles turned white.

  His legs felt like lead, but he forced himself to step forward. "Stay in formation! Don't let it separate us!" His voice cracked, betraying his fear.

  The wolf's snarl deepened, and without warning, it lunged. The sheer speed of the beast was almost beyond their comprehension.

  Victor barely raised his shield in time. The impact was bone-shaking, forcing him to stagger back with a grunt as his knees nearly buckled. His shield arm screamed in pain, but he held on.

  "Sh-shit! Attack it! Now!" Victor roared, his voice breaking as he braced against the beast's immense strength.

  Leah's fingers fumbled as she drew an arrow, her breaths coming in sharp gasps.

  She stretched the bowstring to its limit, her arms quivering from the effort. Taking a shaky aim at the wolf's side, she released the arrow. It struck the beast, embedding itself in the beast's shoulder.

  The wolf let out a piercing howl, but instead of retreating, its rage seemed to grow. Its murderous eyes locked onto Leah, and it lunged again, its speed almost a blur.

  "Bloody hell!" Noah shouted, stepping in its path, though his own legs felt like they'd give out any moment.

  His heart pounded in his chest as he swung his longsword, the blade glinting in the faint light. His attack barely grazed the wolf's thick hide, and the beast snapped its massive jaws at him, forcing him to stumble back in panic.

  Daniel's eyes darted wildly, his breath coming in short bursts. He fumbled with his throwing knife before hurling it with a desperate yell, "Take this, you oversized mutt!"

  The blade struck the wolf's hind leg, but the hit was far from clean. Still, the beast staggered for a moment, its snarl turning into a guttural growl as it whipped around to face him.

  "Shit! Shit!" Daniel yelled, diving behind Victor's shield. "Why is it looking at me now?! Someone get it off me!"

  "Fuck, why are you hiding behind me??" Victor shouted through gritted teeth, his shield still trembling under the wolf's earlier blow. "Do you want to get me killed so bad?"

  Emma stood frozen, her bow trembling in her hands. Her breath hitched as tears welled in her eyes. "I-I can't… it's too fast…"

  "You can," Noah shouted, his voice rising above the chaos. "Aim for its legs! We need to slow it down!"

  Emma swallowed hard, her fear nearly overwhelming her. But as the wolf growled and charged toward Victor again, she took a deep breath, her fingers tightening on the string.

  She released the arrow, her hands shaking as she watched it fly. The arrow struck the beast's front leg, and to her astonishment, it faltered.

  "Good shot!" Leah called, her voice tinged with desperation. She loosed another arrow, which sank deep into the wolf's ribs. The beast howled in agony, staggering but refusing to fall.

  "Keep hitting it!" Noah yelled, circling the wolf nervously with unsteady steps. His palms were slick with sweat, his sword wobbling in his grip. "Daniel, don't stop now!"

  "Yeah, yeah, I'm on it!" Daniel forced a grin, though his hands trembled as he pulled out another knife. His throw lacked power, but the blade found its mark, embedding in the wolf's side. "Eat that, you bastard!"

  The wolf's movements became erratic, its injuries slowing it down. Victor seized the chance, surging forward with a roar that was more fear than courage.

  He slammed his shield into the beast's face, the impact reverberating through his arm. The wolf stumbled, shaking its massive head in disorientation.

  "Noah! Finish it!" Victor shouted, his voice hoarse with exhaustion.