Terrible Night II

"I might have awakened and become registered but I can't do much to a three-ringed rabid jackal. I could hold my own against a two-ringed rabid jackal but a three-ringed rabid jackal would kill me." The boy explained as he descended from the tree.

"Two ringed, three ringed…what are those? Are they perhaps the circles on their fangs?" Luke asked with confusion and curiosity.

The boy nodded at Luke's question.

"I see. There's obviously a notable difference between a two-ringed and a three-ringed rabid jackal. So who do you think could kill a three-ringed rabid jackal?" Luke asked again.

"Any well-experienced tier seven Chosen could do it, but a newly awakened that ranked in the top five hundred would be able to do it too in a one-on-one fight with it, but not after battling seven two-ringed ones." The boy smiled.

'Ah, he was praising me.' Luke also smiled. "So how many newly awakened Chosens could do that?" Luke asked.

"Probably the top fifty or twenty. I don't really know but they're called geniuses and monsters but I haven't met one so far." Kyne answered.

"Pardon but if one could awaken anytime, how are they ranked? For instance, you got ranked last month and a hundred new people get awakened this month, what would happen?" Luke was getting more and more interested in this ranking system.

"The rankings for us, the new chosens, are done every two months and it's based on the score we all get in the tests and our performance during those two months." He replied happily.

"I see. That means if I register at the end of those two months, I'll get grouped with the next batch right?" Luke kept asking questions.

"Yes. That's correct. But that ranking doesn't affect the rank of the general tier seven Chosens though. The rank for that is updated monthly according to the deeds of the chosens and at the end of the year, a competition is held to rank them by strength." Kyne answered.

"Pardon me if I sound rude, but are you perhaps not registered?" Kyne asked.

"That's exactly right." Luke nodded.

"Ah. I see." Kyne finally understood why questions kept coming after question.

"Okay, that's all the questions about you registered and whatnot you call yourselves. Now, you said those were rabid jackals right?" Luke interrupted Kyne's thoughts. Kyne nodded.

"You mind explaining that to me?" Luke asked.

"Of course, but first, let's tend to your injury." Kyne had seen the hound when it bit Luke.

"I'll be fine, just get on with the explanation." Luke refused his offer.

"Sure. As their name implies, they are doglike creatures with intelligence. They have become very violent and attack anything that does look the least bit like them. We still don't know the reason for their violent state but one thing for sure is that they'll fight an enemy till death is declared." 'No wonder it went after you no matter what I did.' Luke thought.

"Obviously, we've seen that there is a hierarchy within these violent beasts. They're extremely violent but they obey those with a higher rank, those with a higher number of rings on their fangs. These rings naturally appear. Some say it rises as a result of their number of kills, but no one has confirmed that. The highest number of rings ever discovered was a five-ringed one. It took the effort of eleven veteran tier seven chosens to kill it. Two of those chosens went with it to the afterlife." Kyne finished his explanation.

"You saw what happened here tonight right?" Luke asked.

Kyne nodded.

"You want it happening again right? Who knows I might not be around to save you when it does." Luke spoke once more.

"Who the hell would want this to happen again?" Kyne yelled.

"I would love for it to happen not just once again but continuously. You see, they won't be able to kill me if it keeps happening. I'll keep killing them and getting stronger." Luke sharply replied.

"You're probably the only person in this zone who would say such a thing, then again, you're the only person I've met in this zone." Kyne shook his head.

"You said you could take on a two-ringed jackal. What would you do if two attacked at the same time? You'd cry for help? You'll die before help arrives. You're currently with me and you'll be training till you can fight two of those dogs on your own." Luke had decided Kyne's fate for him before he could even respond.

"Sigh, fine. I'll do as you say." Kyne answered.

"What other choice do you have? Call for the security guards? Pfft, do that." Luke laughed. "Let's go back to sleep, I'm tired."

They climbed the tree and Luke slept on his previous branch.

Kyne couldn't go to sleep after their conversation. He walked back down and started swinging his short sword continuously.

*****

The group Luke teleported with chose to remain in the same spot. Those with tents raised it, those with mattresses spread it and those without either slept on the thick grasses or shared with someone who had.

They were all sleeping after they had eaten a few hours ago. One-third of the whole group had split from the group and Luke was among the first people to leave.

As they slept, four packs of rabid jackals approached their encampment.

A young man wearing a black shirt and trousers rose from his sleep and out of his tent. He went out to urinate but didn't return. The lady who had been with him in the tent waited but he never returned.

She walked out with a dim lamp in her hand and saw him lying not too far away. Something liquid spread around him.

'Ugh. He fell asleep here and urinated on himself." She looked up at the night sky.

For some eerie reason known to no one, one of the moon in the sky was missing and the other was glowing with a bright red light.

She sighed and approached the man on the floor. She tried to make him face upward before waking him and when she turned him, his innards were all missing.

She screamed as she noticed the liquid was blood and not urine. She screamed nonstop. Then a low growl behind her bathed her in cold fear.

Lights were already going on in tents around the camp. When she turned and saw the blood on the jackal's mouth, she screamed at the top of her voice, and then, even her voice ceased. These crazy hounds had torn her throat. She heard the screams of people from the camp, then her eyes closed forever

The hounds had attacked the camp too. They bit their half-asleep victims and ate the flesh of the dead ones. If these people had been awake when they attacked, these jackals would've caused damage but they would've been killed.

The lucky ones scattered in different directions. The stronger ones of the group attacked the jackals and slayed them one after another, but they were outnumbered and soon began receiving injuries.

Howl.

One of the hounds was stabbed with a spear that appeared out of nowhere. Another one fell and then another.

A group of people was approaching these victims and the hounds died one after another from spears being thrown.

"Fear not, we're the security guards of this region." One of the approaching men shouted.