Hack and we Hack

"Pour the oil!"

At Indomitable Bear's command, several players rushed forward, tipping barrels of oil down the stone stairs.

The grease, refined from the War Hunchback Beasts, splashed everywhere, drenching the descending Sea Race warriors in a slick, foul-smelling coat. They staggered, slipping and stumbling over each other in a chaotic mess.

"Oil?"

Zrom's expression darkened before twisting into sheer fury.

Damn humans! What kind of trick is this?!

"Water Control!!!" He bellowed.

At his command, the Sea Race warriors opened their mouths in unison, summoning a powerful surge of water. The flood rushed forward, washing over the steps.

Yet, when the water receded, the oil still clung stubbornly to the stone and their bodies.

"What?! It's still there?!"

"This Sea Race is really stupid!" One player laughed.

"If water could wash away oil, what's the point of detergent?" Another sneered.

The players burst into laughter, their taunts cutting through the battlefield like knives.

"Where are the rockets?!" Indomitable Bear's voice rang out.

A dozen players stepped forward, their wooden bows raised. Arrows wrapped in cloth, soaked in oil, burned brightly at their tips.

Zrom's eyes widened in realization.

"Shit! They're going to..!"

"FIRE!"

Flaming arrows rained down like meteors, striking the oil-soaked stairs.

FWOOM!

The grease ignited instantly. Hungry flames spread with terrifying speed, engulfing the Sea Race warriors. The air filled with the stench of burning flesh as agonized screams tore through the night.

"DO NOT PANIC!" Zrom roared.

The fire limited their movement even further, but it wasn't enough to kill them outright. The creatures of the Spirit Vein Realm had powerful bodies,ordinary flames couldn't burn them to death.

Still, the pain was excruciating. The battlefield descended into chaos.

"Kill them!"

Indomitable Bear let out a battle cry and charged, leading twenty players into the fray. Each wielded a crude bone machete, their feet steady with self-made nail shoes that dug into the slippery ground.

The Sea Race wasn't so lucky. Already unsteady on land, their oil-slicked feet made them nearly helpless. Some creatures stumbled, others fell outright,easy prey for the incoming slaughter.

"DIE!!!"

Zrom, ignoring the burning warriors around him, gritted his teeth and launched his bone spear at Indomitable Bear with terrifying speed.

A pinnacle Spirit Vein Realm warrior's attack,lightning-fast, unavoidable!

"Colored Arm!"

Indomitable Bear's hands glowed as he crossed his arms, intercepting the deadly spear.

THWACK!

Though deflected, the impact sent him skidding backward. Behind him, a player who failed to react in time was skewered through the chest, dying instantly.

"Damn humans!!!" Zrom roared and lunged at Indomitable Bear.

The battle exploded into a frenzy.

Players hacked away wildly, their crude machetes swinging in relentless arcs. "Hack! Hack! Hack!" They repeated like a mantra, their blades slicing through flesh.

Indomitable Bear, rolling and weaving through the battlefield, clashed with Zrom. His machete flashed as he slashed at other Sea Race warriors in between dodging Zrom's devastating blows.

The fire, the grease, and the relentless attacks had thrown the Sea Race into utter disorder. Some creatures were grievously injured, others fell in mangled heaps.

"DO YOU THINK YOU CAN WIN?!"

Zrom's furious roar echoed through the battlefield.

The surviving Sea Race warriors, despite their initial disarray, began adapting. Their powerful physiques allowed them to adjust to the slippery ground.

One by one, they extinguished the flames with water techniques, shaking off the pain.

And then,they began to counterattack.

"AHHHH!"

Reality set in. The players, despite their overwhelming strategy, were weak. At best, their strongest warriors were at the third stage of Body Forging Realm.

The Sea Race, however, were all Spirit Vein Realm cultivators. Their individual combat power dwarfed that of the players.

The tide turned viciously.

Spears whistled through the air, impaling unlucky players in gruesome fashion. Some were pierced by seven or eight spears at once, their bodies torn apart.

In a blink of a eye,only two players remained.

Indomitable Bear stood at the edge of defeat.

His legs had been pierced by bone spears, forcing him onto one knee. Blood pooled beneath him, his strength fading.

Zrom loomed over him, a cruel smirk on his reptilian face.

"Humans. No matter what pathetic tricks you play, the difference in strength is absolute."

The surviving Sea Race warriors, over two hundred strong, encircled him. Not a single one had perished.

Their laughter was cruel.

"This human trash hurt me!"

"I want to eat them alive!"

"Don't kill them too quickly. Let's enjoy this."

They advanced, their bloodlust palpable.

But instead of begging for mercy,Indomitable Bear smiled.

"Do you think you've won?"

Zrom's sneer deepened. "Hahaha, haven't we? Almost all your people are dead. Not a single one of my warriors has fallen!"

Indomitable Bear ignored him. Instead, he turned to the last surviving player beside him.

"It's almost time, right?"

The player nodded. "Yeah, should be just about now."

"…?"

Zrom frowned. "Time for what?"

"Pffft—"

A gurgling sound came from behind him.

Zrom turned,just in time to see one of his warriors stagger.

Black blood dripped from the creature's mouth.

His limbs trembled. His eyes bulged.

Then, he collapsed, dead.

A chill crept up Zrom's spine.

"…What the hell?"

Then, another Sea Race warrior gasped. His body shuddered violently. Black veins crawled up his skin, and he, too, fell lifelessly to the ground.

And another.

And another.

One by one, the warriors began dropping like flies.

Zrom's expression twisted into pure horror.

"WHAT… WHAT IS HAPPENING?!"

Indomitable Bear grinned, eyes filled with mockery.

"You still don't get it?"

The truth finally hit Zrom.

"THE OIL—!"

The Sea Race commander's blood turned ice-cold.

It wasn't just oil.

It was poison.