From Beings to Beasts

Dimm's heart continually pounded in his chest as he ran through the forest. The snarls, the growls, and the bone-crackling sound that echoed behind him only made his mind race faster than his legs.

He thought. He tried to make sense of what he had just witnessed–the refugees, no, the beasts–were no longer human. They had transformed completely now.

'And these were the creatures I traveled with all this while.'

The once serene atmosphere had turned into a nightmare, and he was at the center of this nightmare. Unfortunately.

The forest was thick, with the canopies formed by its trees blotting out most of the sunlight. Making it possible for Dimm to have a glance of his shadows as he continued to run.

Dimm's breath came heavily, in ragged gasps as he ducked his head each time to dodge low-hanging branches and leap over gnarled roots.

His legs burned out, he was rapidly losing strength. But…but the fear of those beasts fueled his audacity to keep running, and at a steady pace. He could hear them trailing behind him, they were approaching and at a quicker rate.

But then, a thought came into Dimm's mind and he skidded to a halt, turning to face the direction of the approaching beasts. His initial terror began to wane just as the thought struck him.

'These aren't mythical beasts. They are just animals.'

His eyes ignited at this thought as he narrowed them to watch every movement and appearance of these beasts. 'Big? Yes. Dangerous? Not really. Just animals nonetheless.'

But their number. Another thought rushed into his mind, except it was conflicting with the former. Their population was overwhelming, there had to be dozens of them if not more.

How could he possibly take them all alone?

He closed his eyes for a moment before opening it again. 'I have no weapon with me,' he thought. 'But, what about them? No extraordinary abilities–no fire-breathing, no flying, no magic. If it is what it seems, then he might stand a chance against their brute strength and primal instincts.

He either needs a weapon, or best, a plan to take out these beasts. His eyes darted around the forest searching for an advantage. If there was something he could get his hands on, anything, he was good to go.

His eyes landed on the trees that made up the forest. Their tall, sturdy, and abundant appearance caught his attention. Without a second thought, he leaped unto the nearest tree and began climbing.

Each branch he grasped unto, he remembered when as a little child he had solely depended on tree fruits for life, making him a tree climber. Now at the high top of the tree, he glanced down to see the beasts circling the tree below, their eyes clearly showing feral hunger.

They began to slam their bodies against the tree, digging their claws into the bark as they tried to reach him. The tree shuddered with each impact, looking like it was going to fall soon. Dimm's plan was working—for now. But if only the plan would be—

Krrkkkk....

Somehow, the huge beasts among them had taken the lead to slam against the tree, and thanks to God. The sound he heard was a signal that the tree on which he was on, was on the verge of breaking.

Yes, it had broken.

Dimm saw an opportunity, thankfully the forest was filled with Banyan Trees. These trees were ever going to keep surprising him. Trees that had their roots growing downwards from the branches.

Without wasting much time, he leaped from the tree, getting hold of one of the roots, and swung joyfully.

"Oooouuuu!"

He expressed his happiness as he moved from root to root, swinging endlessly, and trying his best to cover a good distance from the falling tree. But, the moment was either way enjoyable.

"Boom!!!"

The loud thud with which the tree had landed caused Dimm to turn his gaze back in the direction. The wonders the tree had done, elated the joy in him. It fell on at least a dozen beasts if not more. His plan worked.

"Ouuhayy!" he shouted while still swinging, with his eyes fixed on the scene.

The eyes with which the surviving beasts used to behold him now, were fiery and he knew he was in for a more dangerous fight. But, he had his trees, the rope-like roots as well. All he needed was a thoughtful and effective decision.

Unexpectedly, just unexpectedly, one particularly large creature, covered in thick scales, lunged at a smaller beast, its jaws clamping down on its neck. The smaller beast let out a guttural scream before collapsing.

The others, if they had moved out of fear or the feral hunger to end life, were unknown to Dimm. All he could behold was that the others had lunged forward, their speed increasing this time. And the directional motion was geared to him as he swung with the roots.

He needed to be faster so as to comfort himself before making a thoughtful decision on what next to do. He turned his face forward, gripping the root tightly. But–

Kpom!!

He jammed a tree that was in his front. He had been distracted by the scene of the creatures and was as well carried away by the fun of swinging in the forest.

He fell to the ground, landing with a low thud. His back jammed unto the ground, with his face upwards and hands spread out. He summoned enough strength to raise his head and found the remaining beasts closing the distance between them. Much faster than he expected, and their movement was quicker than before.

He allowed his head to hit back on the ground before muttering the words of his last hope.

"Uhh-ohh!" he let out. "So, what next? Last Prayer."

He raised his head again and still saw the beasts approaching. He shook his head disappointedly at himself and returned it to the ground. The next moment–

"Help! Help!! Help!!!"

His mind screamed at him. 'This is cowardice!'

But he didn't seem to care. He loved his life, at least since he was still in doubt about any outcome of events in the game, and that was the last thing that came to his mind to do. Whether he was the only one in this area or not, he hoped help would come somehow.

The cloud changed, becoming darker than it was. Lightning shimmered on its surface, thunder struck and everything returned to normal. But beside him appeared a sword, and before his eyes, a blue screen materialized.

***

"Huh!"

[Welcome Candidate 160!]

[You have been chosen.]

"Chosen?"

But he still glared at the screen before him.

Name: ???

Strength [STR]: 500 (10x) | [5000 SP]

Dexterity [DEX]: 100 (10x) | [1000 SP]

Constitution (CON): 1500 (10x) | [15000 SP]

Intelligence (INT): 7% (10x) | [70%]

Perception (PER): 500 (10x) | [5000 SP]

Charisma (CHA): 50 (10x) | [500 SP]

Dimm couldn't help but try to understand what was before his eyes. He has been chosen? Does it mean he has passed his test? Was the test this easy?

But another system replaced the previous one.

[Flaw of Help: Fight with mythical creatures!]

He immediately shifted his gaze to the approaching creatures and realized they were evolving. The bright atmosphere got blunt, and the environment became dim.

And then–

"…"

"…"