Chương 28

The sun dipped below the horizon, casting long, dark shadows across the beach. Behind the heavy wooden gates of Seabreak Town, the local militia was completely freaking out. Soldiers were frantically stacking sandbags, their hands shaking as they gripped their spears. Everyone knew the Gathering Tide was basically a death sentence. And right in front of those gates, about thirty yards out, Rudra was making a stir-fry. Sizzle.

The rich, heavy smell of butter, garlic, and roasted crab meat drifted over the barricades. A few of the terrified guards actually stopped shivering just to sniff the air. The heavy wooden gates creaked open. Gareth Rowan marched out. The scarred veteran was fully armored and looked incredibly stressed. He had a massive broadsword resting on his shoulder. When Gareth saw a lone guy in a brown cloak cooking a meal in the absolute worst spot imaginable, his face turned bright red.

"Are you out of your damn mind, mercenary?!" Gareth roared, stomping down the dirt path.

"Put that fire out and get behind the walls! Do you want to be the first one eaten?" Rudra didn't flinch. He casually flipped a thick chunk of crab meat in his skillet, catching it perfectly. He pulled his dark leather mask down to his chin, blew on the meat, and took a bite.

"Oh, wow. That's perfect," Rudra mumbled happily. He looked up at the angry commander.

"Hey, Sir. You look stressed. Want a piece? It's really good." Gareth stopped dead in his tracks. He looked at the messy black hair, the glowing red eyes, and the polite smile. Then, his gaze dropped to the massive, dark-wood staff resting against the cooking supplies.

"You," Gareth grunted, all the anger instantly draining from his face. He let out a long, exhausted sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Of course it's you. Who else would set up a kitchen in the vanguard?"

"I'm multitasking," Rudra said, handing Gareth a wooden skewer loaded with spicy crab. Gareth didn't even argue. He took the skewer, bit a piece off, and his eyes widened slightly at the flavor.

"Why are you wearing a mask? You look like a thief."

"The Immortals are too loud," Rudra replied, pulling the leather mask back up over his nose.

"I wanted to avoid the crowds. Didn't realize I'd be running into a monster invasion instead." Gareth chewed the crab, looking out at the dark, churning ocean.

"It's the Gathering Tide. Thousands of them. My men are brave, but we don't have the numbers to hold the main gate if the beasts swarm it." Rudra tossed a few more pieces of raw meat into the pan.

"That's why I'm out here. If I hold the front, your guys just have to pick off the stragglers." Gareth stared at him.

"Kid, I know you're unnaturally strong. I saw your final assessment. But there are thousands of them. You will run out of stamina and die."

"That's exactly what you told me during my sparring exam," Rudra chuckled, pointing his wooden fork at his massive pile of cooked food.

"So, I decided to manage my stamina better this time." Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Before Gareth could respond, a deep, echoing horn blew from the watchtower. HOOOOONK.

"They're coming!" a guard screamed from the wall. Rudra and Gareth looked toward the beach. The ocean was literally bubbling. The water receded rapidly, pulling back to reveal the wet, jagged rocks. Then, a massive, horrific clicking noise filled the air. Thousands of glowing yellow and red eyes emerged from the surf. Massive armored crabs, completely covered in dark coral, scuttled onto the sand. Hundreds of bloated, mutated murlocs carrying rusted tridents marched right behind them.

It was a literal wall of monsters. And they were all staring directly at the town gates.

"Goddess preserve us," Gareth whispered, gripping his broadsword. Rudra just sighed. He quickly packed his hot skillet into his inventory, grabbed his heavy iron-oak staff, and stepped forward.

"Get behind the barricade, Sir," Rudra said, his voice calm and completely muffled by the leather mask.

"I've got the front." The front line of the monster wave hit the beach like a terrifying, clicking tsunami. Rudra didn't wait for them to reach him. He charged right at them. He gripped his heavy oak staff with both hands. His Agility was so high that the dirt barely even shifted under his boots. The first monster, a massive armored crab, snapped its heavy claws at his head. Rudra just ducked. He spun on his heel and swung the staff hard directly into its supporting legs. Crunch. The crab collapsed.

Rudra didn't even watch it fall. He was already moving to the next target. He stepped deep into the chaotic swarm. It was an absolute mess. He didn't use fancy martial arts. He just fought like a guy trying to clear a crowded room. He shoved murlocs into each other. He used the blunt end of his staff to poke crabs right in their glowing eyes. When a group of spear-wielding murlocs tried to surround him, he simply pointed his left hand at the sand in front of them.

"[Minor Tidal Push]." The blast of pressurized water didn't kill them, but it knocked all five of them flat on their backs. Rudra happily stomped on them as he walked past, swinging his staff at the next wave. His Intermediate Staff Mastery made the heavy iron-oak wood feel as light as a plastic toy. Every swing sent monsters flying backward into the surf. He was a one-man barricade. From the top of the town walls, the militia guards and hiding players stared down at the dirt road in total silence.

"Is he... is he playing baseball with them?" a Level 1 player whispered, nervously gripping a basic wooden sword. Hours passed. The sky turned completely dark, lit only by the torches on the town walls. The monster wave just kept coming, a seemingly endless tide of angry sea life. Rudra was covered in monster ash and sweat. His arms were finally starting to feel heavy. He glanced at his Stamina bar. It was dropping dangerously close to the yellow zone.

"Alright, snack time," Rudra mumbled. He didn't run back to the safety of the gates. He just kicked a dead crab out of the way, pulled a pre-cooked spicy crab skewer out of his inventory, and jammed it into his mouth. A murloc lunged at his blind spot with a rusted dagger. Rudra didn't even turn around. He held the meat skewer in his teeth, casually raised his oak staff with his right hand to block the dagger, and slapped the murloc across the face with his empty left hand.

The monster spun around and dropped into the dirt. Rudra chewed happily. The rich, salty flavor instantly triggered his food buff. His stamina bar stopped draining and rapidly filled right back up to the green zone.

"Oh, that's the stuff," Rudra sighed, his muscles feeling completely refreshed. Up on the town wall, a player was holding up a glowing system crystal designed to record video clips.

"Bro," the player zoomed in, his voice cracking.

"Is that guy seriously eating dinner right now?"

"He just slapped a monster while chewing on a stick!" another player yelled, furiously typing on his interface.

"Post this to the forums right now! Make sure you tag it 'Masked Lunatic'!" Down in the dirt, Rudra was completely clueless that he was currently going viral on the real-world internet. He just swallowed his food, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and grabbed his staff with both hands again.

"Come on!" Rudra yelled at the swarm, his red eyes glowing from under his hood.

"I've got plenty of room in my inventory left!"