Infinite Skill Devourer

The moment Haruka's voice echoed through the field, the sudden silence that followed sent a wave of dread into Ryuen.

She froze, her wide green eyes locking onto the massive shadows forming in the distance.

Twice the size of the train itself, the shadows were accompanied by ugly yellow eyes that glowed ominously in the darkness.

The five passengers, including her, stood motionless, their breath hitched and fear slowly settled within them.

Massive wolf-like creatures materialized further from the shadows, their glowing eyes fixed on their terrified prey.

They approached with slow, calculating steps, their fangs dripping with evident hunger.

Just staring at the beasts sent cold chills down Ryuen's sine.

A man standing closest to the creatures let out a terrified scream, turning to flee—too late.

One of the beasts charged forward, its jaws widening as it closed the gap between itself and the man.

Before everyone's eyes, it clamped its jaws around his neck with a loud crunch.

After devouring the man's head, the beasts suddenly vanished into the dark.

Blood sprayed across the field and onto the faces of the remaining four.

The metallic tang of fresh blood lingered in the air.

The lifeless body of the man crumpled to the ground beside Haruka, causing her to flinch and stumble backward.

Her trembling legs remained fixed to the ground, despite being released from the mysterious grip that had held them earlier.

She turned her head back toward the train, tears streaming down her cheeks and momentarily clouding her vision.

Meanwhile, on the train, chaos erupted.

Kenta shouted in panic, arguing with other passengers who were suggesting they abandon the train and run.

Akari covered her mouth, sobbing uncontrollably, while Yuta sat frozen, his face pale, all color drained from his features.

However, Ryuen stood by the door, his eyes locked on Haruka's figure outside.

His instincts screamed at him to stay inside, but he couldn't ignore her.

She was his student—the one he was most familiar with, at least.

The one with a smile he didn't want to lose.

'No,' he thought.

She was annoying, but he couldn't let her die like that.

With a swift motion, he yanked the emergency lever by the door, forcing it open.

"Stay here!" he yelled at his students before leaping out of the train.

"Sensei!"

Akari shouted, reaching out in an attempt to pull him back, but he was already running toward the field.

Ryuen's boots crunched against the dry grass as he sprinted toward Haruka.

She turned at the sound of his approach, relief instantly replacing her terrified expression.

But her joy was short-lived as the beasts began to reappear one after the other.

"Get up! Move!" he ordered, his calm tone switched, surprising her as it echoed through the quiet field.

Arriving before her, he grabbed her arm and raised her up from where she is.

The beasts, momentarily distracted by the remaining passengers, snarled and began advancing toward the two of them.

"Run!" he barked, pushing her ahead.

Haruka stumbled but obeyed, her breath coming in gasps as she ran toward the train, not daring to glance back.

The other passengers screamed as the creatures closed in.

One of the men fell, when their claws dragged across his back.

The train's engines suddenly roared to life, its wheels grinding against the tracks as it began to move.

Noticing this, Ryuen's eyes widened in shock.

"No... it's leaving," he muttered, somehow gaining the attention of the beasts instead.

"Wait!" Haruka screamed, pounding on the still-open doors.

Kenta and Akari reached out, grabbing her arms and successfully pulling her aboard.

Unfortunately, the other passengers had been killed by the beasts before they switched targets to...The train.

Ryuen immediately broke into a sprint as the creatures charged toward the train.

"Stay on!" he yelled, the distance between him and the train increasing rapidly.

"Don't look back or come for me," he added, taking a sharp turn to draw the attention of the beasts.

The creatures snarled, their glowing eyes blazing with rage.

The fact that their prey kept running, coupled with the harsh weather, only infuriated them more.

Ryuen darted across the field, dirt kicking up under his feet as he zigzagged, trying to keep ahead of the beasts.

For the very first time in his life, he was truly afraid of something.

It wasn't the slow death awaiting him or the beasts gaining on him.

No.

It was the fact that he would never get to see the walls of a lecture hall again.

His breathing became sharp, turning into heavy pants, his heart pounding like a drum.

From the corner of his eye, he saw the train now picking up speed and making a turn.

Toward his direction.

It passed the lifeless bodies of the passengers, its sudden speed disorienting the beasts.

This resulted in a frustrated roar.

BAM!

One of the beasts slammed into the side of the train, creating a loud sound that echoed through the empty field.

BAM!

It hit again, leaving deep dents in the metal that formed as bumps on the other side.

The train finally pulled to a stop, permanently.

There was nowhere to go anymore.

The passengers inside screamed and scrambled away from the windows after each hit.

Their hearts raced, tears fell from the eyes of a few, while others had already begun saying their prayers.

Ryuen decided to stop running, seeing as he was no longer the target.

He turned around to face the three beasts, their faces coming into view as faint moonlight cast over them.

They looked exactly like wolves, but twice or triple the size, with bodies that resembled metal.

Large, jagged teeth as long as an average human's thigh.

Yellow eyes that matched their tongues.

Finally, sharp claws.

Saliva dripped from their maws each time they hit the side of the train, eager to devour whoever or whatever was inside the "noisy moving container."

He exhaled deeply, his chest rising and falling as he tried to control his breathing.

"Hey, Ugly!"

He shouted, waving his right hand in the air, and somehow that alone was enough to get their attention again.

His eyes narrowed as he slowly looked at his hand, initially scanning for a bruise or cut that might have been bleeding.

But his gaze fell on his wristwatch and the silver chain around his wrist.

He slowly turned his head back to the beasts, locking eyes with all three of them.

He moved his hand to the right, watching as their eyes followed it, not taking them off his wrist.

Or what was on it.

A small smile appeared on his lips, despite being right before three vicious creatures.

He quickly ripped his wristwatch off, raised it in the air to confirm they were actually after it, and then clenched the watch in his fist.

With all his strength, he hurled it as far as he could.

Far enough to buy himself and the others time to run.

The moment he did, the beasts charged toward the object, dashing past him without a care.

"Seems like mere jewelry is more important than food," Ryuen mumbled, relief spreading through his body.

However, before he could take another step, blinding spotlights illuminated the field, freezing everyone in place.

A loud, deep voice echoed through the air.

"Stand down, or we will attack."

Dozens of men in sleek, unfamiliar uniforms, armed to the teeth, emerged from the direction of the beasts.

Beasts similar to the ones Ryuen had just distracted moved alongside them.

GRRRRRR

The creatures growled but remained in the darkness, where the moonlight did not reach.

The men advanced cautiously, their steps calculated.

Ryuen soon noticed the air in the atmosphere had shifted, changing from one filled with dread and terror to something calmer.

Yet Ryuen had a feeling they were not safe.

"Identify yourselves!" one of the men demanded, using his free hand to signal orders to the others.

They nodded in unison, unsheathing their swords and whips.

A few moved toward the train, balls of fire floating above their hands.

When Ryuen's gaze fell on the balls of fire, realization dawned on him.

Although unbelievable and bizarre, he somehow believed it. They were in world that was nothing close to the regular boring earth they lived in.

"We're... unarmed," he quickly said, raising his hands in the air.

"We were brought here against our knowledge."

He added calmly, his eyes shifting to the sound of the train doors opening.

Haruka, Kenta, Akari, and Yuta stepped out, faces pale, the terror of what had just happened painted boldly on them.

It was then Ryuen noticed something strange under the train.

It had never been on rails, yet it had made sounds like it was.

It was all starting to make sense.

The sudden arrival of the strange train, the strange voice that made the announcement, and the unnatural silence.

The soldiers, however, ignored Ryuen's explanation.

One of them dropped his weapon momentarily, raising his own hand in the air.

"Detain them. The General will decide what to do with them."