Becoming The Strongest Using My Would-You-Rather System!-Chapter 16 - Unexpected Fight

Theo glanced down at the emergency button clipped to his waist for a moment.

But he shook his head, glancing back at the Shore Dwellers.

’I can do this,’ he thought, guiding mana to his hand. ’If I run away now, I’ll never actually learn anything.’

Just then, the first Shore Dweller had set foot on the sand and immediately started running towards him.

Theo focused deeply, taking a few steps back to maintain distance as he formed the first lightning bolt in the air.

The Shore Dweller screeched wildly, not hesitating for even a moment.

A bright yellow thunderbolt fully formed beside Theo, crackling in the air.

Without hesitation, he released it.

The thunderbolt shot through the air, leaving a faint yellow trail behind.

It reached the Shore Dweller before it could even react, colliding with its chest with a loud bang.

The creature fell forward instantly, tumbling over the ground for a moment before coming to a stop.

Seeing the gaping hole in its chest, Theo nodded once and looked up again.

’That’s one,’ he thought, immediately locking onto the other two Dwellers.

They had long stepped onto the sand but had remained cautious while they slowly walked towards him.

As Theo conjured another lightning bolt, the creatures split apart, each dashing towards one of his sides.

’Shit,’ he thought, his face darkening.

He immediately retreated as his lightning bolt had yet to finish forming.

His eyes darted between the Shore Dweller on his left and right, unsure which one to kill first. Both were rapidly closing in on him, only allowing him to walk further back.

Gritting his teeth, he made a decision.

He released the thunderbolt at the Dweller on his right and ran towards it without even checking if he’d missed.

The thunderbolt soared through the air, reaching its target nearly instantly.

A bright light flashed as it hit its target, followed by a sharp screech that echoed over the beach.

The Dweller on his right stumbled and collapsed on the sand, one of its legs completely severed.

It let out wild screeches as it tried to claw its way forward... but it was of little use.

’That’ll work for now,’ Theo thought, dashing past it into open space.

The remaining Dweller was still hot on his tail, even attempting to lunge forward to grab him.

Theo pushed himself to run faster while simultaneously trying to guide mana to form another thunderbolt by his side.

For a moment, everything worked.

He was gathering his mana, there was just enough space between him and the Dweller to prevent it from grabbing him, and his stamina felt perfect.

Then, a loud scream echoed out in front of him.

His eyes darted forward, widening instantly.

In the distance, a hunter was running towards him at rapid speed, a swarm of lizard-like creatures following behind.

’’What...?’’ Theo muttered, utterly confused.

He completely lost his concentration as many thoughts ran through his head.

’What is happening over there? Why are they approaching me? Are they trying to get me killed too?’

Just then, the Shore Dweller behind him let out a screech, jumping forward.

Theo just barely managed to step aside, feeling a sharp, painful sting on his shoulder as the Shore Dweller passed him.

’’Fuck,’’ he let out, stumbling back.

Its three razor-sharp claws had sliced open his skin.

The painful sting only grew worse as a warm liquid started trickling down his arm.

Theo clenched his jaw as the pain fully set in, his hands trembling slightly.

But he understood his situation very well. If he didn’t act now, he was going to die.

He quickly continued, forcing the mana faster through his body than he ever had before.

The thunderbolt beside him lit up, nearly fully formed.

But the Shore Dweller had already twisted around, its claws digging into the sand as it prepared to lunge again.

In an instant, Theo’s mana surged.

The thunderbolt shot through the air, colliding with the Shore Dweller within a second.

It pierced straight through the creature’s body, disintegrating its head before severing the rest of it.

Theo wasn’t done yet though.

He glanced up, locking eyes with the hunter who was now only a hundred yards away from him.

She looked to be in her twenties, her hair tied back but partially coming loose as she sprinted across the sand. A long spear was clenched tightly in her hand, the metal tip stained with dark blood.

’’Help!’’ she shouted hoarsely. ’’Help me, please!’’

Theo took one look behind her, staring at the swarm of lizards as only a single thought went through his mind.

’How dare she drag me into this...’

He clenched his fists so hard, his nails dug into his skin.

’I’m going to get fucking killed because of her!’

After a moment, he forced down his anger, understanding that losing his composure even for a second longer could cost him his life.

Without hesitation, he started counting the number of creatures.

’Eleven of those lizards,’ he thought, calculating his odds. ’But some are pretty lined up.’

Even so, eleven were way too many to take, especially since he had just come out of a fight.

’But I don’t think I have another choice,’ he thought, a wry smile forming on his lips.

If he ran now, chances were high she would follow him.

And even from a distance, he could tell she was fast, likely much faster than him.

If those creatures were already catching up to her, they would catch him too.

Either way, he couldn’t escape it.

Theo clenched his jaw and immediately reached for his emergency button, pressing it.

A soft beep echoed from it, confirming the request.

’Now there’s a chance,’ he thought. ’I just have to stall as much as possible.’

Without hesitation, he poured his mana out, forming a thunderbolt nearly twice as large as anything he had made before.

The girl’s face lit up in relief for a moment.

She kept pushing forward, clearly on her last bit of stamina.

’’Don’t stop!’’ Theo shouted, his voice firm as he felt the mana rapidly drain from his core.

The oversized thunderbolt crackled violently beside him, unstable from the sheer amount of mana packed into it.

’’Jump to the right now!’’

Without seeing if the girl had listened, Theo released the thunderbolt.

It reached the pack in an instant, crackling violently as the lightning tore through three lizards, blasting sand and glass shards up into the air.

’Good!’ he thought, immediately pouring out mana for the next one.

The gap between him and the girl wasn’t much anymore, only around thirty yards remaining.

’’You have to turn around and fight!’’ Theo shouted, knowing he couldn’t take all of them on. ’’Or we’ll both die here!’’