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All the players standing around me are soaked to the bone from the rain, and I'm in the same situation. Sally won't be getting rained on where she's at. There are only a few minutes until the monsters are allowed to attack. All of us can see them crashing against the invisible barrier, fighting against it to get to us. I twirl The Witness in my right hand a few times. Warming up my body. It's been a decent length of time since I fought monsters. Fought at all, really. The players in our tiny group do the same as I do and start warming up their bodies.

The monsters pounding on the barrier are stronger than the rest, killing the smaller and weaker ones if they get in the way. I'd say those are the monsters that'll come after me. "Are you ready for this..." Two players to my left have begun talking to each other. I turn my head to see the response the other player will come up with. He shakes his head, being honest. "Yeah... Neither am I..." At least they're going into this battle with realistic expectations. They'll probably kill a few monsters before they die and respawn in the city.

The time whines down, and the monster gets loud and rambunctious as they know they're almost free too. There is maybe a minute or so until the barrier is removed and the players are attacked along with the cities. It disappoints me that innocent NPC's are being put at risk, but some things are unavoidable. If they're willing to live in a city like this, that they must be willing to endure harsh realities and punishments. As we patiently wait in these final seconds, a world announcement goes off—one signaling the beginning of this test.

[Worldwide Announcement: The test shall begin! Once the total number of monsters killed across Gaia reaches 30,000,000,000. The assault will stop! Good Luck to all players! You're going to need it!]

My body tightens up as the total number of enemies that need to be killed is announced. Killing 35 billion monsters across Gaia is no easy objective. I bet the idea in mind that every player has to kill around 3 or 4, but since there are isolated pockets of players that aren't getting attacked. That leaves way more for the people staying in large groups. It's definitely intentional. Pushing the limits of what the players can handle at this point, and I'll admit. The number is intimidating. I look at the players around me one last time and see their shocked faces.

The barrier drops as I turn my head back in their direction, and the ground literally rumbles. The monsters are like a mighty wave descending on us. The biggest and strongest of the monsters are making a straight path to me. The players around me roar and activate their skills. I dash forward at speeds that slow down my perception. The raindrops are visible as I pass through them. If I wanted to, I could reach out and take one. The strongest monsters begin to move at a higher speed, but not quite the same as me.

I pass the smaller and weaker monsters as I drive The Witness into the heart of the closest high-level monster after me. I twist my blade and pull it out through the right side of its body. It suspends in the air now that it's lost its speed, and I continue moving at mine. Two powerful monsters try and attack me. We are moving at fast speeds while everything around us is at a standstill. I strike at the vital areas on the monsters, and The Witness cuts through them like a sickle through a field. After these two monsters are dead, hundreds more behind them are moving at a pace that can almost keep up with me.

It's like I'm battle monsters while the rest of the world around us is frozen. The rain creating weird shapes as our bodies cause the droplets to connect without falling. I continue dispatching monster after monster, but they never seem to end. Yet, only the ones I'm fighting are attacking. The rest are still frozen and on their way to the other players at the front of the city. I kill the last one that's immediately close, and I jump away and slow down. Allowing the world around me to speed up. The weaker monsters quickly collide with the players.

Others jump on the walls of the city and begin climbing. Trying to get to the rest of the players in the city. I'm sent flying as I block a blinding strike from a monster still moving at the speeds I was earlier. Soon I'm getting sent in many different directions from the monsters that are strong enough to fight me use coordinated attacks. I speed up again, and the world slows down. They move at a slower pace than me now, and I dispatch them as fast as they come. I look as other very strong and fast creatures enter the city. I see another player moving at a similar or faster speed on the wall.

Her hair is hanging outside her hood, indicating she's a girl. She's moving at speeds only high-level players with great classes can move at. She's got to have a class above legacy level. I watch as she uses an elegant sword and fighting form to easily kill the monsters after her on top of the wall. The moves are reminiscent of a duelist class. A powerful one at that, I know of many legacies and some legendary classes fitting that description. I don't know who it is, though. The timeline changed too much to know who has what anymore.

I'll leave her to deal with what she's got to fight. The monsters I'm fighting move at almost the same pace she does, but she's a little faster than I am. This means she has to have a higher speed stat than me, which is absolutely insane. The difference isn't that big, but it's there. I redirect my focus on my enemies and slaughter them in the frozen world. Their blood freezes in motion once they die, suspending in the air now that the limp bodies are no longer moving at speeds that slow down the perception of time.

As Cera continues to fight his monsters, Hailey is currently doing the same thing with the powerful monsters after her. Hailey stands at the top of the wall and is using her superior speed to kill any monster that gets close with The Hearts Needle. The world around her is moving at a slow pace, frozen and still. The rain around is never hitting the ground as it stays suspended in the air. Due to the speed, she's moving at. Hailey also notices the other player able to move at her speed, something she's never encountered before.

Never in my entire time with my new speed have I met someone that can keep up with me. He is a guy. I can tell by his build and height from where he was on the ground. What really stood out to me was his weapon. I feel like I've seen it before. I stop thinking about the mysterious man and refocus on the monsters trying to kill me. They lunge at me, and while they are fast enough to move at the level that everything slows down. They aren't at my speed level. The Hearts Needle is easily killing them. Along with my basic duelist skills.

The high impact produced from my speed is causing enough physical damage to kill them without using some of my stronger skills. As I have a slight break from the onslaught of monsters, I look down on the side of the wall the city is on. I see monsters suspended in the air as they are diving into the city after the players. I look on the side of the wall to the outside world, and monsters are climbing and jumping to get to the other side where the players are. All of them are frozen. The players at the bottom defending against the monsters are frozen in their fight.

The difference in power between them and me is causing an entirely different style in battle. The monsters after that one man and me will be killed faster than the first kill down there. We'll be done before the world speeds back up. A new group reaches the top of the wall and relentlessly attacks me. Trying to keep up with my speed, and some of them are getting faster and faster. Almost matching me. It only makes sense the longer the battle goes on, the stronger the enemies get as they show up. Soon it'll be a match, and I'll have to start using skills.