"Let's go. There won't be any curses before we reach the mountaintop!" said the Monster Beast with three eyes on its head in a deep voice. Together with several other Monster Beasts, it completely sealed off everyone's retreat!
Everyone looked at one another. In the end, helplessly, no one dared step forward to resist. They knew full well the enormous disparity between themselves and this pack of Monster Beasts. Resistance meant certain death; if they did not resist, perhaps there was still a sliver of hope.
"With so many people here, perhaps I'll be lucky and the curse won't fall upon me!" Every one of them clung to this faint hope.
And so, they were forced to climb the mountain, stepping upon rock as hard as iron. Their hearts were deeply unsettled. Though no curse had yet descended, each step closer to the summit made them increasingly uneasy.
At last, only a few steps remained before the summit. Everyone stopped as though by mutual agreement, each making small movements to shrink back. No one wished to be the first sacrifice. Whoever went first would surely be struck by the curse.
"You, you, and you. Take two steps forward first!" At that moment, the humanoid Monster Beast spoke, pointing at three middle-aged men near the front of the crowd. It wanted to test where the curse's boundary lay.
The faces of the three men instantly turned despairing.
It had to be said, however, that this Monster Beast was clever. It had seen through the human race's mentality. By selecting three people at once, it allowed all three to retain a shred of hope—if one was struck by the curse, the other two might still escape with their lives.
The three men wore fearful expressions, but they had no choice now. Behind