Having an advantage did not automatically mean that they would win though. The foxes were too agile to hit normally and their shots usually made contact with non-critical parts of their bodies.
But it did slow them down enough to get a solid shot in.
Mark saw the teen's face twisted in concentration, his eyes zoning in on the monsters below and the shot was fired. It hit the moving monster square in the face and it exploded into light particles.
Mark found it weird that some monsters disappeared into light while others drifted off into light and gave drops as a result. Definitely, something he had to look further into the future once he made it to the base alive.
He shot at the fox, only for it to dodge but it was alright because the teen beside him was good enough to take care of this one too. It was a good shot, clean and to the point. The teen's tense body relaxed a little more once the other one was gone too.
"Are we done?" the teen asked, his voice cold. Alan blinked, his concentration breaking at the sound of his own voice and his face twisted into a surprise mask.
"No, not yet. Now that we have dealt with those subordinates, the real monster would arise. Get ready now" Mark warned the teen who tensed at his words, his eyes vigilantly looking back at the surface below.
It was a tense silence of a few minutes before Mark felt the air change around him. It felt heavier inside his lungs and his mouth had a sandy taste. Alan even coughed at his side lightly, his eyes watering.
"W-what is this?" Alan asked, his voice rough due to sand in the air. It was not good for them to remain in such a condition for long because it could cause a lot of harm to their insides.
"There is sand in the air. Cover your mouth with a mask" Mark passed one to him from his inventory. It was a standard N95 mask, not one made for such situations and it was most likely a temporary solution.
But it would have to be enough to work this time. He would invest in gas masks or other efficient masks when he gets the chance, but this one would have to do for now at least. It did make breathing difficult and they would have to be careful with their breathing now more than ever.
The sand got worse as time went on and there was a shadow inside which was not natural at all. This one was huge, definitely towering above their current location and would reach them if it so wished.
Mark took Alan's hand on his own and tugged him down their place. The wind was fiercer down here but he felt better once he heard the sound of the crush. The teen at his side paled at the noise.
Mark looked at their previous position to see it crushed under rocks. It made him glad that he had switched places beforehand.
He had saved his and Alan's life.
"What was that?" The teen had fear in his voice and Mark understood how terrifying it was to face such a creature. The sandstorm was subduing and the body of the monster was visible. It was similar to the smaller foxes they had faced before, just a little larger than before.
But the eyes looked mad at them and the claws looked too sharp to make Mark feel confident.
"Alan, shoot at its eyes or its belly. Take cover to protect yourself and I'll try to attract its attention toward myself" Mark instructed the teen who nodded in agreement. Mark broke off with him as he ran off in the opposite direction from the teen while he fired some shots at the monster.
He took cover as small rocks came flying his way. He looked back to see the monster diverting its attention toward the other side. It was focusing on Alan more than him. He could not allow that to happen at all.
He shot a few shots that stopped the monster in its tracks. It made a moment toward him but then seemed to stop in its tracks and turn back toward the teen. This could not be allowed at all.
Mark made his way near the huge body before rapidly firing. Alan had a better gun and was likely hit harder than him making him the primary target. But once Mark was close enough, the gap was bridged by closer shots and more frequent fires.
It was enough to attract the monster toward his own side and not focus on the teen.
Mark allowed whatever had been aiding him this far to take over. His body felt lighter and he was moving faster than before. He was making excellent dodges to the claws that were aiming at his person.
One almost made contact before he ducked out of its way in time.
But the problem was starting to show as the creature in front got fiercer all of a sudden. Its moves got faster and one almost made contact with his side.
There was a shot by Alan which almost made contact with him due to the increase in the monster's speed. The next second, the monster hid the visible path toward him which he was glad for since it made sure the teen did not see anything at all.
Mark made sure his shots were aimed at the creature's eyes and belly, whichever was easier to shoot at that time and some really made contact with those parts.
Suddenly, the monster stopped which caused Mark to take a careful leap back. It did not mean anything good for them. The monster had been too fierce to not be in critical health, Mark was sure of that.
The moments were too fierce and precise for it to be anything else but that. And yet the monster had stopped all of a sudden when he was so close to getting to him.
The winds plucked up the speed and Mark saw Alan at a distance, relatively unharmed but still having that worried expression on his face. He gave him a small reassuring simple and hoped the teen was able to see it before sand took over everything.
Then the sandstorm was back in full force and the monster was inside. Was it already in red health? Or was it something before all that?
He took a few shots in the shadow inside the sand but it did not seem to reach it at all. Maybe Alan's weapon could reach inside? He could not be sure but could not wait around to find out too since the shadow was moving toward him.
But this was his best weapon at the moment and if even this did not work, then he was not sure what would. It was not like he had anything else with him that was better.
But there was something he owned that was better. The sword in his inventory was a higher level but he had no idea how to use it. He would have to use it.
'You could screw it up and then you would die' his brain whispered to him and it caused him to close his eyes in fear. What he was thinking of doing was not a good idea by any book.
In fact, it was a downright stupid idea to have and yet it felt right at that moment. It felt like the 'only' idea that would work at this moment and as stupid as it sounded, he would rather take the risk than die out here alone.
He opened his inventory and took the sword out. He deposited the gun but could not close the system tab before the wind reached him.
They were fierce and they pushed back at him causing him to lose his balance. They tugged at him and made him move a certain way which was terrifying.
But they also allowed him to dodge the next slash aimed at his person and live another day to tell another day.
He established himself by stabbing the sword in the ground. He saw the claw come his way and he centred all his energy in moving forward while ducking the claw.
It worked and he felt himself fall but he twisted himself to let his back take the hit as he raised his head in protection. The shadow covered him fully now, with the soft belly right above him.
It was white and soft, unprotected by the harsh cover all around the other body parts the monster had and this was the perfect place to attack. He could see why this was the weak point of this creature since it lacked natural defence but reaching this point itself would be a pain for most people.
He took up his sword and thrust it above. The body spasmed but it was clearly not dead. Retrieving his hand from the sword, he took out the first gun he saw and emptied the shots above him.
The monster's body fell right on top of his own, the heavyweight felt by him for a few seconds before it began disappearing into light particles. There was no blood or any other kind of liquid present, just another beep in his inventory.
______________________________
Hidden boss: Cleared
Reward: 18 hours of relaxation time
Current mission statue: 3 days 16 hours left
______________________________
He did it. The boss was no more and he had succeeded. Alan was still alive and he actually did it.