Despite the achievement Alessia demonstrated in front of them, they did not feel any kind of envy. On the contrary, they felt happy and proud to have a friend like her.
'- If we had tried as hard as Alessia did at her age, Eloise would still be alive. Haa...' Irina, Miria, and Zia turned their focus back to the battle in front of them, not realizing that they all remembered Eloise at the same time.
Less than a minute later, the combination Irina and Zia managed to defeat one teriar while protecting themselves from another. As for Miria, she alone managed to land a fatal blow on the monster, defeating it instantly.
Out of the 6 Teriar, only one of them stayed in the distance.
'- The eyes of that monster... It's possible to see intelligence in them!' Being free from the battle, Alessia was able to better assess the situation. It is at that moment that she noticed the strange movements of the sixth monster. After all, its acting hints that it is waiting for the next wave to attack. 'It's too smart! It must be killed before it's too late!'
Without waiting for support from the others, Alessia headed off to fight the monster before the next wave got close to them.
At the same time, each of the 11 teams of adventurers fought against their respective monster wave.
"Don't block their attacks! Deflect or dodge, those are the only options!" shouted Hernan.
Although he could get a lot of gains by fighting, he didn't. What's the point of fighting alone when the other teams' mistiming can cost him his life? The mistakes of others will indirectly affect him, that's why he gave advice to each of the teams that needed it.
He only took matters into his own hands when one team needed help.
Most of the teams fought against 4 monsters. But many of them have made it to floor 9 of the different labyrinths. So, that's the number they feel most confident fighting. Just one more monster and the situation will come crashing down on them.
At the same moment Alessia managed to defeat the smarter teriar, the second wave arrived.
"Alessia, Miria. Quickly, defeat one and then come back! We will defeat the rest of them as a team!" Irina shouted at Alessia.
Like her, the respective captains quickly adapted to the situation, and changed strategies by learning from the mistakes they made in the first wave.
Thanks to this, their attack styles became much more precise and lethal, preventing the appearance of new flaws in their formation.
With the end of the second wave, the monsters on the horizon were practically annihilated.
"A new group is approaching! 70 of them are estimated!!!!" exclaimed Hernan.
But the waves are just beginning.
At the beginning of the mission, Hernan only mentioned 120 monsters in total, and 150 at most. But he was only referring to the nearby monsters that were hindering the army's movements.
Now that the aura of a Bestial Core is in the air, teriars from other locations are approaching at full speed!
Even though such monsters do not belong to the pack, and have not had a connection with the Pack Leader, this does not mean that the core will not be effective on them. It is simply that their chances of becoming a Mini Boss decrease. But as long as the possibility still exists, they will be willing to risk their lives to consume the core!
*Hiss* *Hiss* *Hiss* *Hiss*
"What do the movements of the eagle in your hand mean?" Someone close to Knight Hernan asked.
"The eagle is saying that the monsters will be approaching in about 40 minutes. Let the others know they have 40 minutes to rest." Hernan answered.
The 12 teams consistently overcame waves of different groups of monsters.The smallest of them only had 30 monsters, while the largest was the initial one, with around 100 monsters.
But they should be thankful that the monster's groups did not unite with each other or attack in sync. As if that were the case, the 12 team's resistance would collapse.
And so, the waves continued…
Until, 3 hours later, the aura of death far outweighed the courage to consume the bestial core, making even the dumbest of the beasts unwilling to risk being one more in the mountain of corpses.
So, fear made them overcome the frenzy caused by the core, bringing the battle to an end.
"Finally~" Miria directly sat down on the ground to rest.
"Good job, everyone" Zia withdrew some bottles of water, and handed them to each of them.
"I can't believe we were able to defeat so many monsters" Irina saw all the loot scattered on the ground and said "Having one more team member really makes things a lot easier"
Alessia could only smile in response; she is already in Emir's team, so she has no intention of being part of their team. But, of course, she will help them whenever she can.
They sat down nearby to watch the scenery. Even though just a few minutes ago they were still fighting, now that it is all over, it seems like an incredible scene to recall.
"Teams!" Hernan shouted to get attention, then said, "Look around, all the loot scattered belonged to ferocious monsters. It was you who managed to turn the tables and defeat them without any casualties. That's why... you deserve a standing ovation!"
As much hatred as they had for Knight Hernan, the emotion still runs through their veins, and for that reason...
*Clap* *Clap* *Clap* *Clap*
They clapped their hands together for everyone.
The 12 teams stayed in place for about 30 minutes, and then the rewards were delivered. By this time, everyone had collected the loot and put it away, depending on who got it.
Alessia's group did the same with the loot in their sector, and Hernan already gave them their reward.
For the rest of the people, only 3 teams received their reward, and they were those who did not criticize Alessia's group in the past.
Although they still have opinions about it, they kept them to themselves. It was better to lose money than to be on the bad side of the army.
"Ladies and gentlemen, it was a pleasure to fight by your side. I take my leave first." Arriving at the rear army, the knight Hernan said goodbye to everyone.
Of course, no one returned his farewell. They hoped never to see him again.
After him, the other groups split up. Without fail, they all said goodbye to team 12.
When they were left alone, they couldn't help but feel a little strange.
"Peace feels so different after experiencing such a chaotic fight" Zia looked up to the sky wishing for peace to last for a long time.
"You're right. I just wish to rest without anyone bothering me" Miria nodded.
"Although it was a good experience, I hope it won't be repeated in the near future," Irina added.
Seeing the quiet atmosphere around them, Alessia had a thought and she made it known. "Shall we celebrate?"
They were speechless but her expressions were enough to answer. She understood that they had all agreed to go celebrate.
While they are in the army, that does not mean that there are no food stalls and relaxation places.
In fact, many merchants came to this place to offer their services. And, although they are quite distant from the rear army, many soldiers come here to forget about the war.
Every one of these merchants is strictly guarded; it is impossible for anything to escape the eyes of the army, and, as such, the possibility of spies is very low.
Emir simply hasn't gone to those places because that sector looks bleak compared to a city.
''Did you hear the rumors?''
"Hm? Speak up, don't leave me in suspense."
While looking for a place to eat, the 4 women unintentionally overheard a conversation.
"A new guild was born!" said a man mischievously.
"Haa, a new guild pops up every day. That's no news" His companion could only sigh.
"It's just that this one is special. They have an incredibly funny name!"
"Say it. Let's see if I laugh."
Grinning from ear to ear, the man said… "The shitters!!! That's their name!"
"Pfffhahaha!" the man started to laugh.
But he wasn't the only one. All those who heard the conversation couldn't hold their laughter, and started laughing out loud.
"Hahaha! Who can have such a guild?" Miria laughed without holding back.
"Only someone with an incredibly bad naming sense would put such a name to a guild" Zia appeared to be serious, but a close look would show that she's smiling as well.
"Hm Aha Hm Hm Haha" On the other hand, Irina did her best not to laugh.
Irina rarely laughs. And, when she does, her lips curl very little. No one would notice her smile if they didn't pay enough attention to her.
''Hahaha!'' and Alessia couldn't contain her giggles either.
She, along with Miria, was the one who laughed without worrying about the stares of third parties.
After they got over the laughter, they headed to an outdoor restaurant and partied. Minutes later, one of the 12 teams showed up at the site and also joined in the celebration.