"Prepare your weapons! We still have the advantage as long as we correctly utilize the tight space in the hallway!" Kent's mind spun as he thought of various ways to increase their chances of winning. 'The tight space here should prevent those creatures from attacking us simultaneously. We just need to eliminate them one by one.'
"You guys stand behind me! Kent, I'll leave their safety in your hands!" Ralph shouted as he put on his armguards and the scale armor.
Kent nodded. "I won't let them be harmed." He responded in a serious voice. Behind him was the faculty office where Ralph's wife and two daughters were hiding. Lina, Aurora, and Rendell who was still recovering were also there. They were non-combatants, while the others were sick so they could only stay hidden.
At this moment, everyone could faintly hear the sound of heavy footsteps coming from above. It sounded like tens of horses were galloping down the street.
Phillip firmly held his daggers while looking at the entrance. He was so nervous that he could feel the wild beating of his heart.
Celine who was standing beside him wore a solemn gaze. She had seen what those monsters were capable of. Many of their friends died because of those creatures and they weren't even able to do anything. Her palms were covered in sweat and the look in her eyes was filled with nervousness.
Suddenly, James shouted with a valiant look. "Guys! Although our situation is dangerous, this is also a chance for us to increase our levels. We can't always rely on Rendell. We must use this opportunity to strengthen ourselves! If we have sufficient power, our journey towards Greyork will be a lot easier!"
Hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement. He was right. The only way to survive this apocalyptic world was to have sufficient power!
"You make me proud, James!" Ralph laughed heartily. He was proud of his students. They were only young adults a few weeks ago, but in just less than a month, they had turned into full-fledged adults!
The group gained more confidence after hearing his words.
Soon, the sound of footsteps was becoming louder and more intense. They could already hear the weird noises emitted by the evolved creatures. It sounded like the squeaking sound of the wild dogs in the savannah.
"Here they come! Prepare to take action!" Ralph shouted to his students.
"Yes, sir!"
James summoned a ball of fire on top of his palm. Once the door will be smashed open, he will immediately launch the fireball.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Fierce banging sounds echoed as the creatures aggressively pounded the door. Multiple dents appeared on the surface of the door as they continuously tried to push it open. They could smell the scent of prey behind the door and this fueled their aggression.
BANG!
Soon, the door finally collapsed under their repeated attempts.
The faces of the evolved beasts were revealed to the group. They looked like oversized rats. They had similar characteristics to the one Rendell encountered before, but they were way smaller compared to it.
"Get down, everyone!" James shouted as he released his fireball towards the first rat that entered the basement.
As soon as his fireball made contact with the target, it exploded like a dynamite.
Boom!
The impact was so intense in the confined area that everyone felt the ground vibrating.
Surprisingly, his attack managed to injure the black rat. It whimpered in pain while glaring at James with its blood-red eyes.
Seeing this, James released two more fireballs at once, launching them at the whimpering black rat.
Boom! Boom!
You have slain a [Level 3 Black Rat]!
You leveled up!
James was surprised when he saw the notifications suddenly popping up out of nowhere. "I killed it guys!" He shouted in excitement.
"Good! Don't hold back! We'll finish off the rest!" Ralph was also excited to see that James' fireballs were capable of killing the Black Rat.
"One more is coming!" Phillip shouted when he saw another Black Rat entering the basement.
James lifted his hand and sent a bigger fireball.
Boom!
You have slain a [Level 3 Black Rat]!
This time, it only took one hit to kill the Black Rat, but he didn't level up. "It seems like I need to kill one more to level up!" He muttered with a vicious smile.
Two more rats entered the basement. One had the same size as the previous two, while the other was significantly larger. Its skin was also darker with a tinge of brown.
"The bigger one should be a Level 4! James, kill the smaller one first!" Kent shouted to him.
"I'll hold back the big one!" Ralph fearlessly rushed at the bigger Black Rat.
"I'll help you, sir!" Phillip quickly chased after him.
Meanwhile, Celine chose to stay behind to wait for an opportunity to attack.
James followed Kent's advice and attacked the smaller Black Rat.
Boom!
It managed to evade his fireball with a quick leap to the side. It then pounced at James while brandishing its claws.
In the nick of time, Kent activated his Gift and summoned a mana shield to protect him.
The Black Rat rebounded when its claws struck the mana shield. It stared at Kent in confusion while slowly backing away.
"Are you alright?" Kent asked while looking at James.
"I'm fine. Thanks." James nodded. His face was covered with sweat and dirt. He was careless and it almost killed him. Luckily, Kent was fast to react.
At this moment, Celine took the opportunity to launch an attack on the unsuspecting Black Rat.
She raised her sword with both hands and cleaved it down with one quick strike.
Whoosh!
The Black Rat failed to react in time and was seriously wounded by her sword.
It whimpered in pain and emitted squeaking noises.
Celine didn't stop there. She lunged at the severely injured rat and stabbed out her sword.
The Black Rat tried to evade her attack but still ended up being skewered in the face. Her sword penetrated its skull and directly punctured its brain.
The beast didn't die instantly and it still managed to struggle by fiercely shaking its head. However, it soon collapsed after losing too much blood.
You have slain a [Level 3 Black Rat]!
You leveled up!
Celine received the notifications from the status screen after killing the creature.