"Guys, we need some help here!"
Celine and James turned their heads and saw that Ralph and Phillip were barely holding back against the larger Black Rat. The creature was bigger and more powerful than the first three that they had killed.
"That thing should be a Level 4! Be careful in dealing with it!" Kent reminded them.
"Is that so? Back off guys! I want to see if it can block my fireballs!" James summoned five fireballs at the same time. With his current level, this was the most number of fireballs he could control simultaneously.
With a loud grunt, he released the fireballs.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Everyone covered their eyes after the series of explosions.
"Is it dead?" Phillip muttered with squinted eyes, trying to see through behind the smoke.
Ralph observed the scene with a solemn gaze. He was prepared to make a move if it was still alive.
"Guys, I didn't receive a notification! That thing is still there! Be careful!" James shouted at them.
As soon as the smoke subsided, an injured Black Rat came into their view. Its body was covered in blood with numerous burns on its skin. However, the creature was still alive. Standing behind it were two more Black Rats that were as big as it was.
Seeing this, the faces of James and the others turned grim.
"Calm down, everyone! They can't attack at the same time with the narrow space here. James, continue attacking that injured rat!" Kent shouted to the stunned group.
James nodded his head. He then summoned three fireballs and launched them at the severely wounded Black Rat.
To everyone's shock, only one fireball connected and it managed to avoid being hit by the other with a quick leap to the side.
After avoiding a grim fate, the injured Black Rat squeaked in rage. It then pounced at Ralph who was the nearest and struck down its claws.
Ralph was caught off guard by its swift charge. "I won't die here!" He shouted as he raised his arms above his head.
The rat's claws struck his arms and sent him flying into the air.
Bang!
His body struck the wall before he fell to the floor.
"Sir Ralph!" Phillip shouted in alarm. "James, cover me! I'll take him to safety!" He shouted before dashing towards Ralph.
Just as the injured Black Rat was about to claim Ralph's life, a figure suddenly emerged and dragged away its prey.
Squeak!
A furious squeak echoed within the basement as it chased after Phillip who was carrying Ralph in his arms. "James, hurry up!" He urged with a nervous look.
James was almost out of mana, but he didn't hesitate to fire three more fireballs conservatively to stop the injured Black Rat.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
James summoned another fireball, but this time, it took him a few more seconds to conjure one because of the lack of mana. His face was full of sweat as released the fireball. "Die!"
Boom!
You have slain a [Level 4 Black Rat]!
You leveled up!
James felt dizzy after releasing that final fireball. He clutched his head and almost collapsed. "Urgh!"
Celine quickly grabbed his shoulder to support him. "Hey! Are you alright?"
"It's dead, but I think I've used up my mana," James muttered.
"They are coming! You guys stand behind me!" Kent shouted when he saw the other two large Black Rat charging towards them.
He took a step forward and summoned his mana shield.
Bang! Bang!
The two large rats bounced off after hitting his mana shield, but Kent suddenly coughed up blood from the impact. He was only at Level 2 so stopping two Level 4 creatures was already shocking.
"Kent!" Celine anxiously called out to him.
Kent wiped off the blood on his face and shouted back in response. "I'm alright! Get Sir Ralph into safety! I'll try to stop them as long as I can, but you need to summon more fireballs, James!"
Hearing this, James furrowed his eyebrows. "Buy me some time!" His mana was still regenerating and would take a few minutes before he could conjure another fireball.
"Will you be alright by yourself?" Celine asked him.
"I will be fine. Go and help Kent. He might not be able to stop them for long." James replied in a stern voice.
"Alright." Celine nodded her head before rushing towards Kent.
At this moment, Phillip brought the injured Ralph into the faculty office.
"Husband, what happened? Are you alright?" Marie cried out in surprise when she saw her husband in such bad shape.
Ralph's arms were covered in blood. If not for his armguards, his arms would have been cut off not long ago.
"Ericka, please bandage his wounds. I need to go back there." Phillip carefully put Ralph down.
"Leave him to me." Ericka immediately moved to Ralph's side and inspected his wounds.
Phillip glanced at his severely injured teacher before he left the office.
"Ralph! Wake up! Wake up!" Tears streamed down Marie's cheeks as she held her husband's hand. Their two daughters also cried when they saw their father in such a state.
"Miss Marie, can you get me some water? We need to clean his wounds first." Ericka said while summoning her bandages.
Hearing this, Marie wiped her tears and nodded. She then went to grab the rainwater they had collected some time ago.
"Will this be fine?"
"We have no choice." Ericka bitterly said. Rainwater contains numerous bacteria that may infect the wounds, but they have no other alternatives.
She removed Ralph's armguards and poured the rainwater into his wounds.
Meanwhile, Rendell looked away from them and turned his gaze to Aurora. "How is the situation outside?" He asked.
Aurora activated her Mystic Eyes to observe the situation. "They are fighting two larger rats! The biggest two are outside the door!"
Rendell frowned at her words. The group only managed to kill three Level 3 rats and one Level 4 rat. If the two big ones will decide to attack, the group will be in trouble.
Thinking about this, Rendell stood up and went to grab his sword.
"Where are young going?" Aurora stared at him worriedly.
Rendell stopped to look at her and replied. "I need to be there." He then walked out of the faculty with uneven footsteps.
Aurora bit her lower lip while looking at him leave. She stared at Ericka and the others before she decided to follow Rendell outside.