"Roar! Roar! Roar!!!!"
The roars of the monsters echoed throughout Beast Forest, with the occasional flash of skills lighting up the area.
The monsters on the outskirts of Beast Forest were only around level 10 or so.
With Cassman, Catherine, and the others holding the front line, they stood no chance against the ferocity of the Iron Mountain army.
The players, meanwhile, followed closely behind the Iron Mountain soldiers, happily grinding away.
"Hahaha! I finally leveled up! Double experience is just too sweet!"
"I'm definitely hitting level 10 today—nothing's gonna stop me, not even Jesus!"
"Out of my way! Watch the unstoppable Whirlwind of Fire!"
"Damn! Don't steal my kill!"
The players, shouting and laughing, charged at the straggling monsters.
Though their levels weren't high, they made up for it with sheer numbers.
The monsters were mostly common, with only a few rare ones among them, which Cassman and his team had already cleared out.
So, in no time, the hundred or so monsters were all slain!
Luca, sticking close to Cassman and Catherine, had racked up a lot of experience and leveled up to 13.
[Name: Luca]
[Level: lv13]
[Talent: The person favored (SSS-level)]
[Class: Demonic Rune Mage (Bronze Grade)]
[HP: 2883]
[MP: 3712]
[Attack: 906-933]
[Attributes: Strength 180, Spirit 335, Stamina 210, Agility 240]
[Special: Charisma 100, Perception 100, Aptitude 100, Luck 100]
[Titles: Unrivaled in Elegance and Charm, Peerless Appearance, Dangerous Perception, The Son of Luck]
[Skills: Magic Runes Drawing lv3 (Class), Heavenly Thunder Purple Fire lv1 (High-tier), Eye of Insight lv3 (Low-tier), Witch Doctor's Hand lv3 (Low-tier), Herb Synthesis lv3 (Beginner), Heavenly Charge lv3 (Low-tier), Turbulence lv3 (Low-tier), Elemental Amplification (Platinum)…]
After the battle.
Not only had Luca leveled up, but most of his skills had also reached level 3.
It significantly boosting his strength.
Additionally, he had acquired two decent pieces of Bronze Grade equipment.
[Wanderer's Ring: lv15, Usable by All Classes, +30 Spirit, +30% Mana Regeneration Speed. Collecting all five pieces activates the Wanderer Set bonus!]
[Wanderer's Boots: lv15, Usable by All Classes, +30 Agility, +5% Skill Cast Speed. Collecting all five pieces activates the Wanderer Set bonus!]
"In this life, I might be able to complete the Wanderer Set before reaching level 20," Luca thought with some anticipation.
The Wanderer Set was considered a god-tier set for beginners, with set bonuses comparable to Silver Grade gear!
However, it was notoriously difficult to farm, as it typically only dropped from rare monsters.
In his previous life, Luca had spent a lot of time and only managed to obtain one piece.
This time, he had already acquired two pieces with ease—a pleasant surprise indeed.
At that moment, Cassman's booming voice echoed from nearby.
He stood with his hands on his hips, roaring, "Everyone, take a rest where you are!"
The nearby monsters had all been dealt with.
The Iron Mountain soldiers began setting up camp on the spot, turning it into a temporary base.
Meanwhile, Cassman signaled for the scattered Iron Mountain units to regroup and report back.
Brilliant fireworks exploded in the sky above Beast Forest.
Squad after squad of Iron Mountain soldiers swiftly converged on their location.
It didn't take long for all the squads to return.
Although the casualties weren't overwhelming, they were still significant, with many squads missing members.
After all, this was Beast Forest, and the monsters here had been affected by the node, making them extremely ferocious.
Exploring this area without incurring losses was impossible.
However, they had also brought back crucial information.
As the squad leaders finished their reports, Cassman's expression grew dark and stormy.
Although Luca had anticipated bad news, he still stepped forward and asked, "What's the situation?"
Cassman waved the others away, his face grim as he said, "It's bad—really bad. All the monsters in Beast Forest have gone berserk. And one of the squads found that cave you mentioned."
"They didn't even get close before the terrifying monster inside noticed them! Out of the twelve members of that squad, only two made it back alive. If their captain hadn't sacrificed himself to cover their retreat, none of them would have survived."
Hearing this, Luca furrowed his brow.
Catherine, on the other hand, was shocked. "How is that possible?!"
The last time they were near that cave, they had been quite close. Though it had been dangerous, everyone had managed to escape alive in the end.
But this time, the squad had only glimpsed it from afar, and ten of them were killed?!
Cassman's expression remained grave as he continued, "It gets worse. According to the survivors, that area has now become a monster nest!"
"There are over ten Gold Grade monster commanders, and while we don't know the exact number of ordinary monsters, the initial estimate is at least tens of thousands!"
"We can be certain that the core area of Beast Forest has at least one Purple-Gold Grade monster lord, possibly even two!"
Catherine's face turned pale at these words.
Luca's expression grew even more serious.
Although Cassman had done his best to assess the node's danger.
Luca's understanding of nodes told him that the situation in the core area was likely far more terrifying than Cassman described.
Noticing Luca's troubled look, Cassman tried to reassure him, saying, "This is beyond what we can handle. I've already sent word to Miss Sophia, asking her to dispatch Riverfall City's strongest as soon as possible. You don't need to worry—there are plenty of high-level warriors in Riverfall City. They'll take care of these monsters. We just need to stay here and wait for their arrival."
Hearing this, Catherine let out a long sigh of relief and nodded. "You're right. With so many powerful warriors in Riverfall City and the city being so close, there's no way anything will go wrong."
Luca didn't say anything, but a flicker of worry flashed deep in his eyes.
He wasn't as optimistic as the others. After all, he had personally experienced the terror of this Demon Lord and knew just how difficult it would be to deal with.
Whether even a Purple-Gold level warrior could take down the Hydra was a big question mark.
Previously, he might have believed there wouldn't be much of a problem.
But if the Hydra's strength was truly as formidable as the Iron Mountain squad had described, it might take a Diamond-grade warrior to truly subdue this Abyssal Demon Lord.
The problem was that Ryanthe, the count of Emerald State, was currently not in Riverfall City, and it was unclear when he would return.
"All we can do is our best," Luca sighed inwardly.
Ultimately, his strength was still too weak. If he were more powerful, he wouldn't feel so helpless.
Now, he could only hope that the warriors of Riverfall City could put up a good fight and not allow the Hydra to descend unchallenged.
At the very least, they needed to cut off a few of its heads—anything less would mean all their efforts were in vain.
As Luca pondered these thoughts.
He suddenly frowned, his nose twitching as a look of confusion appeared in his eyes.
"What's that smell?" Luca asked, perplexed.
"What?" Cassman and Catherine looked at him, puzzled, not understanding what he was talking about.
Luca didn't respond immediately. He furrowed his brow and focused on his Perception.
With his Perception maxed out, he could detect scents and environmental changes that others would miss.
Just moments ago, he had caught a faint whiff of herbs.
It wasn't particularly strange, given how many people were gathered together—odd smells were bound to mix.
But there was something about this scent that felt oddly familiar…
Before Luca could pinpoint where the familiarity came from, he suddenly noticed that the ground was beginning to tremble slightly.
"An earthquake?" Luca froze for a moment, then his eyes widened in realization.
No, this wasn't an earthquake!
This was… a monster horde!
A monster horde, where tens of thousands of monsters formed a tidal wave of destruction!
Luca had spent so many years fighting monsters in his previous life that he instantly recognized the signs.
The Hydra had been quiet until now, so why had a monster horde suddenly formed?
A sense of foreboding settled in Luca's heart.
But with the situation escalating rapidly, there was no time to dwell on it.
"Everyone, stay on alert! A massive wave of monsters is coming!" he shouted, quickly rising to his feet and readying his Black Steel Spear.
"More monsters?" The others looked at each other in surprise, trying to perceive any threat, but they didn't sense anything unusual.
Cassman laughed and scolded, "Are you getting paranoid, kid? We just cleared out so many monsters. There's no way these crafty beasts would dare…"
Before he could finish, Cassman's face suddenly changed, and he shot to his feet, eyes wide with shock.
It wasn't just him—now even the ordinary soldiers and players could feel it.
The ground was shaking!
And the tremors were growing more intense!
Everyone collectively gasped in shock.
There really was a monster horde coming?!