Tina Young shot Max Wong a glare and pointed at Alex Grant's torn clothes, snapping, "Can't you see how shredded his clothes are? Alex is way stronger than you, and even he ended up like that! Do you still want to go out there and get yourselves killed?"
Back in the classroom, surrounded by familiar faces, Alex finally relaxed. He yanked off the tattered remains of his school uniform and tossed it aside. Turning to the bespectacled girl sitting in the front row, he said, "Mia, can you go grab me a new uniform? I saw Mr. Garcia earlier, and he said the class rep knows where to get them."
Mia Lee, the class's supply manager, was a bit chubby and known for her playful, teasing attitude. She took care of assigning students to clean the classroom, and because of that, she knew just about everyone.
Noticing the cuts and bruises crisscrossing Alex's body, Mia gasped. But when she realized he didn't seem too badly hurt, she sighed in relief, rolled her eyes, and muttered, "Such a hassle! Fine, I'll get it."
Alex's injuries were visible and shocking—he'd taken dozens of slashes during his fight with the purple Spider Scythe. While none of the cuts were deep, the bright red marks stood out starkly against his skin.
Max and the other boys winced when they saw the injuries. Alex's desk mate, Danny Carter, couldn't resist poking at one of the more prominent wounds. "Dude, how did you survive that? You took, like, fifty hits and lived?"
Several classmates gathered around, amazed by the sight of Alex's injuries. The boarding students hadn't seen the devastation firsthand, but the day's events had given them plenty of reason to be on edge. Meanwhile, the students who had witnessed the carnage outside were utterly floored. They had seen people sliced clean in half by the creatures—people who had used the power of the **Blessing Stone** and still couldn't hold out against the monsters' relentless attacks.
Seeing Alex covered in wounds but still standing made them regard him with a mix of awe and disbelief.
Tina kicked Danny and scolded, "Shut up with your bad luck talk! Who jinxes their classmate like that?"
As his classmates continued to bicker, Alex chuckled, feeling a little proud. "Well, what can I say? Must be that European luck running in my veins! After using my **Blessing Stone**, I inherited the power of an **R-level Deity**. My health points jumped to 300, and I even have a defensive buff. Those monsters barely scratched me."
Grinning, Alex added, "Honestly, you could drag a monster over here right now. I could stand still and let it hit me, and if it can take down even a third of my health in a minute, I'll admit defeat!"
Max, Tina, and the rest stared at him, dumbstruck. Danny was the first to snap out of it. He let out an exaggerated whoop, grabbed Alex's arm, and shouted, "Man! I've got an **N-level Deity** and only 100 health points. You've got 300? You're not my bro—you're my dad! C'mon, Dad, take your son out to level up!"
"You've got no shame!" Max laughed, dragging Danny away and slapping a hand on Alex's shoulder. "Seriously though, Alex, you're a beast! You're practically invincible. Let's head out and level up!"
"Get lost!" Alex shoved Max playfully and then pulled out his quest scroll. "We definitely need to kill more monsters. The **Blessing Stone** only lasts for a day, so if we don't collect enough **Awakening Stones** today, we're done for tomorrow."
"Exactly!" "Right!" the boys chimed in, their confidence soaring now that they knew how strong Alex was.
If this had been a regular apocalypse or a zombie outbreak, they might have been terrified beyond reason. But the world had turned into a game, and if there was one thing these boys knew, it was how to game. Even those who weren't hardcore gamers had a natural sense of how to handle the situation.
As the boys rallied around Alex, Tina's expression darkened. She slammed her hand on a desk, looking at Alex with concern. "Hey! It's too dangerous out there! You're going to get yourselves killed!"
Tina's reputation as the class's queen bee held some weight, and Alex hadn't interacted much with her before this. It was the first time she'd stared him down so intently, her delicate face so close. His heart skipped a beat. Avoiding her gaze, he spread his hands and said, "The Guardian already explained it to us. These monsters have targeted the school. If we don't complete this mission today, the monsters will keep coming tomorrow."
He glanced around at his classmates and continued, "Today, we still have the power of the **Blessing Stone**. With our numbers, we can hold off the monsters. But what about tomorrow? Can anyone guarantee that help will arrive in time?"
Max and the other boys had been planning to stay protected inside the school, forgetting about the people defending the gates. But without **Awakening Stones**, those defenders would turn back into regular people tomorrow.
Thinking about what might happen if most of the group didn't acquire **Awakening Stones**—and knowing that without them, the monsters would overwhelm the school—sent a chill down Danny's spine.
"This is a trap!" Danny blurted out. "If we just hide behind the **Blessing Stone's** power today and don't hunt the monsters, by tomorrow, this whole place will be wiped out because we won't have enough **Awakening Stones** to defend it!"
His blunt analysis left everyone cold. Tina opened her mouth as if to argue, but no words came out. She wasn't someone to let pride stop her from admitting she was wrong. Realizing the gravity of the situation, she quickly pulled out her phone. "This analysis needs to get out there. We need to tell everyone. Whether they've figured it out or not, they all need to know."
The others were momentarily stunned. Their class president, **Luke Roberts**, stood up and said, "I'll go tell the teachers."
**Hannah Kay** and **April Chin**, no longer clinging to their boyfriends, nodded and said, "We'll go inform the other classes!"
As Alex watched his classmates spring into action, he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. The urge to lead a group and start hunting monsters was growing inside him.
But his recent fight with the purple Spider Scythe reminded him that while he was strong, he wasn't invincible. Rushing headlong into battle could endanger not only himself but also his classmates.
So, Alex took a deep breath, spread out the quest map, and said, "Before we set out, let's plan this carefully."