"Ugh!"
Inside the men's restroom on the first floor of Building 2, nine boys huddled together, bent over and retching, shoulder to shoulder. The stench of vomit filled the air, forcing the students waiting outside to back away three steps, unable to bear the smell.
Finally, after emptying their stomachs and washing their faces, Alex Grant and his group slowly staggered out, weak on their feet and leaning on each other for support.
"Alex, are you guys okay?"
Their classmates, including Luke Reed, rushed forward to help as they stumbled back to the classroom. Seeing the concerned looks of the girls in class, Alex and the others could only give a weak, bitter smile.
During the battle, they had managed, but afterward, the sight of all that blood and gore—worse than any horror movie—was overwhelming. The visual impact was terrifying beyond words.
Even though this was technically a 'game,' it was all too real, with genuine threats to their lives. The experience was truly horrific.
Of everyone, Tina Young had it the worst. She had bravely held her fear until the battle ended, but on the way back, she broke down in tears and was still hiding in the girls' restroom, comforted by several classmates, including Heather Bloom and Claire Adams.
Though the battle had been a success in terms of killing many monsters, the emotional toll was immense, especially for Alex and his peers, who were still teenagers. It tested their mental resilience to the extreme.
It was clear that many would face nightmares and possibly lasting psychological trauma from this experience.
"All volunteers, please gather on the field within ten minutes. Those who are unwell can stay at the school and rest—do not force yourselves!"
Reality, though harsh, didn't allow much time for them to adjust. Half an hour had barely passed when Mr. Garcia's voice echoed over the school's PA system, leaving many still recovering students in a state of hesitation.
With a creak, Alex stood up in the otherwise silent classroom, still feeling nauseous but recovering faster due to the confidence that came from his strength.
Earlier, his classmates had offered comfort and understanding, but after the initial wave of concern, they had allowed Alex and his group to sit quietly and process their emotions.
As Alex stood, the room grew tense, with everyone's eyes turning to him.
"I have eight awakening stones here. Anyone who didn't get one during the battle, take one now. If there are extras, we'll sell them for 1,500 points each, and we'll split the profits among the ten of us," Alex said, as he casually pulled out the eight stones from his inventory and placed them on the desk, surprising his classmates.
Max Wong gave Alex a glance, then pulled out his own awakening stone and shook his head. "I already have one. I don't need it."
Danny Carter wasn't as reserved, taking one with a grin. "Man, you really are a legend! The nine of us combined didn't kill as many monsters as you did!"
Seeing Max and Danny's actions, the other guys, including Tyler Mason and Brian Turner, grabbed their stones. In the end, four stones remained.
Alex handed them to Olivia Huang, the class's treasurer. "Olivia, you handle these for me," he said nonchalantly.
Olivia blinked in surprise, staring at the four dark awakening stones on her desk, then quickly pushed them back. "No way! I'm not dealing with that mess!"
There were only four stones, but more than twenty classmates without one, making distribution a potential nightmare—Olivia didn't want to deal with that.
Alex rolled his eyes and sighed. "Look, I'll be heading out again soon. For me, getting more stones isn't hard. Maybe it'll be tough to get enough for everyone today, but within a couple of days, I'll make sure each of you has one."
His confident declaration left Olivia and the others feeling both impressed and grateful. After a moment of hesitation, Olivia nodded. "Alright then, I'll hold onto these four for now. Once you've gathered enough, we'll distribute them evenly."
Alex shrugged, nonchalant. Then he turned to his teammates. "Since you guys already have stones, stay behind and rest. I'm heading out to get more."
Max hesitated, still pale, but then he stood up, gritting his teeth. "I'll go with you! If something happens, my defense skills might come in handy."
Danny smirked, giving Alex a teasing look. "Count me in too. That purple blade of yours is too awesome. You've gotta get your boy one of those!"
It was true—when Alex had first revealed his scythe-like purple blade, it had left everyone in awe.
To be blunt, Alex's sword was the only true weapon in the entire Yellow Tiger High School camp. During the earlier battle, its power had drawn everyone's attention.
There hadn't been time to ask about it in the middle of the fight, and afterward, the grim aftermath had dampened the mood, but now that Danny had brought it up, all the boys couldn't help but eye the weapon with admiration.
Jason Reed had a feeling about it. He had witnessed the purple monster that had nearly wiped out seven or eight students. It was Alex who had saved them, and after chasing it down, it seemed like he had managed to kill the beast. That purple blade was likely the loot from that victory.
Thinking about that terrifying monster still gave Jason chills. As he stood, he playfully punched Danny on the arm. "Do you really think those kinds of weapons are easy to come by? Remember when I told you about almost getting wiped out with some of our classmates? Well, that purple beast was part of the group, and Alex must've been the one to take it down, right?"
Alex nodded, confirming Jason's guess. He handed the purple scythe-blade to Danny and the others to inspect, while explaining, "Yeah, that sword came from that monster. If the blue ones are like regular mobs, then the purple one was definitely an elite. It had more health, more defense, more attack power, and even its own skills. It hit me once and knocked off 90 HP—I was shocked!"
Danny ran his hand along the blade, his eyes wide with disbelief. "That's insane! For us with only 100 HP, we'd get one-shotted by something like that! Man, this game's RNG is brutal. The gap between R-grade and N-grade powers is ridiculous!"