The setting remained the same—nearby the small convenience store. However, what shocked Alex and his group was the sudden increase in monster numbers. Over a dozen more creatures had appeared in just a matter of minutes.
"How is this even possible?!" Danny, who was usually the jokester, looked visibly shaken, his face betraying his nervousness.
Tina, on the other hand, who had been tense the entire time, exhaled slowly, trying to maintain her composure. "Don't panic. Since this is a monster spawn point, it makes sense that more would appear. We must've just hit the spawn timer by coincidence. But what's really worrying is that there's a stronger purple creature among them. That's going to be our real challenge."
Jason nodded in agreement, chiming in, "Yeah, after that flash of light earlier, besides those new blue scythe creatures, I definitely spotted a purple one for a brief moment. It looked just like the one we encountered before."
The increase in numbers, along with the discovery of a high-level monster, significantly raised the difficulty of their mission. Everyone's nerves were on edge.
Alex, however, remained calm and addressed the group, "There are about fifty creatures now, which is actually fewer than we originally thought. The appearance of a stronger monster isn't unexpected either. This situation isn't worse than we predicted. In fact, if we manage to take down that purple one, we could score another R-grade Awakening Stone and maybe even a new weapon."
The mention of the weapon made the boys' eyes light up, each of them glancing enviously at the massive blade Alex wielded. They clenched their fists in determination, murmuring, "Let's take that thing down!"
Seeing the enthusiasm in their faces, Tina rolled her eyes, not quite understanding the boys' obsession with fighting and weapons. She glanced at Alex, and when their eyes met, they couldn't help but share a quiet chuckle.
Realizing that the number of monsters would keep increasing the longer they waited, the group quickly came up with a plan. They decided to lure the creatures out in smaller groups, taking them down one by one.
Three fast runners, including Alex, volunteered to act as bait. Their job was to make some noise and draw a portion of the monsters away from the spawn point while the rest of the team prepared an ambush on the next street.
To minimize risks, the entire third squad of one hundred people would face the first wave, with the fourth squad on standby for support.
For the first attempt, Alex took the lead as a volunteer bait, alongside two other students who were quick on their feet. Once the ambush was ready and everyone was in position, Alex exchanged a glance with his teammates, and together, they hurled bricks at three of the monsters in the distance.
*CRACK!*
Two of the bricks hit their marks, the sharp sound echoing through the street like a stone dropped in still water. The targeted creatures snarled as they turned their attention toward Alex and the others, rushing toward them in a rage.
"Go! I'll cover you!" Alex shouted to his teammates, urging them to run ahead while he remained behind, counting how many monsters had noticed them.
"Ten… that's enough," he muttered, before turning and sprinting after his teammates.
Alex's speed allowed him to easily catch up with the others, but he stayed close enough not to leave them behind, giving them confidence as they ran. Fueled by fear and adrenaline, the two students pushed themselves beyond their limits, sprinting faster than they thought possible.
Thankfully, the ambush spot was only three or four hundred meters away. In less than a minute, they reached the ambush point, with ten scythe creatures hot on their heels.
"Get ready!" Max shouted, leading the third squad into position. As soon as the monsters came into range, the squad surged forward, cutting off the creatures' advance and clashing with them head-on.
The creatures hesitated briefly, confused by the sudden appearance of over a hundred fighters. But their hesitation turned to fury, and they let out enraged shrieks as they charged into the fray.
"Alex, save your energy! You'll need it for the purple one!" Max called out as he noticed Alex preparing to engage. Taking the advice, Alex refrained from full-on combat, instead darting around the battlefield, striking each creature just enough to drain a third of their health, drawing their attention before letting the others finish them off.
In just five minutes, all ten monsters were defeated, and only a few members of the squad sustained minor injuries. Their first plan to lure and destroy the creatures had worked perfectly.
They repeated the process twice more, each time drawing out another group of ten monsters from the spawn point and dispatching them quickly. By the end, there were only around twenty creatures left near the convenience store, and the group knew it was time for the final assault.
However, the presence of the nearby spawn point on the adjacent street made things tricky. If they caused too much noise or let the high-level purple monster escape, they could end up facing a much bigger problem.
After discussing their options, the leaders decided on a new plan: a frontal attack by the vanguard team to lure the creatures out. If the monsters took the bait, they would be eliminated the same way as before. But if the monsters refused to leave their spawn point, Alex's team would be tasked with taking down the purple scythe creature while the rest of the squad rushed in to handle the others.
This strategy, proposed by Alex's group, was the safest option. No matter how the monsters reacted, Alex had the strength to deal with the purple creature, buying enough time for the others to catch up.
With the plan in place, the squad quickly moved into position.
To block off the adjacent spawn point, the group took a calculated risk, splitting up. While the main assault team prepared to attack from the front, one squad of over a hundred people set up an ambush at the intersection, while seventy others flanked the side of the convenience store to cut off any retreating monsters.