The rear-guard team had been stationed in their ambush spot, believing they wouldn't draw attention from the nearby monster nest. However, the dying scream of the purple monster attracted the attention of the creatures at the neighboring spawn point.
If it hadn't been for the rear guard holding them off for a while, Alex and his group would have been dangerously caught in a pincer attack.
Upon hearing this, the group's leaders quickly convened and decided not to waste the opportunity. They resolved to eliminate the neighboring monster spawn point as well. Although their primary mission had been completed, weakening the enemy would improve their chances of survival. It was a risk worth taking.
The group quickly reformed into two smaller squads. They had over thirty wounded with critically low health, and sadly, seven others had died in the earlier battles, casting a somber mood over the remaining soldiers.
Moving swiftly to prevent any further surprises, the team arrived at the adjacent street. As expected, the road was a mess of debris and destruction, but only around twenty blue scythe monsters remained. There was no sign of a purple scythe monster.
A large gray crystal wall stood out, towering in front of a wholesale grain shop, with the blue monsters patrolling nearby. Sensing the opportunity, Alex's team launched a full assault, wiping out the scattered creatures in just a few minutes.
After destroying the gray crystal wall and collecting a second shard, they were shocked to discover that the mission progress for their "F-Rank Mission: Establish a Hidden Outpost" had jumped from 100% to 200%!
Alex received another 5,000 merit points as a reward, and each of his teammates, including Tina, earned 3,000 merit points.
The realization that the mission could be over-completed excited some of the more aggressive members of the group, who wanted to attack yet another monster nest. However, most of the team remained cautious. After all, with their current condition, facing another dozen blue monsters and possibly a purple one could easily spell disaster.
Instead of pushing their luck, they decided to return to the school with their wounded comrades.
To their surprise, Alex's squad wasn't the first to return—two other teams had already made it back before them.
The first group, made up of the 1st and 2nd battalions, had targeted the closest spawn point at the Jaron Mall. They had been fortunate to arrive before a monster respawn, encountering only about thirty blue scythe monsters and a single purple one. Even though they managed to fight the purple monster until its health was halved, it escaped before they could finish it off, thanks to its superior speed. Nonetheless, they destroyed the gray crystal and collected the shard.
The second group, consisting of the 7th and 8th battalions, had faced a much grimmer situation. Their target was the more distant Dongsheng Gift Factory, a large facility with hundreds of workers. The commanders had hoped to clear the nest and rescue any survivors, but it turned out to be a large-scale monster nest. Over a hundred monsters were lurking inside, including at least three purple scythe monsters.
The factory had become a death trap. Whether the people inside had fled or been killed was unclear, but the 7th and 8th battalions were ambushed by a horde of monsters as soon as they approached. Their formation was quickly overwhelmed, and chaos ensued. Of the hundreds who entered, only a few dozen made it back to the school alive. The rest were presumed dead or missing.
The reports from the other teams left everyone shaken. Alex's group realized that had they stumbled upon such a large group of monsters, they might not have survived either. The weight of their losses hung over the survivors.
At least the mission was over, or so Alex thought. When Tina handed over the crystal shards to Quinn, their guide, his eyes lit up with excitement. "This is great! You've collected three crystal shards already—just three more and we can create a 'Disguise Crystal' to hide the outpost."
His words stunned the group. The mission required a total of six crystal shards!
This meant that even if the remaining two teams returned with one shard each, they would still need to venture out again to gather the last shard. The odds of those teams bringing back two shards each were slim to none. And considering the earlier reports, the success of their current missions was far from certain.
Fortunately, Quinn didn't hesitate to heal the wounded, restoring everyone's health to full. However, stamina and energy could only be recovered using potions, which many of them lacked.
Since the mission wasn't technically over, Alex and his team hadn't yet received their rewards. All they could do for now was return to the classroom, rest, and await news from the remaining teams.
When they arrived at the classroom, they were greeted with a round of applause from their classmates. Seeing all nine of them return safely brought relief to everyone. A few of the more emotional girls even burst into tears and rushed forward to hug them.
Despite being healthy, Alex and his team looked worse for wear. Alex, who had led the charge, and Chris, who had taken a brutal hit from the purple scythe monster, were in especially rough shape. Alex's shirt was completely burned off, his once-thick hair reduced to a charred mess. Chris still had his clothes, but they were torn open, revealing the deep, bloody wound underneath.
Sarah tossed a clean set of uniforms toward Alex and Chris, her eyes slightly red from relief. "Here, change into these. I had a feeling you'd come back looking like that," she said, her tone teasing but full of concern.
Alex and Chris exchanged a glance and burst into laughter. Grateful, they quickly pulled on the new clothes. But as Alex looked down at his fresh uniform, he couldn't help but worry. "These clothes won't last long in another fight," he muttered to himself. He knew they would likely need new outfits after every battle.
Shrugging off the thought, Alex walked over to Sarah's desk with a grin. "We had a huge haul this time!"
With a dramatic flourish, he pulled out more than ten glowing gray stones and dumped them onto her desk, the Awakening Stones scattering across the surface like stars. The entire class gasped in awe.