---
Although they had already guessed the outcome, the bald man and his companions still found it hard to accept.
That was a *boss*!
How could it have died so quietly, without a sound? A boss wasn't just any ordinary monster. Weren't bosses supposed to require teams to work together, battling through countless trials and tribulations before barely managing to bring them down?
How could it die like a cockroach, squashed in an instant?
No matter how shocked the bald man and his group were, Liam and his team had already become accustomed to it. They saw Alex continuing to slaughter the high-level monsters across the battlefield and quickly joined in as well.
"Stop standing around! The elite monsters are almost wiped out. Go call the main force up!" Liam shouted.
After the chaos of the battle died down, the newcomers from People's Park finally understood the purpose of the larger group. It wasn't for the heavy fighting — it was to clean up the low-level monsters.
For R-rank and SR-rank Awakened like Alex and his group, the low-level creatures had no value for experience points and only wasted time. That was why Alex had specifically assembled such a large force to deal with them. As for the real threats—the red-crowned serpent monsters and the boss—Alex was more than capable of handling them alone.
Had it not been for the sheer number of monsters, Alex could've taken the resource point by himself, provided he was willing to spend the time.
This realization shook the bald man and his group to the core.
Since the game started, their settlement had suffered relentless massacres, teaching them that only through teamwork and courage could they resist the monsters. Over the past week, they had built a balanced force where every person could kill monsters individually, and together, they could face even larger groups of enemies.
Though some people had higher damage output, the difference wasn't overwhelming. It was understood that if one could deal significant damage, they could also be taken down just as easily. But now they were forced to reckon with the reality that someone like Alex existed—someone stronger than their entire settlement combined.
It was like the difference between a martial artist and an immortal — they were still wielding swords while Alex was casting spells, rendering them incomparable.
Yet, after the initial shock came a sense of rebirth. While some were terrified by Alex's overwhelming strength, others felt that a new door had been opened. If such power existed, then why couldn't they aspire to it? Why couldn't they aim to be like Alex?
Among those inspired was Liam. Previously, when Alex had one-shot him in the arena, he had been in awe of Alex's damage but remained somewhat defiant. Liam believed that once he improved his own strength, he too could eventually surpass Alex.
But now, reality had proven otherwise—Alex was far stronger than Liam had imagined.
Still, Liam felt that if he worked harder and pushed himself further, he could eventually catch up. He was determined to put in more effort, believing that one day he could reach the same heights as Alex.
Meanwhile, Alex, resting nearby, was unaware of the thoughts running through the minds of those around him. Nor did he care. His focus was on recovering his strength as quickly as possible.
The battle had not been easy for him either.
Compared to the bear monsters on Grizzly Mountain, the serpent creatures guarding the Tree of Life were far more dangerous. They had stronger defenses, higher damage output, and were much quicker on their feet. Although Alex could still kill them with a single strike, if he were hit repeatedly, the situation would quickly become dangerous, especially with the high probability of their attacks crippling him.
After witnessing the serpents' fighting patterns on the third level, Alex knew better than to face them head-on. If he got crippled mid-battle, his chances of survival would plummet.
Yet, despite his caution, Alex still found himself facing their attacks at times. Fortunately, his second skill, *Blade Counter,* had unexpectedly proved effective.
Several red-crowned serpents had lunged at him, and in moments when dodging was impossible, Alex had been forced to block with his blade. By some stroke of luck, *Blade Counter* activated each time.
This skill allowed him to block an enemy's attack and reflect all the damage back at them.
In those moments, Alex took no damage, while the attacking serpents were crippled and swiftly cut down by his blade.
Even though *Blade Counter* had saved him a few times, it was the swarm of scythe monsters that truly irritated him. To hunt down the high-level creatures, Alex had to traverse the battlefield, and in such chaos, it was impossible not to get caught in the crossfire.
Though the scythe monsters dealt minimal damage and Alex had a large health pool, the continuous assault over several minutes began to take a toll.
After defeating the boss, Alex refrained from going on a killing spree among the red-crowned serpents. Instead, he waited for the main force to join the fight, blending in with the chaos to pick off the remaining monsters.
Even then, Alex was sure that his contribution to capturing this resource point would earn him the most rewards.
Clearing out the low-level monsters wasn't easy, though. The third and fourth levels were still teeming with over two thousand creatures, roughly matching the size of the human force. If the serpents hadn't been in the mix, it might have been impossible to clear the levels.
In the end, the cleanup took over an hour and cost the lives of several hundred people.
Once all the monsters in the resource point were dealt with, Alex once again found a stone table at the top level and began the process of capturing the second resource point.
While the capture was underway, the remaining survivors from People's Park arrived, including their guide, Anya Zakharov.
Anya seemed to be from the same race as Quinn Frost, though her appearance was different. She also had wings on her back, but her face was more human-like, with sharper, more defined features.
Standing next to her, it was clear to anyone that she was fundamentally different. It was as though the two belonged to entirely different artistic styles.
Despite the stark contrast, it was obvious to everyone that Anya was strikingly beautiful.
As for why they suspected she was of the same species as Quinn, but couldn't be sure—it was her size. Quinn stood at a towering three meters, with a physique larger than even the bulkiest of bodybuilders. Anya, on the other hand, barely reached 1.5 meters in height, looking more like a delicate figure rather than an imposing presence.
Of course, this difference could have been due to Anya being younger and not yet fully grown. Yet her mature and elegant demeanor made it hard to believe she was still a child.