Chapter 4: ch4- Furious Pursuit
Less than an hour into the apocalypse, a striking scene unfolded on the chaotic streets. A massive, purple monster wielding two giant scythes sprinted down the street, slashing through tables and chairs in its path, destroying everything in sight.
Even more shocking, behind this powerful purple monster, far stronger than the usual blue ones, a young man was chasing it down!
This sight stunned the few terrified survivors who were fleeing. It was almost impossible to believe that anyone could be that bold.
Thanks to the task scroll's powerful **"Enemy Strength Reduction by 50%"** aura, Alex was quickly gaining on the purple monster.
As the creature screeched, Alex leaped into the air and triggered **Heavy Strike**, his foot smashing into the monster's side with devastating force. Using the monster's own momentum, the impact sent it crashing into the nearby storefront, shattering glass and iron doors with a deafening crash.
The brutal kick took another chunk out of the purple monster's health, dropping it to below 10%. It could barely withstand two more rounds of Alex's attacks.
Enraged by Alex's relentless pursuit, the purple monster rose to its feet, abandoning its escape and swinging both scythes wildly at Alex!
Seeing the monster's sudden increase in speed, Alex's heart raced. He quickly reactivated **Stone Skin**, raising his hands to block as a barrage of savage scythe strikes rained down on him.
The purple monster's scythes cut into Alex repeatedly, each strike dealing 6 points of damage. In an instant, Alex's health plummeted, losing 90 points as his increased health from **Stone Skin** was almost entirely wiped out.
After this violent flurry of attacks, the purple monster seemed to tire. After a brief exchange, Alex finally managed to kill it.
Breathing heavily, Alex noticed two or three other monsters approaching. Without wasting time, he quickly fled the scene.
The purple monster's fierce assault had shaken Alex. If he hadn't activated **Stone Skin** in time, his health would've been severely depleted, and he might not have survived the fight.
Though the battle had been dangerous, Alex's risk paid off with a reward that thrilled him: an **R-level Awakening Stone**!
**Awakening Stone (R-Level):** A special stone required for the deity awakening ritual. Grants a high chance of awakening N-level deity powers, a small chance of awakening R-level powers, and an extremely small chance of awakening SR-level powers.
In addition to the **R-level Awakening Stone**, the loot from killing the purple monster was abundant and of high quality. Alex also obtained a **Purple Scythe Blade**, **Spider Scythe Blood Essence (E-Level)**, and five **Energy Potions (E-Level)**—an incredible haul!
Moreover, killing a blue monster only increased Alex's experience by 2%, but defeating the purple monster gave him a massive 40% boost.
However, the battle had left Alex drained. His health was down to 192 points, his stamina was only 46%, and his energy was at 60%, just enough to use **Stone Skin** six more times.
If this were a game, Alex's condition would still be considered decent, but in reality, he wasn't willing to push his luck. Who knew if dying in this world meant real death or not?
Even if there was a chance of resurrection, Alex had no desire to experience death firsthand.
Furthermore, after wasting so much time on the streets, Alex realized that more and more monsters were appearing around him. What had started as a street with five or six monsters had now doubled, and despite his R-level deity powers, Alex knew better than to engage such a large group at once.
If he got surrounded, the monsters could still tear him apart.
So, Alex moved cautiously, taking several detours to avoid the monsters, as he made his way toward the safety of his high school.
Ten minutes later.
After crossing three streets, Alex finally spotted the gates of Horizon High School. The sight ahead of him, however, made him freeze in his tracks.
The street in front of the school was swarming with dozens of blue monsters!
On closer inspection, Alex noticed that more than half of the monsters were already dead, their lifeless bodies littering the ground. The remaining monsters prowled like wolves around the school gate, growling and snapping as they stalked their prey.
Inside the gates, Alex saw a large crowd of several hundred people forming a protective circle. Every now and then, another survivor would rush in from the nearby streets, dodging the monsters and making their way into the school.
It seemed, for now, that Horizon High was relatively safe, and this allowed Alex to breathe a sigh of relief.
As another group of survivors cried out while sprinting toward the school, Alex took advantage of the moment and slipped inside, helping to fend off a few of the blue monsters before making it back inside the gates.
Once inside, the hundreds of survivors fought off the monsters that had followed them, killing several and reinforcing the entrance, bringing some comfort to those who had just arrived.
"Everyone, stay calm! The school is safe for now! There's a powerful guardian inside, and if anyone is injured, you can find him at the field to buy healing potions!"
A young man, who appeared to be a teacher, called a few students over to help the exhausted, injured survivors. His warm voice calmed the crowd, and soon, the chaos began to subside.
Alex recognized the teacher—**Mr. Gordon**. He was the math teacher for the honors class next door. He often played basketball with the students and was well-liked.
After Alex's battle with the purple monster, his school uniform was in tatters, making him look like a beggar. Despite his ragged appearance, Mr. Gordon recognized him instantly. He walked over, gently patting Alex on the shoulder.
"I remember you. You're from Class 6, right? If you're hurt, head over to the field and buy some healing potions from the guardian. After that, return to your classroom. We have fresh uniforms in stock, so ask your class rep to grab you one."
"Thank you, sir!" Alex nodded, expressing his gratitude before making his way to the field along with the others.
Compared to the chaos outside, the school grounds were much calmer, though the occasional sounds of crying and shouting could still be heard—especially from the field, where it was absolute pandemonium.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone