A strange atmosphere hung over the quiet forest, where Alex and his team found themselves at a monster zone, yet no creatures were in sight.
"Could this place already be cleared?" someone wondered aloud.
"Or maybe the monsters fled because there are so many of us?"
The group began speculating, but those with sharper senses had already grown wary. The eerie stillness set everyone on edge.
"Look over there! There's a crystal! This really is a monster zone!" someone called out, spotting a giant gray crystal wall behind a few fruit trees.
This exclamation seemed to stir something in the forest. The once-quiet woods erupted with a sudden rustling sound from all directions.
"Watch out! The monsters are in the trees!" a warning cry rang out.
Despite the alert, the monsters' ambush left most of the group in panic. Dozens of hidden creatures launched a swift and deadly assault, throwing the team into chaos. Screams filled the air as the monsters took advantage of the dense forest to surprise the scattered group.
Alex's squad, positioned at the front, wasn't spared from the ambush. Two large, grotesque blue creatures swooped down from the trees, causing Chloe and Sarah to burst into tears. Even Peter and the other boys turned pale with fear.
Only Alex and Tanya managed to stay composed. With his superior reflexes and mental fortitude, Alex reacted immediately, activating his "Mighty Strike" ability and slicing one of the monsters in half with an upward slash. Tanya, having stayed alert due to her earlier unease, was startled but quickly summoned a fireball, annihilating the second monster in an instant.
"Stick together! Don't scatter!" Alex shouted, pulling the squad back from the brink of danger. His yell snapped Peter and the others out of their fear, and they hurried to regroup behind Alex. The two frightened girls were safely enclosed in the middle.
But the situation remained grim. The monsters' first wave of attacks had likely caused significant casualties. While some squads had managed to fend off the ambush, the entire group was now in disarray.
"Let's focus on saving people first!" Alex ordered, quickly scanning the battlefield. His team rushed to aid another vanguard squad under attack nearby.
Two blue scythe monsters had ambushed this group as well. Though the monsters weren't particularly powerful, their ability to move swiftly through the trees had severely wounded several team members. Alex's squad managed to kill one of the creatures, but the other quickly fled into the trees, disappearing before anyone could pursue.
"This isn't working fast enough," Peter said, frustrated after several failed attempts to kill the fleeing monsters. The team was starting to regain control of the situation, but the hit-and-run tactics of the creatures were taking a toll.
"Let's just go for the crystal," Peter suggested.
After a brief discussion, the others nodded in agreement. The total number of monsters in this zone wasn't that high—around fifty. The monsters had only managed to gain the upper hand due to the terrain. Now, with about half the monsters killed, only twenty or so remained. But the slow pace of hunting them down continued to cost lives.
Destroying the crystal would put an end to this quickly. Once they had the last crystal shard, they could retreat safely. Without the cover of the trees, the remaining creatures wouldn't pose much of a threat to the team.
As Alex's squad approached the massive gray crystal, several monsters instantly charged toward them.
"Alex, take the two on the left! Chloe, use your vines to bind the one on the right!" Peter called out.
Three blue scythe monsters rushed at them. Alex skillfully engaged the two on his side, while Chloe, though a bit flustered, managed to use her vine entanglement ability to bind the third with the help of the others.
The three monsters were quickly taken down, but just as they were about to destroy the crystal, a much larger threat emerged.
"Look out!" Alex shouted.
A purple scythe monster lunged toward Tanya, its massive blades slashing down. Alex barely managed to block the strike, stepping in just in time.
There was a purple scythe monster hiding among the others all along, waiting for the right moment to strike. Its sudden appearance had gone unnoticed until now.
After the failed attack, the purple monster retreated into the trees, vanishing into the dense foliage, moving too fast for the group to follow.
"Don't hold back on your abilities! The moment it appears again, we need to take it down!" Peter shouted, his voice filled with urgency.
The looming threat of the purple scythe monster kept everyone on edge, but Alex chose not to wait. He struck the gray crystal with all his strength, hoping to lure the creature out again.
As cracks began to spread across the surface of the crystal, the monster couldn't hold back its fury any longer. It launched a second attack, this time targeting Chris.
Before anyone could react, the purple scythe blades slashed into him, spraying blood everywhere.
The creature moved in for the kill, but Peter, standing beside Chris, swung his blade just in time. His weak strike didn't do much damage, but a sudden flash of electricity stunned the monster, causing it to freeze for a brief moment.
Seizing the opportunity, Peter activated his "Earth Shield" ability, raising a two-meter-tall wall of earth between Chris and the monster. Jason and Daniel rushed in to drag the severely wounded Chris to safety.
Once the purple monster recovered from its paralysis, it smashed through the earth wall, but Alex was already waiting for it. With a roar, he unleashed another "Mighty Strike," bringing his sword down on the monster's head.
In the eerie silence of the forest, tension filled the air as Alex and his team stood in the monster zone, yet not a single creature was in sight.
"Could this place have already been cleared?" someone asked.
"Or maybe the monsters fled because there are so many of us?" another voice suggested.
The group began to murmur in confusion, and those with sharper senses grew increasingly cautious. The strangeness of the situation made everyone uneasy.
"Look over there! There's a crystal! This really is a monster zone!" someone shouted, pointing at the massive gray crystal wall behind a few trees, confirming they were indeed in a monster zone.
The shout seemed to disturb something in the forest. Suddenly, the quiet was broken by the sound of rustling leaves.
"Watch out! The monsters are in the trees!" someone warned.
Though some were quick to realize the danger, the surprise attack from dozens of hidden creatures sent the group into chaos. In the dense forest, it was difficult for the team to form an organized defense, and the ambush left the squad in disarray, with screams of pain echoing through the woods.
Alex's team, positioned at the front, was also attacked. Two massive, grotesque blue creatures dropped from the treetops, their sudden appearance terrifying Chloe and Sarah to the point of tears. Even Peter and the others turned pale with fear.
Alex and Tanya, however, remained composed. Thanks to his heightened reflexes and mental resilience, Alex quickly activated his "Mighty Strike" and cleaved one of the monsters in two with a single upward slash. Tanya, though startled, was ready, having sensed the tension earlier. She quickly summoned a fireball and, like Alex, dispatched the second monster with a single hit.
"Get over here! Stay together!" Alex shouted after dealing with the two monsters. His team, still shaken, snapped out of their daze and rushed to his side, quickly forming a defensive stance, with the terrified girls protected in the center.
Despite this, the situation remained dire. The monsters' first wave had likely resulted in heavy casualties. While some groups managed to fend off the attacks, the overall disarray left the entire team vulnerable.
"Let's help the others!" Alex ordered, scanning the battlefield. He led his squad to assist another group under attack nearby.
The other team was also being ambushed by two blue scythe monsters, which, though not overly dangerous by themselves, used the trees to launch swift, damaging attacks on the group. Alex's squad took down one of the creatures, but the other fled into the trees before they could catch it.
"This isn't efficient," Peter muttered after another monster escaped. As the battle stabilized, Peter suggested, "Let's just destroy the crystal and get out of here."
Alex agreed. The number of monsters in the zone wasn't overwhelming, perhaps only fifty in total, but the terrain gave them an advantage. Even though half the monsters had been killed, the remaining ones continued to ambush and inflict damage on the team.
Destroying the crystal would end it all. With the final crystal shard, they could retreat. Once outside the forest, the scattered monsters would no longer pose a threat.
As Alex's team neared the giant gray crystal wall, more monsters charged toward them.
"Alex, take the two on the left! Chloe, bind the one on the right!" Peter directed.
Three blue scythe monsters rushed at them. Alex quickly moved to engage the two, while Chloe, though nervous, managed to use her vine entanglement ability to trap the third with the help of the others.
The monsters were quickly taken down, but just as the group prepared to destroy the crystal, a greater threat emerged.
"Look out!" Alex yelled as a purple scythe monster appeared out of nowhere, striking at Tanya. Alex barely managed to block the attack in time.
The purple scythe monster, previously hidden among the others, had waited for the perfect moment to strike.
After its failed attack, the purple creature retreated into the trees, moving too quickly for anyone to follow.
"Don't hold back! Use everything you've got! If it shows itself again, take it down!" Peter called out, knowing the monster's speed made it a deadly threat.
Rather than wait for another attack, Alex began hammering the crystal, hoping to force the purple scythe monster to act. Cracks began to spread across the surface of the crystal, and as it neared its breaking point, the creature launched a second attack.
This time, it targeted Chris. Before anyone could react, its scythe blades sliced into him, spraying blood.
Just as the creature prepared to strike again, Peter swung his sword. Though the blow did little damage, a flash of electricity momentarily stunned the creature, giving the others time to react.
Peter quickly raised an "Earth Shield," forming a two-meter-tall wall that blocked the monster's next attack. Jason and Daniel rushed in, pulling Chris to safety.
The purple scythe monster smashed through the earth wall in fury, but Alex was already there, delivering a powerful "Mighty Strike" right to its head.
The creature raised its scythes in defense, but the impact of Alex's strike sent it staggering backward.
"Hit it!" Alex shouted, pressing the attack. He charged forward again, his "Stone Skin" ability shielding him from harm.
Tanya, having already prepared a fireball, hurled it at the retreating purple creature, landing a direct hit that took off a quarter of its remaining health.
The back-to-back assaults left the purple monster reeling. Sensing the danger, it attempted to flee, but Alex's pursuit and the fireball's blast had slowed him just enough.
"Chloe, bind it! Now!" Alex yelled.
Chloe, though still shaken, gathered her courage and unleashed her vine entanglement. Green vines erupted from the ground, ensnaring the still-burning creature. Though the monster tore through several vines, it was held long enough for Alex to close the gap.
As the creature's health dropped to one-fifth, Sarah, who had stayed back, fired a well-aimed "Frost Arrow." The arrow hit the creature squarely, finishing it off.
The purple scythe monster collapsed, its health completely drained. Its death caused the remaining blue scythe monsters, who had been coordinating their attacks, to lose focus. The team quickly mopped up the remaining creatures.
After destroying the gray crystal wall and quickly exiting the orchard, the group reassembled outside, only to realize the extent of their losses. Nearly a hundred people had fallen during the ambush. Of the five hundred that had set out, only four hundred remained, with half of them injured and dozens in critical condition.
If Alex's squad hadn't distracted the purple scythe monster and destroyed the crystal, the casualties would have been much worse.
The somber atmosphere persisted as the group made their way back to the school. There was no celebration for completing the mission, only a quiet, hurried retreat.
Back at the school, Alex and his team handed over the two crystal shards to Quinn, who seemed pleased with their performance. After healing the wounded, Quinn began fusing the six crystals.
The survivors gathered at the sight of the dazzling light that erupted from the fusion. For two minutes, a brilliant display of rainbow-colored light illuminated the area, finally coalescing into a massive, crystalline structure.
The large crystal floated above the school's courtyard, glowing softly, casting a protective white light over the entire area.
Quinn's voice rang out, filled with excitement. "Thanks to everyone's hard work, we have successfully created the Camouflage Crystal! With its power, the school is now hidden from the monsters nearby!"
The school was finally safe, at least for now.
At that moment, a voice echoed in everyone's minds: "Task completed: F-Rank Mission: Establish Hidden Base. All survivors rewarded with 3,000 merit points, 3,000 credits, and 1 skill point!"
For those who had participated in the mission, additional rewards based on performance were given. Alex, upon reviewing his own task log, was momentarily stunned.
Because his team had secured four crystals, their mission progress had reached 400%. Both side missions—killing the high-level and low-level scythe monsters—were overcompleted, earning them an S-Rank rating.
The final reward tally was astonishing. Alex had earned 10,000 credits, 8 skill points, 1 super skill point, and a 100% growth bonus.
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