ch16- Final Push

"Jason, you stay here with Chris. The rest of you, follow me!" Max barked out commands, signaling to Danny to stay behind and keep an eye on Chris, who was still recovering from the earlier attack. The remaining members of the group quickly fell in line behind Alex, following his lead as they charged toward the incoming wave of monsters.

Their swift response inspired the rest of the formation. Realizing that retreat wasn't their only option, the main group rallied, leaving behind the severely injured while the stronger fighters surged forward to support Alex and his group.

It was like a chain reaction. The sight of the main force regrouping and advancing restored the fleeing squad's confidence. Panic began to subside, and the fleeing soldiers slowed their retreat, preparing to regroup and launch a counterattack once they reached the main formation.

"Retreat to the rear, reorganize, and prepare for another strike!" 

"Don't break formation! Stay tight and move to the back!" 

The space between them and the monster horde closed rapidly. In seconds, the hundreds of fighters formed a loose but stable line. As the retreating soldiers heard the commands, they weaved through the gaps in the formation, regrouping into smaller squads. These newly reformed units quickly turned to face the pursuing monsters.

Despite the seemingly overwhelming numbers of the monster horde, once the retreating fighters rejoined the main formation, each squad faced no more than three creatures at a time. There were less than 40 monsters in total, and within five minutes, the battle was over.

The relentless pace of battle left everyone exhausted. Even Alex, who had been leading the charge, felt the strain. His health had dropped below 50%, leaving him with only 124 points, and his stamina was down to 65%. Only his energy reserves remained at a manageable 50%. 

While the battle had been intense and dangerous, the rewards were substantial. The purple scythe monster had dropped another R-rank Awakening Stone and a "Purple Scythe Blade." On top of that, the numerous blue scythe monsters had yielded 15 N-rank Awakening Stones. Other items, such as "Scythe Spider Essence" and "Energy Potions," piled up, amounting to more than twenty items in total.

However, despite the loot, there were no rare items like the "Luck Stone" this time. 

Aside from Alex, it was clear Tina had also made significant gains. Her *Explosive Fireball* skill had been devastating in such a packed battlefield, taking out at least five or six monsters with every use. 

What made Alex most relieved, however, was that his decision to block the attack had been the right one. Chris had been hit hard by the purple scythe monster, losing half of his health instantly, but thanks to Danny's *Stun Strike*, the monster had been paralyzed long enough to prevent it from finishing Chris off. 

"Damn, that was brutal!" Chris gasped, still pale from the near-death experience. "One hit took 50 points! If you hadn't blocked that first attack, Alex, I'd be dead for sure!" 

The others laughed in relief, grateful that they had come out of the battle relatively unscathed.

"Yeah, that's a bloody lesson for us all," Danny added with a grin. "R-rank Awakening is a whole other level. We're definitely not in the same league!" 

The group burst into laughter, the tension of the battle finally melting away.

Once the moment of levity passed, Max glanced around and asked, "So, is this area cleared? Are we done with the mission?"

Danny, who had studied the mission details thoroughly, shook his head. "Not yet. I remember something about a crystal in the mission description."

Everyone quickly checked their mission logs and saw that the objective was clear: they needed to destroy the "Tracking Crystal" and bring the shards back to their guide, Quinn.

"Wait, we've got side quests too!" someone exclaimed, scrolling through their mission screen. Alex and the others discovered two completed side quests: *Kill Low-Rank Scythe Spiders (10/10): Completed* and *Kill High-Rank Scythe Spider (1/1): Completed*. 

Thanks to his leading role in the fight, Alex had finished both and earned 3,000 merit points for taking down the purple monster. Others, like Danny and Tina, who had participated in the attack, received 1,000 merit points for their part in the battle against the high-rank monster. However, many of the group were still short on kills for the first quest.

"I found the Tracking Crystal!" someone shouted from the back.

Everyone hurried over to find that a few students had discovered the mission target in a dimly lit alley beside the convenience store. In the shadows, they spotted a large, gray crystal, glowing faintly with a soft white light.

"Let's smash this and head back," one of the teachers said, gesturing to Alex. The hint was clear—they wanted him to destroy the crystal.

Nodding without hesitation, Alex stepped forward, gripped his massive blade, and swung it down with full force.

"Clang!"

To his surprise, the crystal was tougher than expected. His first strike barely made a dent, leaving only a few small cracks. The impact reverberated through his arms, numbing them slightly. 

Feeling slightly embarrassed under everyone's watchful eyes, Alex adjusted his grip and, with a grunt, triggered *Mighty Strike*. With a loud crash, the gray crystal shattered into pieces, scattering shards across the alleyway. 

As the glow faded, Tina bent down and picked up a small fragment that shimmered with silver light. It was likely the "Crystal Shard" mentioned in the mission.

"Mission complete!" someone cheered.

Alex quickly checked his mission log. Sure enough, the mission status had updated.

**F-Rank Mission: Establish Hidden Outpost** 

**Mission Completion: 100%** 

*Successfully destroyed a Bellos Crystal. Top contributor in battle, rewarded with 5,000 merit points.*

With the mission complete, all they had to do was return the crystal shard to Quinn. Spirits were high as the group prepared to head back to the school. But just as they were about to depart, one of the rear guard captains voiced a bold suggestion.

"There aren't many monsters left at the other spawn point. We didn't spot any purple monsters over there either. What do you say we hit that one too and grab another crystal while we're at it?"