Chapter 39: The Night Howlers Event, Scoring Points
As the first night of the Night Howlers event ended, the battlefield was eerily silent.
The streets of Dawn City were littered with specks of blue light, indicating the massive amount of player that had died.
The event had been merciless, wiping out nearly half of the participating players in just a single night.
The survivors gathered their breath, their faces pale with fear and exhaustion.
But Alex? He was unfazed.
[First night has ended]
[Displaying Score…]
[First, FateBreaker: 473 points]
[Second, Fallen Devil: 342 points]
[Third, BeastMode: 311 points]
[Fourth, Miria: 262 points]
[Fifth, StarPillow: 187 points]
[The first night of the event has ended. Congratulations to all those who survived!]
The announcement was met with a collective sigh of relief.
Many players had barely made it, fighting tooth and nail to stay alive.
For others, hiding had been their only option.
But for Alex, it had been almost too easy.
His Grand Fireball spell had decimated hordes of Night Howlers in one blow, and with so many other players around, it was nearly impossible to get overwhelmed.
A system notification followed, explaining the mechanics of the upcoming nights.
[You are now free to go back into the open world or into reality!]
[In exactly 24 hours in-game (or 12 hours in real life), you will be forcefully logged back into the game or teleported to the city, no matter what you are doing!]
[Yes, even if you are... occupied with 'private' things, you will still be teleported.]
"Damn," one player muttered.
"Not that I'm getting any action anyway!" another joked.
"Can't relate!" came the smug response.
[The Night Howlers will grow stronger on the second day, so feel free to grind levels quickly!]
This announcement was a death sentence for lower-level players who hadn't prepared properly.
It was clear the event was designed to push players to their limits.
With stronger monsters on the horizon, those who failed to level up quickly would likely be wiped out.
The smarter ones rushed to the temple and other leveling spots, hoping to gain enough strength to survive the second night.
NPCs, meanwhile, barricaded themselves indoors, leaving the city's defense mostly to the knights and priests of the Church of the Dawn.
But Alex had different plans.
He wasn't just here to fight the Night Howlers; he had a mission.
...
The Second Night
The second night arrived without much change in the city's atmosphere.
Many players had already figured out a loophole: if you hid inside an NPC's home, you could avoid the Night Howlers entirely.
While this tactic wouldn't net them any points, it kept them alive, which was all most players cared about.
Only the brave or foolhardy remained outside to battle the beasts.
Alex and Alice stood in the center of the city, surrounded by the carnage of the second wave.
Advanced Night Howlers, now at level 25, swarmed the streets.
But to Alex, they were just more experience points waiting to be collected.
With one powerful sweep of his staff, he sent a horde of them flying, their bodies crashing into the stone walls like ragdolls.
[+232 experience!]
[+232 experience!]
[+232 experience!]
[+1 point]
[+1 point]
[+1 point]
Every spell and strike from Alex was lethal, his power so overwhelming that Alice barely had time to contribute.
She fired a few arrows here and there, picking off the stragglers, but it was clear she was outmatched by Alex's sheer destructive capabilities.
Despite her own strength, she couldn't compete with his Legendary gear and high stats.
As the second night came to an end, Alex's level had skyrocketed to 31, while Alice had only reached level 26
The Night Howlers granted decent experience, but Alex's dominating presence on the battlefield made it difficult for anyone around him to gain much ground.
[FateBreaker: 873 points]
[+537 Strength, +647 Spirit!]
He had extracted attribute points from them, since this was all they gave.
His [Strike] Kill skill also had leveled up to 10, which he promptly upgraded to [Powerful Slash], now capable of dealing 1500 damage per strike.
As the third night loomed, Alex was ready for whatever came next.
...
The Third Night
The tension in Dawn City was palpable as the third night approached.
Players were nervous, knowing that this would be the most dangerous part of the event.
The Night Howler Terror, the boss of the event, was rumored to appear.
It was a level 50 monster, far beyond the capabilities of most players, and even the church members would struggle to handle it.
"Alice," Alex said quietly, turning to her with a serious expression. "I need you to stay inside one of the NPC houses tonight."
Her face fell. "But why? I can fight too! I want to help you."
Alex shook his head. "I have something I need to do. It's dangerous, and I can't afford any distractions. Please… just trust me."
Alice hesitated, clearly unhappy with the idea of hiding while Alex went off on his own.
But she knew better than to argue. "Okay… Just promise me you'll be careful."
"I will," Alex said, his voice softening. He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I'll come back for you when it's over."
Reluctantly, Alice agreed and went into one of the nearby empty NPC homes.
As the door closed behind her, Alex turned his gaze toward the heart of the city, where the church's grand cathedral loomed.
The third night began, and just as predicted, the Night Howler Terror made its appearance.
The massive beast towered over the city, its blood-red eyes glowing ominously as it let out an ear-piercing howl.
Its body was wreathed in dark energy, and its mere presence sent shockwaves through the air.
Players screamed and scattered as the monster charged through the city, leaving destruction in its wake.
Church members and city guards rushed to confront it, but Alex had no interest in joining them.
His target wasn't the Night Howler Terror—it was the church itself.
As he approached the towering cathedral, a group of church members spotted him.
One of them, a man wielding a staff, approached him with an air of authority.
"HEY, YOU! GO BACK INSIDE, PUNK!" the church member barked, pointing his staff at Alex.
Alex remained silent, his eyes cold as he sized up the man in front of him.
"I SAID, GO BACK INSIDE!" the man growled, raising his staff as if to cast a spell.
But Alex was faster.
In a blur of motion, he dashed toward the church member, his dagger flashing in the moonlight.
Before the man could even react, Alex's blade sliced clean through his throat.
[Aimed for vital point, 500% damage]
-16,375 HP
The man's eyes widened in shock as blood gushed from his wound. "W-What the…" he gasped, clutching his throat. "But… you have… a magic staff…"
He collapsed to the ground, his life draining away as he bled out.
[You have slain "Dawn Church Member Lv40," gained 782 experience points!]
Ding!
[Your reputation with the "Church of the Dawn" has reached -100!]
Alex stood over the fallen church member, his expression unreadable.
The fact that his reputation hadn't dropped further indicated that the church didn't care much about its lower-ranked members. But that wasn't Alex's concern. He had bigger plans.
His eyes turned to the cathedral once more, he knew what was inside: that door, he wanted to see it, and if it didn't exist, then so be it, at least that is one mystery less to solve.
Making his way through the streets, Alex arrived at the grand entrance of the cathedral.
The building was heavily guarded, but most of the church's forces were occupied with the Night Howler Terror.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Alex slipped past the remaining guards by killing them and entered the building.
Inside, the cathedral was just as grand and imposing as he remembered from his previous life.
Ornate stained-glass windows lined the walls, and the air was thick with tension.
Alex had no time to admire the architecture.
He made his way to the back of the cathedral, where an elevator-like mechanism was hidden behind a large tapestry.
It was a secret known only to a few, but Alex had the knowledge from his past life.
Pulling the lever, the elevator began to ascend, taking him to the upper levels, which is where the actual church was located since it was elevated.
The third night was far from over, but Alex's real battle was just beginning.