ch9- First Encounter

The thousand-strong team moved out in a grand formation, but as soon as they left the school gates and saw the dense mass of blue monsters ahead, everyone felt a surge of fear. 

Standing at the head of the first squad, Mr. Garcia, holding a megaphone, took a quick glance at the restless monsters and shouted to encourage the group. "Stay calm, everyone! There are only about 100 monsters. We've divided into ten zones, so each squad of 100 people will face no more than a dozen monsters!" 

"We have a huge numbers advantage. Each squad will send out seven attack groups while keeping three in reserve for support. Always fight three to one against a monster. If you're overwhelmed or something unexpected happens, don't force it. Call for help and retreat immediately!" 

With the plan in place, a loud charge order rang out, and the squads sent forward their 70-man attack teams, charging toward the monsters with battle cries. 

Alex Grant, wielding his deadly purple scythe-blade, led his squad at the front as part of the third division's assault team. Behind him followed Jason Reed and Danny Carter, while Max Wong and the others kept Tina Young protected in the middle. 

As they neared the monsters, Max, acting as their strategist, yelled out, "Tina, fireball now!"

They had discussed several attack plans earlier, one of which was to test Tina's explosive fireball skill before assigning her further tasks. 

Tina, though nervous, was ready. Despite her courage, fear was still gnawing at her, but her focus remained steady as she readied her magic. Upon hearing Max's command, she immediately activated her skill. In a flash, a fireball the size of a soccer ball, glowing with fierce orange light, appeared in front of her. Tina hesitated for a moment, then shouted, "Move, guys!"

Her teammates had instinctively surrounded her to protect the mage, but now they were blocking her shot. Jason and the others quickly realized this and cleared a path, but by then Alex had already engaged the nearest two monsters.

Tina had missed her best opportunity to strike. 

"Attack to the left!" Alex barked. 

Without hesitating, Alex activated his **Stone Skin** skill and zeroed in on the rightmost monster. Wielding his massive purple blade, he delivered a devastating **Mighty Strike**, slashing down without holding back. 

At the same time, Tina, still composed, followed Alex's command. With a quick flick of her arm, the burning fireball shot towards the leftmost monster.

The fireball connected, erupting in a blazing explosion that not only engulfed the target but also scorched the monsters behind it. When the flames subsided, the first monster was charred to a crisp, its blue skin now blackened—a one-hit kill.

Meanwhile, Alex's powerful slash cleaved the monster in front of him from shoulder to waist, instantly draining its health bar to zero—another instant kill.

The combined might of Alex and Tina left Max and the others in awe. Their spirits surged as they charged fearlessly into the monster horde.

"You take care of this!" Alex shouted to his teammates.

With his **Stone Skin** providing near-impenetrable defense, Alex stood firm, acting as a shield while his squad surrounded and overwhelmed the monsters, beating them down with sheer force. 

After the initial intense pressure, the fight became more manageable, especially as the other teams moved in, splitting the monsters across the various squads. With Alex's scythe-blade increasing his attack power by 30%, each of his strikes took out a third of a monster's health bar. Two or three swings, and he would finish one off.

While Max's team had several people ganging up on a single monster, Alex alone was killing them faster.

Thanks to Alex's unstoppable momentum, the third division was the first to clear out all the monsters in their area. Alex alone took down six monsters—almost a third of the total number his team faced.

In comparison, the other squads were struggling. Though they had some skilled fighters, unexpected accidents kept happening. Particularly at the start of the battle, those at the front bore the brunt of the attack. Many took multiple hits at once, their health bars dropping rapidly. A few unlucky fighters were even killed instantly, throwing some teams into chaos.

By the time all 100 monsters had been defeated, nearly everyone had sustained injuries, and around ten people had lost their lives. 

Though the casualty rate of 10 to over 100 might be considered a victory, the atmosphere remained somber. 

The closeness of death weighed heavily on everyone.

During the chaos of battle, there wasn't much time to think, but now that it was over, seeing the piles of monster corpses and the bodies of fallen comrades stirred grief and fear within the group. 

"You all did great!" Mr. Garcia stepped forward, sensing the morale dip. "You've seen the special effects on the quest scrolls, right? We can't lose heart! Those who died might still have a chance to be revived. It's hard to imagine, but if these monsters can appear out of nowhere, then resurrection might be possible too!" 

He spoke with conviction, his blue shirt torn and bloodied from monster attacks, yet his spirit remained unbroken.

Other brave souls within the group rallied too, shaking off their fear as they encouraged each other. Under the guidance of the teachers, they began clearing the road of the monster corpses. 

Students were not allowed to help with this grim task, as it was far more gruesome than the battle itself. But even standing by, watching the cleanup, most students couldn't help but feel sick to their stomachs. Many ended up vomiting, unable to handle the gory scene.