Monster Tide: Gale Blade

"Charge!" As Myst gave out the command to advance, all of those at the frontlines exclaimed in unison, soon letting out battle cries as they engaged against the monsters that were coming at them. At that moment, a cacophony of sounds erupted from the battlefield in front of the east section, the squeamish sound of metal cutting through flesh echoing throughout the surroundings amidst the beastly roars and cries of monsters being slain.

While that was happening, all of those behind the defensive line watched the fight unfold from afar, their nerves taut from the uncertainty of whether their side would win or not. Nevertheless, although all of them remained vigilant and made sure to be aware of any trouble that might arise in the battlefield, most of them had somewhat relaxed, with some of them engaging in idle chatter as the number of monsters the east section was facing against gradually dwindled over time.

In fact, at some point, Valyr wandered around the defensive line, keeping an eye at what was happening in the battlefield from time to time as he passively listened to the conversations that were happening all around him. Just as he had found a sense of peace amidst all the chaos happening on the battlefield, a familiar man had appeared before him, prompting a light smile to appear on Valyr's face. "Aren't you a bit too glad to be staying behind the defensive line, Leon?"

"Is there anything wrong with that?" Leon grinned, wrapping his arm over Valyr's shoulder before walking alongside him. "I'm just making most of the situation before we have to head out to the battlefield. After all, we're the ones fighting the high-leveled monsters of the subsequent waves."

As Leon said those words, Valyr went ahead and used [Analysis] on his friend, the results of which slightly surprised him as he inwardly muttered, 'To think he's actually one level from reaching the peak of Rank 0.'

Ding!

————

[Leon Astrol] (Level 9)

Class: Civilian (Rank 0)

HP: 120/120

MP: 90/90

Stats: 12 VIT, 12 STR, 12 AGI, 9 DEX, 9 INT, 9 WIS, 9 PER, 9 LUK

Remarks: You could fight against this guy no problem, but that would be bullying.

————

Just like with Myst, Valyr made Leon's result appear within his mind, remembering to keep his field of vision free from any distraction in a situation like this one. Closing the screen soon after, a thought eventually surfaced in his mind, making him look at Leon. "Speaking of which, where are Jonas and Louie?"

"The west section," Leon said in response, a bitter smile appearing on his face. "Yesterday, we told Damian that it'd be great if us three were positioned at the same section. However, due to some last minute additions to the various sections, there was an imbalance of power, so…"

"Jonas and Louie had to be moved to the west section, huh?" Hearing Leon's explanation, it did not take long for Valyr to come to that conclusion.

In response, Leon lightly nodded.

After walking around the defensive line for a bit more as the two talked about a few more topics, the two eventually parted ways by the time only a few dozen monsters remained on the battlefield, prompting both of them to return to their respective positions.

Once he had returned to his respective position, Valyr could not help but look at Myst a slight distance away from him, who was looking at the battlefield with a solemn expression. Deciding to do the same thing as her, he looked at the battlefield soon after, deciding to use [Analysis] on some of the monsters those at the frontlines were fighting against.

"Level 5 and Level 6 monsters…" Valyr muttered to himself, lightly shrugging his shoulders sometime later. "They're losing out on a bunch of XP from not fighting monsters at the same level as them, considering that most of them are around Level 7 or so."

"Nevertheless, they'll still gain a lot of XP from this. After all, quantity can make up for quality," he continued.

After looking at the battlefield for a couple of minutes, inwardly calm as the monsters now numbered in the tens, he turned his head to look at Myst and asked her a question, pointing at the people on the battlefield. "Will they be at the frontlines on the second wave as well?"

"Most of them." Myst nodded in response. "If our predictions are correct, then the monsters in the second wave will be made up of ideal targets for most of the people on the battlefield at the moment."

"Of course, we'll be telling all those below a certain level to stay behind the defensive line and get some rest once the wave is over," she continued, nodding in satisfaction soon after as she yelled out, "Frontlines, head back to the defensive line and get some rest!"

Hearing that, most of the people on the battlefield cheered in excitement, while some of the people let out loud sighs of relief. Nevertheless, all of them hastily made their way back behind the defensive line, as if the exhaustion brought about by fighting against multiple monsters wasn't there in the first place.

However, just as all of those in the east section thought that they could rest easy, a voice from beyond the east section exclaimed something that made some of the people stop in their tracks.

"Rogue monster! Rogue monster heading to the east section!"

In an instant, all of those that hadn't made it behind the defensive line yet ran as fast as their tired legs could take them, while some of the high-leveled people made their way to the front of the defensive line, ready to engage with the rogue monster that had been announced.

As for Valyr, once he heard this announcement from afar, his pupils could not help but shrink for a bit as he utilized his perception to its fullest, eventually finding a monster from afar making a mad dash towards the defensive line of the east section. Although the faint aura he could sense from the monster from afar was enough for him to realize that none of the people at the front lines could hope to fight against it, he went ahead and made sure of the monster's level through [Analysis].

Unfortunately, the results from [Analysis] only exacerbated his worries even more, eventually shouting, "Everyone, fall back! It's a Level 11 monster!"

Hearing that a monster way beyond what they could handle was heading their way, almost everyone around the front of the defensive line retreated as far as possible, prioritizing their own safety instead of the others.

Naturally, the sight could not help but make Valyr frown, retrieving the spear behind his back as he thought he would have to make a move. But before he could even do so, a dark gray streak zoomed past the defensive line, with only Valyr being the only one there having the perception necessary to follow.

Swish!

In just a few seconds, the dark gray streak had stopped before the rogue monster, only for the monster's head to fall off its neck soon after as its headless body fell to the ground with a thud. A deafening silence covered the entire battlefield after that, which was soon replaced with cheers and yells of excitement and admiration from those behind the east section's defensive line, as well as those from the right portion of the center section's defensive line.

"Well, I guess that explains the name of the class a lot," Valyr said to himself, chuckling soon after as he recalled the speed at which the dark gray streak had arrived before the monster, far faster than what he could yearn to achieve at the moment.

As for the one who killed the monster, Myst looked at the monster before her with silence before letting out a light sigh. Shaking her head, she shook off the blood that dripped off the blade she used to kill the monster before heading back to the east section's defensive line.