ch23- Hidden Threat

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.