ch56- Fateful Decision

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"Outside monster zones keep refreshing with new creatures," the guide explained, "and when their numbers grow too large, they start wandering into outposts. Once one monster breaches the outpost, it attracts the attention of nearby monsters, leading to a full-scale attack."

That was exactly what had happened to Megan and her group. Their outpost paid a heavy price that day, barely managing to fend off the invading monsters with the help of the guide. It was then that Megan and the others realized: waiting for rescue was futile. Their only chance for survival was to grow stronger.

With her R-level potential and the combat skills she had honed from the city's battle arena, Megan stopped wasting her time on Michael, who remained in a state of denial. Instead, she took charge of the outpost, leading survivors on missions to clear out monsters and level up. But the accumulation of monsters over the previous days was overwhelming.

Even though Megan and her group had become stronger and could deal more damage, their numbers were too few, and they lacked an absolute powerhouse to lead them. As a result, they struggled to clean up the surrounding areas, clearing only five monster zones in total. Their priority had shifted to defending the outpost and keeping nearby monsters at bay.

But when the game's prologue ended, and Chapter One began, the entire factory was reduced to rubble. The survivors learned their lesson from previous failures and knew they needed to establish a new home. The next morning, Megan gathered a team of over two thousand people and set off toward a nearby resource point.

What no one anticipated was that this seemingly wise move would lead to the outpost's downfall.

When Megan's group reached the resource point, the number of monsters wasn't overwhelming. Confident, the team began their attack, but just as they were on the verge of victory, a flood of monsters emerged—tens of thousands of them, pouring in from all sides!

Unaware of the gravity of the situation, the group continued fighting, believing they could outlast the monsters. But after half their team had fallen and the monsters kept coming, the reality of their predicament hit them hard. Panic set in as they attempted to break through the encirclement and flee back to the outpost.

By the time they escaped the horde, only a hundred out of the original two thousand made it back. Devastated, the survivors returned to the outpost, where many broke down in despair.

Megan held herself together. She knew that, as the last R-level survivor, she had to remain strong for the others. The burden of leadership weighed heavily on her shoulders.

"Don't give up, everyone!" she urged, trying to rally the survivors. "There's still hope. If we can establish the Newcomer City, we can bring our lost friends back!"

But the person who had once been closest to her, Michael, now turned against her.

"This is all your fault!" Michael shouted, his voice shaking with anger. "You were too reckless! If we had just stayed in the outpost, no one else would have died!"

In the highly charged atmosphere, it wasn't long before others began to echo his accusations. The weight of their grief and anger turned on Megan. As she stared at their accusing faces, she began to doubt herself. Was it really her fault? 

No, she thought. The decision to attack the resource point had been a collective one. No one could have predicted the sheer number of monsters that would appear. The blame lay with the unfortunate circumstances, not her survival.

Still, the thought tore at her, leaving her feeling crushed and disillusioned. What was the point of trying to save people when it only led to their deaths? A dark part of her wondered if it might be better just to die.

"Look! Over there!" someone suddenly shouted, breaking through Megan's spiraling thoughts.

Turning, she saw a large crowd of over a thousand people approaching the outpost. Her heart surged with a brief flicker of hope before being overwhelmed by bitterness. If only they had arrived a day earlier... maybe everyone would still be alive.

The newcomers, unaware of the turmoil within the outpost, looked surprisingly young—teenagers, by the looks of them. The leader of the group, a striking girl, glanced around and then asked in a sweet, clear voice, "What's this outpost? There are so few of you here. Are the others out hunting monsters?"

Her words hit the survivors hard. Faces clouded with sorrow, they replied, "This is New Dawn Factory Outpost, in the East District of the city. The others… they're gone."

As they explained their situation, the students learned about the hardships the factory survivors had faced. In contrast, their own school outpost seemed almost blessed with good fortune. Wiping her slightly red eyes, the girl softly offered words of comfort, "It's okay now. We've built a Newcomer City just a few kilometers away. Over 200,000 people are already gathered there, and the dead can be brought back to life."

The news was met with stunned disbelief, followed by tears of relief. It felt like their long nightmare was finally ending. Eager to escape the grim remnants of their outpost, the survivors expressed their desire to join the students in returning to the city.

However, Alex and his group were on a mission to secure a nearby resource point, so they couldn't take the survivors back immediately. Understanding the factory's situation, Sarah offered them two options: they could wait here until Alex's team secured the resource point and returned, or they could head to the city on their own.

Cautious after their recent losses, most of the factory survivors chose to stay behind and wait. But just as Alex's group was about to leave, Megan caught up to them. After a moment of hesitation, she spoke up, "I want to come with you."

The suffocating atmosphere of the outpost had become too much for her to bear, and she didn't believe that Alex's team would be able to clear the horde at the resource point. In her mind, if the mission failed, it wouldn't be such a bad way to go.

The group welcomed her, and as they traveled toward the resource point, Megan provided them with more information. Upon learning that nearly ten thousand monsters were gathered at the point, the group felt apprehensive.

But they had already come too far to turn back. They decided to press on and see the situation for themselves.

The resource point, known as "Lanheart Grove," was a vast grassy plain filled with creatures. The grove contained a rare plant called Lanheart Grass, which was the key resource they sought to secure.