Apart from giving orders, Clark hasn't made a move until now, proving without a doubt that he has no other means.
After all, he just threw his equipment to that black bear, clearly indicating that he was prepared to go all out. However, perhaps Clark didn't anticipate that the combined release of our skills would have such a good effect?
Maybe we were just scared by the threat of the sandworm and Clark's brutal methods? If we had all attacked together, would Clark have died too? Maybe we shouldn't have followed him and caused Ira's death for nothing?
Some of the awakened individuals began to have different thoughts. With the threat of the sandworm gone, they felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted from their hearts, and involuntarily gathered together. They looked at each other, reading each other's thoughts from their eyes.
Arnold's group had made it clear that they wanted complete obedience from them. Before, everyone naturally had no other thoughts in order to survive, but now things were different. Although Clark didn't turn around, under the powerful psychic power, everyone's every move was exposed as if transparent.
In front of the insect carcass, several melee awakened individuals excitedly whispered to each other. Although there weren't many wounds on the insect carcass, and the only serious one seemed to be Arnold's full-force punch, two minutes had already passed. Even the daring ones who kicked it with their feet got no response. Without a doubt, the monster was dead.
"I wonder what this monster dropped; I'm sure it must be equipment! The equipment dropped by this kind of monster is definitely powerful!"
"You're stating the obvious. This monster is more than a level stronger than The Licker. Only with so many of us could we kill it!"
"Who do you think in our academy got it? Why is no one speaking up?"
A sturdy male student, wrapped in rock armor from head to toe, suddenly lowered his voice.
"Use your brain; even if equipment dropped, who would come forward to claim it now?"
"Don't forget, those people are still watching behind us! If we say it, they'll definitely snatch it away!"
The group exchanged glances, and a hint of greed simultaneously rose in their hearts.
"I think, actually, we don't need to be too afraid of them..."
"That black bear, we can handle with ten people."
"As for the guy who can turn invisible, there's no need to be afraid at all. As for the most mysterious guy, I think he's just strong in attack, like Ira, but physically vulnerable."
"Look at his clean and innocent appearance, just like those 'crispy' ones."
"What do you mean?" A companion asked in a hushed tone, with a hint of curiosity in his eyes. The Rock Armor sneered, pretending to inspect a dead insect.
"No matter who ends up with what exploded stuff, as long as it's in our hands, it's stronger than anything."
"Did you notice the equipment on the leader's hands? I think there are at least two."
"Plus what he gave to the black bear, at least, at least three pieces of equipment to start with!"
"Maybe that black bear hurried back after getting the equipment!"
"The one who killed us, blamed Ira, and still wants to treat us like dogs."
"We killed the monster together! What did he do?"
The man seemed to be making excuses for himself, completely forgetting that Ira breaking the seal was the most offensive thing he scolded her for.
"Can you swallow this anger?" The companion next to him nervously looked back at Clark's direction and asked cautiously, "What do you want to do?"
The guy in the rock armor flashed a murderous intent in his eyes. "We pretend we found the equipment and shout to attack when we go back! I believe everyone has the same idea!"
"As long as we kill them, the equipment from the monster is ours, and even the equipment on them is ours!"
"You missed one thing."
"What?"
"There's the woman we wanted to play with before."
Greed rose, and the hearts of the few men burned with desire.
In the shadow of the massive insect corpse, Dirk, hidden in the darkness, had a cold and stern expression, suddenly turning into black mist.
"Clark, these worthless guys seem to have set their sights on us."
Arnold crossed his arms, disdainfully looking at the awakened ones gathering around. "No problem, it's about to begin."
Clark's gaze went beyond the melee awakened ones who were about to return and looked towards the sandworm.
Originally silent, [Podoi]'s footsteps suddenly shifted slightly. The few individuals who came with various thoughts did not notice the unusual situation behind them.
As the distance closed in, the guy covered in rock armor nodded slightly to the approaching awakened ones, then roared suddenly.
"Let's attack and kill them together!"
However, the expected unanimous response did not happen. Instead, everyone turned around, focusing their attacks on Clark.
Damn it! Why are these guys so slow to react? I should have attacked before that person!
Before he could recover from his anger, he was surprised to find that the awakened ones on the opposite side were trembling in fear, pointing fingers at something behind him.
"Monster... the monster is still alive!"
"Boom!"
A dark figure fell, and the revitalized sandworm writhed its body, instantly crushing the nearby individuals into pulp.
"Help! Ah!"
"Run! Run fast!"
Desperation spread. The awakened ones who had planned to attack scattered in panic, and the crowd became chaotic, trying to escape the square.
On the platform, Clark looked down at Gerard, who was groveling on the ground, and spoke slowly, "You're smart, so you know what to do. Right?"
"Boss... I understand..."
Sweat the size of soybeans dripped from his forehead, falling into his eyes, and the former school principal Gerard dared not wipe it away. He smiled obsequiously, looking at Clark as if he were looking at a demon.
The cold wind rose, and the scent of blood permeated the air. The sandworm, now back in action, moved like a high-speed train, twisting its body recklessly.
The crowd ran wildly, dodging the terrifying mouthparts behind them. Each time the mouthparts emerged, it brought the gruesome death of a group of survivors—chewing, swallowing, and satisfaction.
[Podoi] raised its towering body, swinging its mouthparts to shatter its half-broken body. A few elemental awakened ones nearby, unable to escape in time, hastily tried to activate their skills.
"Hurry! Attack its weak point!"
The voice, tinged with sobbing, belonged to an awakened one from the art department desperately urging the wind blades in his hands. He turned to look at his collapsed companion, urging frantically, "Faster, ah!"
"Just like before!"
"Lightning arrow!"
"Wind blade!"
Two dazzling skills struck the edge of the sandworm's mouthparts, along with a section of a short leg, blasting into fragments without the initial blocking effect. The wind blade, capable of cutting through steel, brushed by like a gentle breeze, leaving the sandworm unharmed.
The sandworm, interrupted in its chewing, half-bowed its body towards the paralyzed awakened ones.
"Swoosh! Why... why didn't it work?" The last question in the mind of the awakened one casting wind blades echoed as the high-speed body of the sandworm collided with him, turning him into a mist of blood.
"It's useless! The weak point is a fake! Run, run quickly!" The collapsed awakened one wept bitterly, using hands and feet to crawl backward in extreme fear.
Like a predatory snake, the massive body of the sandworm repeatedly extended, each time causing the death of dozens of survivors.
"No one... can defeat it..."
The awakened ones who had originally surrounded Clark, ready to attack, murmured in a daze, their legs trembling uncontrollably.
"No one has..."
"Haha, we're finished. We're all going to die!"
As if driven mad by stimulation, when the remaining awakened ones focused their firepower again to try and hinder the sandworm, they only despaired to find that seemingly powerful skills couldn't even interrupt [Podoi]'s feeding.
"I knew it! Haha, I knew this monster is just like before, not something we can contend with!"
Half-crying, half-laughing, the awakened one who first spoke, dressed in sportswear, had a ferocious expression. From the fear when the sandworm appeared to the ecstasy of killing it, and now to despair, the consecutive intense shocks had almost completely shattered his sanity.
Behind Clark, the leadership and awakened ones prostrated on the ground, their heads lowered to the level of the floor. Unlike the students with simpler thoughts, Gerard realized from the moment Clark didn't answer his question that the sandworm hadn't died.