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nNot only Howard but the other students as well grasped the situation, all feeling a sense of surprise.

nThey were students themselves, needing mentors for protection. When had it become their role to protect others?

nWhat piqued their curiosity even more was the existence of the base.

nLogically, shouldn’t a base be some kind of secretive military installation? Shouldn’t everyone there be an expert in their own right?

nWhy then did these base inhabitants need external protection?

nSensing the students’ confusion, Tana explained, “Such bases are created by the Alliance for the people in remote areas. They contain various living and combat supplies, meant for those who don’t wish to leave their homes to move to major cities.”

n“Unfortunately, the Alliance is a bit short-handed. Thus, these bases have supplies but no guards. They rely on the people themselves for defense. If strong monsters appear, the bases struggle to ensure their safety, which is why awakened from major urban areas are called upon to assist.”

n“Even within the Mercenary Guild, there are many tasks related to protecting these wilderness bases.”

nHearing this, Howard nodded slightly, feeling less resistant to the idea.

n“What’s the use of talking so much?” Wales spoke impatiently.

n“I don’t know what’s so great about these backwoods. They’d rather die here than move out! These people are just too stubborn! If it weren’t for the abundance of monsters in these mountains, and their relatively low levels, with few strong monsters around, I doubt there would be many mercenaries or awakened willing to come here to protect them and clear out the monsters!”

nTana smiled and said, “Mr. Wales, you shouldn’t think like that. After all, they are our comrades, and if they choose to join the army, they can add strength to our human race.”

nWales, uninterested in further discussion, directly stepped into the virtual realm.

nSeeing this, Tana sighed and turned to address the students, “Let’s set off quickly, everyone. You have a total of three days. Your task is simple: just clear out the nearby monsters. You don’t even need to interact with the locals.”

nGiven the vastness of the forested area, the group of awakened decided to split up.

nAfter all, although they knew each other, their relationships weren’t close enough to warrant collective monster hunting.

nDistributing any loot that might be found among everyone to everyone’s satisfaction would be as hard as scaling the heavens.

nHoward naturally formed a small team with his two roommates, Judy, and Abby and Ying Chan – a six-person squad.

nApart from Ying Chan, who had a special class allowing her to use multiple weapons, the others didn’t have conflicting equipment needs, so there was no worry about how to distribute any spoils.

nNot long after they entered the area, they finally encountered monsters.

nThese were quite ordinary, similar to the ones Howard first encountered in Saint City – basic monsters like Goblins and Slimes, along with wild beasts such as boars, jackals, tigers, and leopards.

nTheir levels were all below Level 20. Facing such level monsters, Howard didn’t even need to step in; Abby and the others could easily handle them.

nHowever, after an indeterminate amount of time, a piercing scream suddenly echoed from afar.

nHearing this chilling sound, Howard and his companions halted in their steps, exchanging glances before looking doubtfully in the direction of the noise.

n“That voice… it seems like that it’s Atael’s!”

nMike, known for his outgoing personality and well-connected among the first-year students, instantly recognized the voice and exclaimed in alarm, “Could they be in danger? Should we go help?”

n“It can’t be, right? Most monsters in this area are below Level 20. I remember, right after passing the assessment trial, we had already reached above Level 15. Are there still people who can’t handle monsters around Level 20?”

nNick couldn’t help but express his skepticism, “What if we go and it ends up being a waste of time?”

nJudy, the Holy Maiden from the Church, spoke up, “What if they encountered some special situation? Let’s go and check it out! I think I smell blood!”

n“Blood?”

nHearing Judy’s words, Howard’s brows furrowed slightly, and he instinctively sniffed the air.

nAs soon as he did, even Howard detected a faint but discernible scent of blood.

nFeeling the presence of blood from such a distance, a chill ran down Howard’s spine.

nWithout even a word, he swiftly turned and dashed towards the direction of the sound at incredible speed.

nWith Howard’s physical prowess, his speed was astonishingly fast.

nEven Nick and Mike were caught off guard, only seeing a shadow flash by like lightning, leaving them exchanging bewildered looks: “Whoa… with that speed, is Howard really a magus, or are we?”

nLike Howard, Ying Chan had also been trained in the draconian body-forging techniques since childhood.

nThough not as physically formidable as Howard, she was stronger than the others and quickly followed him.

nThe closer they got, the more intense the stench of blood became.

nBy the time Howard arrived at the scene, a shocking sight unfolded before him. Several people lay on the ground, their bodies oozing copious amounts of blood.

nThe pungent odor of blood permeated the air.

nWhen Ying Chan, Judy, and the others caught up, their expressions immediately turned solemn.

nThis was Abby’s first encounter with such a bloody scene. She couldn’t help but turn her head away, fighting the urge to vomit.

nEven Nick and Mike shuddered slightly.

nJudy was the first to snap into action, stepping forward swiftly with her wand in hand.

nGolden light points blinked and quickly coalesced into an Angel Phantasm.

nIn the next moment, the Angel Phantasm spread its luminescent wings, with countless rays of light emerging and gradually seeping into the bodies of the five injured individuals.

n“What… what exactly happened here?”

n“This isn’t right. Although Atael and the others only grasped A-level and B-level talents, they all surpassed Level 20. How could they be harmed by monsters to this extent?”

n“There’s something off. The monsters nearby are definitely not as simple as the mentors described!”

nThe five people lying in front of them were Howard’s classmates!

nWitnessing his classmates severely injured and unconscious, Howard and the others exchanged looks, a sense of crisis brewing in their hearts.

nThe sound of footsteps echoed, growing louder as more students arrived.

nUpon seeing the grave condition of Atael and the others, they too were struck with shock.

nImmediately, several students with the priest class joined in, assisting Judy and continuously casting their skills.

nIt must be said, the existence of the priest class is indeed crucial!

nEven with such severe injuries, none of the five, including Atael, perished as their health bars hadn’t been completely depleted.

nThey were successfully treated and began to recover.

nTheir health bars steadily rose again.

nHowever, at this moment, Howard and his group all gathered together, ceasing any further exploration of the map area, and instead waited for Atael and the others to regain consciousness.

nApart from Howard, Maithus, Lanas, Abby, Judy, and a few others, the strength of the remaining students was fairly similar.

nTherefore, they lacked the confidence to withstand monsters capable of inflicting such damage on Atael’s group.

nThey wanted to wait for Atael to wake up and learn exactly what kind of monster they had encountered before deciding how to proceed with exploring the nearby area.

nFortunately, with Judy’s special holy skills, Atael and his group quickly regained consciousness. .𝒎

nBy evening, they slowly came around.

nThe moment they saw Howard and the others, Atael and his companions showed relieved smiles, saying with a grin, “It’s so good to see you all. This means we didn’t die!”

n“What exactly happened?”

nSomeone immediately asked the question.

nUpon hearing the question, a look of fear immediately clouded the faces of Atael and his companions.

nTaking a deep breath, Atael began to speak, “We encountered an extremely bizarre monster. It looked almost human, but its hands were like saw blades, incredibly sharp. Moreover, their movement speed was extremely fast. We blinked, and in that instant, they had moved from in front of us to behind us and attacked.”

n“However, it seemed they didn’t know how to deliver a killing blow. After we were injured and fell to the ground, they stopped attacking.”

n“And when we stared at them, they could only charge normally. But the moment we blinked or turned away, they seemed to use some sort of teleportation ability!”

nHearing the frantic description from Atael and the other four students, Howard and the other awakened exchanged glances, their faces filled with surprise.

nIf what Atael and his group described was accurate, the monster they encountered was indeed peculiar.

nIt was reminiscent of the creatures from the Lovecraftian mythos before the world was digitized.

nThe monsters in those stories had their own set of rules; if you followed the rules, you could defeat them easily.

nBut if you didn’t, death was often a gruesome affair.

nVisit .𝒎

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