Chapter 1716: Part 1: Fighting Alone

United City (Main Post)

A few days later,

I had been following the daily schedule without missing a beat, but the battle alarm never sounded.

Though that was good news for the injured Red Mark Warriors and others, it certainly was not for me.

I had an uneasy feeling that the foreign creatures were preparing a big surprise this time, and I felt I needed to prepare as well.

Should I prepare some external treasures or weapons? I started considering backup plans in my mind.

"What happened?" the ancient spirit asked.

"I’m thinking about the main battlefield," I replied mentally.

The ancient spirit could guess a few things. It was the first time it had seen worry creep onto Zack Lockwood’s face.

"Don’t worry, you are stronger than you think," the ancient spirit said.

Hearing that, I nodded. I had already consumed plenty of resources to improve my strength, but a few remained.

I decided to consume the rest of the resources inside the residence. Taking them with me, I entered the essence chamber.

Creak!

The door shut automatically behind me. I turned on the switches and the console. The energy from the inlet began to spread across the room, quickly filling it.

The energy formed white mist. I walked to the middle of the room and sat cross-legged on the ground. Taking out the resources, I saw they were none other than body-strengthening pills.

I took them one by one, then began circulating the blood energy method.

As time passed, the blood rune in my mind began to throb. As the energy from the pills flowed along the pathways, a bloody light began the conversion process.

It converted the pill energy into pure white energy, which drilled into my bones.

The process brought severe pain to my body, but I had practiced the method countless times and was used to it by now.

I was already among the strongest of my rank, and I had thought there was no further room for improvement.

Yet I was wrong; the pill energy advanced my strength even further.

Buzz!

While I was practicing, the alarm suddenly blared inside the chamber.

My expression changed drastically. It had to be the battle alarm.

I stopped practicing and opened my eyes, realizing the alarm was sounding for real.

I returned the remaining pills to their container and placed the storage boxes back into my storage ring.

Then, I stood up, walked over to the console, and flipped off the switches. Heading straight for the exit, I left the chamber without waiting for the energy mist to recede completely.

I quickly changed into a fresh uniform.

A few minutes later, I left the residence fully prepared and flew toward the empty plot. I was the only one in the air, but it didn’t take long for me to spot people on the ground.

They were the Red Mark Warriors, all looking up at me.

None of them were heading toward the empty plot, likely having received the deployment orders. When I arrived at the plot, I saw a single, massive spatial rift.

Swoosh!

Seeing it, I didn’t hesitate and stepped inside. It was my first time entering the main battlefield here, and I hadn’t expected to fight under these circumstances.

After stepping through the rift, I began descending. Daylight illuminated the area.

My gaze swept across the landscape, and I noticed the terrain was completely barren-not a trace of green forest in sight.

Nothing could hide here. My feet touched down on the ground, and I extended my mental power to sweep the perimeter, unsure whether the foreign creatures had appeared yet.

Swoosh!

I drew the white bone staff and gripped its center, waiting for the foreign creatures to arrive. I think it’s going to be difficult battle.

...

Outside

The council elders were gathered in a dedicated space, watching the passage that connected to the main battlefield. They could see spatial rifts on both ends.

Elder Freya kept her eyes fixed on the passage. So far, no elite foreign creatures had entered.

The silence troubled them; Freya worried the foreign creatures were planning something.

She was not alone. Elders from Star University had also arrived to provide support, and they were just as puzzled by the situation.

"Zack Lockwood has entered the main battlefield alone. I hope things turn out well," a female elder remarked.

Hearing that, the other elders took on grave expressions. Freya kept her face neutral, but she was equally worried.

Boom!

Right then, a massive swarm of bizarrely shaped creatures began flooding into the passage.

These were no ordinary foreign creatures; they were elite variants.

Each creature was completely oval-shaped and pitch-black. They began surging toward the main battlefield.

Seeing this, the council elders turned pale. These were not ordinary beasts-they were Rank 2 elite creatures known as Jelloths.

They poured in one after another, quickly numbering over a hundred.

The council elders were struck speechless with dread.

Elder Freya composed herself and said, "This is bad."

The other elders exchanged grim looks.

The female Star University elder murmured, "I don’t know if the kid can survive this."

Other council elders were present as well, including the old man from Dark Shadow University.

They all knew Zack Lockwood was fighting this battle alone, which was why they had chosen to monitor the battlefield in person.

But seeing so many Rank 2 elite creatures enter the passage changed everything.

The old man glanced toward the Star University elders and Council Elder Freya.

He had no idea what they were thinking. They were scared like him. Their facial expression was like him.

Looking at the horde of Jelloths, he was certain that none of those elders could defeat even a single one of these creatures alone, let alone face an entire swarm.

In his eyes, Zack Lockwood had a far better chance of becoming a Quasi-God than any of them, and he wouldn’t be surprised if the youth managed to achieve it in the near future.