Chapter 192: Reward [POWER STONE BONUS]

Monsters began pouring through the opening.

They were about as tall as adult humans, but their upper bodies were strangely shaped, almost like horizontal fishes attached to two powerful legs. Their limbs were burly, and most carried spears in their thick arms, while the ones without weapons opened their mouths and began forming spheres of water inside them.

Alex’s eyes narrowed as he watched them.

’It’s just like what Xithali said. The more Origin Energy appears on Earth, the more these cracks, or temporary portals, will appear,’ he thought.

He had already suspected this when Tina mentioned that the cracks— temporary portals¹ were becoming more common. At the time, he had believed that the increase was connected to the growing amount of Origin Energy on Earth, and now the sudden appearance of another temporary portal had practically confirmed his theory.

Alex was about to enter the fight when a hand landed on his shoulder.

"You should rest, and focus on your recovery. Leave this to us," Tina said before moving past him.

She dashed toward the nearest monster with surprising speed, and her fist shot forward before the creature could fire the water sphere forming in its mouth. The attack struck its body and killed it almost instantly.

Tina was not the only one fighting.

Roan, Ophelia, Zach, Ben, and Edward had also entered the battle, while Kevin, Rae, and Rose stayed farther behind to organize the normal people and make sure they were protected. The school grounds quickly became a somewhat coordinated battlefield rather than the chaotic scene Alex had expected.

Alex stopped and watched them for several seconds. A realization slowly came to him. He did not need to fight everything alone anymore.

The time he had spent helping people, teaching them, and giving them opportunities to become stronger had finally produced bigger, noticeable results. They were no longer completely helpless, and they could now fight, protect others, and make decisions for themselves without waiting for Alex to solve every problem.

A faint warmth spread through Alex as he watched them. In the middle of an apocalypse, it was a surprisingly good feeling.

Alex raised his head and looked toward the sky, where Xithali was still standing. He could not tell if it was simply his imagination, but it seemed as though Xithali was looking down at the people fighting around the school.

Then Xithali’s attention shifted toward him. The strange man had no eyes, yet Alex somehow felt that he was being watched directly. The corners of Xithali’s mouth slowly rose into a smile before he spoke.

"Then, farewell, inhabitants of Earth. Before I leave, I will give you one piece of advice. Return to your difficulties quickly, especially to the Hell Difficulty."

Xithali disappeared immediately afterward.

Alex looked back at the battlefield and decided not to enter the fight unless he was needed. The monsters seemed to be only around Level 8 to Level 10. He occasionally stepped into the battle when someone was in danger, but most of the time he focused on training his Elastic Thread Spell while observing the monsters emerging from the portals.

Some of the stronger monsters were different from the ordinary ones. Several carried two-pronged spears, while the biggest one wielded a trident, and their presence was noticeably stronger than the monsters surrounding them. Alex could tell that they were definitely above Level 10, and the Ascendants nearby seemed to realize it as well.

Some of them instinctively stepped backward when the stronger monsters appeared. At that moment, three people stepped forward.

Tina, Ophelia, and Roan moved toward eight of the stronger monsters together. Despite the difference in levels, they managed to hold their ground through cooperation, preventing the monsters from surrounding any one of them.

Roan suddenly grabbed a piece of iron rebar and threw it forward like a javelin. The makeshift weapon pierced one of the monsters, killing it and creating an opening that Tina immediately took advantage of.

She closed the distance in an instant and struck another monster with enough force to deal a fatal blow. Ophelia kept the remaining creatures occupied while Roan and Tina continued attacking, and once the first two monsters were eliminated, the battle quickly became easier.

Within a short time, all eight Level 10+ monsters were dead.

Alex watched them silently before looking at the people fighting around him. They really had changed. Going from hiding from monsters to killing Wild Orcs on their own, to now leading other Ascendants to fight.

Alex smiled faintly. He felt a strange sense of pride.

It took roughly thirty minutes for all the battles around the high school to end. The average level of the monsters had been Level 8, so even though the Ascendants had become much stronger, defeating them still took some time.

There would undoubtedly be more monsters throughout the city, but the ones around the high school had been dealt with for now. Most of the Ascendants were either checking their injuries or helping the normal people who had been caught in the fighting.

Sophia and the principal began to help with the injured. More people came out from hiding and brought water to the Ascendants who had been fighting. Alex emptied the bottle given to him, then looked toward the sky.

The giant blue portal was still there, but it had not released any monsters yet. Instead, it continued pulsing ominously at irregular intervals.

Several notifications suddenly appeared in front of Alex.

[Level 15 Waterfolk killed.]

[Level 14...]

[...]

[Elastic Thread Spell has leveled up. Level 9 → Level 10]

[Elastic Thread Spell has reached Max Level.]

[Elastic Thread Spell can now be evolved. Choose an evolution: Advanced Elastic Thread Spell, Slingshot Spell, Elastic Mana Bullet Casing Spell, Elastic Catapult Spell, Elastic Whip Spell.]

Alex’s eyes brightened slightly as he read the notifications.

His Elastic Thread Spell had finally reached its maximum level. He had been waiting for this moment because he could now attempt the fusion he had planned for a while.

He carefully looked through the available choices.

None of them immediately convinced him to abandon his original plan. He wanted to fuse Elastic Thread Spell with Mana Cable Spell and create a stronger spell while also freeing up a Spell Slot.

Just as Alex was about to begin the fusion, another group of notifications appeared.

[Assessment completed.]

[Final reward of Tutorial 6 will now be given.]

[You have gained...]

..

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