Chapter 361: Plan
Alex placed his hand against her injured mate. Sweat gradually appeared across his forehead as he concentrated on repairing the damaged bones and surrounding tissues.
After several moments, he finally stood up and gave the Netherclaw Prowler a gentle pat on the head.
“You’re healed enough to move now, Blight. Go to the Badger Dungeon with Roka, and make sure you don’t get into another fight along the way,” Alex instructed.
“Meow?” Roka’s mate responded, looking at him with obvious confusion.
Alex blinked before suddenly remembering something, and an awkward smile appeared on his face.
“Ah, right. Mia hasn’t told you your name yet, has she?” Alex scratched his head before continuing, “Don’t tell her I spoiled it, alright? She’s been spending a ridiculous amount of time choosing names that suit each of you, which is why it’s taking her so long. Seriously, she’s such a hassle sometimes.”
Roka stared at him, processing what he had just said. Until now, she had assumed the Queen was simply too busy to name everyone, but apparently, she had been carefully considering each of their names.
Another new, unfamiliar emotion appeared within Roka’s heart. It wasn’t painful like the despair she had experienced earlier, nor was it the comforting relief she had felt when Alex arrived.
Instead, it was something strangely sweet, and just as intense as those other emotions.
“Meow,” Roka murmured before approaching Alex and rubbing her head affectionately against his leg.
She meowed once more in gratitude, then turned toward her mate and hurried away to carry out his instructions.
Perhaps she had been wrong about the Queen’s friend all along. He didn’t seem nearly as unpleasant as she had previously believed.
…
‘Did Mia deliberately gather a bunch of monsters who act just like her?’ Alex wondered, watching the two Netherclaw Prowlers disappear into the forest.
He knew Roka disliked him, just like most of the Netherclaw Prowlers, but her affectionate behavior just now had reminded him of Mia. Apparently, acting tough while secretly being rather softhearted wasn’t something unique to their Queen.
Alex shook his head before reconstructing his Fire Mana Armor and flying into the air. He immediately resumed killing the approaching spiders while directing the surviving Netherclaw Prowlers toward the Badger Dungeon.
However, as the battle continued, two problems gradually became impossible to ignore. The first was the sheer number of spiders, since no matter how many Alex killed, more continued emerging from the surrounding forest, seemingly without any end.
Although his mana pool remained relatively healthy, his physical stamina was being consumed considerably faster than Advanced Blood Vitalization could replenish it. He also needed to deactivate Neural Overdrive periodically, since continuously maintaining the enhanced Spell would place too much strain on his brain.
The second problem was considerably more concerning. Despite their strange abilities and overwhelming numbers, the spiders Alex had encountered so far were relatively weak compared to his current strength.
‘Where are the stronger ones? There’s no way a species controlling such an enormous territory with a portal only has monsters at this level,’ Alex thought, examining the distant forest.
Considering how intelligently the spiders had coordinated their attacks earlier, he couldn’t help suspecting that the stronger monsters were deliberately avoiding the battle.
‘Are they waiting until I’m completely exhausted before coming out to finish me off?’ Alex wondered, his expression becoming grim.
If that was their plan, then it was unfortunately working rather well. The only encouraging thought was that killing such an enormous number of monsters would probably earn him a ridiculous amount of EXP once the battle ended.
However, even that thought stopped being particularly comforting after another hour passed. Alex was breathing heavily, and his eyelids were beginning to droop from exhaustion.
His mana pool still contained approximately half its capacity, since he had primarily relied on Mana Bullets and Kinetic Mana, but his physical stamina was nearly depleted.
‘This isn’t going well. What the hell am I supposed to do now?’ Alex wondered, looking toward the entrance of the Badger Dungeon.
He could probably escape alone if he abandoned the defensive position, but he had absolutely no intention of doing that. The Netherclaw Prowlers were Mia’s people, and leaving them behind to die wasn’t something he was willing to consider.
‘Should I gather everyone and escape together? No, that won’t work either. There are too many spiders, and I can’t protect all the Netherclaw Prowlers while we’re moving through the open forest,’ Alex reasoned.
Unfortunately, remaining inside the Dungeon wasn’t a permanent solution either. His stamina was approaching its limit, and if his suspicions were correct, the stronger spiders would eventually join the battle.
‘Dammit, do I really have to put my Free Stat Points into Constitution?’ Alex thought, feeling increasingly frustrated by his lack of options. But even that would be just a temporary solution.
Just as he was considering whether to open his Status, something astonishing happened. An enormous section of the battlefield suddenly trembled, and the space surrounding dozens of spiders began twisting unnaturally.
Before the monsters could react, their bodies were torn apart by the distorted space, scattering blood across the ground. Alex immediately recognized the ability, and his exhausted expression changed.
A familiar figure appeared among the dying monsters, moving at a speed considerably greater than Alex remembered. Multiple identical figures—clones, perhaps—suddenly emerged around him, each rushing toward a different group of spiders and attacking with extraordinary precision.
Within moments, dozens more monsters had fallen, and the pressure on the defensive line decreased considerably.
“Alex! We’re here!” Matthew shouted as one of his figures approached the Dungeon entrance alongside Samuel.
Alex couldn’t immediately tell whether the Matthew approaching him was the real one or another clone.
However, seeing the two familiar faces finally allowed him to release a breath of relief.
“What’s happening here? How long have you been fighting these things?” Matthew asked, while Samuel examined the surrounding battlefield with a frown.
Both of them seemed immensely stronger than before. Alex could sense the enormous amount of energy circulating through their bodies, and judging by their presence alone, it was clear that the Trials had provided them with considerable improvements.
Alex quickly explained how the spiders had ambushed him and subsequently attacked the Netherclaw Prowlers. He also mentioned their unusual abilities, the invisible webs they used to communicate, and the possibility that stronger spiders were waiting somewhere nearby.
There wasn’t enough time to ask about their Trials or how many others had returned. Although Matthew’s clones and Samuel had temporarily reduced the pressure on their defensive position, the spiders were still approaching from several directions.
“We should abandon the Netherclaw Prowlers and retreat. There are too many spiders here, and we don’t know how many more are waiting in the forest,” Samuel suggested after hearing Alex’s explanation.
“No, we’re not abandoning them,” Alex replied, shaking his head. His expression remained serious as he looked toward the distant mountain.
Matthew studied him for a moment before asking, “Do you have another plan? Because I don’t think we can keep defending this place forever.”
“Yes, I do,” Alex answered with a nod.
Both Matthew and Samuel turned toward him, waiting for him to explain what he intended to do.
“You two stay here and defend the Dungeon entrance. I’ll go kill that Mountain Spider. If that thing dies, I doubt these smaller spiders will have any reason to continue attacking us,” Alex said, glancing toward the approaching swarm.
..
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