Chapter 78 | Sabotage!
The Alpha moved again. This time the target was Gregor. Its body blurred as its claw struck downward. Gregor gritted his teeth and resied his shield.
"BOOM!"
The impact drove him to one knee. Cracks spread across the surface of his shield. A second strike followed immediately.
"CRACK!"
The shield shattered and Gregor’s expression changed.
The Alpha opened its jaws to chomp on his head when, silver flashed.
Fiona appeared beside the beast as she activated her Dilation. Everything around her slowed as her daggers struck the Alpha’s shoulder three times in rapid succession.
"Clang. Clang. Clang."
Her face changed as she realized her dagger only death superficial wounds on its boys.
"Rooar!"
The Alpha swung its tail and Fiona was sent flying backwards. She rolled across the ground before stopping herself.
"It has defensive enhancement too?!" Marcus clenched his teeth. "This thing is ridiculous."
The Alpha ignored everyone. Its gaze returned to Dexter. Dexter sighed. "I was hoping to stay low profile."
The Alpha disappeared. Danger Sense exploded inside Dexter’s mind.
Without hesitation, he moved.
"BOOM!"
A claw struck where he had been standing. The earth collapsed inward.
The Alpha appeared beside him. Its claws flashed mutiple times.
Dexter raised his sword.
"CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!"
Shockwaves rippled through the clearing as the others stared with stunned expression.
Marcus could hardly believe his eyes. The Alpha was actually being pushed back. The supposedly useless F-Rank was matching the boss monster head-on.
The Alpha suddenly leapt backwards. Its fur suddenly began glowing crimson.
The mana in the surroundings rushed toward it.
Gregor’s face darkened. "It’s powering up!"
The beast raised its head toward the moon.
"ROOOOOOOOOAR!"
Crimson energy erupted around its body. Its muscles expanded. Its claws grew longer and it eye became blood red. Blood Moon Frenzy. Marcus cursed. "It can still get stronger?!"
The Alpha vanished.
This time even Dexter almost lost sight of it. Almost.
The wolf appeared above him. Its claws descended like falling blades. Dexter raised his sword.
"BOOM!"
The ground beneath him exploded. Cracks spread across the clearing. For the first time, Dexter took a step backwards. The Alpha landed gracefully. Its lips curled upward. It was enjoying this.
Dexter smiled. "So you wanted a real fight."
His grip tightened around his sword. Flames slowly began spreading along the black blade.
The surrounding temperature started rising. Marcus stared. "Fire attribute?" Fiona frowned. "No. That’s not ordinary fire."
The Alpha sensed danger. Its instincts howled.
As it hesitated. For the first time since the battle started, the predator felt fear.
Dexter lowered his stance. The mana around him gathered toward him as Crimson flames condensed on his blade.
The Alpha lunged forward, activating Phantom Moonstep in the blink of an eye.
Three afterimages suddenly appeared around it as Flfour wolves charged simultaneously at Dexter.
Dexter smirked as he casually slashed out horizontally casually.
"Crimson Flame Arc."
The flames expanded into a massive crimson crescent over ten meters wide.
"FWOOOSH!"
The afterimages were slashed into two and they vanished instantly. The real Alpha tried to dodge it it was too late.
The attack crossed the clearing entering deep into the forest and severing mutiole trees behind before it dissipated and turned into more mana.
Suddenly silence followed. The Alpha landed several meters away took two steps forward and then stopped.
A thin line appeared across its chest. The line expanded and with two separated thuds, the beats at body collapsed to the ground.
"THUD."
The dungeon immediately became silent. For several seconds nobody spoke.
Marcus stared blankly, basically everyone had the same expression in their faces. The one they had looked down on was actually the one who killed the Tier 4 beast?
Finally Marcus was able to open his mouth and he spoke. "You’re no F-Rank. You been deceiving all of us, hiding your true strength."
Dexter glances indifferently at Marcus who immediately choked up.
He ignored him and simply went to the corpse of the Alpha Dire Wolf then used extraction on the beast.
[Phantom Moon Step (Rare Grade Skill) Extracted]
[+10 Agility]
Suddenly, the silence was broken by a mechanical voice.
[Wave Two Cleared.]
[Wave Three Beginning In 20 Seconds.]
Everyone froze. Marcus frowned. "Another wave so soon."
Fiona frowned as well.
Gregor’s expression darkened. "And if the second wave already had a Tier-4 Alpha."
Nobody finished the sentence. Because they all knew the answer. If the second wave had a Tier-4 alpha then the third wave would be much much more terrifying.
Marcus immediately raised his wrist. "We leave."
He looked at everyone and they all nodded their heads. Nobody objected. The objective had already been completed.
They had earned their licenses.
There was absolutely no reason to continue. "Alright. Then let’s all press the extraction button and leave."
Marcus pressed the extraction button. Nothing happened. He frowned and pressed again. Still nothing.
Fiona tried hers however, it was also nothing.
Gregor’s expression slowly changed as he clicked his own and it failed. Lena pressed hers repeatedly. Still nothing.
Dexter looked down at his wrist and pressed his own. Silence.
Marcus slowly lowered his arm. "That’s not funny."
Fiona’s face turned pale. "Is this supposed to happen?"
Gregor looked around the clearing. "Not all five at once."
Silence. An ugly answer slowly formed in their minds. Sabotage.
Someone had trapped them inside. Lena spoke for the first time in several minutes.
"We’re trapped." Nobody corrected her. Because she was right.
A deep rumble echoed throughout the forest.
The ground shook and the fog surrounding the clearing suddenly thickened.
The moon overhead slowly shifted color as the white became crimson.
Then came the footsteps.
"Boom. Boom. Boom."
The trees at the edge of the forest trembled.
[Wave Three Initiating.]
The mechanical voice vanished. The world became quiet. Then, the forest exploded.
"CRASH!!"
Trees snapped apart and a gigantic creature burst into the clearing.
It was four meters tall and its body was covered in dark armored scales.
Its claws alone were larger than swords and its crimson eyes scanned the battlefield.
Marcus’s face changed. "Tier 4 Armored Bear."
Before anyone could react, another Armored bear emerged, then another, then another until they were 30 Armored Bear surrounding the clearing.
"30 freaking Armoured Bear? How are we supposed to survive?"
Everyone’s face paled.