Chapter 17: Monster Attack 2
A few minutes after,
The monsters appeared in front of the trap, and almost all of them were trapped in the pit. However, the level 1 monsters used their legs to jump. After a few jumps, most of the level 1 monsters escaped from the trap without any scratches. The level 0 monsters struggled but were mostly safe, though a few died in the trap. These monsters were very agile and quick.
In this way, they saved themselves from the deadly spikes, but they couldn't overcome the pit because its height was not jumpable for them. Their paws helped them climb the pit, but it wasn't enough. So, Ash and Evan realized they needed to take care of these level 1 monsters as soon as possible.
Ash and Evan were fighting each level 1 monster. Mostly, Ash was avoiding their attacks while Evan defended and attacked with his axe. Both were waiting for Ram to arrive, hoping to finish the monsters quickly. They were also doing what they could to harm the monsters.
In the Altar,
Ram was observing everything and preparing to quickly kill the monsters. A few minutes later, he arrived at the spot where Ash and Evan were fighting the monsters.
Ram quickly chopped the head of the monster fighting Ash and then moved toward Evan. Since both Ash and Evan were waiting for Ram's action, they had distanced themselves from each other while fighting, allowing Ram to sneak attack the monsters without them seeing their comrade die.
A few minutes later, Ram approached another monster and launched a sneak attack. This particular monster was highly alert and dodged Ram's attack. Seconds later, the monster quickly targeted Ram's neck, but Ram avoided it and counterattacked. Evan also attacked the monster simultaneously, but it counterattacked Evan. He defended with his shield, and the monster's eyes burned red with every attack directed at Ram and Evan.
At a distance, Ash was dealing with the level 0 monsters climbing from the pit. He felt it was best to take care of them so they wouldn't group together and join the level 1 monsters. He attacked their necks, heads, and weak points, finishing them off one by one. Since the level 0 monsters were climbing from the pit and not grouping together, Ash was able to easily finish them off without taking counterattacks.
After 15 minutes, the level 1 monsters went into a berserk state, becoming more powerful and healing their injuries. Upon seeing this, Ram realized they were fighting mutant monsters with berserk abilities.
Berserk abilities weren't highly regarded in Eldros, but fighting against such monsters was troublesome because they were considered suicidal warriors. Their power increased for a limited time, after which they became very weak.
The fight between the level 1 monsters and Ram and Evan continued. A few minutes ago, Evan had discarded his shield because the monster's attacks could shatter it. Ram was taking the lead in attacking while Evan followed. Ram spoke to Evan, saying, "We just need to avoid the attacks of these level 1 monsters for a few hours. We can finish them off easily after that." Evan was careful about the monster's attacks and didn't hurry to finish the monster.
Meanwhile, Ash was continuing to take care of the level 0 monsters climbing from the pit.
After a few hours, Ash had killed half of the level 0 monsters. He began to wonder why Evan and Ram hadn't returned yet.
After some thought, Ash didn't worry about it. If either of them died, he would know as the altar owner. After all, they were protected by the altar, and if there were any changes in their affliction, he would be notified. So, he didn't think much of it. He believed they were just delayed by some important work.
Besides, his work here was important too.
A few hours later, Ash had taken care of all the level 0 monsters. Ram and Evan also returned after finishing the level 1 monsters without any trouble.
Afterward, Ash asked Evan and Ram, "Why were you so late?"
Evan replied, "The level 1 monsters had a berserk ability, which made it take longer to kill them."
Ram said, "We should be happy we took care of the monsters rather than focusing on why it took longer. The upcoming battles will be longer and deadlier than this one. After all, this city altar was only born recently, and we haven't even seen the real battles in this world yet. There are many warriors who could die in seconds without even knowing how. A long exposure to battle is a good thing."
Ash said, "Okay, I understand. I was just worried about you. Let's look at the positives."
Evan and Ram replied, "Okay."
Afterward, Ash thought to himself, "Status window."
A window popped up in front of him...
City: Nexus City
Ability: Territory defense double
Description: In the event of city defense, all the attack power, defense power of people and buildings become double.
Altar level: 0
Upgrade requirement: (Wood*1000, Stone*250, 50*Mana Core (level 0))
Production: Mist Mana level 0 * 10 per day
Area: 625 square meters
Status: Very small village
Building: Guide Mark1 (active)
Blueprint: Low-grade house (Stones*100, Wood*25)
Warehouse: Wood*39, Mana Core level 0 *33, Mana Core level 1 *4, Rabbit Monster Hide level 0 *11, Rabbit Monster Hide level 1 *1, Stone *10
Population: 3
Specialty: Mana Tree (Produces level 0 mana *2 per day)
Resource point: Stone Mountain level 1 (310 mined / 1000 all stone mineable in new mine)
Attack power level: 0 (600/1000)
Description: City's power level to attack enemies
Defense power level: 0 (1050/10000)
Description: City's defense power level against enemies
After taking care of all the loot, Ash and Evan started carefully repairing the traps and expanding them in preparation for new monsters that might come in another day.
Ram left the battlefield and went to the altar for mana mist absorption after surveying the area for 15 minutes. He and Ash talked for a while before Ram left for the city's altar.
Ash gave him permission to go to the altar because he believed Ram's injuries hadn't fully healed and that this fight had worsened them. Ram needed the mana mist from the altar to recover quickly.
Ash gave Ram four level 1 mana cores to speed up his recovery, and he thinks "Ram feels immense gratitude towards him in his heart. He was sure to remain loyal to Ash for life and do everything he could to make the city and altar powerful."
Giving away four mana cores wasn't easy for Ash, as these mana cores could help him increase his own level upgrade speed. But Ash believed Ram's rapid recovery to a level 3 powerhouse was more important for the city, and he trusted Ram completely. That was why he distributed the mana cores to him.
In Eldros, if a subject pledges their loyalty to an altar and city owner without malice or external pressure, the city altar has the power to control their life and death anywhere in the world. Ash didn't share this knowledge with anyone, as it was considered core knowledge of the city owner. This information was kept secret to prevent people from fearing that their lives could be controlled by the altar.