Chapter 270: Stronger?

Author’s Note: In Chapter 268, Alex should have gone from Level 10 to Level 11. When an Ascendant evolves their Species, the amount of EXP required for each level is readjusted, which also affects their previous levels and can cause their level to decrease.

This does not reduce their stats or weaken any of their abilities. An Ascendant’s actual combat power remains the same even if their level falls after evolving their Species.

This is a natural phenomenon that happens to everyone when they evolve their Species to a higher rank.

..

Alex stared toward the forest behind the two monsters as another clash shook the clearing. For a moment, he thought he had seen something moving between the trees, but then a small flash of light appeared again, catching his attention.

He narrowed his eyes and focused on the area, eventually realizing that there were three people hiding inside the forest. The person in the center was holding something that looked like a piece of glass and repeatedly moving it so that it reflected the moonlight toward them.

They were clearly trying to get their attention. Joseph seemed to have noticed them as well.

Joseph reached over and wrote on Alex’s hand, ’Looks like there are three of them. All of them look younger than thirty, and if they managed to survive here, they must be strong.’

Alex nodded slightly before turning his attention back toward the forest. He could smell a faint trace of blood in the surrounding area, and after concentrating on it, he realized that the smell was coming from several different places.

There were many corpses nearby. This area was clearly territory controlled by the Grim Apes, so under normal circumstances, only Grim Apes should have been moving around here.

Alex couldn’t imagine the Grim Apes killing each other like this. A group with a leader shouldn’t allow constant internal fighting if it wanted to survive and grow stronger, especially in a dangerous environment like Hell Difficulty.

The adult Basilisk was unlikely to be responsible either. If it had attacked these Grim Apes, they should have been turned into stone rather than killed in a way that left behind the smell of blood.

That left only one reasonable possibility. The three people hiding across the clearing had probably killed the Grim Apes before the battle began.

Alex continued watching them, and soon noticed that the person holding the glass was moving it in a more deliberate pattern. The reflected moonlight flashed several times in succession, and after watching carefully, Alex realized that the person was sending a message through Morse code.

The message was: ’Let’s attack as soon as both monsters are weakened. We will handle one, and you handle the other.’

Alex immediately became alert. These monsters were undoubtedly High Rank species, and anyone who had survived this long in Hell Difficulty should understand just how powerful even Mid Rank species were.

Because of that, Alex couldn’t help wondering why these three people were confident enough to fight one High Rank monster by themselves. They clearly weren’t treating the situation like a unwinnable battle.

Alex didn’t agree immediately. Even if the two High Rank monsters became severely weakened, there was no guarantee that he and his group could kill one of them safely, and a monster on the verge of death could still possess enough strength to launch a final attack.

Of course, Alex would still fight. He was just being cautious by thinking and planning about what could happen. That said, he had another, bigger concern. Alex was suspicious of the three people because there was no guarantee that they would actually fight alongside his group once the battle reached its final stage.

What if they used Alex and the others as bait? What if they waited until both High Rank monsters were close to death and then attacked his group instead, taking the Gene Potentials of both monsters for themselves?

Alex considered the possibilities for several moments before making a decision.

He then wrote on Joseph’s hand, ’Looks like they want to work together. Let’s do it, but we need to be careful around them.’

Alex expected Joseph to simply nod and pass the message to everyone else. As an ex navy SEAL, Joseph should understand why they must be careful around strangers. Instead, Joseph stared at him with a strangely surprised expression before writing something back.

’So you really were in special operations or the Marines. That explains why you know Morse code.’

Alex stared at the message for several seconds before looking at Joseph with exasperation. Of all the things they could discuss while standing beside a battle between two High Rank monsters, this was what Joseph had chosen to focus on.

More importantly, Alex didn’t understand why Joseph thought knowing Morse code automatically meant someone had been involved with special ops or the Marines. It was something anyone could learn online if they were interested enough.

Alex decided not to respond because he had already learned his lesson once. If he tried explaining himself, Joseph would probably come up with another ridiculous argument about why an ordinary college student would never bother learning Morse code.

Instead, Alex simply signaled for Joseph to pass the message to the others. While Joseph relayed the plan, Alex returned his attention to the battle and continued studying the two High Rank monsters.

The Basilisk and the ape were still fighting fiercely, and neither seemed willing to retreat. Alex carefully watched every movement, trying to understand how they used their abilities while also looking for an opportunity to interfere once either monster became sufficiently weakened.

His main goal was to find the right moment to attack, but he also wanted to learn from the battle. Seeing High Rank monsters use their abilities directly was a rare opportunity, and Alex wanted to understand how their magic differed from what he currently knew.

...

Matthew stared toward Alex’s location with a surprised expression. The distance was considerable, and the constant clashes between the two High Rank monsters made it difficult to see anyone clearly, but Matthew was almost certain that the person standing there was Alex.

’I didn’t think we would meet like this.’

Matthew had been curious about Alex’s strength ever since he first heard his exploits online. He wanted to know if he was stronger, or Alex. Most people would probably say that Matthew was stronger, but he had never been completely convinced of that himself.

The permanent portal Matthew had cleared only contained monsters up to the Mid Rank. Judging from the size of the permanent portal above the high school that Alex had been protecting, however, there should have been at least one High Rank species among the monsters inside.

Of course, Alex himself hadn’t fought a High Rank monster during that incident, but a force led by a High Rank species would still be extremely powerful. Even if the High Rank monster hadn’t personally appeared, surviving against a group under its command would have been far more difficult than dealing with ordinary Mid Rank monsters.

Matthew had also seen the rumors spreading online about Alex’s battle. If those rumors were accurate, Alex had fought three Mid Rank species by himself and defeated all three of them in a single battle while facing giant Wild Orcs.

That was impressive.

Matthew’s blood began to boil with excitement as he watched the distant figure. He had always wanted to know how strong Alex really was, and now he finally had a chance to see it for himself.

He adjusted his position and prepared himself to fight. The battle between the Basilisk and the Grim Ape was already intense, and Matthew knew that once either monster became seriously injured, they would need to act immediately.

At that moment, a voice suddenly sounded inside his head. ’How should we attack?’

Matthew turned slightly toward Daniel, who had used the [Convey Blessing] to connect their minds. Samuel was also connected to them, allowing the three of them to communicate without making a sound and risking the attention of the monsters.

Matthew thought about the situation for several seconds before answering through the connection. ’We’ll attack first as soon as we get an opportunity. The other group might not trust us, so we need to take the initiative and show them that we’re not trying to trick them.’

Daniel and Samuel exchanged a glance before both nodding. They understood what Matthew meant, and neither of them seemed to disagree with his decision.

Matthew returned his attention to the battlefield. He knew that attacking a High Rank monster would be extremely dangerous, especially if the monster still had enough strength to resist, but that danger was exactly what made the opportunity so valuable.

If they succeeded, they could obtain a High Rank Gene Potential. More importantly, Matthew would finally get to see how much stronger Alex was.

The thought made him even more eager to fight. He tightened his grip and waited patiently for the right moment to arrive.

..

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