Chapter 317: Beasts And Monsters

"Hell Difficulty has several powerful aerial predators, and they are strong enough that even I wouldn’t dare fly too high. You should be careful as well. If you attract the attention of one of those creatures, you might not even realize what’s happening before you’re killed," Hoot explained.

Alex nodded thoughtfully. He had already encountered several powerful monsters in Hell Difficulty, and he had considered that flying at higher altitudes might expose him to entirely different threats, which is why he had not been flying too high.

"Thanks for the warning. I’ll be careful when I fly there," Alex replied. He wasn’t planning to stop flying, but there was no reason to take unnecessary risks.

They continued toward the high school, although Alex soon remembered that he still needed to gather enough Origin Energy to return to Hell Difficulty. After explaining that he had something to take care of, he asked Pipi and Hoot to accompany him to a nearby Dungeon.

Fortunately, the Dungeon wasn’t particularly difficult. Its monsters resembled hippopotamuses, although they were considerably larger than ordinary ones and possessed unusually thick hides.

However, all of them were Low Rank Species, including the Boss Monster, so Alex had little trouble defeating them. He cleared the entire Dungeon within fifteen minutes, barely needing to use any of his stronger spells.

[Origin Energy: 2 → 6.]

’Finally, I have enough Origin Energy to go back,’ Alex thought, checking his reserves. He also noticed that clearing the Dungeon had rewarded him with five Origin Energy, despite completing it alone.

’So the amount of Origin Energy doesn’t change depending on how many people participate? In that case, clearing Dungeons with teammates is definitely more efficient.’

However, something else bothered him. The amount of Origin Energy he received was clearly much smaller than what had disappeared from the Dungeon.

’Where did the rest of the Origin Energy go? Did the System take it, or did it return to the environment, leaving me with only the amount I managed to absorb?’

Unable to find an answer, Alex decided to investigate the matter another time. He exited the Dungeon, reunited with Pipi and Hoot, and resumed his journey toward the high school.

Upon arriving, Alex noticed Leik, one of the Mirror Spearmen, helping organize several Ascenders near the entrance. He descended toward the ground and called out to him.

"Leik, there’s a Dungeon on 47th Street that I just cleared. Take a team there and collect whatever useful materials you can find before they disappear," Alex instructed.

"Uh, you cleared an entire Dungeon alone, sir?" Leik asked, looking somewhat stunned.

Alex nodded and explained that the monsters hadn’t been particularly strong.

Leik stared at him for another moment before quickly recovering his composure.

"Sir, yes, sir!" he replied before hurrying away to gather a team.

After watching him leave, Alex approached another Ascender who appeared to be supervising the nearby workers and asked him where the people managing the Base were currently gathered. The man immediately recognized him and offered to lead the way, although he seemed unusually nervous.

Pipi and Hoot followed quietly. Most people barely noticed them, since two pigeons weren’t particularly unusual, although Alex spotted a few Ascenders looking at them nervously.

’Those people probably know about Beasts,’ Alex thought, deciding not to mention anything for now. He followed the Ascender until they arrived at another large tent, which appeared to have been converted into a temporary command center.

Several tables had been arranged inside, and the place was filled with people discussing supplies, injuries, and security arrangements. A large map of the city occupied the central table, with several locations marked on it.

"Where did you guys get so many tents?" Alex joked as he entered, looking around curiously. The principal, who had been discussing something with a group of Ascenders, raised his head upon hearing his voice.

"Welcome back, Alex. I had them," the principal said before returning his attention to the people around him. Alex nodded and glanced around, noticing that several of his friends were already working.

’They nearly died less than an hour ago, but they’re already back to work,’ Alex thought, feeling somewhat helpless. Unfortunately, considering their current situation, nobody had the luxury of resting for long.

"I have something important to discuss with everyone," Alex announced, drawing the attention of those nearby. The conversations immediately stopped, and several people looked toward the principal, who nodded before instructing everyone else to leave.

’That’s surprisingly organized. This principal isn’t an ordinary person if he managed to establish this much control in such a short time,’ Alex thought.

Soon, only Tina, Sophia, Robert, Sia, who were the original members of his faction, and Eve, Helen, Noah, who were originally in Roan’s faction, and the principal remained inside. Once everyone else had left, the principal turned toward Alex and asked what he wanted to discuss.

Alex gestured toward the two pigeons standing near him. "These two are Beasts. They’re animals that gained intelligence through the System and became Ascenders, just like us. I’ve spoken with them, and we’ve agreed to form an alliance."

The principal immediately frowned upon hearing his explanation. Before he could respond, however, Sia shook her head and spoke.

"That won’t work, Alex. People are already terrified of monsters, and many have lost family members because of them. Most monsters resemble animals in one way or another, so ordinary people aren’t going to distinguish between intelligent Beasts and dangerous monsters. If we suddenly announce that we’re working with animals, some people will panic, and others might attack them outright," she explained.

"I can vouch for these two," Alex replied, although he understood what she was trying to say. He looked toward the principal, wondering whether he shared the same concerns.

"Alex, I’m sorry, but that isn’t the problem," the principal said with a sigh. "Even if their intentions are completely harmless, people won’t necessarily believe us. Humans already discriminate against one another because of skin color, birthplace, region, and countless other meaningless differences, despite belonging to the same species."

He glanced toward Pipi and Hoot before continuing, "Now imagine asking those same people to accept creatures that resemble the monsters responsible for destroying their homes. We could end up facing a mutiny before we even establish a proper Base."

Alex looked around and noticed that most of the others seemed to agree with the principal’s concerns. However, before he could respond, Tina suddenly spoke up.

..

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