Frank woke up with a gasp, his body jerking as he pushed himself upright. For several seconds, he could only stare at the road beneath him while his mind struggled to catch up with what had happened.
He was a member of Alex’s team in Hell Difficulty, and they had originally planned to wait four hours for Alex to return to Hell Difficulty before Frank would leave for Earth.
But Alex had not returned. Everyone’s expression had turned grim when the four hours passed, and Frank could still remember the uncomfortable silence that had settled over them. Alex’s body in Hell Difficulty was completely fine, but that only meant he had not died there, and there was still a chance that something had happened after he returned to Earth.
Frank felt bitter whenever he thought about it. Alex had saved them more times than Frank could count, and even though they had not known each other for very long, his death would have been difficult to accept. At the same time, however, another thought kept bothering him, because if something on Earth was dangerous enough to kill someone like Alex, then his daughter could also be in danger.
He needed to get home.
Frank looked around and slowly remembered what had happened before he was taken to Hell Difficulty. He had been working his midnight job when the blue screens suddenly appeared before his eyes, and before he could understand what they meant, he had started running toward his house without choosing anything. The System had chosen for him anyway, and taken him away in the middle of the journey.
He groaned and placed a hand against the road as he stood. Several familiar screens appeared before his eyes, and along with them came the familiar feeling of strength returning to his body. He was still feeling sluggish, but at least his strength had returned.
Then he heard a strange sound.
Frank stood up immediately, ignoring the sluggishness in his muscles, and looked down the road. He saw a woman lying on the asphalt, apparently having tripped while running, while a man was crouched over her and trying to cover her body with his own.
Something was charging toward them.
The creature looked somewhat like a deer, but there was nothing peaceful about it. Its body was much larger than a normal deer, with thick legs and dark hide stretched over its powerful frame, while its long antlers were twisted and uneven, resembling jagged branches. Its eyes were fixed on the two people in front of it, and its movements were fast enough to make the couple’s escape impossible.
The couple seemed to have given up on escaping. The woman was crying, while the man desperately tried to keep her behind him despite knowing that he could do nothing against the approaching monster. Frank saw the scene and did not think any further.
He broke into a sprint.
The asphalt cracked beneath his foot as he pushed himself forward, and in the next moment, he appeared between the deer-like monster and the couple. His body had moved almost entirely on instinct. He was not strong like Yulia, talented like Alex, or smart like Emma. Still, he could not simply stand there and watch people die when he had the ability to stop it.
Frank punched forward.
His fist struck the monster directly in the forehead, and the creature suddenly stiffened. A small shockwave spread from the point of impact, followed by a sharp crack that came from somewhere inside the monster’s skull. The creature collapsed heavily onto the road.
Frank stared at it in disbelief. Had he really killed a monster with one punch? He quickly checked its information and found that it was Level 9, which was plenty strong, but it’s strength had been nowhere near the monsters he had encountered in Hell Difficulty.
Were the monsters on Earth really this weak compared to those in Hell Difficulty?
While Frank was still thinking about it, a trembling voice came from behind him.
"Th-Thank you. I thought we were going to die."
Frank turned around and saw the man helping the woman sit up, with the woman still crying but looking at him with faint gratitude.
Frank nodded calmly, although inwardly he felt a strange warmth from being thanked. It felt good, and he could not help wondering if this was how Alex felt whenever he saved them.
"Can you move?" Frank asked.
The two of them nodded, and Frank glanced down the road. He needed to reach his daughter as quickly as possible, but after seeing these two people, he decided that he would help anyone he found along the way if he was able to do so. He could not save everyone, but he could at least try.
...
Megan moved through the temporary camp that had been established inside Patrick High School, and around it.
After Alex and Roan had dealt with the Wild Orcs, the principal had quickly taken control of the situation and begun organizing the survivors, turning classrooms and parts of the school hallways into temporary treatment areas.
Megan moved from one temporary bed to another, cleaning wounds and bandaging injuries as quickly as she could.
When she finished treating a young boy, he smiled at her and said, "Thank you, aunty."
Megan’s lips twitched at the word, because she was only twenty-two and certainly did not consider herself old enough to be called that. She forced herself not to complain, patted the boy on the head, perhaps slightly harder than necessary, and moved toward the next patient.
Megan was in the same college year as Roan and Alex. Unlike most students, she already knew Alex fairly well. She had spent the last two years competing with him over their grades.
She had always been focused on her studies, but no matter how hard she worked, Alex somehow remained at the top of every exam, and every time she heard his name, that competitive spirit naturally returned.
..
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