Alex, in panic, shouts:
"Everyone—get into formation!"
The team quickly moves into position.
Abrox tries to keep everyone calm:
"No one panic!"
But just looking at that one monster was enough to freeze the entire team in fear—
most of them couldn't even move.
Only Zack steps forward bravely and shouts:
"What are you all doing?! Open your eyes!
If you freeze now, we'll all die!"
Joshua also tries to motivate the team—
but before anyone can act,
the monster suddenly appears right in front of Albus,
plunges its hand straight into his stomach,
and then vanishes, returning to its previous spot.
Seeing this, Zack is completely stunned.
"W-What… what was that!?
No… no, this can't be happening…
Albus was supposed to form a contract with the Original Monster—
but this one just attacked him instead!"
Albus's condition was clearly critical—he was badly injured.
And just then, the monster spoke:
"Humans… the greedy humans..."
"Today, I will show you… what happens when you dare to challenge us."
Everyone was now terrified.
"C-Can it talk…?"
"Its body… it even looks almost human…"
The team was frozen in confusion and fear,
but suddenly, Zack launched an attack on the monster.
He was so consumed by rage, it was as if his entire world had flipped upside down.
With all his might, Zack swung his sword at the monster—
but…
it had no effect.
Because in front of that Original Monster, Zack was like a mere insect—
this wasn't just any strong monster…
it was one of the 7 Originals,
a monster who had once even fought against Kalthok the Destroyer.
It wasn't alone—
a few other monsters appeared alongside it and began attacking.
To deal with them, all the team members stepped forward bravely.
Abrox and Alex, the frontline powerhouses,
along with the magicians, including Joshua and his team,
threw themselves fully into the fight.
Meanwhile, Amber and Kalle desperately tried to heal Albus,
but his injuries were too severe—they couldn't do much.
And Zack—
he was locked in a fierce one-on-one battle with the Original Monster,
struggling to hold his ground.
"Hello, hello! Headquarters—this is urgent! We need backup immediately!
A high-ranking monster has appeared—if possible, send an S-Rank Awakener! Over!"
Abrox urgently informed headquarters, his voice tense.
Meanwhile, the battle between Zack and the Original Monster had become so intense
that no one could even see them clearly anymore—
their movements were too fast, too violent.
On the other side, Alex and Abrox, along with the rest of the team,
managed to eliminate the remaining monsters.
After all, both Alex and Abrox were A-Rank Awakeners,
and A-Ranks are capable of defeating monsters stronger than themselves.
But the cost was heavy—
almost all the team members were badly injured,
even the healers were now exhausted,
with no stamina left to continue healing.
And if that Original Monster defeats Zack—
everyone here will die.
The team's condition was too critical to survive another wave.
Help from headquarters was now absolutely essential.
Now, there was no trace of Zack or the Original Monster.
They had fought their way far from the battlefield, deep into the Abyss.
We see Zack, completely exhausted—
his breath heavy, his body covered in cuts and bruises,
his energy nearly drained.
He had pushed himself beyond his limits,
but the monster was still standing strong…
Zack was no longer in any condition to fight.
His body was on the verge of collapse.
And yet—
he kept fighting.
He refused to fall.
Seeing this, the Original Monster finally began to take him seriously.
Zack's resilience, his willpower, his refusal to surrender—
it had started to impress even the monster.
What was supposed to be a one-sided fight...
was no longer something the monster could take lightly.
To be continue...