?
Under the torrential downpour, the group launched their counteroffensive against the surging tide of Rodent-Maw Creepers.
Fortunately, the creatures were vulnerable while scrambling up the Tier 1 Bastion walls. A single, well-placed strike while they struggled for footing was usually enough to send them plummeting to their deaths.
Jax gripped his war hammer, swinging it with brutal efficiency. The heavy iron head smashed into the skull of a climber with a wet crunch.
Thwack.
Almost simultaneously, an arrow whistled through the rain, burying itself precisely in the eye socket of another beast.
[Killed Tier 2 Rodent-Maw Creeper x1]
The survivors fought with a rhythm born of necessity. Even Gareth, usually the most timid of the bunch, seemed to have shed his fear in the heat of battle. He wielded his shovel like a poleaxe, bashing the heads of any Rodent-Maw Creeper that crested the edge.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Thud! Thud!
Crunch!
The sounds of violence were relentless. The team defended the perimeter with surprising coordination, guarding every inch of the wall.
The rain intensified, hammering against their armor and the concrete alike. Seizing a brief lull in the onslaught, Jax checked his system interface.
"Thirty left!" he shouted over the storm. "Keep pushing! We’re almost clear!"
Energized by the countdown, Jax unleashed a wide, sweeping strike. The force of the blow caught several Rodent-Maw Creepers mid-leap, sweeping them cleanly off the platform and back into the abyss below.
He glanced at his hammer, now slick with the viscous, dark ichor of the monsters. A mix of exhaustion and adrenaline surged through him.
"Twenty!"
"Ten!"
Then, the blessed notification chimed.
[Mission Completed. Reward: Tier 2 Sentry Tower Upgrade Permission.]
Jax let out a long, ragged breath. He watched as the few remaining Rodent-Maw Creepers scurried back into the darkness, abandoning the siege. He turned to his team, wiping rain and sweat from his eyes.
"They're retreating! The swarm is gone!"
"Haha! Hell yes!" Barnaby cheered. "I took down five of those bastards myself!"
"Gareth, you absolute legend!" Silas slapped the smaller man on the back. "That's a personal best for you, isn't it?"
Gareth leaned on his shovel, panting but grinning. "Just wait. Next time, I’ll drop even more."
"I only got thirteen," Silas muttered with mock humility.
"..." The group shared a laugh, their faces flushed with the thrill of survival.
Silas stepped forward, his expression sobering slightly. "Boss, is that really it? No more coming?"
Jax smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. That was the last wave. Everyone, head back inside and rest."
Shoulders sagged in relief.
"Make sure you dry off properly," Jax added, his voice taking on a stern edge. "The last thing we need is anyone getting sick in this weather."
Nodding, the team dragged their weary bodies back toward their quarters.
Jax remained outside for a moment, staring up at the slate-grey sky. The heavy clouds pressed down on the world, and a lingering dread settled in his gut.
The Torches are losing their effectiveness, he mused. I need to find better defensive gear for the team. We can't rely on fire forever.
From the barracks, the rhythmic sound of Barnaby’s snoring already drifted out. Jax shook his head with a wry smile and opened his storage interface.
"Huh? The Reward was a Tier 2 Sentry Tower upgrade, but where's the blueprint?"
A moment later, realization dawned. "Right. Only new structures require blueprints. Upgrades just need materials. Whew. That saves a headache."
He walked over to the nearest Tier 1 Sentry Tower and placed his hand on the damp stone.
[Tier 1 Sentry Tower: Durability 100%] [Upgrade Available: Tier 2 Sentry Tower] [Cost: 50 Refined Iron, 50 Stardust Stone] [Time: 10 Minutes]
Jax’s jaw dropped. "Are you kidding me? That’s the same price as building the Tier 1 Bastion! A hundred Refined Iron and Stardust Stones for two towers? That’s robbery."
He checked his inventory.
"Great. Zero Refined Iron left, and only twenty Stardust Stones. I’m broke." He sighed, scratching his head. "Looks like I'm back to the grind. More missions it is."
Defeated by the economics of the apocalypse, Jax returned to the main Tier 1 Bastion.
Lying on his mat, he stared up at the concrete ceiling, his arm thrown over his eyes. His thoughts drifted back to the massive Spiked Dune Lord he had spotted earlier.
I wonder what Tier that thing is... If we can't kill it, could it bulldoze this entire fortress? He tried to comfort himself. We're just on a small branch path of Mount Sepulcher. Surely a boss monster like that won't wander down here, right?
His anxiety shifted to the weather. The Black Rain was the precursor to the true Insect Swarm. As long as the rain fell, they were in the eye of the storm. But once it stopped...
Tossing and turning, Jax found sleep elusive. His mind was a tangled mess of resource calculations and monster stats.
The next morning, the drumming of the rain had only grown louder.
Jax rose early, noting that Silas and the others hadn't gone out to the mine. It was too dangerous to work in this deluge.
Gareth, however, was in bad shape. His constitution had always been the weakest, and the previous night's exposure had taken its toll. He was curled up, shivering with a low fever.
"I told you not to stay out in the rain so long," Jax scolded gently, though his concern was evident. "You think just because you're an Awakened, you're invincible? It's not that easy."
Gareth offered a weak, helpless smile, his face flushed.
Jax looked out the window at the relentless downpour. "Who knows when this is going to stop..."
Silas picked up his pickaxe. "Boss, I'm going to head down to the mine shaft. Can't sit around all day."
"Alright," Jax nodded. "Just stay out of the rain. Gareth, you're off duty today. Rest."
A flicker of gratitude crossed Gareth's feverish eyes. He used the wall for support as he stumbled back to his room.
"Annie, can you get some hot water for Gareth?"
"On it!"
By lunchtime, the situation had deteriorated. Gareth's fever had spiked aggressively, and he had slipped into unconsciousness.
The team gathered in his room, looking down at his pale, sweating face with growing dread.
"Don't crowd him," Jax said, waving them back. "He needs air."
They shuffled out, leaving Jax alone with the sick man.
In this era, illness was a death sentence. Supplies were non-existent. A knife wound could be stitched, but a severe fever or infection? That was a roll of the dice with the Reaper. It was the tragedy of their time—surviving monsters only to be taken by a microbe.
Jax sighed, making a decision. He had to try The Vault.
Gareth wasn't just a mouth to feed; he was a valuable miner and a comrade. Losing him now would cripple their efficiency before the Insect Swarm hit.
Entering the mystical space of The Vault, Jax reached out and touched the floating oil lamp.
A red bag materialized in the darkness. He snatched it up.
[Primary Augmentation Serum x1] [Price: 100 Tier 1 Cores] [Effect: Grants 1-10 points of body enhancement attributes upon consumption.]
Jax didn't hesitate. He had over two thousand Tier 1 Cores stockpiled; a hundred was a drop in the bucket.
"I don't know if this cures sickness," he muttered, "but boosting his stats might give his body the strength to fight it off."
He purchased it instantly.
A thumb-sized vial appeared in his inventory. The liquid inside was a swirling grey-blue, resembling a clinical glucose solution.
Jax hurried back to Gareth's room.
"Annie, in a moment, I'm going to pry his mouth open. You pour this down his throat."
He handed her the vial. Annie examined it skeptically.
"Jax... is this cold medicine?"
"Uh... no."
"Huh? Then what is it? Will it actually help?"
"It... should. Hopefully," Jax admitted. "Desperate times, Annie. We're treating a dead horse as a live one here."
Annie looked worried as she uncorked the vial. A pungent, chemical acridity filled the room.
"Jax, you sure this won't kill him faster?"
"If he doesn't drink it, he's dead anyway," Jax said grimly. "Look at him. He's burning up. Do you think he can survive this on his own?"
Annie looked at Gareth, whose skin was practically radiating heat, and nodded solemn agreement.
Jax moved to the bedside and forced Gareth's jaw open. The movement roused the sick man slightly; his eyes fluttered open, glassy and unfocused.
"I... am I dying?" Gareth rasped.
"Yup," Jax said deadpan. "So shut up and cooperate."
A tear leaked from the corner of Gareth's eye. "But I'm still a virgin! I don't want to die a virgin!"
"Quit whining," Jax snapped, though not unkindly. "I'm trying to save your life. If you don't want to die, swallow this."
Gareth stopped resisting. He opened his mouth, allowing Annie to pour the strange liquid in.
As the bitter serum hit his stomach, Gareth's face twisted in agony. Then, his eyes rolled back as he slumped onto the mattress, the potent energy of the serum beginning to radiate through his veins like liquid fire.
Jax stood up, dusting off his hands. "Watch him, Annie. If anything happens, come get me."
"Okay."
Annie squatted by the bed, chin in her hands, watching Gareth's struggle. "Life really is fragile, isn't it?" she whispered to the empty room.
Dinner was a somber affair. The team sat around the campfire, chewing their food in silence, the empty spot in their circle weighing heavily on everyone.
Suddenly, a loud, racking cough echoed from the adjacent room.
Annie’s eyes went wide.
"Is he...?"
Everyone whipped their heads around.
From the shadows of the hallway, a figure emerged. Gareth walked slowly toward the fire, looking weary but steady.
"Cough... hey guys," Gareth croaked. "I didn't die."
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