Kain seethed with anger, his entire body covered in dust and debris from the shattered wall. His attempt to lead Alex, the white-robed man, to his demise had backfired, resulting in an unfortunate outcome.
"Pffu…"
Spitting out a bit of dust that had entered his mouth, Kain muttered in frustration. "Shit…White-robed man."
"Hah! Well, well, if it isn't Kain," Alex exclaimed upon spotting Kain's figure.
As Alex stepped into the vast hall beyond the broken wall, Kain was the first person he noticed.
Having successfully rescued the children, Alex felt a newfound sense of relaxation. Knowing that he could teleport into the interdimensional farm further bolstered his confidence.
He understood that there was no reason to fear Kain. As long as he remained cautious, Kain posed no threat to him.
"Are you here to welcome me?" Alex asked nonchalantly.
He began to scrutinise the interior of the enormous hall into which he had broken. Unaware of the existence of the secret underground city beneath Pushpam, Alex's curiosity was piqued upon witnessing the nearby structure.
Upon breaking through the wall, he found himself in a massive hall, spanning a hundred meters in width and fifty meters in height. He couldn't understand how a structure like this could be made underground without any pillars.
The ambient mana within the hall was incredibly dense. Even when standing still, Alex could feel his body naturally absorbing mana. This opposite of the condition outside the hall.
Apart from Kain, Alex noticed a peculiar structure in the centre of the hall. Emitting a radiant glow, the small dome-like structure served as a focal point for all the mana collected by the ancient runes.
When viewed with mana vision, the intensity of light emitted by the structure was blinding. The amount of mana it contained exceeded Alex's imagination, while the density of the surrounding runes was equally astonishing.
"It may be the reason for the heightened mana density in this hall. It likely serves multiple functions," Alex deduced.
Swiftly, he recognised it as the source from which all the ancient runes spread throughout the tunnels originated.
"Kain may be controlling the entire network of underground passages through it," Alex speculated.
However, Kain didn't allow Alex any more time to think.
Consumed by fury, Kain prepared himself to obliterate Alex's head into minuscule fragments.
Thrusting his staff into the ground once again, a powerful surge of mana rippled through the surroundings.
Recognising the familiar sensation, Alex understood that Kain was summoning the mutants to do his bidding.
"I don't know how you managed to escape before or what tricks you have up your sleeve, but in this room, I am a god. There's nowhere for you to run. I will uncover the secrets from your dead body and find my experiment specimens." Kain bellowed as ten tier-4 mutant monsters appeared behind him.
Each one of them dwarfed the half-mutated monsters that were created using children. Their transformations were complete, devoid of eyes or noses.
The mutant monsters possessed no discernible facial features.
'These mutants bear a striking resemblance to the ones I encountered in Thira. They appear deranged, consumed by their bloodlust.'
'But why aren't they attacking Kain? Can he control them?' For a brief moment, Alex felt a pang of concern that Kain possessed control over these monsters.
However, he swiftly realised that it wasn't the case. Somehow, the monsters were unable to detect Kain's presence.
To them, he was invisible. That was why he was safe from their madness.
Thus, their predatory gaze was fixated on Alex.
"Your mad monsters won't even leave a scratch on me," Alex declared defiantly to Kain.
"Let's put that to the test."
"BOOM!" With lightning-fast speed, one of the mutants charged towards Alex.
Facing ten mutant monsters was no small feat. The last time, Alex barely managed to overcome them with the combined effort of a dozen warriors.
This time, he couldn't replicate the same scenario. There was no one present to aid him.
However, that didn't mean he was destined to lose.
Having grown in strength, Alex was no longer the same as when he faced the monsters before.
Previously, he had been a tier 3 warrior, but now he had ascended to tier 4. His physical prowess had increased, and he had acquired the ability to cast intricate spells. This combination of strength and magic proved to be a deadly advantage against the mutants, especially when there were no nearby organisms for them to consume.
The mutants relied on consuming other organisms to regenerate their decaying bodies. The stronger the enemy they faced, the more mana they would exhaust, hastening the decay of their forms.
In a battle of attrition, Alex had no reason to fear the mutants.
So, when he saw the enraged mutants coming towards him, Alex didn't feel any fear. He was quite relaxed that he had to face fully formed tier 4 mutants.
Confident in his abilities, Alex faced the oncoming mutants without fear. He infused his body with an ample amount of mana, preparing to engage in battle.
As the first mutant lunged at him, Alex swiftly evaded the attack by shifting his body slightly.
The massive creature missed its mark, its momentum carrying it past Alex.
Undeterred, the enraged mutant, peculiarly contorted its body, intentionally sacrificing its back muscles and leg joints to launch a surprise attack on Alex.
The unconventional strike would have caught most off guard, as it involved inflicting self-harm before targeting the enemy. However, Alex's experience in dealing with mutant creatures allowed him to react swiftly and effectively against the unexpected assault.
As the mutant lunged forward with its injured legs, Alex quickly crouched down to evade the attack. The mutant's lack of control over its fist worked to Alex's advantage, allowing him to slip through its attack range unscathed. Seizing the opportunity, Alex swiftly closed the distance between himself and the mutant.
Drawing the axe provided by the interdimensional farm from his inventory, Alex held it firmly in his hand. Though the axe appeared crude with its simple iron construction, it was sharp enough for his current use. Alex was confident that he could injure the mutant with this axe that was capable of slicing through rocks.
In a fluid motion, Alex swung the axe towards the mutant's compromised knee joint.
The blade connected with precision, striking the upper layer and inflicting further damage to the already injured leg. The impact shattered the mutant's kneecap, rendering it unable to maintain control over its massive body.
With one knee blown out, the mutant lost its balance and began to topple backwards, its enormous form crashing to the ground.
Alex was satisfied with his performance.
However, as Alex observed the nine remaining mutants closing in on him, he couldn't afford to bask in the satisfaction of his previous successful attack.
The chipped and half-destroyed blade of his axe served as a reminder that his weapon might not be strong enough to withstand the onslaught of the mutants. But it didn't matter, he knew a way to fix that.
"This is going to get difficult." He said while looking at the mutant that was regenerating its kneecap.
Even though Alex said that, in his mind, he had already formed a plan to counter the mutant monsters.
Even the series of actions he had just done was not as simple as it seemed.
Each action he had taken, from evading the initial attack and choosing the axe as his weapon to targeting the joints of the mutants, had been meticulously calculated to maximise his chances of success. Everything had its purpose.
He knew from his previous battle that the mutant had trouble controlling its speed and direction. Alex used this to his advantage to dodge the mutant.
The axe was selected as the weapon to deal greater damage to the mutant. It also had one more significance. He could fix the axe instantly by sending it to the inventory and consuming some FP. That was a bonus when he needed a sharp weapon to face the mutants.
Alex's decision to target the kneecap and joints of the mutant monsters was based on their vulnerability and the difficulty they faced in regenerating their bodies. The head and upper body of the mutants were instinctively protected, making them challenging to penetrate, while their strong leg muscles made them formidable opponents.
However, when the mutants were in high-speed motion, their ability to respond to attacks directed at their legs decreased significantly. Alex recognised this weakness and seized the opportunity to exploit it.
By attacking the legs, specifically the kneecaps and joints, he aimed to impair the mutants' mobility and hinder their ability to engage in combat effectively.
Moreover, the mutants possessed the ability to regenerate soft tissue rapidly, although the regeneration speed would decrease without sustenance.
Understanding this, Alex strategically destroyed the kneecaps, knowing that it would increase the time required for the monsters to regenerate the injury and consume more resources in the process.
This approach would grant him an advantage in the battle of attrition, as the mutants would have to divert energy towards regeneration rather than maintain their aggressive onslaught.
By targeting the weakest points and exploiting the mutants' limitations in regeneration, Alex aimed to gain an upper hand in the battle and increase his chances of emerging victorious.
With determination in his eyes, Alex prepared himself for the impending battle, knowing that he had to rely on his strategic thinking and resourcefulness to overcome the odds stacked against him.
'The mutants are stronger, faster and much more unpredictable than normal tier 4 warriors. They cannot use skills that are related to spirit guardians or magical spells. They are in a maddened state which prevents them from taking logical actions. However, they have very high regenerative power.'
"It seems like my initial attack was effective. Now that the test is over, let's use it on another mutant." Alex said while looking at the mutant monsters.
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