After wrapping up the extermination strategy meeting.

Walfred and Bauer’s group moved to the area between the Lower Manhattan Tech District Hall and the Lower Manhattan Tech Precinct. A park with snow-covered, skeletal trees and benches.

Bauer chose this as the battlefield.

The park, with its exposed dirt ground, was an advantageous arena for him as an earth attribute Awakened.

"Let’s begin."

On Bauer’s signal.

Ferd and Rosa pulled plastic bags from their backpacks as if they’d been waiting. When they opened the bags, the stench of fish blood and entrails hit the air.

The two of them carefully smeared the blood and innards onto the bare, skeletal tree trunks. In the sub-zero cold, the blood froze almost instantly, but it didn’t matter.

According to Bauer, vampire bats could smell blood from over half a mile away.

And then.

"Is that..."

It wasn’t long before there was a reaction.

The second floor of the precinct building. Dark shadows could be seen squirming through the gaps in a half-shattered window.

Then.

Crash!

The window shattered to pieces as dozens of shadows came pouring out.

A swarm of vampire bats, each the size of a large dog.

Their bloodshot red eyes and razor-sharp fangs gleamed in the moonlight. At the sight of well over fifty of them, Bauer’s eyes flashed sharply.

"Here they come! Everyone, get ready!"

Bauer shouted.

The first to react was Ferd, the E-rank light attribute hunter.

"Light Field!"

Ferd pressed his open palm against the ground, and a blinding light enveloped the entire park. The area lit up as if a searchlight had been switched on.

This secured visibility for combat and, at the same time, was more than enough to throw the vampire bats, already accustomed to darkness, into serious disarray.

"Skreee!? Kyaak!"

Seizing the moment while the vampire bats faltered.

Ferd activated his second skill.

"Blessing of Light!"

Flash!

A radiant aura emanated through the air.

The aura Ferd created wrapped around Bauer, Rosa, and Walfred. Instantly, their muscles swelled and their senses sharpened to a razor’s edge.

A buff skill that enhanced physical abilities.

On top of that, there was Frost Domain, which dramatically boosted physical abilities based on the surrounding environment. Walfred felt power surging through him at the highest level since his awakening.

"Wind Walker!"

Rosa wasn’t about to be outdone, layering on her own buff.

Small gusts of wind swirled at the group’s feet, making their bodies feel lighter overall.

It felt like he could easily clear fifteen feet or more in a single jump. Just as the party finished their combat preparations with all these buffs stacked.

"Skreeeeee!"

The vampire bats had adapted to the light.

The creatures that had been faltering in confusion resumed their vicious wingbeats and came flying in. Walfred, facing them head-on, extended his hand into the air.

"Ice Needle."

Twenty ice needles materialized in midair.

Moments later, under the influence of Cold Emission, the ice needles grew to the size of awls. Walfred waited for the vampire bats to enter his range, then swiftly swept his hand down.

"Launch."

Before the word had even fully left his mouth.

All twenty ice needles moved in unison.

Thwip-thwip-thwip-thwip!

He aimed for the eyes and wing membranes.

Caught off guard by the sudden barrage, the vampire bats crumpled without putting up any meaningful resistance.

[Warning!]

[Target possesses cold resistance.]

[10% of damage is negated.]

A warning message appeared in between.

Apparently, starting from E-rank, monsters had cold and frost resistance. But a 10% damage reduction was negligible enough to ignore.

Walfred used Ice Needle again to attack the bats flying through the air.

Thunk! Thwack!

"Skreeee!"

The enhanced ice needles shredded the bats’ wings to tatters.

Having lost the ability to fly, the bats plummeted to the ground like falling leaves, and waiting right where they landed was Bauer, fully prepared.

"Rising Spike."

Crack! Crunch-crunch-crunch!

The instant Bauer drove his fist into the ground.

The frozen earth split open and jagged shards of rock erupted upward like thorns. They pierced straight through the bats’ bodies without mercy.

Thwack! Crunch! Splat!

The wingless bats were no different from stationary targets. The ones that hit the ground were reduced to corpses in the blink of an eye.

The advance party, wiped out in a single coordinated attack.

But the creatures didn’t back down.

The deaths of their kin only thickened the scent of blood in the air, and that was more than enough to drive the ones still inside the precinct into a frenzy.

"Kishaaaaaaa!"

Another wave of dozens of bats emerged.

This time, however, perhaps because they could learn, they didn’t charge in recklessly like before. Instead, they scattered in four directions, north, south, east, and west, forming an encirclement.

Vampire bats dove threateningly with venom-coated fangs and claws at the ready. In response, Rosa swung her arm through the air.

"Wind Cutter!"

Blades of wind sliced through the sky.

The bats at the front had their heads cleanly severed. But Wind Cutter alone wasn’t enough to handle their sheer numbers.

"Kyahaaaa!"

Above all, the ones that dodged the blades zeroed in on Ferd, the weakest member of the group.

A desperate crisis.

But there was nothing to worry about.

"Great Wall!"

Bauer slammed his fist into the ground.

A wall of earth surged up in a dome shape, encasing the group. Packed tight enough that not even a rat could squeeze through.

Thud-thud-thud! Crack! Thump!

The vampire bats slammed into the wall with dull impacts. They attacked the wall relentlessly, trying to force an opening, but it was useless.

Eventually deciding to wait for the next opportunity, the bats pulled away from the wall. At the same time, Great Wall was released, and Rosa stepped forward.

"Chief! I’ll funnel them into one spot!"

"Go ahead."

Rosa brought her hands together.

She extended them toward the scattering swarm of bats and activated her trump card.

"Tempest Core!"

And in that moment.

A small whirlwind formed in the air where the bats had scattered. Then, with tremendous suction force, it began pulling them in.

Whooom! Whiiiiirl!

The vampire bats, spread in every direction, shrieked and beat their wings in resistance. But they couldn’t escape the vortex.

In an instant, the entire swarm was concentrated into a single point.

Bauer didn’t let the chance slip away.

"Stone Impact!"

Crack! Crunch!

Dirt, sand, and rock fragments clung frantically to his fist. Now armed with a massive stone fist, Bauer threw a punch with everything he had.

BOOOOOM!

A shockwave tore through the air.

The devastating blow caused the swarm of vampire bats to explode on the spot, like balloons popping.

Blood and flesh rained down.

The vampire bats didn’t even have time to scream before they were reduced to a handful of bloody mist, splattering onto the ground.

"Phew."

Bauer steadied his breathing.

The battle had ended in an instant.

No more signs of movement came from the precinct. A thoroughly overwhelming victory. Walfred shrugged and muttered,

"That was easier than I expected."

In truth, all Walfred had really done was bring the advance party down to the ground. The rest had been annihilated by Rosa and Bauer’s coordinated attacks.

"Seems like you could’ve handled this just fine without me..."

"Don’t let your guard down. It’s not over yet."

Bauer spoke firmly.

His expression was rigid and tense.

He still hadn’t relaxed, his eyes locked on the precinct building. The same went for Ferd and Rosa.

Just as Walfred tilted his head in confusion.

"...It’s coming."

Bauer murmured quietly.

Those words were the signal.

Boom! Rumble-rumble-rumble!

The precinct building suddenly shook from top to bottom.

Then the third-floor exterior wall was ripped apart from the inside and came crashing down with a thunderous noise. From within the cloud of dust, a massive shadow burst out.

"Kihyaaaaaa!"

A roar that echoed across the entire area.