The group froze behind the dune as Bert and Veltam came sprinting back.

Instead of a small pack, nearly fifteen of the creatures were now chasing them, their neck stumps writhing wildly and releasing that horrible wet gurgling sound.

"Bert! What the hell?!" James yelled loudly.

"I only meant to pull four!" Bert shouted as he ran. "The damn owl made them all angry at once!"

Patrick’s face turned pale. "Veltam sometimes gets... overexcited."

’Is he a bitch in heat?’

Mikhail cursed under his breath. There was no time to scold them now.

"Change of plan!" he ordered without any delay.

"We can’t run forever. Use the ruined houses for cover! James will tank the front! Stella, get vines on the ground! Nelly, shoot the ones that get too close! Patrick, control Veltam better this time!"

The team burst into motion, quickly taking their respective roles.

James roared and charged forward, holding his shield with both hands.

He slammed into the first wave of headless corpses like a bear, smashing two of them backward with raw power.

Stella quickly threw seeds onto the black sand.

Green vines erupted and tangled around the legs of several creatures, slowing them down.

Mikhail flexed his muscles and used [Enchantment] on his luck for only a minute.

He dashed to the right side of the group. The engraved spear flashed as he thrust it forward, piercing straight through the neck stump of the nearest monster.

Black ichor sprayed across the sand.

Methew leaped off his shoulder with a loud "Meowtherfucker!" and unleashed a burst of lightning that fried two corpses at once.

Mikhail moved back as the monster in front of him tripped on itself and fell to the ground.

His lips twitched. ’What good luck I have.’

Mikhail quickly drove the spear into the creature’s heart as Methew sent a bolt of lightning into it.

Nelly fired arrow after arrow with precision.

Each shot found its mark in the writhing neck stumps, slowing down several creatures mid-charge.

But the headless corpses were relentless.

Even with vines holding some back, the ones that broke free moved with surprising speed.

One of them slipped past James and lunged at Stella.

Bert appeared from the shadows at the last second, his daggers slicing through the creature’s leg.

James followed up with a heavy punch that crushed its torso.

Mikhail spun around, his spear whistling through the air as he impaled another headless corpse through its neck stump.

Methew followed right after and blasted lightning into its body.

James was in the thick of it, roaring like a wild animal.

His shield took heavy hits while his massive bear-like arms swung in wide arcs, smashing corpses left and right.

Stella stayed behind the main line, constantly throwing more seeds.

Her vines kept sprouting from the black sand, wrapping around ankles and arms, creating just enough delay for the others to land killing blows.

Nelly had climbed onto a half-broken wall for a better vantage point.

Patrick stayed near Stella, using his spectral chains to yank aggressive corpses off balance.

Mikhail felt his body moving better than ever, and he couldn’t help but wonder. ’I leveled up again?’

He used the ruined stone walls cleverly, ducking behind them to avoid lunges, then thrusting his spear out to finish the monsters.

One particularly fast corpse managed to slip through the defense and charged straight at Mikhail.

Mikhail activated Black Spike at the last moment.

A sharp obsidian spike erupted from the ground, piercing the creature through the chest and lifting it into the air. Before it could free itself, Methew was already over its body.

"Meowtherfucker!!!"

The fight lasted several long, exhausting minutes.

Finally, the last headless corpse collapsed onto the black sand with a wet thud.

Silence returned to the ruined village, broken only by the heavy breathing of the team.

James dropped to one knee, shield planted in the ground. "Damn... that was rough."

Stella hurried over, placing her hands on James and then Nelly to heal their cuts and bruises.

Her face looked tired, but she didn’t complain.

Patrick recalled Veltam, who landed on his arm looking rather proud of himself.

"Sorry again," Patrick muttered. "Veltam really likes making things chaotic."

Mikhail wiped the black ichor off his spear and took a moment to catch his breath.

He could feel another small surge of EXP flowing into him.

One more good fight and he would probably level up again.

"Not bad," he said, looking at the team. "We handled more than we planned. Is everyone still alive?"

The others nodded, though clearly exhausted.

Bert emerged from the shadows, cleaning his daggers. "No more movement nearby for now. We bought ourselves some time."

Nelly jumped down from the wall. "We should search these houses quickly before another group shows up. There might be useful things left behind."

Mikhail agreed, but he didn’t move. "Spread out, but stay close. Call out if you find anything."

There had been times when newbies had found treasures or weapons of unprecedented level.

Some had even earned enough to retire comfortably.

The group of students also wanted to have the same luck.

They moved through the ruined village carefully.

Most houses were empty or filled with broken furniture and dust.

They searched all the houses but didn’t find anything of significant worth.

After a few minutes of silence, they once again grouped up.

Mikhail, who hadn’t moved from his place, nodded as he had expected such an outcome.

’This place has been used to train newbies for a long time. I don’t think anything of use would be left behind.’

Though Mikhail was more than happy with what he had gotten.

With all the EXP, leveling up, and combat practice, he had gained a lot.

Just as the team prepared to leave the ruined village, Nelly suddenly stopped and asked, "By the way, why are the monsters scattered all around?"

Mikhail turned to look at her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, aren’t they all a hive mind?" she asked gently. "Then why are they not together in one place?"

"Maybe that’s what they want," Stella suggested thoughtfully. "To spread out as far as they can?"

"Or maybe they are running from something."

Mikhail mumbled softly as a thought appeared in his mind.

’A Boss Monster...’