They looked at each other again, but something was different this time; the Alpha was angry. Hatred and fury shone in its eyes and lips peeled back to show rows of fangs.

"You can probably swallow my head and crush it with that big mouth of yours," Alex said. "Let’s cut this and just finish each other once and for all."

His clothes were soaked from the shoulder, and the pain was getting to his head, but he knew enough that only a powerful attack would take down this alpha warg.

Almost as if the monster understood him, it tensed and crouched in a clear sign that it’d charge him.

Alex lifted his sword with only the strength of his right hand and smiled. "Well, what are you waiting for? I’m more worried than you. This is your chance."

He didn’t know if the monster heard him or not, but the monster leaped. Everything happened so fast and yet almost at the speed of slow motion. Everything seemed to slow, and as the monster pounced, Alex did something unexpected.

He threw his sword at the monster’s head.

The monster growled sharply in surprise but still slapped the sword away. Then, a muscled mass of claws and fangs towered above Alex, eyes shining with victory.

Alex smiled. "Have you ever been hit by a super-powered lightning arrow?"

The monsters roared in denial and lashed out, but Alex had already used every essence he had left in the formation of his mind. The space between them trembled and a white glow flashed, hissing and humming.

Alex took hold of the technique with his will because this close, if he used something too flashy, then it would also affect him. So he made the arrow small but packed with the power of eight.

Bam! When the arrow blasted upward and hit the Alpha, its head didn’t just explode. It was gone. Flesh, bones, and blood all vaporized with the heat the spell created.

The electricity in it froze its muscles and prevented movement, so its last blow was just inches from his head. The monster hit the floor with a rigid thud.

Alex swayed on his feet, his head light from blood loss and overusing essence. Moreover, the last attack affected him as well because the sound of the spell seemed to have broken something in his ears.

He groaned and slurred. "I’ll... take..take a small nap."

Commander Apex nodded with satisfaction. "Although he’s not good with footwork, his way of fighting is not naive. He fights dirty if he has to."

Kael noticed the same thing with the way Catena fought, too, and he knew there was one person who could be influencing them: Azaroth.

Stallus looked at the display glass with worry in her eyes; although she and Alex used to quarrel among themselves, he was still her teammate. "Will he be okay?"

Crypt Master shrugged. "That’s up to him as well; he’s still taking the test until he comes out himself."

And so they waited, and eventually, Alex opened his eyes and began to stumble forward. It took time but he made his way to the portal and outside. A little bird immediately appeared and began to tend to him.

The three, the Commander, the Captain, and the Crypt Master, talked about his test for a while. They highlighted his weaknesses and strengths to their sponsor, but one thing was constant with what they were saying. Clearing a crypt rank has put them among the most powerful of their rank.

Eventually, the Crypt Master brought out another portal, and Stallus stood. She faced Azaroth and said with a serious face. "Wish me luck."

Azaroth looked at her with an impassive face. "You? You don’t need luck." And he only spoke the truth.

She turned and entered the portal.

"What type of crypt is it this time?" the Commander asked because since it began he’s been showing them interesting monsters.

"It’s a bit unique this time. As you might know, Stallus and Azaroth can be considered as the strongest. But Azaroth though....anyway all the test will be set on the measure of their power."

"What do you mean?" Kael asked.

"Once they enter the portal it will calculate their power and then set the difficulty of the crypt. If Catena was more powerful, then the General Kaidos would have been more than three, maybe. Do you understand now?"

Commander Apex turned to the glass, which was still showing blank because she hadn’t stepped into the crypt yet. "Then this should be interesting."

Stallus stepped into the crypt and the first thing she wanted to do was throw up. It smelled like trash and rot, just where is she? At first, she thought maybe she was in an undead crypt, but as her eyes adjusted, she realized she was in the form of a sewer.

"What the..." How can she be here? What type of crypt is this? The way the sewer was designed was like walking in a tunnel but with many branches. And a steady flow of surprisingly clean water passed between the walkways.

Pipes that should be throwing out dirty water were also bringing out clean water.

That means no matter where she walked in the sewer, there was always rushing water beside her. She was surprised. "What type of water in the sewer looks this clean?"

And not only that, as clean as the water was, she couldn’t see the bottom. Is it that deep, or is it something else? Since she was in the crypt, then she determined to be cautious.

"Let’s explore, the monsters will show themselves sooner or later." The sewer wasn’t dark, it was as if the air itself was providing light. Like daylight without the sun.

"Everything looks as if it is newly made. Unlike some crypts that manifest collapsed, crumbling places." She took a left turn, and everything was still the same, but then something flew out of a small hole.

It’s a small rodent monster and the small monster was just as surprised as her. But its own was greater because it gave a squeaky sound and jumped into the water.