As soon as Chris and the others broke into Stage S, their combat power jumped through the roof. One after another, they left Garrick's energy dome and plunged into the Outland Beast horde, slaughtering like they'd been starving for it.
The sea of beasts still stretched as far as the eye could see—and the average strength had climbed too. Stage A Outland Beasts now made up nearly half of what was swarming them.
The second echelon was under more and more pressure.
They'd improved a lot, sure, but they were still sitting at Stage A. Against a never-ending flow of Stage A beasts, the strain was brutal.
Luckily, they didn't split up. They stayed clustered, covering each other, rotating positions, and barely managing to hold the line.
They divided into two teams: one fought while the other caught their breath and cracked open skulls for crystal cores. Then they swapped. If someone found a core they could use, they took the upgrade on the spot.
