The difficulty of the last wave increased. The number of enemies doubled in an instant, and now archers were aiming at Ray, who was deflecting the bony arrows with his own bony sword.
However, as the number of skeletons increased, so did the number of arrows raining down on them.
"Ahh... shit!" Alex cried, trying to hide behind Ray. Rohan, on the other hand, was pulling Alex away from Ray. "Stay still, Alex, or you'll end up dying on your first day," he warned.
"What should I do then! Can't you see they're aiming for me?" Alex exclaimed, convinced the skeletons were targeting him ever since the first arrow almost plunged into his crotch.
"Leave him behind, here, catch this." Ray was overwhelmed by the arrows, some of them already grazing him by mere inches.
[Skeleton sword: Low level sword made up from bones (Durability: Low)]
He tossed a new one towards Rohan, who abruptly grabbed it. "Where did you find another one?" he asked.
"From the garbage!" Ray swung his sword, destroying another incoming arrow.
Rohan dodged one that was just an inch from his ear; he felt the warm air graze his skin but he laughed, "You are taking your job seriously."
"Close that mouth and start using the sword before you end up like him," Ray laughed.
[Skeleton soldiers 144/200]
[Skeleton soldiers 129/200]
[Skeleton soldiers 111/200]
By the time the number of skeleton soldiers was halved, Hana's mana had already depleted by 70%.
Looking back for a second, she saw Rohan and Ray defending themselves while Alex hid behind them. Seeing this, she couldn't help but curse Alex. If not for him, they wouldn't be overwhelmed by the skeleton soldiers.
[Skeleton soldiers 102/200]
Now Dustin realized he had miscalculated things, all because he wanted to humiliate his girlfriend's ex. But now, he himself was overwhelmed by skeletons, who were still close to a hundred in number.
He gritted his teeth, then called Rohan, "Rohan, come here, help us."
Rohan, busy deflecting arrows, yelled, "I can't move from here; first do something about the archers at the back!"
Feeling cornered, the proud air around Dustin vanished, he knew that if he didn't go all out, then there might be a chance that they all are going to die in their first day.
"Hana, take this and then only focus on the archers while we take care of the one in front." He handed her the last potion bottle, then began attacking the one charging from the front.
Hana didn't even think twice before she gulped the whole potion, her mana now restored to 80%, enough to kill half of the remaining skeletons.
[Skeleton soldiers 99/200]
[Skeleton soldiers 90/200]
"Now come," Dustin called again.
"Go, I can manage." Ray nodded as the number of arrows reduced by half.
The battle continued. After Alex, Ray was the one with the most minor bruises, but nothing he couldn't handle. His swordsmanship was crude, but it was enough to deflect the arrows and avoid any major injuries against these opponents.
'Swords are worse,' he muttered.
[Skeleton soldiers 86/200]
[Skeleton soldiers 81/200]
[Skeleton soldiers 72/200]
[Skeleton soldiers 35/200]
Hana's elemental beast started fading. Her mana was back to the bottom again, and more than 30 skeletons were still left.
Aaliyah's arms were filled with fatigue, and she ended up losing her bow. Fiona had bruises on her hands from swinging her sword for over an hour.
Rohan yelled, "We are so close..." He cleaved a skeleton's head in half, but in return, his sword broke. "Shit! NOT NOW!" He let go of his sword.
Ray had already swapped his own sword with a new one, but when he saw the calmest guy cursing, he left Alex behind and ran towards the group.
"Don't leave me behind..." Alex's eyes popped when Ray ran towards the group while four archers were still aiming at the rear.
Without saying a word, Ray threw his sword towards Rohan, then snatched the sword from Fiona's hand, who was already on the verge of giving up. He then began swinging his swords at the skeletons.
[Skeleton soldiers 34/200]
[Skeleton soldiers 33/200]
[Skeleton soldiers 32/200]
[Skeleton soldiers 27/200]
Now only three of them remained. Ray, Rohan, and Dustin. Hana's mana had depleted to zero, Aaliyah had already given up, and Fiona was in shock since Ray snatched her sword.
As for Alex? Let's forget about him.
[Skeleton soldiers 25/200]
[Skeleton soldiers 20/200]
[Skeleton soldiers 16/200]
[Skeleton soldiers 09/200]
Though all three of them were exhausted, Dustin was the first to fall. Unlike Rohan or Ray, who joined the battle later, he had been fighting from the very beginning.
[Skeleton soldiers 06/200]
[Skeleton soldiers 02/200]
Rohan, next in line, also relaxed, seeing only two skeletons left, but suddenly his eyes widen in shock.
"RAY!" he yelled, but it was too late.
A bony arrow landed squarely on Ray's shoulder, two inches away from his vital points. The skeleton in front made a triumphant smile and slashed at the same time, but Rohan shattered the hand of the skeleton before it could attack Ray.
'Shit! The pain is so real,' Ray cried inwardly and fell to the ground.
Rohan, who saw the only archer left aiming for them, he ran and collided with the skeleton, breaking the last skeleton into pieces with his sword.
Then he ran back to Ray.
"The arrow has struck into his collarbone. Ray! Are you okay?" Hana asked, the first to come to his rescue.
Ray gave a thumbs-up with a smile but the pain was unbearable for him.
[The final has Wave ended]
[Time left before 24 hours timeline is, 24 minutes, 52 seconds]
[Calculating rewards...]
[Congratulations! You have passed the first step towards becoming the 'Apex Survivor.']
Ray looked at his stats. He was losing HP at a rapid rate. Rohan, on the other hand, was trying to heal him, but due to the arrow stuck in his body, Ray was still losing HP.
"He will die if the arrow isn't removed!" Rohan cursed.
"He won't." Dustin approached from behind.
"How? He is losing his HP!" Hana exclaimed.
"Just wait for the rewards." Dustin knew something others didn't, so he told them to wait.
As they began received notification, for momentarily, all of them forgot about Ray, who himself felt relieved after looking at his updated stats and rewards.
[HP will restore back to 100%]
[Player Reward: Passive skill]
[You have unlocked passive skill 'Search']
The pain in Ray's body subsided until he stopped feeling any abnormality. The arrow on his chest materialized into powder, and the wound began to heal, but Ray's focus was on his new passive skill.
Then Aaliyah exclaimed in excitement, "I have unlocked my passive skill!" She jumped in excitement, then picked up her bow, without any arrows.
She pulled the string, and a weak arrow materialized in the bow, which she shot. "This is Mana Shot," she announced. She then looked at the others, "What did you guys get?"
Her excited tone jolted them back to reality.
Rohan and Hana were the first to look at Ray, who was still lying on the ground, but the arrow was gone and the wound on his shoulder was healed.
"Ray, are you okay?" Rohan asked. "Your wounds must have healed, thanks to the rewards."
Ray didn't get a chance to answer when Alex laughed, "My pain is gone, I'm back to the top again, baaaaaby!"
"See this, guys!" He then gripped his hands and threw a punch. This time, a fist made of wind materialized and travelled with speed, like an attack. "Now I can attack from a distance too."
However, others remained silent. They all had one thing in their minds. If not for Alex, this would have ended without them suffering.
Author's corner! [Important notice] Read the note below.