42 Book 3 Chapter 38 (1/2)

The demons Lavos killed decayed at a visible rate, quickly becoming ashes in the wind, while the ground absorbed any blood spilled. The only thing left behind was the sea of essence dropped by demons slain by ascenders.

Everyone went out to gather the loot after a brief period of mourning. Thankfully same tier essence could be stacked in an inventory, so there was no need to count them one by one. Who knew how long that would take?

”Come on, Pete, tell us already!” The essence ended up in Peter's hands, making him the only one privy to the final tally. Looking around at the greedy gobli- er, no, his comrades, Peter cleared his throat and announced slowly. ”2,142,190 tier one essence.”

”My god!”

”Holy hell!”

Everyone's jaws hit the ground. Peter's division hunted countless demons over the past week, yet even added together, they killed but a tiny fraction compared to last night. Their feelings were akin to a farmer harvesting crops after a bountiful season. How delightful!

In the silence, someone asked. ”What about tier two?”

Peter gathered his wits after hearing the question. He didn't know either, so he took another glance at his inventory. His face dropped as he spoke through clenched teeth. ”98,111 tier two essence.”

”Hm? That's good, but…”

”Doesn't that mean?” People glanced at their companions as they simultaneously came to the same realization. The struggle and hardship they endured for hours, all of it was against the weakest demons?! Sure, there was some tier two demons sprinkled in, but they were a minority.

Shenlong stood next to Peter, his voice flat. ”How many tier three?”

”112,” Peter's shoulders dropped as he replied.

The excitement of triumphing against the blood moon vanished, replaced by the grim realization that they were but ants. Yes, ants. The culmination of various professions came together to create the best defense humanity could offer, yet it was barely enough for a horde of tier one demons. How many ascenders would have died if Lavos didn't step in? Half of them?

”What are you all despairing for?” Lavos appeared behind Peter when everyone felt demotivated. Perhaps it was because he was old, but Lavos felt the need to lift everyone's spirits. ”First of all, the scale of the monster horde is based on the number of people in a haven. Let's say you lost half last night. Next week, the horde would be much more manageable.”

Peter shook his head. ”Then wouldn't we lose half again next week?”

Jason stood among the crowd. Unlike his companions, there was no emotion on his face. It seemed like whether they won or lost didn't matter.