The day passed slowly as Alex and Alice lingered around Bell City, waiting for the night to fall.
The streets were bustling with players, many checking their inventories or purchasing supplies from the city's various shops.
Alex and Alice took a moment to enjoy a meal at a small restaurant to restore their hunger.
Finally, the moment they were all waiting for arrived.
As dusk faded into night, an eerie red light washed over Bell City.
The moon rose high, and to everyone's shock, it wasn't its usual pale silver.
It was deep, crimson red, casting an ominous glow across the city and surrounding lands.
The sky darkened further as the Blood Moon reached its peak, signaling the beginning of the event.
[Global Announcement: The Blood Moon event has begun.]
[Event Duration: 1 Week]
[Description: Blood Monsters will appear in the nearby surroundings, summoned and powered by the "Blood Moon".]
[Each monster has a 1/100 chance to drop a "Blood Fragment", gather 10 of them to be able to get one of the items from the "Blood Shop".]
[Warning! There are only 50 items in the shop, and each player is limited to 3 items.]
A second notification popped up for all players.
[Monsters will not spawn inside of the city until the last day.]
Alex smirked.
"Perfect," he said, eyeing the blood-red moon. "This is the event I've been waiting for."
With Bell City's borders safe, players had the option to hide if they found the event too difficult.
But Alex wasn't interested in hiding.
The items in the shop were actually pretty good, with a [First Come, First Served] policy, it would also help him increase his reputation with Aiden, the leader of the [World Association].
And finally, he had that one last thing he really needed to do.
"Let's go, Alice," he said, motioning toward the city gates.
As they made their way to the edge of Bell City, they noticed many players holding back, hesitant to venture into the darkness.
A few brave souls ventured outside, only to retreat quickly after glimpsing what was waiting beyond the city's safety.
The Blood Moon bathed the landscape in crimson light as Alex and Alice stepped into the open field.
Shadows shifted around them, and then, from dozens of rays of crimson light emanating from the moon, creatures began to emerge.
It was as if the blood-red light itself was creating portals, releasing monsters from another realm.
The creatures were grotesque, each covered in a layer of glistening, fresh blood and bearing eyes that glowed with an unnatural red light.
The first wave surged forward, pouring out of the portals like a relentless tide. Experience new stories on m v|l e'-novelhall.net
[Blood Spiders - Level 80]
[Blood Wolves - Level 90]
[Blood Spirit - Level 50]
But Alex didn't care.
He wasn't here to play fair; he was here to dominate.
More monsters continued to emerge from the crimson portals, but Alex's spellcasting was relentless.
He enjoyed using his magic from afar, not even bothering to pull out his dagger or summon his undead.
He savored the thrill of watching his spells land perfectly, annihilating everything in sight.
After a minute, with over a hundred monsters felled, he finally received a notification.
[You have received a "Blood Fragment"!]
[1/10 until being able to open the shop.]
He smirked.
Even without his usual extracting abilities, it didn't seem like it would take him long to gather enough fragments.
"A week?" he laughed. "Give me an hour, and I'll have all 30 I need."
Alex and Alice continued their onslaught, pushing deeper into the fields surrounding Bell City.
Blood Monsters swarmed around them, their blood-soaked forms tearing through other players in the vicinity, who struggled to hold their ground.
One player, wielding a sword, tried to fend off a Blood Wolf.
He swung desperately, but his sword glanced off its thick hide.
The wolf pounced, and within seconds, his screams faded into silence, flashing in a blue light and returning back to the real world.
Another player, cornered by a pack of Blood Spiders, called for help, only to be overwhelmed as their bloody bites drained his health.
Chaos was everywhere, with players fighting to survive or fleeing for their lives.
Meanwhile, Alice provided support, her arrows flying with deadly precision.
Each shot was calculated, targeting weak spots on the Blood Wolves and Spiders, thinning their numbers and giving Alex more space to unleash his powerful spells.
The archer was doing incredibly well, even without Alex.
Players nearby started to gather, watching in awe as the two of them fought.
"They're incredible," one player whispered. "Look at their damage output!"
"I didn't know anyone could be that strong..." murmured another.
Alex didn't pay attention to the growing crowd.
Instead, he focused on the task at hand.
Dozens more monsters fell before him, reduced to ash or crushed under rock.
Despite the limitations on Blood Fragment drops, he was making steady progress.
After a while, he received another notification.
[You have received a "Blood Fragment"!]
[2/10 until being able to open the shop.]
It was indeed too easy for him.