Feeling the dozens of eyes turning towards him in question, Felix turned serious and pointed towards the direction of the tunnel as he lied between his teeth.
"I have a detection-type spell that allows me to identify any movements under the Earth. And I can feel more than hundreds of presence moving towards us right at this moment."
He took a quick look at the map and gave them a calculated response not minding their shocked faces
"Also, we'll engage them in approximately....40 seconds now."
The scouting team members took a few seconds to process what he said as they couldn't believe or trust him.
"What?"
"No way!"
Only Evan was the first one to react positively as he couldn't handle the consequences of that happening even if he had doubts as same everyone.
"This is bad!! Everyone! We don't have any time left, so quickly follow the defence circle formation I mentioned earlier. Hurry! Don't waste time!"
As soon as he gave the order, the ten members of the team hurried to their positions.
Three warriors of the team who could serve to tank the team stayed at the front of the formation with their shields up.
Four damage dealers, swordsman, spearman and the like, Roven included, stood behind the three tanks, ready for action.
The two dualists, Felix and Selena, along with the mage, Melissa, stayed at the centre of the formation as they started their spells.
Evan, the only Rank 3 archer, stood at the rear with his bow raised as he eyed towards the front seriously.
Standing in front of Felix, Roven turned around and asked quietly.
"Hey, are you sure about this? I don't mean to doubt you, but even Sir Evan, a Rank 3 warrior couldn't detect something like that."
He sighed as he clenched the sword in his hand tightly.
"I hope we don't encounter more monsters...but do you really think they're coming?"
Felix looked at Roven with a look of guilt, as he could be facing danger because of his greed, but he soon became firm and nodded.
"Don't worry, Roven. I'll make sure you won't get hurt. As for the monsters...well sadly they're already here now."
A second later, the earth beneath them trembled in sheer magnitude as sharp screeches echoed from their front.
"Felix was right! Everyone! Prepare for battle!", Evan shouted as a number of creatures swarmed inside the tunnel.
The monsters were all of the same type, looking like a spider with a round body supported by a dozen sharp legs, but their size was that of a human and they numbered more than a few hundred.
"They're the Deadly Spiders! And it seems there are more than a hundred of them!"
Evan gritted his teeth and warned anxiously when he saw hundreds of Rank 1 monsters.
"Listen here! Those monsters throw lethal acids from their mouth, so make sure to protect yourselves from it. Also, their weakness is their eyes and joints, target those parts! Now attack!!"
At his orders, the front tankers rushed ahead to secure a large area and brought their huge shields forward, blocking the spider swarm from passing them in the narrow tunnel.
"Mages now! Everybody duck!", Evan shouted as he started concentrating his power on his bow.
Felix, Selena and Melissa, the three who were standing in the middle raised their hands as they cast their magic spells.
"Earth Spikes!"
"Metallic Rain!"
"Wind Blades!"
A series of magical attacks whistled past above the people ahead as they fell on the Deadly Spiders, in the form of steel rods and compression air slashes.
Meanwhile, the earth beneath the spiders protruded out as sharp spikes attacked them mercilessly.
"Good! Now it's my turn! Everyone! Hug the walls!!"
As if they had preplanned it all, the team members left their positions in a hurry and moved towards the walls of the tunnel, giving a curious glance at the Rank 3 man with the bow.
Evan had a terrifying aura spreading around him as he pulled the string of his bow that didn't contain any arrow.
"Whoosh!!"
The moment he activated the skill, Felix widened his eyes in shock as he sensed a newfound feeling in his mind and body.
He felt his breath as his thoughts calmed, the noises of the surroundings fading into the background.
As he ran forward, he could clearly feel the touch of his feet to the ground, the texture of the soil and the rocks around his every step.
Felix could feel his senses sharpen; every breath, every movement, every sound became crystal clear to him.
His vision expanded, allowing him to take in the entire scene of the battlefield, not just what he saw in front of him but also behind him as if a simulation of the current reality with him in the centre had formed in his mind.
'I can see everything.....'
Staring ahead at Selena who was singlehandedly facing a Rank 2 Deadly Spider, Felix saw the monster's movements and easily found its several weaknesses, correctly predicted the next move it was going to perform and calculated the best possible move he could use to counter-attack.
'It's not just that simple....'
Simultaneously, he eyed the arrows whizzing above their heads and attacking the spiders, their speed, trajectory and target immediately appearing very detailed to his senses.
The positions and status of the other team members behind him and the movements and attacks of all the Deadly Spiders around him, Felix could notice all of that in his state of heightened perception.
'This is.....', he didn't know how he could describe what he was feeling, but if he had to give it a word, it would be.
".....Epic!"
Taking out his sword, Felix grinned wildly as he rushed ahead using an Agility Burst.
"W-Wait Felix-!"
Roven shouted out in panic but the boy had already joined Selena as he attacked the huge spider's legs.
"Black Horizon Sword Arts: First Technique!"
Raising his sword above his head, Felix's eyes glowed in clarity as he found the perfect spot on the spider to attack.
"Singular Slash!!"
The spider attacked him with one of its sharp legs, but his sword moved in tandem with it and hit the thinnest and weakest spot of that leg.
Krick!
His sword slashed through the spider's leg, disconnecting it from its body as the blade continued moving towards the other legs without reducing its speed.
Before the spider could even shriek in pain, three of its legs had been chopped off by Felix as he took a few steps back and turned to the side.
"Dust Blast!"
He used another skill at the other Rank 2 Deadly Spiders that were closing on them.
"KREKHIIKHH!!"
Selena used the chance when the Rank 2 monster fell due to the imbalance in its legs and attacked its body with her broadsword.
Roven had finally reached them but he could only watch in astonishment as the huge spider crashed onto the ground helplessly.
"You..you two are.....so reckless."
He couldn't help but sigh as he saw Selena stepping up onto the spider's body to kill it off.
"Earth Spikes!"
Felix quickly used his skill before she could have the final hit, as a few spikes emerged below the spider's underbelly and pierced into its heart.
The Rank 2 Deadly Spider lost the light in its eyes as Selena stood stunned with her sword raised up high.
[Ding!]
[You have killed a being higher than your own rank.]
[You have gained 100 skill points.]
The monster she had wanted to kill was laid dead before her just when she was about to end it.
"H-How could you....", Selena turned her head to glare at Felix angrily for stealing her prey.
Meanwhile, Felix had a wide grin growing on his face as he turned to look at the other Rank 2 Deadly Spiders.
"Hehehe let's move to the next one."