After the bloody end of the evolved goblin, Alex felt a surge unlike anything he had ever experienced. The mana he had absorbed was leaking out of him—but this time, it wasn't a loss. It was a forced purification. It flooded every cell, every vein, pushing against the limits of his body until it felt like he was on the verge of bursting.
"What the hell is this? My body's filling up like a cracked tank! This isn't just mana… something else is changing inside me." Alex muttered, clenching his fist as an inexplicable rise in power pulsed through him.
He knew it wasn't merely mana. Something fundamental—something buried deep within—was awakening, being refined by this violent flow. But he had no luxury of contemplation. The sounds of disturbance on the floor he had just left, coming from the hallway where he had tossed the first armored hornet, warned him that danger was coming. He needed to get out of this moving hellscape.
"Running into the forest isn't an option. Monsters are pouring in from every direction out there. This building might actually be the safest place… for now." Alex decided, and immediately dismissed the idea of climbing higher. "The rooftop? No—going up just makes me an easy target. I'll head back to the third floor. A room with a view… I need to know what the hell this world is planning for me."
Moving carefully, he headed down the stairs toward the third floor. His body, brimming with newly refined mana, felt light and agile despite his lingering injuries. He stayed alert for threats, but the corridor leading to the third floor was quiet—empty of goblins or hornets.
He slipped into one of the abandoned rooms overlooking the vast forest surrounding the building. Approaching the window, he held his breath as he scanned the bleak scene outside.
In that instant, a massive, thunder-like tremor roared through the air. Not just a sound—violent vibrations shook the entire building beneath his feet. Alex felt the walls quiver.
He lifted his gaze to the sky—and what he saw sent a shock through him unlike anything he had ever experienced.
On the horizon, an enormous swarm—thousands strong—of hornets identical to the armored one he had just killed was spilling across the sky. A colossal yellow-and-black cloud advancing straight toward his area. The sight sent an icy shudder down his spine.
"Thousands… thousands of them!" Alex whispered, eyes wide with dread. "Is this… an entire army of hornets?"
And that wasn't all.
Interspersed within the dense swarm were dozens—hundreds—of hornets far larger than the normal ones, each one the size of a small fighter jet, three to four meters long. Their wings emitted a sharp, electrifying hum like roaring engines.
And leading the swarm was a titan.
A colossal hornet—so large that even from hundreds of meters away in the sky, Alex could see its massive form—towered above the rest. At least ten meters in length, its dark yellow body streaked with deep black, surrounded by a faint electric aura that made the air tremble. It was the most terrifying creature Alex had encountered since entering this world—and he had only been here for a few hours.
"What in God's name… a flying monster the size of a truck?" Alex breathed, his anger fading, replaced by primal fear. "That's a commander-class beast. This isn't just a threat—this is a moving catastrophe."
Holding his breath, he pulled away from the window, hiding in the farthest corner of the room. "If that swarm notices me, I'm done. Literally vaporized. I just have to hope they don't care about someone as insignificant as me."
Luckily for him—or perhaps because the ruined building was simply beneath their interest—the swarm didn't give him a single glance. Thousands of hornets swept past, continuing toward the distant horizon.
After a tense wait, Alex crept toward the opposite window to see where the swarm was headed. He spotted five or six buildings clustered together several hundred meters away—structures far more intact than the one he occupied. It was obvious the swarm's true target lay there.
He had no time to ponder their motives.
The hornets began descending. The colossal leader landed atop one of the buildings, and the entire rooftop was instantly swallowed by thousands of armored yellow bodies, covering every inch.
Alex felt adrenaline explode through his veins. Instinct screamed at him to hide. The warrior in him demanded knowledge.
"They're attacking something. A full-scale assault. If I stay here, I'll be blind and deaf. I need to see what's happening. I need to understand the power of this world."
At that moment, Alex made his final decision.
With explosive speed, he darted toward the stairs—this time heading upward, toward the roof. There was no time to hesitate. He had to witness this disaster with his own eyes, see what this world truly held… and what fate might await him.
"I need to see everything. Even if the rooftop means danger… I refuse to stay blind in this damn world."
And with that, Alex sprinted toward the rooftop, ready to face whatever awaited above.
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