Meanwhile...

"Khush, are you alright?" asks his father, a look of concern etched on his face.

Khush opens his eyes to see his family members gathered around him. "What happened to my body? Why does it hurt?" he inquires in confusion.

"What do you mean? Do you even know who you are or who I am?" his mother asks, placing her hand on Khush's forehead.

"Of course I remember who I am and who you are. I just don't know what happened to me. Why am I on the floor and why does my whole body ache?" Khush replies, attempting to get up.

"Oh, thank goodness you're okay. It seems like you don't remember getting thrown into the wall," his mother says, going to get him some water.

"Thrown into the wall? By who?" Khush asks, taking the glass of water from his mother.

"When you fired the third mana bullet, you were flung into the wall and then you collapsed," answers Shrasti, taking the empty glass from Khush.

"Oh, I remember now. What happened to the monster base? Did the force field collapse?" Khush inquires as he attempts to stand.

"We're not sure yet. Christine is using her power to see if anything happened," Shrasti responds.

"Something appears to be unfolding at the monster base," remarks Christine as she gazes worriedly through her skill.

"What's going on?" This inquiry is interrupted by a window suddenly appearing in front of everyone in the house.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

[SFX-Ding]

[A window has manifested]

[Attention all humans! The mana crystal sustaining the monster base has shattered, causing the vaporization of every monster within its vicinity. As a result, the previously occupied territory of the Red Orc is now unclaimed, and it is likely that monster leaders within a 5 km radius will vie for control. This sudden shift in power dynamics could potentially escalate monster activity and lead to conflicts.] [The window displayed]

*Upon reading the window, a range of emotions surface among the family - confusion, relief, and fear.*

"Um, Khush. What does this mean?" Father inquires.

"It appears, Father, that-" Khush proceeds to explain the significance of the window.

The family inquires, "So what should we do now?"

Khush pauses before answering, "Seems like we need to be extra alert now. The other monster's 'leader' will surely try to claim the territory of the red orc."

"That doesn't really answer our questions. What should we do? Hide?" The family asks again.

"I don't think hiding is the solution. We must act before the other monsters can claim the territory. Perhaps we can even seize something from their base?" Khush suggests.

"Go there? But the warning said that other monsters may attack the base in order to claim it. What if they have already reached it?" Shrasti worries.

"I doubt it. It's too early for the other monsters to have arrived, and even if they do come, we have Christine who will warn us if she sees any of them, right?" Khush reassures.

"Ah, yes. of course." nods Christine.

"Still, that's not safe," Shrasti responded to her father's silence on the matter.

"I think Khush is right. We should definitely raid the monster base for some 'loot,' as your generation likes to call it. However, we must proceed with caution. As you know, I cannot yet claim buildings or apartments, so we must do our best to avoid any monster encounters," their father replied.

"See, father agrees with me, sister. Now, let's discuss when we should depart," Khush interjected.

"I believe we should leave as soon as possible," their father answered.

"Then let's depart in ten minutes from now," Khush suggested.

"Why ten minutes? Do you have something planned?" their mother questioned.

"I think, before father and I depart, we should use our coins to improve our stats. We should also purchase the messaging service, which we've been putting off for the last two days due to the monster invasion," Khush explained.

"Good idea, Khush. Let's do that first," their father agreed.

Afterward, the family invested all their coins into improving their stats and skills, preparing for the short yet dangerous journey to the Ex-monster base.

Meanwhile...

Somewhere else...

"Poor Grommash, he wasn't even able to last a month in this place," a shadowy figure commented.

"It was only four days ago when he visited us, right?" another figure recalled.

"Yes, he was acting all arrogant, boasting that he would behead every 'two-legger'," a third figure chimed in.

"'Softskins.' That's what he called them. And now, look at him. He was defeated by them in a battle. What a weakling," a fourth figure scoffed.

"Enough of that. Let's discuss what to do with his territory," a fifth figure spoke up.

"I think we should invade it," a sixth figure suggested.

The others noiselessly agreed with the sixth figure's idea.