The supermarket fell silent.
No one moved.
No one even breathed.
The young man standing in the shattered entrance slowly dragged his axe across the tiled floor.
Screech...
The sound made everyone flinch.
His clothes were soaked with blood.
Some of it belonged to him.
Most of it didn't.
A blue status window floated above his head.
Name: Ethan Cole
Level: 8
Class: Berserker
Status: Blood Frenzy
Liam frowned.
Status?
He hadn't seen that before.
The man's pupils were unnaturally small.
His breathing was ragged.
Every muscle in his body twitched as though he was struggling to stay still.
Then Ethan smiled.
"I've been looking everywhere."
He looked around the room.
"So many people..."
His smile widened.
"So much experience."
Ben whispered,
"...Experience?"
Marcus stepped forward.
He was still holding the shotgun he'd found in the shopping center's security office.
"Kid."
His voice remained calm.
"Put the axe down."
Ethan laughed.
A genuine laugh.
"You still don't get it."
"The System rewards the strong."
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
He slowly raised his axe.
"The fastest way to become stronger..."
"...is to kill."
Several survivors gasped.
Emma's face paled.
"No..."
Rachel, the Level 4 Spearwoman, stepped forward.
"You've been killing people?"
Ethan shrugged.
"They were weak."
"They would've died eventually."
"So I made good use of them."
The room erupted.
"You monster!"
"You're insane!"
A woman began crying as she hugged her son closer.
Marcus raised the shotgun.
"This is your last warning."
Ethan sighed dramatically.
"You people still think the old world's rules matter."
He looked directly at Liam.
"But..."
"Someone interesting is here."
Liam's heartbeat quickened.
Those glowing blue eyes...
They weren't looking at everyone.
They were looking at him.
Without warning—
Ethan disappeared.
BOOM!
The floor cracked where he had been standing.
Marcus fired.
BANG!
The shotgun blast hit empty air.
Ethan had already moved.
Too fast.
The axe swept toward Marcus.
Liam shouted,
"Down!"
Marcus instinctively ducked.
The axe smashed into a concrete pillar instead.
Chunks of cement exploded in every direction.
Emma immediately reacted.
"Ice Lance!"
Three icy spears shot toward Ethan.
He swung his axe once.
The attack shattered before reaching him.
Rachel lunged with her spear.
Metal clashed against steel.
She was thrown backward as if she'd been hit by a truck.
Her spear spun out of her hands.
"L-Level Four..."
Rachel coughed blood.
"...He's too strong."
Panic spread through the survivors.
Some ran.
Others hid behind shelves.
Children screamed.
The barricaded supermarket became chaos.
Liam's mind raced.
Something wasn't right.
Level Eight was strong.
But not this strong.
His Administrator instinct stirred.
The gray window appeared.
Observation Activated
Information flooded his vision.
Ethan Cole
Class: Berserker
Level: 8
Status: Blood Frenzy
Mental State: Corrupted
External Influence Detected
Liam's pupils shrank.
External influence?
His eyes moved lower.
One more line appeared.
WARNING
Host is losing autonomous thought.
Liam stared.
Ethan wasn't simply evil.
Something...
Was changing him.
The Administrator window flickered.
Another line forced its way onto the screen.
Possible Cause
System Emotional Amplification
Liam felt a chill.
The System...
Was feeding his emotions.
His anger.
His desire for power.
Until nothing remained.
"Liam!"
Emma's voice snapped him back.
Ethan was charging.
Not toward Marcus.
Not toward Rachel.
Toward Liam.
"I knew it."
Ethan grinned.
"You're different."
"I can feel it."
His axe descended.
Liam barely rolled aside.
The blade buried itself deep into the supermarket floor.
The entire building shook.
Too strong.
Way too strong.
"Why are you after me?" Liam shouted.
Ethan laughed.
"I don't know!"
"But every instinct tells me..."
"...you're worth more experience than anyone else."
Those words made Liam's blood run cold.
That wasn't Ethan speaking.
It sounded...
Programmed.
The gray window flashed again.
A single sentence appeared.
Administrator Notice
Hostile Intent Origin: Not Human.
Liam froze.
Not human?
Before he could think—
A deafening howl echoed outside.
Every monster surrounding the supermarket suddenly fell silent.
Even Ethan stopped moving.
His head slowly turned toward the shattered entrance.
Something...
Was approaching.
Heavy footsteps.
One...
Two...
Three...
The floor trembled.
Marcus whispered,
"...Not again."
A familiar shadow covered the doorway.
The Alpha Wolf had returned.
But this time...
It wasn't alone.
Behind it...
Five more massive beasts emerged from the smoke.
Each one was different.
One was covered in crimson flames.
Another had six eyes.
A third carried bone-like armor across its body.
All of them radiated the same terrifying pressure.
The Alpha lowered its head.
Its molten eyes locked onto Liam.
Then it spoke.
"...The Hunt..."
It looked at the other beasts.
"...begins."