Liam didn't sleep.
No one did.
The maintenance room was quiet, but not peaceful.
Every few minutes, distant screams echoed across the campus. Sometimes they ended abruptly. Sometimes they faded into silence.
No one spoke after that.
There was nothing left to say.
The world outside had ended.
Emma broke the silence first.
"We can't stay here forever."
Liam nodded.
"Eventually the monsters will come back."
Ben hugged his backpack tighter.
"So... what do we do?"
No one answered immediately.
They had known each other for less than an hour.
Yesterday, they would have been strangers passing each other between lectures.
Now...
Their lives depended on one another.
Noah unfolded a campus map from the maintenance room.
"The security office."
Everyone looked at him.
"They have emergency generators, radios, and surveillance equipment."
He pointed to a building on the opposite side of campus.
"It's only six hundred meters away."
Ben stared at the map.
"Only?"
"There are monsters everywhere!"
"There are," Noah admitted. "But sitting here won't save us."
Emma looked at Liam.
"What do you think?"
Liam studied the map in silence.
The shortest path went through the central courtyard.
Impossible.
The giant wolf was still there.
Another route passed behind the engineering building.
Longer.
But it offered more cover.
"We avoid open spaces," Liam said. "Stay close to the buildings. If we hear fighting, we go the other way."
Ben blinked.
"...You've done this before?"
Liam gave a tired smile.
"No."
"I'm just trying not to die."
The others couldn't help but smile.
For a brief moment...
They looked like ordinary students again.
Ten minutes later, they stepped outside.
The air smelled of smoke.
Ash drifted through the rain like black snow.
The campus Liam had walked through every morning was gone.
Cars burned in the parking lot.
Windows had been shattered.
The fountain in the courtyard overflowed with murky red water.
Liam deliberately avoided looking too closely.
He already knew what had stained it.
They moved carefully.
No one spoke.
Every footstep felt too loud.
Every shadow looked alive.
Halfway to the engineering building...
Liam raised a fist.
Everyone stopped.
"What is it?" Emma whispered.
He pointed ahead.
Three Shadow Hounds.
They were feeding on something in the middle of the road.
The group didn't need to look closely to know what it was.
Ben turned away, his face pale.
Noah slowly drew the short sword the System had given him.
"We can sneak around."
Liam nodded.
"Quietly."
They slipped behind a row of abandoned cars.
One step.
Another.
Then—
CRACK.
Ben froze.
His foot had landed on a broken branch.
The sound was tiny.
But in the silence...
It might as well have been an explosion.
Three pairs of glowing golden eyes lifted at the same time.
"...Run," Liam whispered.
The Shadow Hounds roared.
Everything happened at once.
Noah charged forward to intercept the first monster.
His sword collided with black claws.
Clang!
The impact nearly knocked him off his feet.
Emma raised both hands.
"Ice Lance!"
Three shards of ice shot through the air.
One struck a Shadow Hound's shoulder.
Another grazed its neck.
The third missed completely.
The monster barely slowed down.
"They're too strong!" Emma shouted.
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Ben stumbled backward in panic.
"I-I can't—"
One of the hounds changed direction.
It lunged straight at him.
Ben screamed.
He froze.
Liam didn't think.
He moved.
The fire axe swung with everything he had.
Thud!
The blade slammed into the monster's side.
The strike wasn't deep.
But it was enough.
The Shadow Hound turned away from Ben.
Its attention shifted.
To Liam.
Its golden eyes locked onto him.
Time seemed to stop.
Liam tightened his grip.
Come on...
Do what you did before.
The monster stepped closer.
Its nose twitched.
Confusion flickered across its face.
Just like before.
But this time...
It didn't back away.
Instead, it let out a furious snarl.
As if fighting against its own instincts.
"What...?" Liam whispered.
The hound lunged.
Liam barely rolled aside.
Its claws ripped through the sleeve of his jacket.
Pain burned across his arm.
Blood soaked the fabric.
"So it can attack me..."
His heart sank.
Whatever had protected him before...
It wasn't absolute.
"Liam!"
Emma's voice echoed behind him.
The other two Shadow Hounds were still attacking Noah.
He was exhausted.
His breathing was ragged.
His sword arm trembled.
He wouldn't last much longer.
Liam's mind raced.
Think.
There had to be something—
A familiar sensation spread through his head.
Like cold water flowing behind his eyes.
A translucent screen flickered into existence.
Administrator Function: Observation
Activated
The world sharpened.
Information appeared above the Shadow Hound.
Shadow Hound
Level: 3
Rank: Common
Condition: Agitated
Behavior: Instinct conflicting with System directive.
Weak Point: Neck joint.
Success Probability: 18%
Only eighteen percent.
Terrible odds.
But better than zero.
"Liam!" Noah shouted as another hound knocked him to one knee.
There was no more time.
Liam took a deep breath.
Then he ran.
Straight toward the monster.
It opened its jaws.
At the last second...
Liam ducked beneath the bite.
He twisted his body and swung the axe upward with every ounce of strength he had left.
CRACK!
The blade buried itself deep into the creature's neck.
The Shadow Hound let out a piercing howl.
Then...
Its body collapsed.
Silence.
For a heartbeat, nobody moved.
Liam stared at the dead monster.
His hands shook violently.
He had done it.
He had killed something.
Not in a game.
Not in a movie.
In real life.
His stomach churned.
He turned away and vomited onto the cracked pavement.
No one laughed.
No one judged him.
Emma quietly rested a hand on his shoulder.
"It's okay," she said softly.
"It was either you... or us."
Liam wiped his mouth.
He looked back at the monster's body.
A strange feeling settled in his chest.
He hadn't felt triumph.
He hadn't felt pride.
Only relief.
And sadness.
Because deep down...
He knew this wouldn't be the last time he had to kill.
A faint blue notification appeared before his eyes.
Administrator Authority Increased
Current Authority: 2%
New Function Progress Recorded
Before Liam could read the rest...
A deep, familiar roar echoed from the center of the campus.
The giant wolf had noticed.
And this time...
It was looking directly at him.