The roar shook the air.
Liam instinctively looked toward the central courtyard.
Even from this distance, he could see it.
The giant wolf stood atop the broken university fountain like a king surveying his domain. Around it, dozens of monsters stopped moving at the same time.
Then...
They all turned in Liam's direction.
"...That's not good," Noah muttered.
"No kidding," Ben replied, his voice shaking.
Emma grabbed Liam's arm.
"We have to leave. Right now."
Liam didn't argue.
The giant wolf wasn't looking at the others.
It was looking at him.
"Move!"
The four of them sprinted between abandoned vehicles, cutting through a narrow service road behind the engineering building.
No one spoke.
They saved every breath for running.
Behind them, howls echoed one after another.
The monsters were communicating.
Not randomly.
They were coordinating.
Liam glanced over his shoulder.
Three Shadow Hounds had picked up their trail.
Then five.
Then eight.
"They're catching up!" Ben shouted.
"I know!"
Noah slowed his pace.
"I'll hold them off!"
Liam grabbed his shoulder.
"No."
"If I don't—"
"You'll die."
Noah clenched his jaw.
"And if we keep running?"
Liam didn't answer.
Because he didn't know.
They reached an intersection.
To the left was the security office.
To the right, the science building.
The security office was still nearly three hundred meters away.
Too far.
"We won't make it," Emma said.
Another howl answered her.
Liam's eyes darted around the area.
Think.
There had to be something.
Then he noticed it.
A construction site.
Concrete barriers.
Steel beams.
Scaffolding.
His mind immediately began putting the pieces together.
"There."
The others looked where he pointed.
"The construction site?"
"We're not fighting them in the open."
Noah understood first.
"A bottleneck..."
Liam nodded.
"If only one or two can reach us at a time, we might survive."
"Might?" Ben squeaked.
"It's the best plan I've got."
The four rushed through the half-finished building.
Bags of cement lay scattered across the floor.
Stacks of steel pipes blocked most of the entrances.
Liam immediately got to work.
"Noah."
"Yeah?"
"Move those pipes."
Emma looked confused.
"What are you doing?"
"Making them come through one entrance."
Within seconds, all four were dragging loose materials across the unfinished hallway.
Wooden pallets.
Metal frames.
Broken concrete.
Anything heavy enough to slow the monsters down.
Their breathing became heavier with every second.
"Hurry!"
The first Shadow Hound reached the building.
It slammed into one of the blocked entrances.
The steel frame shook violently.
Another impact.
The barrier bent inward.
"They're stronger than I thought!" Noah shouted.
"They don't have to break everything."
Liam pointed toward the narrow corridor.
"They only need one opening."
Almost on cue...
A Shadow Hound squeezed through the gap.
Then another tried to follow.
But the passage was too narrow.
The second monster became stuck behind the first.
"Now!"
Noah charged.
His sword slashed across the first hound's shoulder.
Emma launched an Ice Lance.
The frozen spike struck its chest.
The monster stumbled.
Liam stepped forward.
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The fire axe came down with both hands.
CRACK!
The blade split through its skull.
The Shadow Hound collapsed.
Its body twitched once.
Then stopped moving.
The second monster climbed over the corpse.
Snarling.
Only to be greeted by another swing from Noah.
This time...
The teamwork worked.
One monster.
Then another.
Then another.
Slowly...
They began pushing the creatures back.
Ben stared in disbelief.
"We're actually doing it..."
Liam shook his head.
"No."
He pointed toward the entrance.
"They're learning."
The Shadow Hounds stopped charging.
Instead...
They spread out around the building.
Watching.
Waiting.
Emma frowned.
"Why did they stop?"
Liam's stomach tightened.
"They're changing tactics."
As if proving him right...
A loud crash echoed from above.
Everyone looked up.
The unfinished ceiling trembled.
Dust rained onto the floor.
"They're climbing," Noah whispered.
Another crash.
This one came from the roof.
"They're going to surround us!"
Liam cursed under his breath.
"They're smarter than I thought."
No.
That wasn't true.
They were smarter than humans had assumed.
The monsters weren't just beasts.
They adapted.
They communicated.
They learned.
Exactly like people.
Then...
A cold sensation spread through Liam's mind.
The familiar blue window appeared.
Administrator Function: Observation
New Data Recorded
Monster Intelligence Updated
Common Rank monsters possess cooperative hunting behavior.
Authority Increased: 3%
Liam blinked.
His Administrator Authority had increased again.
Not from killing.
From learning.
His breathing slowed.
That meant...
His power wasn't tied to experience points.
It grew through understanding.
Just as the realization settled in...
The blue window flickered violently.
Lines of text appeared faster than he could read.
Unauthorized Observation Detected...
Warning...
System attempting to erase abnormal data...
Administrator Authority resisting...
The screen vanished.
Liam frowned.
Erase abnormal data?
Before he could think further...
The entire building shook.
A deafening roar erupted from outside.
Not from a Shadow Hound.
Something much larger.
The giant wolf had arrived.
Heavy footsteps echoed through the construction site.
Each one felt like a hammer striking the earth.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
Dust fell from the ceiling with every step.
Noah slowly tightened his grip on his sword.
Emma whispered a prayer under her breath.
Ben looked ready to collapse.
Liam stared toward the dark entrance.
A massive shadow blocked the sunlight.
Golden eyes appeared first.
Then rows of black stone-like armor.
The Alpha Wolf lowered its head, staring directly at Liam.
Unlike the Shadow Hounds...
There was no confusion in its eyes.
Only recognition.
It knew exactly who he was.
The monster's lips slowly curled into something terrifying.
A smile.
Then, for the first time...
It spoke.
One single word.
"...Administrator."
The blood drained from Liam's face.
The others looked at him in shock.
The monster...
Had just called him by a name he didn't even understand.