Destiny stared at the notification floating before his eyes.
[WARNING! A LARGE GROUP OF HOSTILE CREATURES IS APPROACHING.]
[ESTIMATED NUMBER: 500]
His hands trembled as he looked through the shattered classroom windows. Hundreds of monsters were flooding the streets, destroying buildings and attacking anything unfortunate enough to cross their paths.
Screams echoed throughout the school.
The smell of blood, smoke, and burning buildings filled the air.
"Five hundred monsters?"
Destiny swallowed nervously.
"How the hell am I supposed to fight five hundred monsters?"
DING!
[BEGINNER'S PROTECTION ACTIVATED.]
[HOST WILL RECEIVE TEMPORARY PHYSICAL ENHANCEMENT.]
[STRENGTH INCREASED BY 50%.]
[AGILITY INCREASED BY 50%.]
[PROTECTION DURATION: 10 MINUTES.]
A strange sensation spread throughout Destiny's body. His muscles tightened, his heartbeat became stronger, and his vision suddenly sharpened.
He could hear the distant footsteps of the approaching creatures.
For the first time in his life, he felt power flowing through his body.
However, his excitement quickly disappeared when he heard a familiar voice.
"DESTINY! HELP ME!"
He turned around.
Daniel was lying beneath a fallen wooden cabinet near the classroom entrance. His right leg was trapped, and blood was flowing from a deep wound on his forehead.
"Daniel!"
Destiny immediately rushed toward his friend.
"Hold on! I'm coming!"
He grabbed the cabinet with both hands and attempted to lift it. Surprisingly, the heavy furniture moved much more easily than he expected.
With one final push, he threw it aside.
Daniel groaned as Destiny helped him stand.
"Bro, we need to get out of here," Daniel said weakly.
"Can you walk?"
"I think so."
Before Destiny could respond, a deafening roar came from the corridor.
Both boys froze.
Heavy footsteps approached their classroom.
THUD!
THUD!
THUD!
A massive creature emerged from the smoke.
Unlike the first monster Destiny had encountered, this one was considerably larger. Its body was covered in thick black scales, and two enormous horns extended from its head. Its red eyes glowed with an unnatural intensity.
A notification appeared before Destiny.
[MONSTER IDENTIFIED!]
[NAME: IRONHIDE]
[RANK: F-RANK]
[LEVEL: 3]
[STRENGTH: 25]
[SPEED: 12]
[DEFENSE: 40]
[WARNING! HOST'S CURRENT COMBAT ABILITY IS INSUFFICIENT.]
Destiny's expression changed.
"Insufficient?"
He looked at the monster and then at his own trembling hands.
The creature suddenly charged.
"DESTINY, MOVE!"
Daniel pushed his friend aside.
BOOOOOOM!
The monster crashed into the wall, sending concrete fragments flying across the classroom.
Destiny rolled across the floor before quickly getting back to his feet.
"Daniel!"
He turned toward his friend and felt his heart stop.
Daniel was lying motionless beneath a pile of broken desks.
"NO!"
Destiny rushed toward him, but the Ironhide blocked his path.
The monster opened its enormous mouth and released a terrifying roar.
Destiny clenched his fists.
Something inside him snapped.
"GET OUT OF MY WAY!"
He charged toward the creature with everything he had.
The Ironhide swung its massive arm.
Destiny barely managed to dodge, but the force of the attack sent him crashing into the wall.
Pain spread throughout his body.
[WARNING! HOST HAS SUSTAINED DAMAGE.]
[HEALTH: 65/100]
Destiny struggled to stand.
The monster slowly approached him, seemingly enjoying his helplessness.
He looked around desperately and spotted a long metal rod sticking out of the broken wall.
He grabbed it.
The Ironhide charged again.
This time, Destiny didn't retreat.
He waited until the creature was only a few metres away before suddenly jumping to the side.
The monster's enormous body crashed into the classroom entrance.
Destiny seized the opportunity.
He raised the metal rod and drove it toward the creature's exposed eye.
CRACK!
The rod struck its head, but the monster's thick scales protected it from serious injury.
The Ironhide turned around furiously.
It swung its tail.
Destiny was struck directly in the chest and thrown through the classroom door.
He crashed into the corridor, coughing violently.
[HEALTH: 30/100]
[CRITICAL CONDITION DETECTED.]
[EMERGENCY SYSTEM PROTOCOL ACTIVATED.]
[HOST, WOULD YOU LIKE TO EXCHANGE 100 MILITARY POINTS FOR A BASIC COMBAT SKILL?]
Destiny stared at the notification.
"Yes!"
[EXCHANGE CONFIRMED.]
[CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE ACQUIRED BASIC MILITARY COMBAT.]
[SKILL DESCRIPTION: IMPROVES THE HOST'S COMBAT INSTINCTS, REFLEXES, AND BATTLEFIELD AWARENESS.]
A sudden flood of information entered his mind.
Destiny learned how to position his body, defend against incoming attacks, identify weaknesses, and use his surroundings to his advantage.
It felt as though he had spent years training under an experienced military instructor.
The Ironhide emerged from the classroom.
Destiny slowly stood up.
His eyes narrowed.
"Let's try that again."
The monster roared and charged.
Destiny carefully observed its movements.
At the last possible moment, he sidestepped the creature's attack and struck the back of its knee with the metal rod.
The monster stumbled.
Destiny immediately followed with another strike, this time targeting the vulnerable area beneath its jaw.
The Ironhide staggered backward.
[CRITICAL HIT!]
[MONSTER DEFENSE TEMPORARILY REDUCED.]
Destiny's breathing became heavier, but he refused to stop.
He ducked beneath another attack, moved behind the monster, and drove the metal rod into the injured area beneath its jaw.
The creature released a deafening roar.
Destiny twisted the rod with all his strength.
CRAAAAACK!
The Ironhide collapsed onto the corridor floor.
For several seconds, Destiny stood motionless, staring at the enormous corpse.
Then a notification appeared.
[DING!]
[CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE ELIMINATED AN F-RANK MONSTER.]
[EXPERIENCE POINTS ACQUIRED: 150]
[LEVEL UP!]
[CURRENT LEVEL: 2]
[3 ATTRIBUTE POINTS AWARDED.]
[MONSTER CORE ACQUIRED.]
[100 MILITARY POINTS AWARDED.]
Destiny opened his status window.
[HOST STATUS]
NAME: DESTINY
AGE: 17
RANK: RECRUIT
LEVEL: 2
STRENGTH: 8
AGILITY: 9
VITALITY: 6
INTELLIGENCE: 10
FREE ATTRIBUTE POINTS: 3
MILITARY POINTS: 100
SKILLS:
- Basic Military Combat (Level 1)
Destiny smiled faintly.
He had become stronger.
But he knew that strength alone wouldn't be enough to survive the apocalypse.
He needed weapons.
He needed training.
Most importantly, he needed people who could fight beside him.
"Daniel!"
He suddenly remembered his injured friend and rushed back into the classroom.
Daniel was still lying beneath the broken desks, but he was breathing.
"Bro, wake up!"
Destiny knelt beside him and gently shook his shoulder.
Daniel slowly opened his eyes.
"Destiny?"
"You're alive!"
Daniel coughed and attempted to sit up.
"Did you kill that thing?"
Destiny nodded.
Daniel stared at him in disbelief.
"How? That monster was practically a walking tank!"
"Let's just say I got lucky."
Destiny didn't know how to explain the Military System yet. He wasn't even certain whether the system was real or some strange consequence of his near-death experience.
Before he could say anything else, a loud announcement echoed throughout the school.
"ATTENTION! ALL SURVIVORS! THIS IS THE NIGERIAN MILITARY EMERGENCY RESPONSE UNIT. ALL SURVIVING STUDENTS ARE TO PROCEED TO THE SCHOOL'S MAIN FIELD IMMEDIATELY!"
The announcement repeated twice.
Destiny looked toward the window.
Military vehicles were entering the school compound, and armed soldiers were firing at the approaching monsters.
For a brief moment, hope returned to his heart.
"Come on, Daniel. We need to get out of here."
He helped his friend stand and supported him as they slowly made their way toward the staircase.
However, the moment they reached the corridor, another notification appeared.
[DING!]
[MAIN MISSION UPDATED.]
[MISSION: SURVIVE THE MONSTER INVASION.]
[OBJECTIVE 1: REACH THE MILITARY EVACUATION ZONE.]
[OBJECTIVE 2: ELIMINATE 10 MONSTERS.]
[OBJECTIVE 3: RECRUIT YOUR FIRST SOLDIER.]
[REWARDS: 500 MILITARY POINTS, BASIC MILITARY SUPPLY CRATE, AND A RANDOM SKILL.]
Destiny frowned.
"Recruit my first soldier?"
He glanced at Daniel.
Could he recruit his friend?
Before he could ask the system, another message appeared.
[NOTICE: THE HOST CAN RECRUIT SURVIVORS WHO ACCEPT MILITARY CONTRACTS.]
[RECRUITED PERSONNEL WILL GAIN ACCESS TO MILITARY TRAINING AND SELECTED SYSTEM BENEFITS.]
Destiny's eyes widened.
This was more than a simple combat system.
It could help him build an entire army.
A smile slowly spread across his face.
"Daniel, how would you like to become a soldier?"
Daniel stared at him.
"Are you crazy? We're still trying to survive!"
Destiny laughed.
"Exactly. And I intend to survive."
Suddenly, a deafening explosion shook the building.
The entire staircase trembled.
A massive shadow appeared at the far end of the corridor.
Destiny slowly turned his head.
Another monster had arrived.
But this time, the system's notification was different.
[EXTREME DANGER!]
[MONSTER IDENTIFIED: BLOODFANG.]
[RANK: E-RANK.]
[LEVEL: 8.]
[WARNING! THE HOST IS CURRENTLY UNABLE TO DEFEAT THIS CREATURE.]
Destiny's smile disappeared.
The monster's enormous claws scraped against the concrete floor as it slowly approached.
Behind it, several smaller creatures emerged from the darkness.
Daniel grabbed Destiny's arm.
"Bro, we need to run!"
Destiny tightened his grip on the metal rod.
He knew that fighting this creature would be extremely dangerous.
But he also knew that running would leave them trapped between the monsters and the evacuation zone.
He opened his system.
"System, do I have anything that can help me?"
[DING!]
[HOST HAS 100 MILITARY POINTS.]
[WOULD YOU LIKE TO OPEN A BASIC MILITARY SUPPLY CRATE?]
Destiny's eyes lit up.
"Open it!"
[CONFIRMED.]
[OPENING BASIC MILITARY SUPPLY CRATE...]
[CONGRATULATIONS!]
[YOU HAVE ACQUIRED: MILITARY COMBAT KNIFE.]
[YOU HAVE ACQUIRED: BASIC BODY ARMOR.]
[YOU HAVE ACQUIRED: EMERGENCY MEDICAL KIT.]
A black combat knife appeared in Destiny's hand, while a protective vest materialized over his clothes.
He stared at the equipment in amazement.
The Bloodfang suddenly roared.
Destiny raised his knife.
"Daniel, stay behind me."
The monster lunged.
Destiny took a deep breath and prepared to fight.
For the first time since the invasion began, he wasn't simply trying to escape.
He was ready to fight back.
And somewhere deep within his mind, the Military System quietly registered a new achievement.
[HIDDEN ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED.]
[THE FIRST STEP TOWARD BECOMING A COMMANDER.]
[REWARD: UNKNOWN.]