The second the second Split-Mana Cat ceased its death spasms, the carcasses of both felids began to emit a dense, bluish radiance. In a rapid process of condensation, the residual magical energy accumulated within the monsters' tissues coalesced outside their bodies, solidifying on the ceramic floor beside the remains.
The process produced two small mana fragments.
Allisson reached down to pick up one of the items, but halted his hand a few inches above the floor.
Direct contact, he recalled, remembering the mechanics of mana fragments. Bare human skin acts as a primary conductor. If he or Paulo touched the stones directly with unprotected hands, their pores would absorb the charge through immediate osmosis.
Allisson picked up a strip of torn cloth from the floor and wrapped both crystals securely without letting them touch his skin.
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[ITEM OBTAINED: Small Mana Fragment (x2)]
Effect: +1.0 Mana Point when pressed against bare skin through continuous friction.
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"Use a piece of cloth to grab yours," Allisson instructed, handing one of the wrapped packages to Paulo. "If your skin touches the stone now, your body will absorb it immediately. Store the fragment in your backpack. It's your emergency battery for when [Synaptic Acceleration] drains your reserve."
Paulo nodded carefully, using the fabric to tuck the crystal safely into his backpack's inner pocket.
"Now, open your interface," Allisson said, standing up and dusting off his trousers. "You've reached Level 3, giving you 3 Free Points to allocate."
Paulo summoned his panel, which floated softly into his field of vision.
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[STATUS PANEL: PAULO - LEVEL 3]
Name: PAULO (HUMAN)
Level: 3 (0 / 50 XP)
Class: None
[STATS]
Strength: 7
Dexterity: 15
Constitution: 6
Intelligence: 16
Perception: 17
Mana: 3
[AVAILABLE FREE POINTS: 3]
[UNIQUE SKILL]
[Synaptic Acceleration - Lv. 1]: Dilates the user's temporal perception by up to 300% and increases neural reaction speed for 3 seconds.
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"Listen closely," Allisson began, keeping his tone direct and clear. "Your 15 Dexterity and 17 Perception already provide the processing speed needed for [Synaptic Acceleration]. Your physical bottleneck is your 6 Constitution."
"What do you mean, Mr. Allisson?"
"When your brain accelerates temporal perception, your metabolism runs at maximum RPM. A Constitution of 6 is too narrow a chest cavity to handle that thermal load. That's why your neck burns and your heart pounds against your ribs—your body can't dissipate the heat or sustain the brain's metabolic spike. Allocate 2 points into Constitution and keep 1 in reserve for an emergency."
Without hesitation, Paulo confirmed the point allocation on his screen.
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[ATTRIBUTE ALLOCATION CONFIRMED!]
Constitution: 6 ➔ 8
Remaining Free Points: 1 (In Reserve)
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The biological impact was instantaneous. Paulo released a long, deep breath from his lungs. His heart rate, previously elevated from combat, stabilized within seconds. The residual headache and the burning sensation at the base of his neck vanished entirely, replaced by a firm sense of muscular fullness and expanded thoracic capacity.
"The fatigue is gone... it feels like my lungs doubled in size," the boy remarked in surprise.
"Now your body has the operational margin to sustain micro-bursts without collapsing," Allisson replied.
Before they could step out of the room, the hallway's drywall paneling creaked sharply.
NIP!
Exactly four inches from the wall surface, the light in the corridor warped. A fraction of a second later, the figure of a teenage boy materialized out of thin air.
The youth appeared completely static—no momentum, no spin, no stumble. He simply appeared standing in space, one heel hovering millimeters above the baseboard masonry.
It was Pierre, a freshman. Standing 5'5" and weighing no more than 100 pounds, the boy was deathly pale, with heavy dark circles under his eyes and his chest heaving in spasms of sheer exhaustion.
"Pierre?" Paulo stepped forward, startled.
"P-Paulo? Mr. Allisson?!" Pierre stammered, cold sweat dripping down his face. He looked down, staring at his foot inches from the exposed brick, and swallowed hard. "My God... two inches closer and I would've fused my foot into the wall..."
Allisson approached with measured steps, evaluating the student while triggering his cognitive skill.
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[STATUS PANEL]
Name: Pierre (Human)
Level: 1 (0 / 10 XP)
Class: None
[STATS]
Strength: 8
Dexterity: 9
Constitution: 8
Intelligence: 12
Perception: 10
Mana: 5
[AVAILABLE FREE POINTS: 1]
[SKILLS]
[Spatial Teleportation - Lv. 1]: Folds the fabric of space to instantly shift the user's physical mass across an initial distance of 4 inches per cast. Maximum range scales directly with Mana.
Lethal Risk (Matter Overwrite): If the destination overlaps with solid or dense matter, molecular fusion (overwrite) occurs, resulting in immediate limb amputation or instant death.
Cost: 1 Mana / 4 inches
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"[Spatial Teleportation - Lv. 1]," Allisson noted immediately. "You performed a spatial jump without line of sight."
"I heard the door breaking down and the sounds of fighting in the hall..." Pierre leaned his back carefully against the drywall, catching his breath after spending 2.0 Mana on the jump. "I panicked thinking the monsters were breaking into the whole corridor, so I had to risk the jump to see what was happening."
"An immense risk," Allisson said. "[Spatial Teleportation] moves your body's mass from Point A to Point B instantaneously. Did you stop to consider what happens if your arrival coordinates overlap with the solid matter of a chair or wall?"
Pierre swallowed hard, piecing together the logic as any student would.
"I think... it wouldn't just push the wall out of the way, right?" Pierre murmured, his voice uncertain. "Like, if I miscalculate the fold distance and my foot lands inside the brick, my body and the concrete are trying to occupy the exact same space at the exact same time. I thought I'd just get stuck, but I feel like my body would just get crushed or destroyed instantly."
"Exactly," Allisson confirmed, building on the boy's deduction. "An atomic collision occurs. The System doesn't move the material to make room for you; it rewrites your matter inside the solid structure. Death is instantaneous. You risked your life on a blind jump under pressure. Where were you hiding?"
"In the Custodian's Closet at the end of the hall," Pierre lowered his voice, afraid of projecting sound down the corridor. "I'm not in there alone."
"Who else survived?" Allisson asked.
"Abner... he has a levitation skill. And Ms. Jade, the language arts teacher," Pierre swallowed heavily, his voice trembling. "The situation in there is unsustainable, Mr. Allisson. Ms. Jade went into blind panic yesterday. She isolated herself in the corner, praying nonstop, and loses her mind if anyone goes near the door handle. We have no water, no food, and the atmosphere is getting terrible. When I heard the combat sounds out here, I thought it was our last chance."
Allisson and Paulo exchanged a brief glance. The scenario was precisely what the teacher had anticipated: isolated survivors, paralyzed by fear and lacking leadership, deteriorating inside a sealed room.
"An emotionally compromised teacher and two isolated students without supplies," Allisson adjusted the grip on his Twin-Blade Spear, his steady gaze fixed down the corridor. "Let's head to the Custodian's Closet."