Jarbas stepped forward, his broad shoulders squared, placing a heavy hand on João Felipe’s shoulder. With a firm, reprimanding glare, the physical education teacher forced the teenager to take a step back and swallow the rest of his hysterical tirade.
"Calm down, João. Now isn't the time for this," Jarbas said, his deep voice modulated into a calculated tone of pacifying authority. He then turned to Allisson, open palms raised to chest height, his teeth showing in a tense smile. "Allisson, my friend... we're all in the same boat here. We were caught off guard by this nightmare. Let's keep our tempers in check. We're colleagues, and we have students under our care. There's no need for violence among us."
Allisson didn't answer. His 17.5 Perception read Jarbas's body language in micro-detail: the tension in his neck muscles, his weight shifted onto his back leg, and his fixed gaze obsessively checking the dried blood crusting the Twin-Blade Spear.
Jarbas isn't seeking peace through diplomacy or empathy, Allisson deduced. He is stepping back because he calculated that immediate conflict presents a high risk—he realizes Paulo and I are lethal vectors.
Without making a sound, Allisson walked over to the water cooler in the corner of the room. Pressing his injured left arm against his ribs to stabilize the pulsing pain, he used his right hand to trigger the System interface in his peripheral vision, executing a complete tactical scan of the new survivors' status sheets.
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[STATUS ANALYSIS]
Name: Jarbas (Human)
Level: 2 (0 / 25 XP)
Class: None
[STATS]
Strength: 13
Dexterity: 7
Constitution: 7
Intelligence: 8
Perception: 10
Mana: 2
[SKILL]
[Nutritional Depletion - Lv. 1]: Drains calories and physical stamina through direct physical contact, inflicting severe muscle fatigue on the target.
Cost: 1 Mana per 10 seconds
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[STATUS ANALYSIS]
Name: João Felipe (Human)
Level: 1 (0 / 10 XP)
Class: None
[STATS]
Strength: 7
Dexterity: 5
Constitution: 5
Intelligence: 5
Perception: 6
Mana: 2
[SKILL]
[Enhanced Adhesion - Lv. 1]: Secretes high-density synthetic adhesive from the palms to seal surfaces, bind limbs, and lock doors.
Cost: 1 Mana
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[STATUS ANALYSIS]
Name: Clara (Human)
Level: 1 (0 / 10 XP)
Class: None
[STATS]
Strength: 5
Dexterity: 6
Constitution: 5
Intelligence: 7
Perception: 6
Mana: 3
[SKILL]
[Hypnotic Suggestion - Lv. 1]: Projects compulsory verbal impulses via Mana, altering risk perception and enforcing short commands (2-3 seconds).
Note: Only functions if the target's Intelligence stat is lower than the user's.
Cost: 1 Mana per suggestion / duration
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Three functional skills, Allisson concluded as he parsed the floating data panels. Jarbas possesses 13 Strength, making him dangerous in close quarters; [Nutritional Depletion] can drain the frontline's stamina in seconds. João Felipe has abysmal combat stats, but [Enhanced Adhesion] is ideal for locking doors and controlling terrain if properly managed. Clara is the most dangerous threat of the trio: with 7 Intelligence and 3 Mana, [Hypnotic Suggestion] could dismantle our group from within if she levels up.
Next, his mind directed the System scanner to review the newly updated sheets of his own support unit:
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[STATUS ANALYSIS]
Name: Jade (Human)
Level: 1 (0 / 10 XP)
Class: None
[STATS]
Strength: 5
Dexterity: 5
Constitution: 5
Intelligence: 12
Perception: 9
Mana: 4
[SKILL]
[Blinding Light - Lv. 1]: Projects a high-intensity light beam. Causes temporary blindness and disorientation in photosensitive targets.
Cost: 1 Mana
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[STATUS ANALYSIS]
Name: Pierre (Human)
Level: 1 (0 / 10 XP)
Class: None
[STATS]
Strength: 8
Dexterity: 9
Constitution: 8
Intelligence: 12
Perception: 10
Mana: 5
[SKILL]
[Spatial Teleportation - Lv. 1]: Instantaneous displacement of up to 4 inches (scales with Mana). Lethal risk of molecular overwrite in solid matter.
Cost: 1 Mana
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[STATUS ANALYSIS]
Name: Abner (Human)
Level: 1 (0 / 10 XP)
Class: None
[STATS]
Strength: 7
Dexterity: 8
Constitution: 8
Intelligence: 16
Perception: 12
Mana: 4
[SKILLS]
[Brilliant Intellect - Lv. 1 Passive]: Expands neural processing speed to superhuman tiers. Allows decoding of System patterns, instantaneous comprehension of complex mechanics, and prediction of enemy movement vectors prior to execution.
[Personal Levitation - Lv. 1]: Negates gravitational pull on the user's own body through mental focus, allowing free three-dimensional flight and movement.
Limitations: Exclusively personal use (cannot be applied to third parties or heavy objects) and consumes Mana continuously while airborne.
Cost: 1 Mana / minute
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Jade's [Blinding Light] is a vital area-of-effect crowd-control tool against light-sensitive creatures. Pierre's [Spatial Teleportation], though limited to four inches for now and carrying a fatal risk of molecular fusion, was the sole reason he cleared the door frame. And Abner... 16 Intelligence paired with [Brilliant Intellect] turns his mind into an analytical supercomputer, while [Personal Levitation] grants him unique three-dimensional mobility to bypass ground hazards.
Allisson grabbed a disposable cup and filled it with cold water. To defeat the aberration dominating the main courtyard and break through the school gates, I can't act as a babysitter. I'll need to force this trio's development and level progression under extreme pressure immediately.
He downed the water in a single gulp, crushed the plastic cup in his right hand, and wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his uninjured forearm. The math teacher's gaze swept the room—cold, detached, and unyielding.
"We drink water, stabilize our injuries, and move out in ten minutes at most," Allisson declared, his voice slicing through the stifling air. "This room is a wooden coffin. There's no secondary escape route, the windows face a dead-end courtyard, and the scent of blood outside the door will attract more predators."
A heavy silence fell over the room.
Jade, huddled at the base of one of the desks with her face stained with tears, shook her head frantically in denial.
"No! I'm not leaving this room!" the Language teacher sobbed, her voice choking with despair. "It's hell out there... you saw those hounds! I'd rather die in this room than step back into that hallway!"
Across the room, João Felipe took a step forward, crossing his arms and puffing out his chest with renewed indignation, emboldened by Jade's refusal.
"Are you crazy?!" the boy protested, arrogance dripping from his words. "You burst in here, breaking down the door and trailing an entire pack behind you, and now you want to consume our water and the food in the cabinets?! We got here first! We locked this room! All of this belongs to us by right!"
Jarbas didn't correct the teenager this time. The PE teacher simply crossed his arms, standing tall, testing whether Allisson's authority would buckle under the weight of the majority.
Allisson turned his head slowly.
His eyes—hollow and void of any human hesitation—locked first onto João Felipe, then onto Jarbas. In his hand, the Mineral-Alloy Twin-Blade Spear rested steadily, its steel still painted with the dark crimson ribbons of their recent kills.