The hallway was an ecosystem of shifting shadows and distorted echoes. The metallic stench of fresh blood began seep into the classroom, heavy and suffocating in the stagnant air.
Allisson stayed low behind the teacher's desk, his knuckles white from gripping the splintered wooden shaft. His breathing was short, shallow, and harsh.
The dry click of claws on the ceramic tiles stopped abruptly right at the doorway.
From the dark corridor, a creature emerged. It wasn't the mutated hound from the courtyard, but what used to be a stray neighborhood cat. Now, it was the size of a mid-sized Rottweiler, covered in raw, hairless red skin like exposed muscle tissue, with a rigid, whip-like tail flicking rhythmically behind it. Its eyes glowed as narrow yellow slits.
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[THREAT IDENTIFICATION]
Name: Mana-Infused Feline
Level: 2
Condition: Enraged / Starving
System Note: Organism adapted for rapid strikes and ambush tactics.
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Level 2. Allisson swallowed hard. He was only Level 1. The beast outranked him in power and undeniably outmatched him in agility.
The creature turned its head slowly, pinning its glowing yellow gaze on Allisson. Tattered ears folded flat against its skull as a low, vibrating growl made the wooden desk vibrate under his elbow.
It didn't hesitate. The beast coiled its hind legs and pounced.
The trajectory of its jump was a clean, predictable parabola. In terms of pure physics, a projectile mid-flight cannot alter its acceleration without exerting force against an external surface. It couldn't change direction mid-air.
Allisson waited. One second. Two.
To his abysmal 8 Dexterity, the animal’s speed was terrifying, but his 16 Perception processed the movement in crisp, near-cinematic frames. He saw the contraction of its muscles, the spreading of its claws, and its jaws gaping wide to reveal rows of needle-sharp teeth.
The millisecond the beast crossed the plane of the desk, Allisson didn't try to swing. Instead, he used the heavy steel-and-wood frame of the desk as a fixed fulcrum. Resting the shaft against the wood, he angled the splintered tip upward—using the creature's own mass and momentum against it.
CRACK!
The jagged wooden point pierced through the underside of the beast’s jaw, tearing through its throat and locking firmly into the roof of its mouth. The impact was brutal. The kinetic energy of the forty-pound creature was transferred instantly into the wood—which groaned under the strain—and then slammed directly into Allisson’s arms.
"Aaargh!" Allisson roared as the reaction force threw him backward against the wall. His shoulders popped, and a sharp jolt of pain shot through his joints.
The beast crashed atop the desk, thrashing violently. Warm, black blood spattered across the teacher's face, burning hot against his skin. The feline’s whip-like tail lashed through the air in a dying panic, striking the wooden frame and cracking the panel.
Slammed onto the floor and gasping for air, Allisson knew he couldn't leave anything to chance. The creature was still alive, writhing frantically as it tried to dislodge the wood embedded in its skull.
Ignoring the agonizing ache in his arms and the burning lack of oxygen in his lungs, Allisson dragged himself along the edge of the desk. He grabbed the solid-wood eraser he had dropped earlier, raised it with both hands, and brought the heavy block down with the full weight of his 11 Strength directly onto the beast’s skull.
BAM!
The creature thrashed harder.
BAM!
The sickening sound of fracturing bone echoed through the quiet room.
BAM!
On the third blow, the feline’s body finally went limp, giving one last involuntary spasm before going completely still.
Allisson let go of the eraser, letting it drop onto the blood-soaked floor. He laid flat on his back against the cold tiles, his chest heaving desperately. His heart felt like a overworked pump on the verge of failure.
No loot dropped from thin air. Instead, the feline’s corpse began a violent chemical reaction. The Mana lingering in its flesh boiled around the sternum, condensing until it formed a small, dark crystalline gem in the center of its chest: a [Lesser Mana Fragment].
Simultaneously, with two sharp, mineral snaps, the beast’s two front claws detached from the toe bones. The Mana infusion during its mutation had hardened them into a dense, rigid black metal alloy.
Before Allisson could reach for the remnants, a cascade of blue notification windows overlayed his vision.
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[ENEMY DEFEATED: Mana-Infused Feline - Lv. 2]
XP Gained: +35
[LEVEL UP DETECTED!]
You have reached Level 2! (+0.5 to all attributes / +1 Free Stat Point / +1 Mana)
[LEVEL UP DETECTED!]
You have reached Level 3! (+0.5 to all attributes / +1 Free Stat Point / +1 Mana)
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A sudden wave of pure heat erupted from the base of Allisson’s spine, spreading like raw electricity through every nerve ending.
The burning sensation in his lungs vanished instantly, replaced by a cool, invigorating relief as air flowed effortlessly back into his chest. The dead weight dragging down his legs lifted, and the acute ache in his shoulders gave way to a surge of firmness.
His body was still out of shape, but the jump in Constitution from 6 to 7, combined with the general stat boost, gave him a physical foundation he hadn't felt in years.
Allisson sat up, taking a deep, steadying breath, and summoned his updated panel.
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[STATUS PANEL]
Name: Allisson (Human)
Level: 3 (0 / 50 XP)
Class: None
[STATS]
Strength: 12 (11 + 1.0)
Dexterity: 9 (8 + 1.0)
Constitution: 7 (6 + 1.0)
Intelligence: 16 (15 + 1.0)
Perception: 17 (16 + 1.0)
Mana: 3 (1 + 2.0)
[AVAILABLE FREE POINTS: 2]
[UNIQUE SKILL]
[Infinite Evolution] (Level 1): First Milestone: Level 10.
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Allisson analyzed the figures with sharp focus. Two levels at once, thanks to the concentrated experience density of a higher-level enemy.
He reached toward the corpse's chest and picked up the small crystal gem. At the touch of his fingers, the gem dissolved into a warm, luminous dust, absorbing directly into his skin.
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[LESSER MANA FRAGMENT CONSUMED]
Effect: +1 Temporary Mana (Duration: 1 hour)
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He scooped up the two metallic claws—light, rigid, and sharp as scalpels—and turned his gaze toward the classroom door.
"Two free points in reserve, and 50 XP to Level 4..." Allisson whispered, his voice steady and resolute.