The pale, gray light of 6:00 AM filtered through the high transom window of the computer lab. Allisson opened his eyes the exact second the window's faint reflection brushed his peripheral vision.
He had not slept deeply. His brain had maintained a continuous state of low-level vigilance. Paulo remained curled up beneath the desk, breathing heavily with the residual exhaustion of heavy neural consumption.
A floating prompt hovered in his sight, bringing not an alert of immediate danger, but the registration of an established pattern.
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[SYSTEM PATTERN RECOGNITION]
Due to the user's high logical deduction capacity and Perception (17.5), a repeated cognitive action has been formalized into a system skill.
[SKILL LEARNED: Structural Analysis (Level 1)]
Effect: Allows the user to extract biological data, combat variables, and object structural integrity through detailed observation of Mana circulation and anatomy.
Reading Restriction: If the target's Level exceeds the user's, if active concealment skills are present, or if observable contact data is missing, the reading will fail—obscuring level, stats, and weaknesses. (Note: Entities of Level 3 or lower do not require a active skill check).
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Allisson adjusted his glasses and read the restriction carefully.
A model with a margin of error tied directly to level asymmetry, he concluded mentally. No miracles here. If the entity is stronger than me, the System won't hand over the data. Useful, but strictly conditional.
He walked over to Paulo and gently tapped the boy's shoulder. Paulo jolted awake, eyes wide with instant terror, but Allisson’s firm hand held him in place before he could make a sound.
"Three precise gulps of water. Half of the remaining cookies," Allisson instructed in a low whisper. "In twenty minutes, we move."
"Are we heading to the cafeteria, Mr. Allisson?" the boy asked, his voice raspy as he chewed his rationed portion.
"No. The cafeteria is a slaughterhouse. We're going to the Faculty Lounge."
Allisson pulled up his mental layout of the school. The Faculty Lounge was located in the administrative wing, roughly ninety feet from the computer lab corridor.
His reasoning was simple: during school hours, the lounge remained unlocked to accommodate teacher rotations. It was a low-interest zone for panicking students during the initial collapse, yet a high-yield point for functional supplies. It housed a twenty-liter water dispenser, cartons of milk, coffee powder, packs of crackers, and a mini-fridge where teachers kept packed meals.
"Calories and hydration without contesting territory against heavy predators," Allisson explained. "A low-risk, high-return route."
Twenty minutes later, Allisson disengaged the double iron deadbolts and the wood latch. The duo slipped into the quiet, dark hallway.
The air hung heavy with the smell of copper and damp mold. Allisson led the way, wielding his Twin-Blade Alloy Spear low, keeping the tip a foot off the floor to avoid casting shadows around doorframes. Paulo followed two paces behind, eyes wide and breathing strictly controlled.
As they rounded the corner of the administrative wing, Allisson’s 17.5 Perception caught the faint scraping of claws on ceramic tile.
A stray dog mutated by Mana—a mutt expanded to the size of a calf, its hairless skin coated in calcified armor plates and its jaw split down the middle—was hunched over a overturned cabinet.
Allisson froze. He locked his gaze onto the beast's chest, testing his new skill.
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[STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS]
Target: Mana-Infused Hound
Level: 3
Strength: 9
Dexterity: 16
Constitution: 13
Intelligence: 15
Perception: 20
Mana: 3
Weakness: Incomplete central abdominal plating
Skills: [Dual Bite], [Canine Lunge]
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Successful read. Target is Level 3—one level below me.
The beast snapped its head around. Its split jaw unhinged at an unnatural angle, emitting a low, guttural growl. Without hesitation, it coiled its hind legs and surged down the corridor in a straight line of explosive acceleration.
"Paulo," Allisson ordered without raising his tone. "Side-step right. One-second burst of [Synaptic Acceleration]. Now."
The beast lunged at them mid-air.
For Paulo, time ground to a near-halt. The 300% perception dilation made the incoming monster appear to float through the air in slow motion. He saw the exact arc of its claws and the angle of its gaping, split jaw. Remembering the principle of F = m \cdot a, he refrained from sprinting; instead, he took a single, clean step to his right, sidestepping the beast's vector of impact entirely.
The mutated hound brushed past the fabric of the boy's uniform.
The millisecond the beast missed its target and touched down to compensate for its momentum, Allisson had already calculated the point of interception. He drove the spear forward in a deep thrust, leveraging its five-foot reach.
THRUST!
The twin mineral claws pierced the exact weakness identified by [Structural Analysis]: the gap between the abdominal plates.
With his 12.5 Strength, Allisson shoved the spear to the limit of the steel tube, puncturing vital organs and pinning the beast flat against the ceramic floor. The hound thrashed violently for five seconds before locking up in a final, lethal convulsion.
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[ENEMY DEFEATED: Mana-Infused Hound - Lv. 3]
XP Gained: +50
Level Progress: [50 / 100 XP]
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Allisson retracted his spear with a clean pull, wiping the dark blood against the dead animal's flank. He looked at Paulo, who was breathing fast but completely free of the previous night's blinding panic.
"Flawless execution on the dodge timing," Allisson praised quietly. "You conserved energy and maintained your center of gravity."
"I saw it move... it felt like it was moving through water," Paulo whispered, his eyes locked onto the fallen beast.
"That's how we play this. Come on, the lounge door is right ahead."
Allisson tested the handle of the Faculty Lounge. As predicted, it gave way without resistance.
They slipped inside and locked the internal deadbolt behind them.
The room was untouched. Resting on the granite counter was a full twenty-liter water dispenser. On the central table lay unopened packages of whole-wheat crackers, milk cartons, and two thermal meal containers left in the unplugged fridge before the power grid failed.
Allisson walked over to the water dispenser, grabbed two plastic cups, and filled them to the brim.
"Drink slowly," he instructed, handing one to Paulo. "We have clean water, glucose, and proteins to sustain us for the next three days in here."
Allisson pulled out a chair and sat down, staring at the spear propped against the table and his System panel showing 50/100 XP at Level 4.
They had a secure foothold and guaranteed supplies.