The remaining four goblins hissed, their yellow eyes darting between the crushed corpse of their friend and the human standing in the shadows.
Kael stepped forward. The blood of the Champion dripped from his pipe wrench, creating a rhythmic tap-tap-tap on the linoleum.
"Well?" Kael asked, tilting his head. "Are you coming, or do I have to chase you?"
The goblins shrieked and charged. They were driven by the System's bloodlust; fear was secondary to the command to kill.
Kael didn't even raise his weapon. He waited.
When the first goblin lunged, Kael activated his new skill.
[Skill: Heavy Strike]
His muscles coiled. A faint blue aura enveloped the wrench.
WHOOSH.
He swung horizontally. The air screamed.
The wrench connected with the lead goblin's torso. There was no resistance. The goblin didn't just break; it exploded. The force of the 200% damage blow sent the top half of the creature spinning into the ceiling tiles while its legs collapsed instantly.
[Strength +0.1]
The other three goblins faltered, their momentum dying instantly.
Kael didn't let them recover. He moved like a blur, his Agility of 13.5 making him faster than any human on Earth right now.
Crack. Snap. Thud.
Three swings. Three kills.
[Agility +0.1][Vitality +0.1][Strength +0.1]
It was over in five seconds.
Kael stood amidst the carnage, flicking the gore off his wrench. He knelt down, not to check on the shivering students, but to dig a small, marble-sized crystal out of a goblin's chest.
[Item: F-Rank Monster Core]Currency of the new world.
"You..."
A shaky voice broke the silence.
Kael ignored it, prying another core loose.
"Hey! I'm talking to you!"
Kael stood up and turned around. The Quarterback, a guy named Brad who was used to being the king of the campus, had finally found his footing. He was pale, his varsity jacket stained with someone else's blood, but his ego was evidently still intact.
Brad stepped forward, trying to look imposing. Behind him, a cheerleader and a nerd were huddled together, looking at Kael with a mix of awe and terror.
"You have a weapon," Brad said, pointing at the wrench. "And you know how to fight."
"Observation skills: 10/10," Kael deadpanned. He turned to leave.
"Wait!" Brad moved to block his path. "Where are you going? We need to secure the gym. Coach Miller said we should regroup there. You're coming with us. You can take point."
Kael stopped. A dry chuckle escaped his lips.
"Take point?" Kael looked Brad in the eye. "You mean I can be your meat shield while you hide in the back?"
Brad flushed red. "I'm the Student Council President, alright? In a crisis, we need order. I'm taking charge. Now give me the wrench. You're fast, you can use that knife. I'm stronger, so I should have the heavy weapon."
Brad reached out, his hand closing around the handle of Kael's wrench.
It was a classic mistake. The old world's hierarchy trying to impose itself on the new world's rules.
[Face-Slapping Scenario Detected.]
Kael didn't pull back. He just looked at Brad's hand, then up at his face.
"You think you're strong?" Kael asked softly.
"I bench press three hund—"
Kael moved.
He didn't use a skill. He just used his raw 15.5 Strength.
He grabbed Brad's wrist with his free hand and squeezed.
"AGHH!"
Brad's knees buckled. The sound of bones grinding together echoed in the silent hallway. Kael twisted his wrist effortlessly, forcing the "Student Council President" onto his knees.
"You bench press weights," Kael whispered, leaning down so only Brad could hear. "I bench press monsters. Do not confuse your gym stats with survival."
He released the wrist. Brad collapsed, cradling his arm, tears streaming down his face.
The other students gasped. Kael looked at them cold-eyed.
"Listen closely. I'm not your savior. I'm not your police officer. If you follow me, you'll die. If you stay here, you'll die."
He pointed to the goblin corpses.
"If you want to live, grab a weapon. A rock, a piece of glass, I don't care. Dig the cores out of their chests. That's money now."
Kael turned his back on them. He had wasted enough time. The [Heart of the Monarch] was pulsing in his chest, urging him to find more prey.
He walked toward the exit of the Science Building. He needed to reach the cafeteria. In his past life, the first "Field Boss" spawned there—a mutated Butcher that dropped a Ring of Regeneration.
But as he reached the glass doors, the sky outside suddenly darkened.
The red sun turned black.
[SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT]
A voice, booming and majestic, resonated across the entire planet.
[Welcome, insects of Earth.]
[The Tutorial Phase 1 is too easy. The Constellations are bored.]
[Administrator 'The Sadistic Jester' has initiated a special event.]
[Event: 'Kill or Be Killed'][Condition: The Safe Zones have been deactivated for 1 hour.][Reward: The Top 100 Killers in the region will receive a 'Random Skill Box'.][Penalty: The bottom 10% of survivors... will be liquidated.]
[Timer: 59:59]
Kael froze.
Liquidated? This didn't happen in the last timeline. The Safe Zones were supposed to be safe for 24 hours.
"Butterfly effect," Kael cursed under his breath. "Because I took the SSS item, the difficulty just jumped to Hell Mode."
He looked back at the students in the hallway. A red counter had appeared above everyone's heads.
[Kill Count: 0]
Brad looked at Kael. Then he looked at the cheerleader. A dark, desperate realization dawned in his eyes.
The rules had changed. It wasn't humans vs. monsters anymore.
It was everyone vs. everyone.
Kael smirked.
"Top 100?" he muttered, gripping his wrench. "I'm aiming for Number 1."