[Time Remaining: 05:00]
The University parking lot was a graveyard of twisted metal and burning rubber.
Kael moved through the smoke like a phantom. His breathing was steady, despite having fought non-stop for forty minutes. The [Ring of Bloodthirst] was doing its job; every time he crushed a Mutant Dog's skull or decapitated a Goblin Archer, a warm current of vitality washed over him, knitting his small cuts and refreshing his stamina.
Crack.
Kael stepped on a goblin's neck to finish it off.
[Kill Count: 42][Rank: #1 (Anonymous)]
He checked the leaderboard.
Anonymous (1,850 Points)
BloodKing (1,820 Points)
"Persistent bastard," Kael muttered.
This 'BloodKing' was gaining points terrifyingly fast. Since there were no Field Bosses left, that meant only one thing: BloodKing was slaughtering students by the dozen. Each human kill was worth points in this twisted event.
"In my past life, BloodKing became a notorious mass murderer in the East Coast region," Kael recalled, wiping black blood from his face. "I'll have to deal with him eventually. But not today."
He needed one last surge to guarantee the top spot.
He spotted a pack of Horned Wolves (Level 4) circling a burning sedan near the exit gate. Five of them.
Kael didn't hide. He activated [Butcher's Intimidation].
"Hey!"
The red aura flared. The wolves froze, their hackles rising. The fear effect stunned them for just a second.
That was all Kael needed.
He dashed forward, his Agility pushing him to speeds that blurred the human eye.
Whack. Whack. Crack.
The pipe wrench was a blur of violence.
[You have slain a Horned Wolf.][You have slain a Horned Wolf.]
He didn't stop to loot. He just killed and moved.
[Predation Activated.][Agility +0.1][Agility +0.2]
Ding!
[EVENT ENDED.]
The red timer in the sky hit 00:00.
Instantly, the oppressive red atmosphere lifted. The "Kill or Be Killed" text dissolved into golden particles.
[Calculating Results...]
[Region: University Campus][1st Place: Anonymous (1,910 Points)][2nd Place: BloodKing (1,880 Points)][3rd Place: Viper (120 Points)]
Kael exhaled, leaning against the hood of a car. He had won by a hair's breadth.
[Congratulations! You have secured the 1st Place Reward.][Reward Sent to Inventory: 'Gold Random Skill Box'.]
A small, heavy golden chest appeared in Kael's hands.
This was it. In the tutorial, skills were rarer than diamonds. Most players wouldn't get their first skill until Level 10 or 15. Kael already had two ([Heavy Strike], [Butcher's Intimidation]), and now he was getting a third.
"Don't give me a crafting skill," Kael prayed to the RNG gods he intended to kill one day. "Give me mobility."
He opened the box.
A blinding flash of light ensued. A black, leather-bound book floated into his hands.
[You have obtained the Active Skill: 'Shadow Step' (Rank C)]
Description: Allows the user to instantly teleport to any shadow within a 10-meter radius.
Cooldown: 10 seconds.
Cost: Low Mana consumption.
Kael's eyes widened.
Rank C? In the tutorial? This was insane. In the early game, a teleportation skill was essentially a god-mode cheat.
"Shadow Step..." Kael tested the words.
He looked at the shadow of a streetlight five meters away. He willed it.
Zwoop.
His body dissolved into darkness and reformed instantly under the light. No travel time. Immediate repositioning.
"Perfect," Kael grinned. With [Heavy Strike] for damage, [Bloodthirst] for sustain, and [Shadow Step] for mobility, his kit was complete. He was no longer just a brawler; he was an assassin.
WHUP-WHUP-WHUP.
The sound of rotor blades cut through the silence.
Kael looked up. Three military helicopters were approaching the campus from the north. Searchlights swept across the burning parking lot.
[System Alert: The 'Protection Period' has ended.][The Earth's Governments are attempting to intervene.]
A megaphone boomed from the lead helicopter.
"THIS IS THE NATIONAL GUARD. ALL SURVIVORS, REMAIN CALM. DROP YOUR WEAPONS AND GATHER IN THE OPEN. WE ARE HERE TO RESCUE YOU."
Kael watched the helicopter descend toward the football field.
"Rescue?" Kael scoffed.
He knew what came next. The military would round up the "Awakened." They would quarantine them. They would try to confiscate items and cores "for the greater good." And then, in about three hours, a Drake would spawn in the city center and wipe out half the battalion.
"I don't have time for bureaucracy," Kael decided.
He had a grocery list of hidden objectives.
Reach the Downtown Bank Vault (Where a Skill Book for 'Mana Manipulation' was hidden).
Kill the 'Sewer King' before the guilds found it.
He turned away from the descending helicopters. While the other students were running toward the soldiers, crying with relief, Kael engaged [Shadow Step].
He warped into the darkness of an alleyway, vanishing from the campus just as the soldiers touched down.
But he wasn't alone in the shadows.
As he materialized in the alley, a figure was leaning against the brick wall, playing with a combat knife.
"I knew the winner would be you," a voice drawled.
Kael froze. He raised his wrench.
The figure stepped into the dim light. It was a woman. Short black hair, cold eyes, and a massive shield strapped to her back that looked too heavy for her slender frame.
[Player: Elara][Class: Guardian (Rank A)]
Kael narrowed his eyes. Elara. The "Iron Maiden" of his past life. One of the few people who hadn't treated him like trash. She was supposed to be in the library.
"You're the 'Anonymous' guy," Elara said, not asking. She pointed her knife at the helicopters. "You're not going with them?"
"They are dead men walking," Kael replied flatly. "And so are you, if you stay."
Elara stared at him for a long moment. Then she sheathed her knife.
"Take me with you."
"Why should I?"
"Because," Elara nodded toward the street behind Kael, where a massive horde of Zombies was shuffling toward the noise of the helicopters. "You have the damage. But you don't have a shield."
Kael looked at the horde. Then he looked at Elara's stats. She was Level 3. High Vitality.
He needed a tank. He couldn't dodge everything forever.
"Keep up," Kael said, turning around. "If you slow me down, I leave you behind."
Elara smirked, hoisting her shield. "Deal."