With the first massive wave stopped at the threshold, the bottleneck finally opened up. The remaining monsters inside the lecture hall scrambled over the bodies of their fallen pack, claws slipping and scraping through the blood pooling across the tile floor, trying to force their way into the corridor. Snarls and the wet crack of breaking bone echoed off the stone walls, mixing with the ragged shouting of the students still holding their ground. The battle was no longer just a defensive stand at the door—it had spread across the entire hallway, spears and claws clashing on every side, bodies pressed close in the narrow space.
Michael’s eyes darted across the room, his high willpower assessing the chaos, picking out every shift in the fight as soon as it happened. While Rashid and Maximilian anchored the heavy center as always, their spears never once breaking rhythm, and Jonas, Lukas, Jakob, David, and Sarah had already locked down their own corners from the previous clash, the remaining awakened Level 3s—who hadn’t yet gotten their moment during this hallway fight—unleashed their own talents to handle the rest.
On the right side, Amir Al-Sayed stepped up. His eyes were cold and focused as a mutated fox rushed toward him, fur matted with old blood, saliva dripping from its jaws. He activated his [Momentum Burst], instantly amplifying his speed into a blinding flash. With a brutal, high-speed thrust, his iron-tipped spear cut through the air, piercing straight into the monster’s front shoulder and pinning it heavily against the granite wall.
The Level 3 beast roared in fury, thrashing violently to break free, its claws raking deep gouges into the wall. Blood ran black down its fur where the spear had torn through muscle. It was far too durable to die from a single strike to the shoulder.
“Now! Finish it!” Amir shouted, straining to hold the shaft steady.
Hearing his call, Julian “Jules” Nowak and Elena “Leni” Becker acted immediately. Overcoming their panic, the two Level 2s lunged forward in tandem. They drove their wooden spears deep into the trapped monster’s exposed throat and flank, dark blood spraying hot across their arms. The combined weight of their thrusts finally punctured its vitals, and the creature went limp with a heavy gurgle, its head dropping against the stone.
Right next to them, Matteo Rossi worked to trap the next target. Moving with fluid rhythm, he engaged a snapping hound-fox, executing his [Rhythmic Thrust]. With each rapid, successful strike, his attack speed stacked higher and higher, the spear tip tearing through muscle and hide. It wanted to retaliate but Fabian Lindt and Valerie Wagner stepped in and hinderd it with spear thrusts. Together they forced the beast back and shredded its front defenses until it was forced to its knees, blood pooling beneath it.
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The creature thrashed blindly on the floor, still trying to bite, teeth snapping shut on empty air. Instantly, Fabian and Valerie didn’t hesitate, driving their iron spear tips straight into the monster’s unarmored flank over and over again, the wet, heavy sound of metal punching through flesh repeating until the system notifications finally popped up in their vision.
On the left side, the utility and support fighters—Sophie Dupont, Mei-Ling Zhou, and Elena Petrova—were actively forcing their way into the fray, spears raised against the press of snarling bodies, boots sliding on the blood-slick floor. They couldn’t afford to just watch; they needed to secure their own experience points to keep pace with the group’s progress.
Sophie Dupont pressed her hand to her ear, utilizing her [Environmental Radar] to track a wounded, thrashing beast trying to break past them. “It’s blind on the left side! Move in!” she directed, lunging forward herself to plant her spear tip firmly into the monster’s front leg, anchoring its position as it howled and twisted against the shaft.
Elena Petrova acted instantly. She targeted Sophie, activating her [Stat Transfer] to pump a surge of her own stamina directly into her ally, keeping Sophie’s grip iron-tight against the creature’s struggles. At the same time, Mei-Ling Zhou stepped right into the danger zone, close enough to feel its hot breath against her skin. Relying completely on her [Cellular Regeneration] to erase any possible minor scratches or backlash from the fray, Mei-Ling drove her spear down into the beast’s flank.
The three support members held the creature locked down, thrashing and snapping beneath them, but they didn’t try to finish it alone. They needed to share the bounty.
“Newcomers, deliver the final blow!” Elena yelled over the din.
Sebastian Krauss, Tobi Berger, Alina Sokolov, and Mira Demir rushed the pinned, flailing beast together. Moving almost as one, the four of them swarmed the creature, driving a rapid succession of coordinated stabs into its chest and underbelly, each strike opening a fresh wound until the floor beneath it turned dark and slick. The beast let out one last, choked snarl before its body went still. The heavy, combined assault ensured the final kill, letting the experience points spread evenly between the support fighters and the newcomers.
By the time the last monster fell, the hallway was completely quiet, save for the heavy breathing of the students and the steady dripping of dark blood pooling between the bodies. The air hung thick with the copper smell of blood and the sharper stench of torn organs. Arms shook from exhaustion, and more than one student sank against the wall, spear still gripped tight in trembling hands.
Michael stood at the center, his iron tip resting on the stone floor, his detached gaze sweeping over the survivors. The whole group of thirteen—Michael as the leader, the two who’d anchored the center, and the ten awakened fighters—stood firm and completely untouched, while the newcomers at the edges were finally covered in the warm, golden light of their incoming system notifications. Everything had gone exactly as he’d planned.
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