The narrow maintenance tunnel leading toward the North Wing was lit only by flickering emergency backup strips.
"Forty-eight hostiles left in the East Wing," the First Player whispered, testing the grip of his corrosive spear.
"The ROTC armory should be located past the obstacle course."
"Let's move quickly before the ambient mana draws more roaming packs into this hallway."
"Every second spent walking is a second the monsters use to regroup."
His heightened Perception detected four dense mana signatures lingering inside the firing range storage facility thirty paces ahead.
"Those aren't standard adult hounds," he muttered, noting the thick vibrational frequency of their heartbeats.
"These are mutated Alpha specimens guarding the armory."
"Are they guarding the weapons or nesting near the mana node?"
"Either way, they are standing directly between me and fresh ammunition."
"Let's see what the system appraisal says about their capabilities."
He activated his appraisal skill through the keyhole of the reinforced double doors to inspect the targets.
[ Target Identified: Alpha Gobdog x4 (Rank E-) | HP: 280/280 | Armored Hide | Pack Leadership Aura ]
"Rank E- minus predators," the dark-haired youth whispered, observing the spiky bone armor plating their shoulders.
"This is the perfect opportunity to test Fatal Strike."
"Four of them huddled together... a frontal assault is the fastest way to clear them."
"I will catch the lead Alpha completely off guard."
He quietly unholstered his service pistol, confirming the three remaining brass rounds nestled inside the magazine.
"I will save my bullets for emergencies and open with an ambush."
"Let's see if their bone armor can withstand twenty-five points of piercing damage."
"Brace yourselves, ugly freaks!"
He gripped the handle with eighteen points of Strength, violently wrenching the deadbolt from its socket.
The door flew open with a thunderous crash, revealing the spacious ROTC armory lined with target silhouettes and locked cages.
Four massive Alpha hounds spun around, their muscular bodies covered in obsidian bone plates as their gaze flared.
"Grrrk—!" the lead Alpha roared, raising its spiked front paw to signal a synchronized pack pounce.
"Too late, beast!"
"Taste the power of the First Player!"
"Fatal Strike... activate!"
The First Player triggered `[Fatal Strike]`, funneling fifteen units of mana into the Corrosive Acid Spear in a blinding burst.
A bright golden aura wrapped around the pointed tip, highlighting the fragile seam between the Alpha's armored neck plates.
He thrust the spear with blistering speed, the enhanced piercing power driving the blade clean through the beast's spinal column.
A loud thunderous crack echoed through the armory as the Alpha's head was severed from its shoulders in one blow.
Corrosive green sparks sizzled across the floor as the massive predator collapsed before it could take a single step.
[ Critical Hit! Fatal Strike Damage Applied: 420 Physical Piercing + Acid Dissolution ]
[ Hostile Slayed: Alpha Gobdog (Rank E-) | Experience Value: +40 EXP ]
[ Subzone Quest Update: 1x Hostile Cleared | Remaining Signatures: 47 ]
"That is the power of Fatal Strike," the youth murmured in awe, feeling the immense physical recoil dissipate.
"One strike... four hundred and twenty points of critical damage!"
"Who is next in line to lose their head?"
"Step right up, mutts!"
The remaining three Alpha beasts snarled in fury, lunging simultaneously from three distinct angles to tear him apart.
The Alpha on the left leaped toward his throat, while the center beast snapped at his unarmored midsection.
"Try keeping up with sixteen points of Agility!"
"You mutts are far too slow!"
"I can read your movements before you even jump!"
The First Player ducked beneath the center hound's jaws, sliding across the smooth linoleum with fluid grace.
He drove his left elbow upward into the left beast's ribs, fracturing its bone armor with eighteen points of Strength.
As the creature tumbled, he spun the acid spear in a tight circle, burying the point into the center beast's eye socket.
"Eat acid, you freak!"
"Dissolve from the inside out!"
The corrosive paste liquefied the predator's brain cavity instantly, and the second Alpha dropped dead across the shooting bench.
[ Hostile Slayed: Alpha Gobdog (Rank E-) | Experience Value: +40 EXP ]
[ Subzone Quest Update: 1x Hostile Cleared | Remaining Signatures: 46 ]
"Two Alphas down... two more to go!"
"Come on, show me what else you have!"
The third Alpha leaped onto his back from behind, digging its front claws into his denim jacket with frantic force.
"Get off my back—!"
"You think you can bite through eighteen points of Endurance?"
"Let's see how you like being crushed against solid steel!"
The dark-haired youth slammed his back violently against the reinforced gun safe, crushing the beast against the solid wall.
The Alpha wheezed in pain as its ribs compressed, loosening its grip on his shoulders for a fraction of a second.
The First Player drew his tactical knife from his waistband, driving the blade backward beneath the monster's lower jaw.
"Die!"
"Go to sleep forever, mutt!"
The blade pierced through the roof of its mouth, severing its nervous system and ending its struggles in an instant.
[ Hostile Slayed: Alpha Gobdog (Rank E-) | Experience Value: +40 EXP ]
[ Subzone Quest Update: 1x Hostile Cleared | Remaining Signatures: 45 ]
"That leaves only one cowardly hound standing."
"Where do you think you are going?"
The injured fourth Alpha backed away toward the ammunition cages, whimpering as its fractured ribs clicked painfully.
"Are you trying to surrender now, mutt?" the youth taunted, wiping blood from his cheek.
"Dungeons don't take prisoners... and neither do I!"
"Accept your fate like a good little monster!"
"Fatal Strike... execute!"
He channeled another fifteen mana points into `[Fatal Strike]`, lunging forward in a low thrust that pierced the Alpha's heart.
The final Alpha shuddered violently before dissolving into golden particles and leaving a glowing pile of loot on the floor.
[ Hostile Slayed: Alpha Gobdog (Rank E-) | Experience Value: +40 EXP ]
[ Subzone Quest Update: 1x Hostile Cleared | Remaining Signatures: 44 ]
[ Current Level: 3 (EXP: 200/300) ]
[ Rare Loot Drop Identified: 1x Rank E Beast Core | 3x Rank F Beast Cores ]
[ Equipment Dropped: Reinforced Kevlar Stalker Vest (Rank F+) ]
"An equipment drop from a mini-boss pack?" the youth said, picking up the sleek charcoal tactical vest.
"Let's see what kind of defensive stats this armor provides."
[ Item: Reinforced Kevlar Stalker Vest (Rank F+) | Physical Defense: +15 | Slash Resistance: +20% | Concealed Holster Included ]
"Fifteen physical defense points," he noted with a broad smile, immediately strapping the ballistic vest over his shirt.
"Now I can take direct claw strikes without risking serious injury."
"This vest fits like a second skin."
"Let's check the durability of these seams."
He tapped the reinforced chest plate with his knuckle, feeling the hardened composite layers absorb the vibration.
"That will stop slashing claws and shrapnel effortlessly."
"Now let's crack open that weapons safe."
He walked over to the instructor's locked safe behind the firing range desk, inspecting the electronic keypad.
"Eighteen points of Strength means I don't need a numeric code," he whispered, wedging his crowbar into the seam.
"Let's pry this steel cabinet wide open."
"Bend and break, metal door!"
He leaned all his physical power into the lever, and the reinforced safe door snapped off its locking bolts with a loud crack.
Inside rested four sealed cardboard boxes of military-grade 9mm hollow-point ammunition and two spare polymer magazines.
"Look at all this fresh ammunition!" he exclaimed, tearing open the first box of cartridges.
"Sixteen rounds of 9mm hollow-points and two spare magazines!"
"These hollow-points will expand on impact and tear through unarmored beast organs."
[ Items Acquired: 16x 9mm Hollow-Point Cartridges | 2x Standard 9mm Magazines ]
[ Total Ammunition: 20 Rounds (4/8 Loaded | 16 Reserve) ]
"Twenty rounds of ammunition in reserve," the First Player said, loading one magazine to capacity and holstering it.
"My firepower just quadrupled in five minutes."
"Now I can handle whatever elite monsters are lurking in the clocktower."
"Let's see what tools are in the workshop."
He raided the workshop tool rack, grabbing two high-tensile steel cables and a pair of industrial bolt cutters for utility.
"These steel cables will allow me to set lethal tripwire traps in the stairwells."
"And the bolt cutters will open any locked security gate on campus."
"A prepared hunter is an unstoppable hunter."
"Everything I need for the upcoming boss raid is assembled."
"I should also grab a spare cleaning kit for the pistol," he noted, tossing a bottle of gun oil into his pocket.
"Keeping the slide lubricated prevents dangerous jams in the middle of battle."
"And I have plenty of spare monster cores stored safely in my vest pockets."
Suddenly, a violent psychic shockwave reverberated through the building, setting off distant emergency alarms across the city.
A sinister red system alert flashed across his vision, accompanied by the tolling of three distant clocktower bells.
[ World Awakening System Alert: Dungeon Boss Initiating 'Final Horde Convergence' ]
[ All remaining hostiles in Zone 004 are migrating toward the Central Clocktower ]
"The boss is calling all remaining monsters together for a final siege," the First Player said, gripping his spear.
"Forty-four monsters remaining in this wing."
"Time to head to the central junction and hunt down the rest of the pack before they form an army."
"Let's see what other survivors are fighting in the corridors."
"Anyone who can hold their ground against that horde will make a valuable ally."
"I won't let the Dungeon Boss consolidate its strength without a fight."
"Let's move out right now!"
He slung his bolt cutters over his shoulder, adjusted his new Kevlar vest, and sprinted back toward the central stairwell.
"The clocktower is next on my purge list."