It was just as she had said.

A large circular room awaited us when we turned the corner. The room had only one entrance—the one we came through—and one exit at the opposite end.

Where the corridor should have continued, a staircase led to an unknown place. If we walked a few dozen steps, we’d be climbing our way to the boss floor.

We’d only need to find a way to reach it without dying to the ten wargs sleeping on the ground throughout the room.

I glanced at Elk and Mary to signal for silence, but both already had wide eyes and shut mouths as they studied the scene.

I searched the room, trying to find another way. Tress was right: there was no way she and Mary could handle the monsters alone. Adding me and Elk to the mix didn’t seem to increase our odds much either.

There was one thing, though, that gave me hope.

Halfway to the exit, hugging the left wall of the expansive room, I spotted the outline of a rectangular door. Its cracks glowed yellow through the seemingly solid concrete wall.

I pointed in its direction and caught Elk’s gaze. He recognized it instantly and looked at me with approving eyes.

With the safe room close by, we might have a chance of surviving the encounter with the wargs. We’d just need a plan.

Tress, standing to my left, now held a giant bow made of pristine white wood. Its sheer size made it look nearly impossible to fire, but she held it low, an arrow already nocked. She stayed silent, waiting.

Elk had a similar expression—staff in hand, eyes focused on the creatures ahead but darting to me from time to time.

Were they expecting me to tell them what to do? I glanced at Mary. Her shoulders were tense, and a confused expression crossed her face.

They’re actually waiting for me.

I sighed and mouthed as silently as possible.“We’ll move closer to that side.” I pointed toward the safe room. It was too risky to take the time to explain what the safe room was, so they’d have to trust us. “When I command, you shoot.” I glanced at Elk and Tress, who nodded in agreement. “Mary and I will lead the way and protect you.”

As I uttered the last words, I heard movement ahead. My eyes darted through the sea of wargs lying on the ground until I spotted one lifting its head. This monster was particularly large, and while the others had beige-toned fur, this one’s coat was dark—almost black.

Its muscular body scanned the room, and as it turned toward us, we pressed ourselves against the wall of the corridor, hiding at the edge of the corner. I waited a few seconds before peeking back into the massive room. Not a single creature was looking in our direction.

We all exhaled deeply, and I silently counted to sixty before signaling for us to move again.

Twenty steps into the sea of enemies and about fifty from the safe room, I halted.

I gestured, counting down from three. When it reached 1, Elk’s fire burst from the tip of his staff, streaking toward one of the sleeping wargs.

The sudden attack startled Tress for only a moment before she let loose an arrow at another monster. A cry of pain pierced the air, followed by the desperate howl of a beast engulfed in flames.

Every eye turned to us. The creatures stood, their necks swiveling, their fur bristling, and growls growing louder by the second.

“Don’t stop!” I shouted, looking at Tress and Elk, who were already unleashing a fire serpent and a volley of arrows.

My voice jolted the creatures into motion. As they charged toward us, we ran toward the safe room, now tantalizingly close.

Mary stayed at my side, slightly ahead, her massive shield strapped to her left arm. She gripped the handle on its edge tightly as she sprinted.

I caught sight of another warg collapsing, its fur ablaze, and one more with arrows lodged in its neck. But for each one that fell, another took its place.

The original ten quickly swelled to at least fifteen.

I swore under my breath as I unleashed a lightning bolt toward the mass of monsters.

The first beast crashed into Mary’s shield, and she shoved it aside with fierce determination. As it fell to the ground on its side, I followed quickly and stabbed it in the neck. Retracting my blade just in time proved wise, as another set of jaws snapped shut where I had been a second earlier.

Mary slammed her shield down on the creature’s head, the sickening crunch of its skull turning to pulp echoing near her feet.

Our sprint slowed to a tense walk as more beasts lunged at us, their fangs aiming for our necks. Mary struggled to push them off, each attack a desperate bid to keep us moving.

We hugged the right wall, the safe room inching closer, but our pursuers’ relentlessness grew with every step.

I caught glimpses of some wargs breaking off, either chasing Elk’s illusions or fleeing from his fire serpent, now a chaotic force on the battlefield. But the reprieve was short-lived. Among the chaos, I saw the dark warg yanking its companions by the neck and throwing them toward us.

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That creature was disturbingly smart.

Ding!

Congratulations! You have slain Warg F7.

The system messages flickered before my eyes as we felled beasts, but I ignored them. My focus stayed on dodging attacks and discharging lightning bolts into the horde.

As their numbers thinned, their approach shifted.

The wargs stopped their reckless assault. Our position against the wall, combined with Mary’s towering shield, had proven too challenging. They adjusted, forming a semicircle around us, keeping just enough distance to evade Elk’s fire but staying within striking range.

Arrows could still reach them, I thought—until I glanced at Tress and saw her bow was gone. She now held a short sword, her arrows likely spent.

From the pack, the dark warg erupted forward. It was at least two hands taller than the largest of its kin, its fur gleaming under the dim light. The beast was built like a bull, muscles rippling beneath its coat, and its glistening teeth dripped with saliva.

The intelligence in its eyes hadn’t faded, though it was clouded by a grimace of pure hatred. It lowered its snout to the ground, sniffing the blood of its fallen companions, snarling as it sized us up.

As the creature put on its show of dominance, we continued edging toward the safe room. Only five feet separated us from sanctuary, but charging blindly was not an option.

The wargs had us surrounded in a perfect formation for a coordinated strike. Seven of them remained, and we couldn’t handle all at once.

“Come, bastards!” I snarled, stepping just beyond Mary’s reach—one step closer to the door.

One of the nearest wargs lunged forward, its snarl growing louder. It crouched low, preparing to attack and destroy the alpha’s plan for a coordinated strike. But before it could pounce, the alpha leapt at it, clamping its jaws around the smaller warg’s neck and hurling it backward.

This was our chance.

We quickened our pace. As Elk’s hand touched the door on the wall, a new message appeared before my eyes.

Single-Use Safe Room will open in ten seconds. Only one party can enter.

10...

Damn, we don’t have ten seconds.

9...

The monster shifted its focus back to me, its drool mixing with the blood of its companion.

8...

Stay there just a little longer, I pleaded silently as the creature crouched, mirroring the posture of the one before it.

7...

It snarled one last time and took a step forward.

6...

The monster lunged at me, slamming into Mary’s shield. But this time, its weight drove her to the ground.

5...

I plunged my blade into the alpha’s shoulder with every ounce of strength I could muster. Just as I readied my wand for another strike, something heavy crashed into my side.

4...

A warg tore into my shoulder, its teeth ripping through flesh as it snarled and growled. I screamed, desperate to channel a lightning strike from my wand. When it finally discharged, another creature howled far to my left.

3...

Tress thrust her sword at the beast clinging to me and it hurled away with incredible force. She helped me stand as Elk swung his staff in wide arcs, the flames at its tip keeping three wargs at bay.

2...

The alpha continued its relentless assault on Mary, who crouched beneath her massive shield, crying out in desperation. Just as the beast was about to overpower her, I threw myself at it, tackling it away from her.

1...

The alpha rose to its feet as I stumbled back, its snarls growing more ferocious. But as it glanced around, seeing half its pack dead or cowering, its resolve began to waver.

Safe Room is open.

The voice echoed as the rectangular door glowed brighter and swung inward. Mary was the first to slip inside, with Tress close behind her.

Elk retreated slowly, leaving behind an illusion of himself still swinging fire to distract the frightened creatures. I lingered, staring down the alpha, its burning desire for blood compelling it to take a few tentative steps forward.

“We’re inside,” Elk called, his voice steady despite knowing I couldn’t look back.

At his signal, I rushed into the room, turning immediately to close the door. I stood in the middle, Elk to my right and Tress to my left, both bracing against the heavy door’s edge.

The door began to shut automatically, but it moved far too slowly. No matter how hard we pushed, we couldn’t speed it up.

I heard the creature leap and, in a flash, I imagined it tearing into Tress’s exposed neck.

I shoved her aside just as the monster’s face appeared in the doorway. I tried to elbow it, but the warg was too strong.

As our struggle intensified, so did the monster’s. I felt its teeth violently tearing into the flesh near the spot where the other warg had bitten me. I ignored the pain and the dizziness clouding my head as my legs threatened to give out beneath me.

I tried to step away from the door, looked at the monster… but it was already dead? Tress stood with her sword buried in its neck as the door swung shut.

Ding! Congratulations! You have slain Alpha Warg F5.

Ding! Congratulations! Your soul core has been upgraded.

Calculating…

General Rank upgraded.

Constitution upgraded (2).

Strength upgraded (2).

Magic upgraded.

Mana upgraded.

Speed upgraded.

New Stats:

Subject: Zach Walker

Race: Human (Earth)

Class: Mage, Rogue

Merged Class: Undergoing calculations

General Rank: F5

Constitution: F5

Magic: F4

Mana: F4

Speed: F3

Strength: F4

You achieved Rank F5. You may now select a new shard skill.

Choose:

Common - [Lightning Hook]

Rare - [Lightning Momentum]

Common - [Stealth Strike]

The messages blurred before my eyes. How had the monster died? Why was I on the ground?

“I think it hit an artery,” a feminine voice called beside me. Was it Mary? She sounded so worried. “There’s too much blood. Do something! He’s going to die!”

Why is she so worried? I thought, as darkness embraced me.