Before Stephen could even step back, the cacophony of gurgling and snapping ceased. An abrupt, pronounced silence followed as the creature became practically motionless.

The smile on its hideous face widened as its pale red eyes locked with Stephen’s.

The ghoulish figure tilted its head slightly, as if momentarily amused.

But if that was the case, it didn’t last long. Hunger and bloodlust quickly became the dominant emotions as it retracted its head.

Its thick throat muscles vibrated rapidly, releasing a feral, inhuman scream.

While all this happened over the last dozen seconds, Stephen confirmed there wasn’t even a sliver of internal energy remaining in his body. His condition had also deteriorated several levels in an instant.

However, the biggest problem was that in the process of all this happening, a disconnect formed between his body and mind. It reached the point where his own body felt alien.

In his mind, Stephen spat out spiteful words.

‘But trash is still trash. Zombified trash.’

Stephen didn’t feel the least bit threatened by the creature. He had encountered countless monsters throughout his life. So, instead of panicking, he merely stretched his body to further assess his own condition.

If there was one thing that was similar to before, it was his Awakened Ability, Oracle. While the nuances of Oracle evaded Stephen, he understood that at its core, it was an analytical ability. It heightened his senses and increased the speed of his thoughts.

Stephen was certain that this ability was now closed off from the [System], yet it appeared habits were hard to kill. Thus, sensing the possibility, he activated a pseudo, illegitimate form of Oracle.

‘I’m calm.’

Stephen repeated this to himself like a mantra, though he was actually feeling a bubbling anger that contained an undertone of futility. This wasn’t caused by the creature in front of him but by a variety of other reasons.

In particular, Stephen subconsciously became somewhat aware of an entity in a completely different state of existence from his own.

The Prince of Undeath — the Sixth Demon Lord.

By piecing together innumerable tidbits of knowledge, Stephen’s subconscious had picked up on the truth of the current situation. The realization hadn’t reached his consciousness yet; it was purposely severed as a self-protection mechanism.

Yet, for a brief moment, Stephen could feel a haughty gaze, and it felt like bugs were crawling under his skin and biting through his flesh. Its gaze was a reflective one, a response to Stephen’s subconscious.

Stephen felt blood begin to drip from his nose. The droplets were warm.

In fact, Stephen’s whole body was heating at an alarming rate. It made him feel nauseous to the point where he began to sway slightly.

Ignoring the signs of ability overload, Stephen’s vision darkened, allowing only necessary stimuli to enter his field of view. The stress on his body diminished as he focused solely on what was directly in front of him.

‘One step at a time,’ Stephen told himself, centering himself as information echoed in his mind. It was a method to deal with the recoil from Oracle.

‘It is 90 kilograms.’

No longer resembling a human, the ghoulish creature dashed forward, propelling itself with all four limbs. It almost crashed into the floor with the amount of force it used.

‘I’m cool, stoic,’ Stephen continued to talk to himself. The taste of bile at the back of his throat was pungent.

‘Seven meters per second.’

By this point, Stephen could visualize even the small movements of countless muscle fibers contracting and retracting, and with it, he could practically see the future trajectory of the beast.

Thoughts flitted at the back of Stephen’s mind, seemingly colliding with one another to create a cacophony of background noise.

‘We have to… run!’

‘Limited range of motion.’

While Stephen’s mind was a mix of analytical data and empty chatter, the world itself felt silent. His feet had already left the ground the instant the creature made him its target, leaving his thoughts like an unreliable echo relative to reality.

‘If I make it to the classroom, then I can definitely use those little shits as bait!’

This thought wasn’t even entertained. Stephen’s body was operating on a different level, bypassing thoughts and acting on raw data.

Stephen could almost envision the entirety of the creature's range of motions. It was as if multiple possibilities were forming and collapsing repeatedly.

Notably, the creature was blocking the door. There was no scenario where Stephen could get behind it unscathed.

Instead, Stephen was luring the creature away. It was a predator, and the best way to trap a predator was to act like prey.

Yet, plans were liable to change.

The creaking of a door opening reached Stephen’s ears, and it was followed by a familiar voice.

“P-peasant… there you are…”

‘This bitch’s timing…’

Unknowingly, Stephen smiled faintly as his body cooled slightly.

Sophia had remained unaware of the creature due to the state-of-the-art soundproofing of Bastion’s classrooms.

Thus, Stephen saw Sophia register the creature in real time.

First, Sophia tilted her head and blinked. Then, she yelped, which caused it to stop chasing Stephen. Evidently, the creature decided she was more appetizing.

Entertaining multiple discordant thoughts, Stephen turned around and sprinted at the creature. His Awakened Ability, Oracle, was technically obsolete after the System Reset, but having lived with it, his body seemed to remember. It felt like the vestiges of the lost power still trembled through him. Perhaps it was an illusion.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

At the same time, a voice that Stephen didn’t actually hear played at the back of his mind:

The creature reacts to sound. Its claws left marks on the tiled floor. Human flesh will be torn apart with one swing. No medical equipment remains untampered in the immediate vicinity. Is it an infection or a curse? Undeath? Potentially. How did it infiltrate the academy? What is the origin? Simultaneous? Has to be. There is more than one. Dormant? Underground?

“Don’t look down on us laborers!” Stephen shouted as he charged heroically.

Coincidentally, the sound of a door closing could be heard. Through the glass of the classroom door, Stephen made eye contact with Sophia.

‘Well, this is awkward.’

Instead of getting angry, Stephen smiled.

The chance of interference and risk of personnel damage is reduced. She chose the optimal option for self-preservation. However, the creature can break through the door. Immediate action is still required. Securing the safety of personnel is of paramount importance for the future.

Still oblivious to the voice, Stephen respected Sophia’s choice. She didn’t freeze in front of danger, though he presumed it was probably because she was dumb. However, maintaining an amicable relationship could lead to a potential ally.

Stephen refocused on himself. He wiped his nose with his sleeve. Although manageable, his body still felt like it was boiling.

But there was no fear, even when face to face with the monster. Avoiding a direct and fair confrontation was a matter of efficiency, not capability.

Stephen merely stopped in place, took a deep breath, and pulled a knife from his belt. It was the only weapon not stored in his pocket dimension, which was no longer accessible.

Things slowed down with that breath. With the momentum the creature possessed, if they crashed into each other, Stephen would be knocked off his feet.

This meant Stephen would not only potentially break something from the impact but would also become free game for the creature’s teeth.

After becoming its target once again, Stephen deduced that the creature’s objective was to bite him. The simplicity of the action reduced the threat. He didn’t have to directly worry about its claws.

So, while fully focused on the creature’s muscles, Stephen waited until the last moment. When the beast lunged forward, he dodged to the side with an explosive movement. Time sped up, and he saw the creature crash into the hard ground.

Before it could reorient itself, Stephen pounced on its back with his full weight, plunging the large knife into the back of the creature’s neck. He felt its body stiffen and its throat grow silent, yet he continued to stab the knife in and out of its neck until the creature’s head was practically severed from its body.

It twitched one last time. Dark blood continued to squirt from the wound, forming a pool beneath the corpse.

Stephen didn’t relax and wasted no time retrieving his knife from the creature’s flesh. Even before he stood up, he sensed something behind him, and based on its breathing pattern, it was not friendly.

Stephen decided to remain still and wait for the entity to respond first; however, a familiar voice could be heard once again.

“Fireball of Everlasting Love! Brute, I command you to burn to charcoal black.”

Stephen turned around and saw Sophia with her arm outstretched. Despite her confident words, strange chant, and bizarre pose, not even a fizzle emerged from her fingertips.

‘That’s kinda cute.’

Stephen’s thought didn’t refer to Sophia as a person or her actions. Instead, the impression of stupidity he received from it all created such a thought.

It appeared Sophia was trying to help him as well. Maybe it was due to a sense of guilt.

The spell had been directed at another creature sneaking up on Stephen. It was the body that the first creature had been feasting on. The existence of the second creature reinforced several hypotheses Stephen was entertaining.

Yet, at that moment, Stephen could only feel a sense of pity. Sophia, who was becoming self-aware, had one of her hands covering her face, which was growing into a deep shade of red. She wasn’t trying to hide her face; rather, her hand was already resting there because of the weird pose she had taken.

Nonetheless, indifferent to Sophia’s feelings, the creature turned its open mouth towards her. Her red face quickly turned pale, and her hands began to flail about. Incoherent stuttering could barely be heard coming from her lips.

In response to the tragic scene, Stephen tightened his muscles. Sophia was trying to close the door again. Somehow, he found it humorous.

‘Is she good bait?’

Stephen stepped forward, winding up his arm.

The creature lunged at Sophia with its jaw open.

The knife left Stephen’s hand. It spun and impaled itself into the creature’s head.

Stephen ran. The creature was only momentarily stopped. It snarled through the door, bringing its bloody maw closer to Sophia’s neck.

Stephen clicked his tongue. He wouldn’t make it in time. However, it didn’t matter.

Sophia somehow managed to grip the knife and drive it across the monster’s face. With the deep cut, it finally stopped, collapsing in the middle of the doorway.

“Ah fuck. This is disgusting,” Sophia complained, even though her white uniform somehow remained spotless.

At the same time, screams echoed from the adjacent classrooms. Students fled into the hallway, but the noises from all around suggested that such actions wouldn’t lead to an escape.

Meanwhile, many of the third-year students of Class A watched the unfolding events with amusement. Some laughed, and quite a few of them were smiling.

Many were battle junkies like Alex, and the itch in them had been stirred. More than likely, these individuals would soon depart to join the fun.

Another term for individuals who Awakened an ability was ‘Hunter’.

‘So, who is the prey and who is the hunter?’

Stephen knew the answer to this question, but he refused to accept it. He couldn’t accept it. In fact, oblivious to reality, Stephen ignored the countless error notifications that appeared all around him. He further ignored the internal screams that prophesied his own death.

When you stare into the Abyss, the Abyss gazes back.

While Stephen pondered the situation, another female student snickered, “It suits you.”

“Shut up, bitch,” Sophia growled.

Nobility, especially the higher-ranked nobles, did not need to adhere to social etiquette. As such, one moment they would act with feigned modesty, and the next, they were complete delinquents.

“Don’t worry, you are still as beautiful—”

A white-haired, soft-spoken student chimed in. His name was Neal, and he was the son of a prominent politician. His smile, demeanor, and words were as fake as could be.

“I’ll cut you.” Sophia, who was mainly paying attention to Stephen’s knife, gave Neal a violent look. The man raised his arms with a doleful expression that didn’t match his smiling eyes.

Stephen, apathetic to the students, pushed the door wide open, entered the classroom, and opened the palm of his hand. “Give it back.”

“What if I want to keep it?”

Stephen eyed the dark red, almost black, blood still lingering on the knife. He watched the way Sophia played with the blade.

If Sophia accidentally nicked herself, he had reason to believe it would result in her demise. He did not tell her this but instead gave her a polite smile.

“If the young miss behaves, then I promise to grant her a single favor.”

His heavy gaze met her glimmering maroon eyes.

“Anything…?”

“Anything,” Stephen confirmed. “I’m not one to lie.”

With an overtly perverted expression, Sophia returned the knife while blabbering about some rather concerning things. Her icy facade had shattered and was nowhere to be seen.

Stephen was aware that many eyes were on his movements. Of course, some were ignoring him and talking among themselves, but the magic instructor, a man named Philis, scrutinized his every move.

First, Stephen wiped his blade clean. Then, using the tip of one of his boots, he slowly kicked the corpse into the hallway.

Finally, he removed his upper jacket. With this last action, Stephen could feel a new kind of gaze. It was still the type that was appraising him, but now it was as if he were eye candy — or a trophy.

Stephen threw his jacket at Sophia.

“You can wipe any blood off with that.”

While Sophia’s uniform was clean, there was a bit of blood on her skin.

“This is satisfactory behavior, servant. I’m pleased…” Despite the prideful tone, Sophia muttered the words quietly.

Outside, the amount of screams increased, which was followed by the sound of stampeding feet. At the same time, sirens began to blare.

The emergency protocols had finally been activated.