Leo ran for his life, the screeches of the antlings sharp behind him.

  Panting from the effort, he risked a glance over his shoulder. They were still coming, with absolutely no sign of slowing down.

  With no knowledge of how far he needed to go to outrun them, he slammed his free point into Endurance. The act gave him a second wind for a brief moment.

  Cutting into a new street, he noticed the buildings here were in far better shape than the shattered ruins he’d been running through. He quickly scanned for any place to hide.

  A shout caught his ear from a house on the left.

  “In here, kid! Quick!”

  Leo skidded to a stop, turning toward the voice.

  A burly man stood just inside the doorway. Balding, with a thick, well-kept brown beard, he looked to be in his forties and completely out of place.

  He wore full plate armour, a large shield strapped to his back, and a longsword at his hip. He looked like a knight ripped straight out of the Middle Ages.

  He gestured urgently. “Hurry!”

  Leo didn’t need to be told twice.

  He sprinted toward the man, who stepped aside just in time for Leo to slide past and into the house. The man ducked behind the wall just as the antlings skittered into the street.

  Inside, Leo barely had time to catch his breath before noticing the others. A small group of people stood in the room, each dressed in wildly different attire.

  He focused and used Identify.

  Each returned the same message:

  Human - Level 1

  A young man in rogue-style gear hissed under his breath, voice sharp with panic.

  “What the hell, Bjorn?! Why did you do that? They’re all gonna come for us now! We’re all going to die!”

  The armoured man, Bjorn apparently, snapped back with a sharp “Shh!” without taking his eyes off the street outside.

  Leo stayed low and crept to the door, crouching opposite Bjorn. He peeked through a crack in the framework.

  The antlings were still searching, antennae twitching, skittering over broken stone. Their heads turned in every direction. Scanning.

  Then, suddenly, all three locked onto the house. And began rushing towards it.

  Bjorn didn’t hesitate to sound the alarm.

  “Here they come! Get ready!” he shouted, drawing his sword and unhooking the shield from his back in one smooth motion.

  He stepped into the doorway, took a wide, solid stance, and roared at the charging insects.

  Two of them shimmered briefly with a reddish glow and immediately zeroed in on him.

  “Two are on me!” he called back. “The third’s still coming!”

  “We’re gonna die! You’ve doomed us all!” the rogue shouted, panic in his voice. He raised one of his steel daggers, pointing it directly at Leo.

  “Jasper enough!” Bjorn snapped, still watching the antlings. “We outnumber them two to one. Fight if you want to live!”

  Fighting within the confines of the house would be rough, but if they were lucky, they could funnel the bugs through the doorway.

  The last man in the room stepped forward and opened the intact window shutter next to Leo. He drew a bow and took aim at one of the approaching antlings.

  His face looked calm—young, but steady. His hands, though, trembled just slightly as he pulled back the string.

  The others began drawing weapons too, preparing for the inevitable fight with nervous haste.

  A young woman stood with a two-handed sword, dressed in basic warrior armour. A bit across from her were two robed women. One holding a wand, the other with seemingly nothing.

  So… a warrior and 2 mages, maybe. Leo guessed.

  That should be enough firepower to win—hopefully without casualties.

  But as Leo looked at their faces, he realised something.

  These people might’ve never fought in their lives.

  He clenched his fists.

  He’d protect them if he could. If this went wrong, he’d be the one to take the worst of it. Already, he’d managed to kill one. He could do it again.

  The archer loosed an arrow, sailing wide. It missed the glowing red antling entirely. Either inexperience or nerves causing the misfire.

  The lead ant didn’t slow. It charged headlong into Bjorn, who stood braced in the doorway, shield raised. If he could hold the line, only one ant would be able to enter at a time.

  But he wasn’t the only one who underestimated the force of the charge.

  The antling slammed into him, shield-first, and knocked him clean off his feet. Bjorn crashed backward into the room, the doorway now wide open.

  Mandibles clamped down on his shield, scraping and grinding as the creature tried to crush through it. Bjorn struggled to angle his sword into the ant’s body, but from the floor, he couldn’t get the leverage.

  Leo moved in.

  He dropped low, fist drawn back, mana flaring around his arm in a dim white glow. With a shout, he smashed his fist into the ant’s side.

  The impact cracked its shell and sent it flying back a few feet.

  His newly enhanced stats surged through him. He was stronger, faster—not by much, but enough to matter.

  Another ant entered his peripheral vision, rushing toward Bjorn. The red glow of the taunt still pulsed faintly around it.

  Leo pivoted hard, turning on his heel. He spun his body and backhanded the second Antling with a mana-charged fist, just like he’d practiced at the dojo.

  It wasn’t a strong hit, but it was enough to knock it off its trajectory. It slammed to the floor beside its companion with a small crack in its faceplate.

  The warrior woman moved alongside Leo. She raised her two-handed sword and brought it down in a clean arc toward the first antling’s neck.

  But the creature reacted fast, skittering forward. Her blade sliced through the lower half of its body instead, carving open a deep gash in its carapace.

  The ant shrieked and turned toward her. Whatever skill Bjorn had used was either wearing off or the pain had jolted it out of its focus on Bjorn.

  Jasper had edged closer but hadn’t committed to the fight.

  One of the robed women, eyes closed in concentration or fear, raised her wand.

  A crackle of ocean-blue light shot from the tip.

  The bolt whipped past Leo’s head in a blur, barely missing him as he dropped low, and struck the antling just outside the door square in its eye.

  The insect shrieked, louder than the others, and surged forward with terrifying speed.

  Leo’s eyes snapped to it, and he used Identify.

  Lesser Antling - Level 5

  “Careful! It’s a higher level!” Leo shouted from his prone position.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  The enraged ant barreled toward the mage who’d fired the bolt with bloodlust in its remaining eye. Her eyes widened in complete horror as her legs failed her.

  She froze—hands trembling, mouth open—but no scream came.

  Leo pushed himself to move, heart hammering. He should’ve reacted faster. Should’ve seen it coming. Should’ve stopped it.

  But hindsight didn’t save her.

  All he could do was hope she dodged.

  The other robed woman grabbed her by the arm and yanked her to the side. It helped—but not enough.

  The ant’s mandibles sliced deep into the mage’s torso. Her robe might as well have been paper as they clamped shut.

  She crumpled, a gurgling scream of pain ripping out as blood sprayed across the floor. She coughed thick red onto the stone, her body twitching.

  “No, no, no! Please don't die!” the other woman screamed. Her hands glowed with a soft light as she knelt over the mage, radiant green energy pouring into the wound.

  The gash began to close slowly but visibly—healing magic.

  The ant did not care for such magic.

  It reared up, mandibles wide, aiming to finish them both in one ravenous assault.

  The healer shut her eyes, bracing for death while continuing her healing. In doing so, she did one thing that mattered most.

  She bought time.

  Leo assaulted the antling with a full-force, mana-infused dropkick. Both feet slammed into its body, launching it across the room and into the stone wall with a loud crack.

  He hit the ground and rolled, fury burning through his chest. Anger surged, hot and unrestrained.

  He wanted to protect these people. They hadn’t even had a chance to level up, to train, to fight. They weren’t ready.

  But he was.

  Or, at least he wanted to be.

  Whether it was reckless confidence or just a full-blown hero complex, Leo didn’t care. The young fighter stood up.

  The ant was still alive even if it looked one hit away from cracking like an egg. Carapace all but shattered by the devastating blows. Its eye twitched where the mage’s bolt had struck earlier.

  Leo didn’t wait for it to move, he closed the distance and struck out hard.

  But the ant dodged with shocking speed, lashing out with jagged swings of its mandibles. Cuts opened on Leo’s arms, legs and even across his ribs. He traded blows as best he could, but the level gap was real.

  Still, his higher Vitality kept him standing where others would have fallen.

  If he could land a few clean hits, it’d be over. Or at least turn the tides long enough to get help from others.

  An arrow thudded into the ant’s side, slipping through a cracked plate and causing green blood to spurt out.

  It screeched, body twisting in pain towards the direction of the shot.

  Leo didn’t miss the opening.

  He stepped in, driving his knee upward into the creature's head. As it snapped back, he spun, landing a back kick directly on its face.

  It hit the wall again with a sickening crunch and slumped.

  Leo panted, his stamina almost gone. His limbs felt like lead weights as he held them up.

  Please stay down.

  The ant twitched, a single leg at first then all of them. It started to rise again.

  Oh no you don't.

  Leo stomped forward and brought his foot down with all the strength he had left. A Mana Strike straight to the head.

  The crunch of finality sounded. Boot met ant and the boot won.

  Breathing hard, Leo stood over the remains before him. One down.

  But the fight wasn’t over yet. He was low on stamina, low on mana and high on urge to help. He worriedly glanced behind him towards the rest of the battle.

  Thankfully, the rest of the group had handled things pretty well.

  One Lesser Antling lay dead. The last one was barely standing, an arrow in its eye, another embedded in its back. Bjorn stood in front of it, bloodied but upright, still holding its attention like a true tank would.

  It lunged weakly. Bjorn knocked it aside with his shield.

  The warrior woman stepped in and brought her sword down in a clean overhead slash. The ant’s head hit the ground with a dull thud.

  System messages appeared:

  You have slain: Lesser Antling – Level 5

  Experience increased for defeating a higher-level enemy

  +10 Store Credits

  You have slain: Lesser Antling – Level 2

  Experience Gained

  +1 Store Credit

  You have slain: Lesser Antling – Level 3

  Experience increased for defeating a higher-level enemy

  +2 Store Credits

  Your Pugilist class has reached level 3

  Stat points distributed

  +1 Free Point

  Leo collapsed to the floor, completely and utterly spent. His stamina was nearly gone, and blood stained his clothes in a dozen places.

  His health bar sat just under half. The slices and scratches the ant had inflicted were starting to take their toll, each breath heavier than the last. He doubted anyone in this room, aside maybe Bjorn, could have withstood the assault.

  A sharp voice cut through the quiet like an alarm.

  “What the fuck was that?!" Jasper snapped. "Why’d you bring him here, Bjorn? You nearly got us all killed, you-"

  "That's enough, Jasper!" Bjorn cut in. "What's done is done. Stop whining."

  Jasper froze clearly taken aback. "Sorry. I didn't—" He fumbled for words, then went silent. Like he was looking for a retort.

  Leo got a better look at him then. Shorter than Leo, maybe around the same age. Scraggly brown hair, pale, sharp face, and a jittery posture that screamed insecurity.

  Bjorn waved him down out of view, one hand pressed to his injured side.

  “Also, keep your voice down, idiot,” he said in a loud whisper. “Were you trying to bring more of them?”

  Then calmer but firm, he continued. "I did what I thought was right. And I'm glad I did. The kid handled himself like he'd been fighting monsters long before this shit happened."

  He glanced at Leo.

  "He's also the highest level among us. We're gonna need that kind of strength if we want to survive the next sixty days. So enough whining."

  Jasper opened his mouth to argue again, but a sharp look from Bjorn shut him up fast.

  Leo blinked at the praise, a strange warmth stirring in his chest. He didn’t know this man, but the words settled somewhere deep, filling a hollow he didn’t know was there.

  Bjorn walked over to the two robed women.

  “Amy,” he said gently. “How is she?”

  Amy—the healer—looked pale and drained, her hands still glowing with the same green light, only now more faint and flickering.

  “She’s unconscious. But she’ll live. I can’t do this much longer though I’m running out of that “mana” stuff, so healing everyone else will take a while.”

  She looked at Leo.

  “Thank you,” she said, voice tired yet firm. “For helping me. For saving my sister. I’m sorry I can’t heal you yet. You holding up okay? I can use one of those potions if you really need it.”

  Leo finally took in her features. Strawberry blonde hair and a soft but exhausted expression. Red eyes from crying, she radiated a kind but confident feeling.

  He looked at her sister—same height, deeper red hair, sharper features, but clearly family.

  “Yeah. No worries,” he said. “I’ve got high Vitality. I’ll be fine. Don’t waste a potion. I can always take my own if things get bad.”

  She gave him a tired smile. The tears had stopped, but her eyes still shimmered.

  Leo sat back and let his resources refill slowly. He couldn’t help but reflect on the last few hours.

  He’d nearly died… twice. But the thrill of the fight, of getting stronger, was undeniable. Just like in games… only more intense. Much more addictive when you can feel the power increase through your own veins. That rush was dangerous.

  His eyes drifted to the archer by the window—the man who’d saved him.

  Young, maybe early twenties like himself. Cropped black hair, trimmed beard, lean but muscular. He looked like someone who worked outdoors but kept to himself.

  Leo wearily pushed himself up and walked over.

  “Hey man. Thanks for the shot earlier. That probably saved my life. I’m Leo.”

  He held out a hand. The archer turned and nodded. “Ron.”

  He bumped fists with Leo instead of shaking his hand which left Leo awkwardly palming his fist.

  Leo blinked, then tried to cough off the awkward first handshake.

  “So,” Leo asked, trying to keep the convo going. “Have you used a bow before, or did the system help with that? Like increasing your aim or something.”

  Ron gave a grunt. “Mmh.”

  … Great.

  Leo opened his mouth to ask which question that meant, but Bjorn’s laughter interrupted, hearty and louder than expected.

  “Don’t bother, kid. I’ve worked with Ron for years. Still barely know anything about him. Man doesn’t like to talk. But he's solid.”

  Leo nodded. “Did you all know each other before this?”

  “Some of us. I work at the steel mill with Ron and Jasper here. The rest seem to be from the same town. Amy and her sister Lena ran a tailoring business. And I haven’t gotten a word out of Miss Quiet over there.”

  He nodded toward the woman with the greatsword.

  Leo followed his gaze—and froze.

  She was striking. Brown shoulder-length hair. Tall, maybe five-nine. Strong posture that radiated elegance and superiority.

  But her eyes…

  Silver in hue, piercing and transfixing. He knew those eyes. He’d seen them at the restaurant just before the system hit.

  Her brow lifted, just slightly, but enough to know she recognised him too.

  Leo quickly looked away, cringing internally at the memory of that awkward dinner.

  God, did his coworkers end up here too?

  Bjorn’s voice brought him back to reality.

  “What about you, kid? What’d you do before all this? You fight like some kind of super ninja.” He mimed some karate chops before clutching his side again, wincing.

  Leo chuckled. “IT specialist. I was out at a place called Asano’s for a company dinner when it all kicked off.”

  He shrugged. “Not a ninja, sadly. Just spent a lot of time training at Boyd’s gym. Martial arts was kind of my thing. Good way to keep in shape.”

  Bjorn raised an eyebrow. “Martial arts gym? Never heard of one in town. I have heard of Asano’s though. Fancy place that.”

  He hesitated, his eyes drifting off like he was somewhere else for a moment before it passed and he continued.

  “Not really somewhere I’d take the kids. My missus’d love it, though.”

  His face darkened. “God, I hope they’re okay. I hope they’re not getting killed by some damned insect.”

  He slapped his cheeks lightly and took a steadying breath. Then he stood tall and called out.

  “Alright! Gather round, folks. It’s time we figure out what we’re doing next.”