The chat logs were a bitter pill to swallow. Draven's face was a thundercloud as he stared at the messages. His two uses of Beast Surge had barely netted him twenty kills, leaving him a long way from Level 2.
He never imagined this Vance character would be so formidable. A B-Tier talent and already Level 2? It was a disaster. His grand plan to dominate the academy was turning to dust before it had even begun.
Suddenly, a low voice broke his brooding. Calder had appeared at his side, his presence as quiet as a shadow. "The third wave has a boss," he whispered. "The first player to kill it gets a massive reward."
Hope sparked in Draven's eyes, chasing away the gloom. "For real?" he asked, a grin spreading across his face before suspicion crept back in.
"It was in the system notification I got for my first kill," Calder said calmly.
That part was a lie, but the information itself was genuine.
Draven stroked his chin, his mind racing. The last two server-wide announcements both granted a reward of [+10 Attribute Points]. If killing the boss offered the same, it would be a godsend for a strength-based Divinely Gifted like himself. It would, at the very least, close the gap between him and Vance. Besides, anyone who’d ever played a game knew that boss rewards dwarfed those from common mobs. That was just common sense. If he could snag some kind of artifact... his dream of ruling this apocalyptic new world might not be so far-fetched after all.
A fire ignited in his chest. He clapped a hand on Calder’s shoulder, his voice booming with renewed confidence. "You're a true friend! Don't you worry. Once I'm in charge of Novice Zone 911, you'll be rewarded handsomely! Hahaha!"
Energized, Draven turned to rally his team for another strategy meeting.
Calder watched him go, his expression unreadable. Then, he silently returned to his grim work.
The second Beast Surge had left behind far more bodies than the first. Monsters and students alike. None of the other Forsaken had survived, and even several of the Divinely Gifted had fallen. The total body count was over sixty.
Wordlessly, Calder began moving the corpses to the balcony. With each one, his fingertips would pierce the cold flesh. One by one, the bodies shriveled in his grasp, rapidly desiccating into little more than leathery husks.
Notifications flickered in his vision.
【Upper Right Limb Blighting +0.1, +0.1, +0, +0.1...】
A searing pain pulsed up his right arm with each increment of Blighting, but with it came a surge of power. Calder’s face remained a mask of indifference, his movements as mechanical as a morgue attendant's as he cleared the classroom floor. The overpowering stench of blood and viscera on the balcony kept everyone else at a distance, ensuring no one noticed the gruesome transformation of the dead.
When he finally stopped, the Blighting on his upper right limb had reached 【6.7】.
His Strength attribute now read: 【0.6+3.4】.
Not enough. Still not enough...
Calder’s eyes narrowed, fixing on Draven across the room. The air carried a sweet, coppery scent, and he licked his lips. His gaze on Draven was no longer that of a subordinate, but of a predator eyeing a slab of prime meat.
Draven, blissfully unaware, was in his element, barking orders and rearranging his forces. "You, you, and you—front line! You'll be the shield wall when they hit the door!"
The students he pointed to bristled with resentment, but none dared to defy him. They sullenly moved into position.
Once the new formation was set, Draven gestured again, summoning Calder to his side. Now the sole talentless Forsaken in the class, Calder was granted a position of privilege, standing directly behind Draven in what appeared to be the safest spot in the room. The desks and chairs, splintered and ruined from the second wave, were little more than a token barricade piled at the entrance, a minor obstacle for the fiends to come.
Soon, the countdown for the third wave began.
【10, 9, 8... 3, 2】
【1】
As the final number faded, the third Beast Surge crashed upon them.
"ROOOAR!"
The familiar shrieks of Knorr Aberrant Fiends filled the air, yet something was different. The creatures were the same size, the same level, but the sheer pressure they exuded was on another level entirely.
It was the numbers.
Draven realized it instantly. This horde was far larger than the previous ones. "Where's the boss?" he muttered, his eyes scanning frantically through the tide of monsters.
There. Behind dozens of skittering fiends, he saw it—a creature a full head taller than the others. Its hide was a deep, bloody red, and it clutched a heavy steel cleaver. A pair of eyes gleamed with malevolent light from high on its head. The creature's bulk was comparable to a grown man's, and a line of text floated above it: 【Bladeback Nokk Fiend】. Its stats followed.
【Bladeback Nokk Fiend (Normal Boss)】
【Level: 1】
【Skill: Double Cleave】
The information was sparse, but it confirmed everything. "Calder wasn't lying. There really is a boss!"
A thrill shot through Draven. He threw his arm forward. "Everyone, on my command! Push forward! Break their line!"
The students at the front balked.
"What the hell? Don't push me! Why do we have to be your meat shields?"
"No way, man! There are too many! We should just hit them from range!"
"Yeah, we're Divinely Gifted too! We're not doing it!"
Draven didn't waste time arguing. He lashed out, his fist connecting with the face of a student who refused to move.
SPLAT!
The young man's head exploded like a ripe melon, showering the area in blood and brain matter. The girls nearby screamed in terror.
Draven ignored them, his voice dropping to a menacing growl. "Listen to me, or you die. Your choice."
Faced with the grim reality of his threat, the frontline students had no choice but to obey, trudging forward to meet the incoming horde. Draven sneered and turned to his personal squad. "Let's move!"
"Right behind you!" they roared in unison.
Forced into the grinder by their own classmates, the frontliners fought with desperate ferocity. They unleashed a torrent of skills, blasting into the congested doorway. The classroom entrance became a chaotic bottleneck of screams, roars, and the clash of abilities.
In the midst of the pandemonium, no one noticed Calder. He weaved through the chaos like a wraith, his sharp fingertips piercing corpse after corpse, rapidly devouring their essence. A regular Knorr Aberrant Fiend's body now took him less than two seconds to drain completely. The higher his Blighting value, the faster he could Devour. The battlefield couldn't produce corpses fast enough for him.
One after another, bodies shriveled and collapsed under his touch.
【Upper Right Limb Blighting +0.1, +0, +0, +0.1...】
His Blighting value surged past 8.0, closing in on the 10-point threshold. A faint smile touched Calder's lips as his eyes swept across the battlefield.
The fight quickly escalated. Driven by his desperate need for victory, Draven pushed his own team relentlessly. Soon, even the Divinely Gifted began to fall. One by one, they were swarmed by Knorr Fiends, their lives ending under a storm of claws and teeth. Draven paid them no mind, his voice growing more frenzied.
"Get up! Keep pushing! Move or I'll kill you myself!"
His own fists were a blur, smashing into any fiend that got too close. Under his brutal, all-or-nothing assault, the team advanced with terrifying efficiency. Soon, they broke through to the core of the fiend pack and came face-to-face with the cleaver-wielding Bladeback Nokk Fiend.
"KILL IT!" Draven bellowed, his voice raw with excitement. "Anyone who lands a hit on it can join my team! And you'll get an equal share of the rewards!"
Under the promise of such a prize, courage, or perhaps greed, flared. The surrounding students' eyes lit up.
"KILL!!!"
They charged, weapons raised, towards the boss.
The Bladeback Nokk Fiend swung its steel cleaver in whistling arcs, a whirlwind of death. Several Divinely Gifted who tried to get close were sent flying back, bleeding from deep gashes. It was clearly much stronger than the common fiends, but not invincible. Ranged skills from other students found their mark, chipping away at its health.
-8
-12
-10
...
Damage numbers popped over its head, and the Bladeback Nokk Fiend staggered back. Seizing the opportunity, Draven lunged forward, his fists a relentless barrage.
-22
-20
-24
...
His damage far outstripped everyone else's, and the boss buckled under his assault. His teammates, seeing this, were ecstatic.
Garrett roared, "Draven, you're a beast! I've got your back!"
The rest of the squad followed suit, adding their own damage. They were the strongest team in Classroom 208, most with D-Tier talents, and their combined output was significant. The boss's health bar began to drop at an alarming rate.
Minutes later, it plummeted into the red. Seeing the boss on its last legs, Draven's expression was one of pure, unadulterated ecstasy. The pace of his attacks quickened. This rapid advance had come at a cost; he and his teammates were all sporting injuries, their output flagging. But Draven saw nothing but the boss.
Kill the boss, get the announcement, get the reward!
His fists flew faster and faster until only a sliver of the boss's health remained.
"Everyone, stop!" he bellowed. "The last hit is mine!"
His teammates obediently ceased their attacks. Gazing at the prize just inches from his grasp, Draven couldn't contain a triumphant laugh. "Hahaha, the reward is mine!"
He drew back his fist to deliver the final, glorious blow to the crippled Bladeback Nokk Fiend. But as he prepared to punch, a searing agony tore through his lower back.
He spun around, horror dawning on his face. Calder stood there, his right arm no longer flesh and blood, but a razor-sharp Ossein Sword, plunged deep into his kidney.
Calder stared back at him, his face a blank mask. "Thanks for weakening the boss for me," he said. "I'll take it from here."
He ripped the Ossein Sword free. Blood sprayed across the floor. Draven stumbled backward, his teammates too stunned to react. In that one moment of shock, Calder stepped forward. The Ossein Sword flashed out in a silvery arc.
CRACK!
The Bladeback Nokk Fiend's head was severed from its shoulders, tumbling to the ground.
As he collapsed, Draven heard the system announcements, each word a stake through his heart.
【Congratulations to Player Calder for being the first in Novice Zone 911 to slay the Knorr Aberrant Fiend Boss! Reward: Silver Cache x1, Survival Time +1 Day.】
【Congratulations to Classroom 208 for clearing the third Beast Surge. The regional restriction on the classroom has been lifted. You may now move freely within Novice Zone 911.】
The students of Classroom 208 were stunned by the dual announcements. But before they could even process their newfound freedom, the scene before them rooted them in place.
Calder, a powerless Forsaken, had just backstabbed Draven?
How could he dare?
Garrett was the first to find his voice. "Calder, you treacherous bastard!" he roared. He had long resented Calder’s position at Draven's side. He was supposed to be the top lieutenant, so why had Draven favored this useless trash?
Dex and Brock chimed in.
"Calder, you attacked Draven!"
"You've got a death wish!"
Calder ignored their accusations. He simply pocketed the Silver Cache that had just appeared in his hand.
Lana Marsh, the campus beauty, saw the shimmering silver box. A flicker of calculation crossed her eyes. "Calder," she said, her voice smooth as silk, "you need to apologize to Draven right now. Then, give the Silver Cache to me... I mean, to Draven. If you do that, we can pretend this never happened."
Clutching his bleeding side, Draven slowly pushed himself to his feet. His eyes were locked on the Silver Cache. "That's right," he gasped. "Give me the box, and this is over. You'll still be my brother."
The words were magnanimous, but a glint of murderous intent flickered in his eyes. Who in their right mind would keep a traitor like this around? The second he hands it over, I'll crush him.
Calder just sneered. He strode over to the boss's corpse and plunged his Ossein Sword into its chest. As blood surged up the blade and into his arm, the massive body shriveled within seconds, becoming another dry husk.
【Upper Left Limb Blighting +1!】
The notification flashed. Draven stared, aghast. "You're... you're not one of the Forsaken?"
Calder withdrew the blood-soaked bone blade. "A little late to figure that out."
As the last word left his lips, he lunged. The arm that was a sword moments ago swung in a clean, elegant arc. Draven tried to retreat, to dodge, but his legs felt rooted to the spot, refusing to obey.
"No—"
His plea was cut short. His head was launched into the air, tumbling end over end before landing with a soft thud near his own feet. In the final moment before darkness consumed him, a single, strange thought drifted through his fading consciousness.
So this is what it feels like. Right before death, your whole body just goes soft...
It all happened in a blur. The other students were paralyzed.
"Calder, are you insane? You killed Draven!"
"You're dead, Calder!" Garrett and the others shouted, a mixture of fury and dawning fear in their voices.
Calder took a few steps forward and, without the slightest hesitation, plunged the Ossein Sword into Draven's fresh corpse. As the students watched in horror, Draven's body withered just like the boss's had, shrinking into an unrecognizable, desiccated husk.
【Upper Left Limb Blighting +0.8】
Just as I thought, Calder mused, licking his lips. A C-Tier Divinely Gifted is far more... flavorful.
"Monster... You're a monster!" Garrett stammered, taking a fearful step back.
The other students felt a chill run down their spines. Calder's ability was terrifying. Not only could his arm transform into a sword, but he could drain blood like a vampire from a horror movie. More importantly, Draven, who had been a tyrant just moments ago, hadn't lasted a single second against him. Even accounting for the sneak attack, the cleanness of that final strike was not the work of a novice. It was the execution of a seasoned killer. His ruthlessness far surpassed anyone else in the room.
Garrett and his cronies, who had been bellowing threats seconds before, were now silent, shrinking back into the crowd.
Calder ignored them. With a slight twitch of his arm, the Ossein Sword seamlessly reverted back to a normal limb. This was the second ability of 【Blight】—【Aberrant Shift】. Once any body part reached a certain level of Blighting, it could be reshaped. Ossein Sword, Ossein Blade, Bone Scourge... as his Blight Index grew, so would his arsenal.
He surveyed the classroom. The lesser fiends were all dead, and his right arm's Blighting had reached its Level 1 cap. There was no reason to stay here.
He turned to leave.
Suddenly, he felt a soft pressure on his arm. He looked back. Lana Marsh had somehow latched onto him, pressing her ample chest tightly against his bicep.
"Calder," she cooed, "take me with you. I've thought it over. I always liked you more."
She swayed her hips, the short skirt she wore doing little to hide her perfect curves. Several of the male students swallowed hard. Lana's face was an 8 out of 10, but her body was flawless, and she knew it, often dressing to accentuate her assets. She was a walking temptation.
Her eyes were half-lidded, her voice dripping with seduction. "As long as you take me with you, we can go back to the dorms right now. Whatever you want... I'll give it to you..."
SHING!
A flash of silver. Before Lana could finish her sentence, she felt a cold shock in her chest, followed by an explosion of agony. She looked down in disbelief at the Ossein Sword protruding from between her breasts. Before she could speak, it was ripped free. Her body went limp, collapsing to the floor in a heap.
Calder gave the blade a casual flick, spattering blood on the ground. "Too much talk."
Women would only slow the swing of my sword.
Without another word, he turned and walked out of the classroom, leaving a room full of shell-shocked students in his wake.