Chapter 30: The Looming Pack

Lothe sidestepped, his body pivoting on his heel as the acid-dripping tongue swished past his shoulder.

His black spear swept upward in a tight, fluid arc, slicing the tongue cleanly in half before continuing its momentum toward the creature’s neck.

Shhk!

Black, corrosive blood sprayed across the floorboards. The pale zombie let out a high-pitched shriek, its flesh squirming as it attempted to force its cells to regenerate once more.

But Lothe was already inside its guard.

"Too slow," Lothe whispered.

His left hand flashed outward.

[Skill Activated: Spatial Blade]

Three invisible blades of compressed space condensed instantly around the zombie’s body—one behind its head, one to its left, and one to its right. A triangular spatial cage.

The pale zombie froze. Its crimson eyes twitched left and right, sensing the invisible walls closing in.

There was nowhere to dodge.

Lothe’s eyes sharpened. Purple Qi erupted from his Core, flooding the black metal of the Inferno Dragon Spear until the dragon motif along the shaft glowed like molten iron.

Blazing Horizon Spear Art—Second Form:

[Blazing Dragon Breaks the Horizon]

The spear transformed into a single, blinding streak of purple light.

Puchi!

The reinforced spearhead drove straight through the zombie’s forehead, exiting out the back of its skull and shattering the concrete wall behind it.

The creature went dead still, its crimson eyes losing their light.

BOOM!

Lothe yanked the spear free, and the massive corpse crashed face-down onto the blood-soaked tiles.

[You have slain a Level 3, Tier 2 Mutated Zombie.]

[Experience gained: 100 EXP.]

Two silver orbs materialized above the corpse, hovering quietly in the air.

Silence descended on the main library hall. Nobody spoke. The surviving students stared at the dead monster, then at Lothe, their breath caught in their throats.

Even Oren loosened his grip on his bow, exchanging a stunned look with Diego.

Professor Sy let out a long, slow breath. "...Remarkable."

Lothe casually swept the two silver orbs into his pocket before resting the Inferno Dragon Spear against his shoulder.

Just as he turned toward Seana—

BOOOOOOM!

A deafening explosion rocked the entire building.

The massive double oak doors at the library entrance collapsed inward, shattering into thousands of splinters as thick clouds of dust and stone dust surged into the main hall.

Low... sinister... chattering laughter echoed through the dust.

"Heh... hehehe..."

It wasn’t human. It wasn’t the guttural roar of a wolf.

It sounded like a pack of wild hyenas, their voices high-pitched, mocking, and echoed by dozens of throats.

The laughter multiplied rapidly.

Dozens of emerald-green eyes flickered open beyond the curtain of dust, staring into the hall with cold, hungry anticipation.

——————————

Dust drifted lazily through the ruined entrance. Nobody moved.

The chilling laughter echoed off the marble pillars, sending a wave of dread through the remaining survivors.

Lothe stepped forward first, his spear held at the ready as his [Spatial Perception] expanded outward beyond the shattered doors.

The moment his spatial grid crossed the threshold, his brow furrowed slightly.

"...There are a lot of them," Lothe said.

Seana caught the subtle shift in his tone. "How many?"

Lothe paused, analyzing the dense cluster of movement vectors in his mind. "...More than fifty."

The hall went dead quiet. Several students involuntarily took a step back, their faces draining of color.

They had barely survived the wolves and zombies inside, and now an even larger horde was waiting right outside the door.

Professor Sy stepped up beside Lothe. "If we stay bottled up in here, they’ll surround the building and starve us out. Our only chance is to break through before they set a perimeter."

Adrian nodded grimly. "Everyone who can fight takes the front and flanks. Everyone else stays in the middle."

He looked at the trembling survivors. "No one runs off alone. We move as one unit."

The survivors quickly formed up.

Lothe stood at the tip of the vanguard, Seana right beside him.

Oren stepped up to Lothe’s left, his bow held ready, while Nyren took the right, frost already misting around her fingertips.

Behind them stood Adrian, Daniel, Diego, Professor Sy, and Lucan.

In the center of the formation, Ruth and Melody stood alongside the other girls, holding their newly awakened weapons to protect the injured students.

As the formation locked into place, Ruth instinctively looked toward the front. Seana turned her head at that exact moment. Their eyes met across the crowded hall.

Seana gave Ruth and Melody a small, firm nod of approval.

Seeing that gesture of trust, the fear on Ruth’s face melted away. Melody gripped her bow tighter, a small, resolute smile appearing on her face. They weren’t helpless victims anymore.

"Let’s go," Lothe said softly.

They stepped out of the library into the crimson downpour.

The academy square was unrecognizable.

Burning rubble filled the courtyard, black smoke rising into the blood-red sky.

Pools of dark blood covered the stone pathways, littered with the bodies of students, teachers, zombies, and beasts.

Across the wide stone plaza stood the pack.

Dozens of giant hyenas were lined up in a broad semicircle.

Their coarse brown fur was matted with blood, and their crimson eyes were fixed on the survivors. Yet, none of them charged.

The silence was unnatural. It felt as if they were standing at attention.

"What are they doing?" Daniel muttered, sweat dripping down his temple.

"They’re watching us," Lucan replied, his fingers hovering over his circular steel blade.

Professor Sy’s eyes narrowed. "No... they’re waiting for an order."

The moment those words left his mouth, the hyena pack slowly parted down the middle.

Heavy, deliberate footsteps echoed across the wet stone.

Thud... Thud... Thud...

Two massive alpha hyenas walked out from the center of the pack.

The first had jet-black fur that seemed to swallow the dim light. Wisps of dark, heavy Qi drifted around its massive torso, and every step it took left hair-line cracks in the stone pavement.

Beside it walked a second beast, almost equal in size.

Its golden-brown coat was covered in dark, lightning-like stripes. Its amber eyes were sharp and calculating, scanning the survivors’ weapons and stances with terrifying intelligence.

Neither beast growled. They simply observed.

Even Lothe felt the distinct pressure radiating from the pair. Level 1, Tier 3... no, higher.

"They’re intelligent," Seana whispered, her hand tightening around the Blood Moon Sword.

"Yeah," Lothe agreed. "And they’re commanding the rest."

The striped alpha suddenly raised its head. Its golden eyes locked directly onto Lothe’s face.

The corners of its jowls pulled back, exposing sharp, black fangs.

It smiled.

At that exact millisecond, the jet-black alpha threw its head back and let out a deafening, sky-shaking howl.

ROOOOOAAARRR!

The entire pack dropped low, their muscles tensing.

Then, the wave hit.

Dozens of hyenas surged forward together, their heavy paws thundering against the stone as they charged like a tidal wave of claws and fangs.

Adrian raised his broadsword. "Hold the line!"

"Charge!"

Lothe was the first to meet the wave.

His Inferno Dragon Spear shot forward like a purple lightning bolt, impaling the lead hyena through the skull before he twisted the shaft and flung the heavy carcass into three oncoming beasts, breaking their momentum.

Beside him, Seana’s crimson sword cut through the air, and the battle for the academy square erupted in full force.​