Nox retraced his steps through the wrecked hallways. The boss monster's trail led him back toward the second floor, toward the classrooms. Made sense. That thing was probably hunting the biggest concentration of prey it could find.
He killed a few more dog monsters along the way. They were getting easier to spot now, their patterns predictable. Attack, dodge, counterattack, dead. Simple.
He turned the corner and stopped. About fifteen dog monsters were clawing and banging at the door to his old classroom. The barricade they set up was still holding but it looked like it wouldn't last much longer. The wood was splintering and he could see gaps forming.
Fifteen monsters meant a lot of EXP. And he was right here anyway.
He moved. The first dog didn't even see him coming. His fist went straight through its skull and sent it flying into the wall. The others turned to face him but they were too slow. Way too slow.
He grabbed the nearest one by the throat and crushed it, then kicked another one so hard it split in half. The rest tried to surround him but it was pointless. He was too fast, too strong. Within thirty seconds, all fifteen monsters were dead.
The hallway went quiet. Nox walked up to the barricaded door and banged on it with his fist.
"You fuckers alive in there?"
There was silence for a few seconds, then he heard a voice.
"Nox?" It sounded like Emilia.
"No, it's Santa Claus. Of course it's me."
He could hear them moving around inside, probably trying to figure out if this was real or some kind of trick. Finally, the barricade started coming apart. Desks and chairs being moved aside, the sound of wood scraping against the floor.
The door opened and Emilia peeked out first, her eyes wide. When she saw him standing there covered in monster blood, she looked both pissed off and relieved at the same time.
"You came back," she said.
"I was following the boss monster's trail. It came this way." He looked past her into the classroom. "Killing those dogs was just convenient."
The others were behind her. Vasa with her usual cold expression, Kendra glaring at him like he personally offended her, Yeda staying quiet in the back, and Ms. Joy looking like she aged ten years in the past hour.
"We thought you were dead," Kendra said, but there was something different in her voice. Less angry than usual.
"Sorry to disappoint you."
He looked past them into the classroom and saw the bodies. At least half the class was dead, maybe more. Some were torn apart by the monsters, others looked like they were trampled in the panic.
"What happened to the rest?" he asked.
"Some of them got powers," Emilia said. "Like fire or super speed or other stuff. But most of them panicked and tried to run. They didn't make it very far."
"And you five stayed here because?"
"Because we're not idiots," Kendra snapped. "Running around out there is suicide. At least here we could barricade ourselves in."
Vasa was staring at him with those sharp eyes of hers. "You seem different," she said flatly.
"Different how?"
"Stronger. More..." She paused like she was trying to find the right word. "Present."
He ignored that. "So what powers did you guys get?"
"I can make plants grow really fast," Emilia said, holding up her hands. "Not super useful against monsters but it's something."
"I can freeze things," Vasa said simply.
"I can make my skin really hard like armor," Kendra added, then glared at him. "Not that it's any of your business."
"What about you?" he asked Yeda.
She just shook her head. "Nothing yet."
Ms. Joy cleared her throat. "I can sense when dangerous creatures are nearby. It's not much but it helped us know when to reinforce the barricade."
"Useful for staying alive. Useless for fighting." He turned around and started walking away. "The boss monster came this way. I'm going to find it and kill it."
"Wait," Emilia called after him. "Where are you going?"
"Back to hunting. There are still a lot of monsters left in this place."
"You're just going to leave us here again?"
He paused. "You seem to be doing fine on your own."
Before anyone could respond, the whole school started shaking. Not like an earthquake this time, but like something massive was moving around. The walls groaned and dust fell from the ceiling.
A blue screen popped up in front of his face.
[boss monster has exited the dungeon.]
[anomaly detected.]
[eliminate the anomaly.]
[reward: ???]
"That's interesting," he said, reading the message.
"What's interesting?" Emilia asked.
"Nothing. Just stay here."
"Like hell we are." She stepped out of the classroom, followed by the others. "You're not leaving us behind again."
'Doubled EXP if they come along,' he calculated. 'And meat shields are useful.'
"Fine, but do what I say. I'm the leader," he said, crossing his arms.
"Deal," Emilia said quickly before anyone else could object.
Kendra looked like she wanted to argue but Vasa elbowed her in the ribs. "We need him," she said quietly. "Don't be stupid."
"Whatever," Kendra muttered.
They wasted no time getting ready. Emilia grabbed a backpack and started shoving supplies into it. Vasa found a metal pipe that looked sturdy enough to use as a weapon. Kendra was already flexing her fingers, testing her armor power.
That was when a new window appeared.
[party invitation]
[emilia, vasa, kendra, and yeda wish to join your party]
[accept? y/n]
He noticed Ms. Joy wasn't included in the list. That meant she didn't want to join, or maybe the system knew she was planning to stay behind.
"What are the benefits of having a party?" he asked his system silently.
[party benefits:]
[shared exp (doubled when fighting together)]
[stat bonuses when near party members]
[ability to see party member health and status]
[enhanced communication range]
Doubled EXP. That was useful. Having meat shields who could take hits while he dealt damage was also useful.
He accepted the party invitation and another screen popped up showing all their names with little health bars next to them.
"Nox?" Emilia said. "You okay? You're just standing there."
"I'm fine." He dismissed the screens. "We need to move. There's something big happening and I don't think we want to be stuck in this classroom when it gets here."
Ms. Joy stepped forward. "I'm staying here," she said. "This room is defensible and I'm not a fighter."
"Smart." He didn't really care what she did anyway.
"Be careful," she told the girls. "All of you."
Emilia hugged her quickly. "We'll be back."
"No you won't," Ms. Joy said, but she was smiling sadly. "But that's okay. Go do what you need to do."
They left her there with some supplies and the barricade. Nox led them out into the hallway where the dead dog monsters were still scattered around.
Time to hunt.