Chapter 3: The Hound and the Hollow
The Corrupted Hound didn't charge the door. It was smarter than the first thing Kael had killed. It paced outside, a low, rumbling growl vibrating through the reinforced glass, its six milky eyes parsing the obstacle. It was assessing. Kael's grip on the rebar tightened. A predator that assessed was infinitely more dangerous than one that simply attacked.
His mind, a weapon in its own right, ran the calculations.
* **Enemy:** Level 2 Corrupted Hound. Likely high agility, powerful bite.
* **Terrain:** Bottleneck entrance. Advantage: Kael.
* **Condition:** Health 75/100. New agility stat unproven. Weapon: suboptimal.
The Hound lunged, not at the door itself, but at the large window next to it. Its body slammed against the security glass with a resonant *thoom*. A spiderweb of cracks exploded across the surface. It wouldn't hold.
Kael abandoned his defensive position. Waiting for it to break through was ceding the initiative. He needed to control the engagement.
He yanked the chain from the door, the metallic rattle seeming deafening in the silence. He pulled the door open just enough to slip out, emerging into the twilight of the street. The Hound, startled by the sudden movement, skidded away from the window and rounded on him, its lips pulling back from dagger-like teeth.
**Combat Engaged!**
There was no time for a plan. It launched itself at him, a blur of sinew and malice. But this time, Kael's body responded differently. The allocated points in Agility made the world feel slower. He wasn't faster, but his perception was. He saw the muscle tension in its haunches, the trajectory of its leap.
He sidestepped, the movement crisper than before. The Hound sailed past, claws scraping concrete where he had been. He swung the rebar, a punishing blow to its flank.
**Damage Dealt: 18**
A better hit. The Hound yelped, twisting in mid-air to land facing him. Its health bar dipped, but not enough. It was still the majority of the fight ahead.
It didn't charge again. It began to circle him, the growl deepening. Saliva, thick and phosphorescent, dripped from its jaws, sizzling where it hit the pavement. A status effect. Poison. He couldn't afford a single bite.
His Stamina bar was steady, the points in Endurance already paying dividends. He could afford to move.
The Hound feinted left, then darted right, trying to get behind him. Kael mirrored it, keeping his front to the threat. It was a tense, silent dance in the dying light. He needed an opening. A killing blow.
He remembered the bank's exterior air conditioning unit, a large, metal box just a few feet away. An idea, desperate and brutal, formed.
He broke the circle, backing toward the unit. The Hound, sensing retreat, surged forward. At the last second, Kael planted his foot on the AC unit and pushed *up*, using it as a springboard to vault over the Hound's head.
The creature tried to adjust, its head snapping up, jaws closing on empty air. Kael landed behind it, off-balance but with a clear shot at its spine. He drove the rebar down with all his enhanced strength.
The metal pierced deep. The Hound let out a strangled shriek, its body convulsing.
**Critical Hit! Damage Dealt: 41!**
Its health bar plummeted into the red. It wasn't dead, but it was crippled, its back legs dragging. It tried to turn, to face him one last time, its six eyes burning with mindless hate.
Kael didn't hesitate. He wrenched the rebar free and brought it down on the creature's skull. Once. Twice.
The third blow was the last. The Hound dissolved into the now-familiar motes of green light.
**Victory!**
**XP Gained: 80/100 to Next Level.**
**Loot: 3x Copper Coins, [Cracked Canine Tooth]**
He stood panting, his body thrumming with adrenaline and the echo of violence. Eighty XP. So close. The fight had been shorter, more controlled. The stat allocation had made a tangible difference. It was the first sign that he could, in fact, adapt and overcome this system.
He looked at the **[Cracked Canine Tooth]**. The System identified it as a [Crafting Material]. So, there was an economy. A path to better gear. Another variable in the equation.
As the green motes faded, his eyes, sharpened by the fight and his heightened perception, caught a flicker of movement on a rooftop two blocks down. He froze, melting back against the bank's wall, becoming part of the shadow.
It wasn't a Corrupted. It was a human figure. Silhouetted against the deep purple sky, they moved with a cautious, deliberate grace. They held a bow.
He watched as the figure nocked an arrow, drew, and fired down into the street, out of his line of sight. A moment later, the faint chime of a XP gain echoed, not in his mind, but as if the very air acknowledged the kill. The figure immediately dropped into a crouch, becoming nearly invisible.
An Archer. Efficient. Methodical. They were leveling up, just like him. A potential ally. A potential rival. In this new world, the latter was far more likely.
The sight of another survivor should have brought hope. Instead, it deepened the isolation. This was not a shared calamity; it was a global, individual trial. Everyone was fighting their own war.
He slipped back into the bank, re-securing the door. The encounter with the Hound had proven his stat choices were sound. The encounter with the Archer had proven the world was larger and more dangerous than he'd imagined.
He sat in the dark, the [Minor Health Potion] a heavy weight in his pocket. He was 20 XP away from Level 2. So close to the next threshold, the next choice. The next five points of power.
Outside, the city was not silent. It was listening. And hunting. Kael closed his eyes, not to sleep, but to plan. The strongpoint was secure for the night. Tomorrow, he would venture out again. Tomorrow, he would reach Level 2.
The price was everything, but the alternative was nothing.