The mission was accepted. Almost immediately, another screen popped up, this one looking like a character sheet from some RPG.
[Player Status]
[Name: Nox]
[Level: 1]
[Title: None]
[HP: 100/100]
[MP: 0/0]
[Strength: 5]
[Agility: 5]
[Stamina: 5]
[Endurance: 5]
[Perception: 5]
[Luck: 2]
[Unallocated Stat Points: 10 (Starter Bonus!)]
[Skills: None]
'Ten extra points. That's a good start.' He didn't do anything with them yet, just filed the info away.
Just then, a hand, covered in something dark and wet, slapped against the small window of the classroom door.
A muffled voice begged from the other side. "Let me in! Please, open the door!"
A few students near the door screamed and scrambled backwards, tripping over the broken furniture.
Then a loud, monstrous roar echoed from the hallway, a sound like a very, very big dog that was having a very, very bad day. Panic levels in the classroom shot up. People were yelling, crying. It was chaos.
"What was that?" one student shouted, his voice cracking.
"Oh god, oh god," another one whimpered, huddled against a wall.
Loud bangs started hitting the door, one after another, making the wood splinter. These weren't human fists. Heavy, powerful thuds were mixed with low, guttural growls.
"They're trying to get in!" Mark shrieked, pointing at the door, his face pale as a ghost.
Ms. Joy was by her desk, her hands clasped together. "Everyone stay calm! Stay away from the door!" she yelled, but her voice was thin and useless.
The doors were starting to give way. Hinges groaned, wood cracked open.
With a final, loud crash, the doors burst inwards.
Two creatures stumbled into the room. They were kind of dog-shaped, but bigger, with rough, patchy fur and way, way too many teeth.
Everyone who wasn't already pressed against the far wall tried to get there now. And all of their terrified eyes landed on Nox. He was still standing there, the gun held loosely in his hand.
"Nox! Do something!" a girl cried out.
"You have the gun, man! Shoot them!" another boy yelled.
He didn't look at the creatures. He looked at the students. He couldn't care less about any of them.
Ms. Joy took a shaky step forward. "Nox, please. We need your help. Those things…"
Mark, surprisingly, found a bit of courage, or maybe he was just that desperate. He started moving toward Nox. "Give me that gun! You don't know what you're doing!" He lunged, his hand reaching for the weapon.
Nox reacted without thinking. He raised the gun and pulled the trigger.
The BANG was deafening.
Mark just stopped. A dark spot appeared on his chest, then he fell to the floor and didn't move again.
The other students gasped. Some screamed again. Ms. Joy covered her mouth, her eyes wide with horror.
Nox finally spoke, his voice flat, but it cut right through their fear.
"You want my help now?" He looked around at their faces, one by one. "Where was all this concern when I was getting beaten up every day? When your favorite student, Mark, was making my life hell?"
He gestured vaguely at Mark's body with the gun. "You all just watched. Some of you laughed. Ms. Joy, you joined in."
His eyes settled on the teacher. "You told me 'boys will be boys'. Well, this is me being a boy."
He looked back at the cowering students. "I hate every single one of you, right down to your bones. I could kill you all right now, just like I did him." He paused. "But you know what? I think these things out there will do a much better job for me. And it'll be more fun to watch."
"No, Nox, please!" a student begged, tears streaming down her face. "Don't say that! We're sorry, okay? Just help us!"
"He's crazy! He's going to let them kill us!" someone else shrieked.
The two dog-creatures in the doorway took a few more steps into the room, growling. He could see more of them in the hallway behind them.
Nox ignored the pleas. He looked at the blue screen that only he could see, the one showing his stats. He focused on the 'Unallocated Stat Points: 10'. He thought for a second, then mentally directed all ten points into 'Strength'.
His Strength stat changed from 5 to 15.
He turned his back on the students and the approaching monsters. He walked over to the nearest window. The earthquake had shattered most of the glass, leaving a jagged opening. It was a two-story drop to the ground outside.
He didn't hesitate. He just leaped out. He figured with his new strength, the jump wouldn't hurt too much.
He hit the ground. His legs absorbed the impact with no problem, but the dirt and broken ground beneath his feet actually cracked and gave way a little from the force. He barely felt a jolt. That new Strength stat was already paying off.
He looked up. From the jagged hole in the classroom window, he could see a few faces staring down at him, their expressions a mix of terror and total disbelief. He recognized a couple of them, their mouths open like they were shouting, though he couldn't hear them from down here.
He just smirked, raised his middle finger in a slow, deliberate gesture, and then turned away.
'Idiots.'
He started running, not away from the school, but towards the main entrance. He still had the gun, tucked into his waistband now. The mission was to clear the dungeon in the school, and that sounded like a way better plan than anything else he had going on.
The area around the school entrance was a mess. Dead bodies were scattered everywhere. Some students, a couple of teachers. They were torn up pretty bad.
"Looks like those dog things have been busy," he said to himself, not really feeling much about it. It was just the new scenery.
He rounded a corner, heading for the twisted wreck of the main doors. And there it was. His first monster, up close and personal.
It was one of those dog-like things, bigger than any normal dog, with matted fur and teeth that were way too long. It was sniffing at a fallen backpack, its head low. It hadn't seen him yet.
He didn't hesitate. He didn't even think about the gun. He wanted to see what his new strength could do.
He ran straight at it.
The monster looked up, startled, its eyes locking on him. It let out a low growl and tensed up, ready to spring.
He was faster.
He reached it in a few quick strides. The monster snapped its jaws, aiming for his arm, but he dodged the bite easily. He grabbed its upper and lower jaw with his hands, his fingers digging into the surprisingly tough flesh. The creature thrashed, its claws scraping at his arms, but his grip was solid.
"Man, you stink," he said, mostly just a detached observation.
Then, with a grunt, he pulled. Hard.
There was a tearing sound, and the monster's struggles just stopped. He had ripped its jaw apart. It collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
He let go, wiping his hands on his already ruined pants. He looked down at the dead creature.
"Huh. Easier than I thought."
A familiar blue screen popped into his vision.
[You have slain a Dog Cur!]
[EXP +10]
"EXP," he said quietly. "Right. Just like in their stupid games."
Ten experience points. He wondered how many more he'd need to level up. The mission was to clear the dungeon. This was just step one. He looked toward the ruined entrance of the school. There were probably a lot more of those things inside.
"This is going to be fun."