The countdown read [4 Days Before Outbreak].
The world still wore its mask of normalcy… but beneath it, something was moving.
Their secret training ground had changed. No longer a park—they now met at the abandoned industrial site on the edge of town. Rusted steel, cracked floors, no prying eyes.
Kael stood shirtless in the cold air, his fists wrapped in hardened crimson, his breath coming out in hot clouds. Every punch sent shockwaves through the air, the ground beneath him splintering.
Liora raised a skeletal construct twice her height, practicing precise control, learning how to weave her necrotic energy into armor, tendrils, and piercing spikes. Her focus was razor-sharp.
Arin stood at the center, his shadow spreading like an ocean, swallowing the floor, devouring light. He controlled its shape now—blades, chains, claws—each form faster and more fluid than before.
> [Linked Reincarnation System Notification]
Training Bonus: +2% Stat Synchronization.
Shadow-Blood-Bone Resonance Increased.
Their coordination had reached a frightening level. What took them weeks to learn in their past lives now took only days. This time… they wouldn't crawl in the shadows. They would lead the storm.
Liora wiped sweat from her brow. "We've gotten a lot stronger."
Kael cracked his knuckles. "Not enough."
Arin's shadow curled like a smile. "Then let's push harder.
It started with a strange post on the local forum.
> "Weird incident behind the south subway station. Dead animals everywhere. DO NOT GO THERE."
Arin stared at the glowing text on his phone. "That's too specific to be just rumor."
Liora leaned closer. "South subway… wasn't that one of the early zones? In our past life?"
Kael's jaw clenched. "Yeah. One of the first places where the infected emerged."
They didn't hesitate.
That night, under the cover of darkness, the three made their way to the station. The air grew colder the closer they got. A strange, metallic smell hung in the air. The kind of scent that clings to blood.
When they stepped inside the abandoned maintenance tunnel, they saw it.
A massive heap of rat carcasses—except they weren't ordinary. Their skin was blistered, their teeth jagged, and their eyes glowing faint green.
[Target Identified]
Name: Mutated Rat (Early Variant)
Rank: F–
Level: 4
Strength: 7
Agility: 13
Endurance: 8
Vitality: 10
Special Ability: [Corrosive Bite] – Injects weak necrotoxin, causing paralysis and infection.
Skill: [Pack Instinct Lv.1] – Gains bonus agility when in groups.
Weakness: Low physical durability, vulnerable to fire, cold, and rapid strikes.
Note: Early mutation. Timeline deviation detected.
Liora knelt down, examining one. "They're mutating early. This isn't supposed to happen yet."
Arin's shadows writhed uneasily. "Something's accelerating the timeline."
And then, they heard footsteps.
"Looks like we're not the only ones curious."
The voice came from behind. They turned sharply—Ayla and Rhett stepped out of the shadows, flashlights in hand, their expressions serious. No more student council act.
Rhett smirked slightly. "Fancy meeting you here."
Ayla's eyes scanned the corpses with deadly calm. "You three again."
Kael's stance stiffened, his blood armor flickering faintly. "What are you doing here?"
"We could ask the same thing," Ayla replied. Her voice was like winter steel.
The tension spiked—then the corpses twitched.
> SCREEEEEECH!!!
The carcasses twitched violently. Dozens of mutated rats burst to life, their bodies swelling grotesquely. Some were the size of cats. Others—dogs. All of them had the same glowing green eyes and black saliva dripping from their jaws. A fresh system alert flashed.
> [Group Detected]
Estimated Number: 37
Average Agility Bonus: +20% (Pack Instinct Active)
Corrosion Level: Mild → Moderate in swarm state.
Danger Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Recommended Strategy: Area control / Elemental advantage.
"Later," Arin growled, shadows snapping to life. "Fight first."
The swarm came like a wave.
Arin moved first, shadows splitting into dozens of tendrils, impaling and dragging the rats into the darkness. Kael slammed his fists into the ground, spikes of blood bursting up, skewering clusters of them in one strike.
Liora unleashed a storm of bone shards, forming a spinning barrier that shredded anything trying to jump at them.
And then, flames erupted.
Rhett raised his hands, a surge of red-orange fire exploding from his palms like a miniature sun. The tunnel was bathed in heat, the front line of rats burning to ash in seconds.
Behind him, ice blossomed like crystal flowers—Ayla extended her arms, freezing the incoming horde solid in elegant, deadly beauty.
The system fed real-time data into their vision as they fought:
> [Agility – 2] Rat Slowed (Frozen)
[Strength +1] Rat Buffed (Pack Bonus)
[Corrosive Bite Active] — Status Effect: Weak Poison
[Lethal Damage Detected] — Enemy Defeated. +12 EXP.
Their coordination tightened instinctively.
Kael covered Ayla's flank. Rhett's fire supported Arin's shadows. Liora's bone constructs shielded their weak spots.
For a brief, breathless moment, shadows, blood, bone, flame, and ice danced together.
"Impressive," Rhett said between breaths, his eyes flicking to Arin. "You're a monster with those shadows."
Arin smirked. "You're not bad yourself, Fire Lord."
Liora and Ayla didn't exchange words, but the faint nod between them said enough—mutual acknowledgment.
[Mutated Rat Horde — Eliminated]
EXP Gained: +480
Shared Skill Fragment: Basic Combat Instinct Lv.1
Effect: Slight boost to reaction speed and combat awareness.
Bond Synchronization: +5%
Power Fluctuation Detected in Zone.
Warning: Apocalypse Timeline is Accelerating.
Kael's breathing was heavy, blood steaming off his arms. "If rats are mutating early… what about everything else?"
Arin's gaze hardened. "It means the apocalypse isn't waiting for Day Zero."
Rhett leaned against the tunnel wall, flames still flickering from his fingertips. "Then it looks like we're all in the same storm, huh?"
Ayla gave them that cool, piercing stare again. "This isn't over. If this is what's coming… none of us can afford to stay in the dark."
For the first time, it wasn't a threat. It was an offer.
---
They stepped out of the tunnels together, the night air heavy with the scent of burnt flesh and frost. The city above was quiet, unaware.