The Hellhound towered over the courtyard like a living furnace—molten cracks glowing between slabs of obsidian flesh, steam rising from each breath. Its eyes burned like twin coals, locking onto Ethan with predatory certainty.
Ethan swallowed hard.
Every instinct told him to run.
But behind him, dozens of terrified students huddled inside the science building. Lena was there. People who had barely survived the first wave were there. If he didn't stop this thing, it would plough through the building like cardboard.
Ethan flexed his fingers.
Heat flickered along his palms—erratic, unstable.
Elemental Ignition wasn't meant for full combat. Not yet. He hardly understood how to control the flame.
But he didn't need perfection.
He just needed enough.
Ash hovered beside him, humming in agitation.
[MONSTER APPROACHING AT HIGH SPEED.]
"I noticed," Ethan muttered.
The Hellhound roared—
—a guttural, grinding sound, like stone tearing apart.
It charged.
Ethan sprinted forward.
The two collided in an explosion of momentum—Ethan diving to the side, the beast's claws ripping through concrete where he'd been standing an instant earlier.
He rolled, scrambled up, barely catching his breath—
—and the Hellhound spun with terrifying speed for its size, jaws snapping.
Ethan leapt backwards.
The beast's teeth clamped shut inches from his chest.
A shockwave of hot air blasted from its maw, scorching Ethan's face.
"Okay—no hugging range," Ethan gasped.
The Hellhound lunged again.
Ethan ducked and slid beneath its massive foreleg, the heat radiating from its body almost unbearable. His shirt smoked. His skin prickled.
He stopped beneath the creature's chest—dangerous, stupid, but close enough to attempt something desperate.
He gathered the flickering fire in his hand—
flame stuttering like a dying candle—
and thrust upward.
"IGNITE!"
A burst of flame—small, but focused—shot into the Hellhound's chest cavity.
The beast roared in pain, stumbling sideways.
Ethan dove out of the way just as its massive body crashed down, shaking the ground.
"Okay," Ethan muttered breathlessly. "That worked a little."
Ash chimed:
[NOTE: INTERNAL IGNITION WAS INSUFFICIENT FOR FATAL DAMAGE.]
"I can see that!"
The Hellhound rose—angrier, flames leaking from cracks in its flesh.
Its molten blood dripped sizzling onto the ground, burning through stone.
It lowered its head—
and inhaled.
Ethan's eyes widened. "Oh no."
Ash pulsed sharply.
[WARNING: HELLFIRE BREATH INCOMING.]
"Move!" Ethan barked at himself as much as the world.
The Hellhound exhaled.
A torrent of molten flame blasted across the courtyard, vaporising stone, melting benches, incinerating grass. Heat washed over Ethan's back as he dove behind a collapsed pillar.
The air shimmered.
His lungs spasmed from the heat.
But he wasn't ash.
He peeked out, sweat pouring down his face.
"That thing is insane!"
[CORRECTION: YOU ARE FIGHTING IT.]
"Not by choice!"
The Hellhound scraped its claws against the ground—
metallic shrieks ringing out—
and charged again.
Ethan ran—full sprint, lungs burning, legs screaming. He ducked behind the remains of a stairwell. The beast crashed into it, sending debris flying.
Lena's voice echoed faintly from inside the building.
"ETHAN! GET BACK INSIDE!"
He shook his head. "Can't! It'll break through and kill everyone!"
She appeared briefly in the doorway—eyes wide, terrified—before ducking back as a shockwave rattled the frame.
Ethan turned back to the Hellhound.
Think.
Think.
It breathes fire.
It shrugs off physical attacks.
Its weak spot is internal.
"Ash," Ethan whispered, "how do I get a fireball into its mouth without dying?"
Ash rotated thoughtfully.
[STRATEGY: BAIT IT.]
Ethan blinked. "Bait it… How?"
[MAKE IT TRY TO EAT YOU.]
"Oh, great. A flawless plan."
He exhaled shakily.
But…
He didn't have another option.
The Hellhound snarled, molten saliva dripping from its jaws.
Ethan stepped out into the open.
"HEY, FIRE-FACE!" he shouted.
The Hellhound's head snapped toward him.
Good.
He raised his hands, flame flickering weakly around his fingers.
"Come get it!"
The Hellhound roared—
—and charged.
Ethan held his ground.
Five more feet.
Four.
Three.
Two—
He dove forward.
Straight toward the beast.
The Hellhound lunged, jaws opening—
fire swirling in its throat—
ready to swallow him whole.
Ethan thrust his burning hand straight into its mouth.
"IGNITE!"
A surge of flame erupted—
—inside the Hellhound.
Its eyes bulged.
Its throat swelled—
Then exploded in a plume of molten gore.
WHUMP.
A shockwave knocked Ethan backwards across the courtyard. He slammed into a cracked pillar, knocked breathless, ears ringing.
The Hellhound thrashed wildly, molten blood spraying across the ground in violent arcs. Its roar became a choked howl. Flames spilled from its chest cavity as its organs boiled.
Finally—
The beast collapsed.
Trembled once.
Twice.
Then went completely still.
The courtyard filled with crackling noises—molten stone cooling, steam rising, debris settling.
Ethan lay on his back, staring at the sky's fractures.
His hand—
the one he shoved into the beast—
felt like it had been dipped in boiling tar.
He lifted it weakly.
Skin blistered.
Bleeding.
But not gone.
He groaned, "Ash… am I dying?"
Ash hovered over him.
[NOT CURRENTLY.]
"That's… kind of reassuring."
[BUT YOU MAY PASS OUT.]
"I figured."
Footsteps pounded across the courtyard.
"ETHAN!"
Lena rushed toward him, dropping to her knees beside him. She grabbed his shoulders, eyes scanning his injuries.
"What were you thinking?!" she cried.
"That… I don't want a Hellhound chewing on everyone?" he wheezed.
She punched his arm.
Not hard—just angry.
And scared.
"You idiot!"
He offered a weak smile. "Nice to see you too."
She exhaled shakily, brushing his soot-covered hair from his forehead. "Don't ever do that again."
"No promises."
She glared at him—but her eyes softened.
"You did it," she whispered. "You actually did it."
Ethan looked past her at the Hellhound's corpse.
He hadn't just survived it.
He had beaten it.
Him.
A level 2 nobody with a broken system and barely functional fire powers.
Ethan couldn't help but laugh weakly. "I'm either getting stronger…"
Ash hovered above him.
[LEVEL UP.]
Ethan blinked. "What?"
[YOU ARE NOW LEVEL 3.]
Lena's jaw dropped. "You levelled again?!"
Ash flickered brightly.
[ADDITIONAL SKILL UNLOCKED.]
[HEAT RESISTANCE — Tier 1]
Ethan stared at the message, stunned.
The world was changing.
He was changing.
Lena helped him sit up. "Come on. Let's get you inside. You need medical help."
Ethan nodded, wincing.
As she pulled him to his feet, he whispered:
"If that was level 7…"
Lena looked at him.
Fear and determination flickered behind her eyes.
"…what's coming next?"
Ethan didn't answer.
He had a feeling he already knew.
Something worse.
Something stronger.
And his forty-eight hours were ticking down.