I stepped forward.
Immediately regretted it.
The monster dragged itself fully out of the Gate, claws scraping against asphalt, shoulders too wide for its own frame. It looked unfinished—like something had stopped sculpting it halfway through and decided sharp edges were enough.
The kid across the street scrambled backward, palms slipping on the pavement.
"Move!" I shouted.
My voice cracked. Too loud. Too late.
The monster's head snapped toward me.
Great.
"Attention acquired," the System said."You have successfully volunteered."
"I didn't volunteer."
"You moved toward danger.""That is the application process."
The thing lunged.
I ran.
Not away—sideways.
I didn't know why. My legs just picked a direction that wasn't directly under the claws.
The monster slammed into the spot I'd been standing, concrete exploding upward. Shards peppered my back. Pain flared, then dulled.
I skidded behind a parked car, breath ragged.
"Okay," I whispered. "Okay, okay."
The kid was still there.
Frozen.
Staring at the monster like it was a bad dream that hadn't noticed him yet.
"Hey!" I waved an arm. "Run!"
He didn't move.
The monster turned back toward him.
My stomach dropped.
"Observation," the System said evenly."Your hesitation window is closing."
"I know!"
I burst from cover and grabbed a loose chunk of concrete. It was heavier than I expected. My arm screamed as I hurled it.
The chunk bounced off the monster's shoulder.
It did nothing.
The monster did something.
It charged me instead.
"…Why me?" I panted.
"You are loud."
Fair.
I ran again, weaving between cars, feet slapping pavement. The monster followed, faster than it should've been. Each step shook the ground.
I jumped.
Barely cleared a hood. Landed wrong. Pain shot up my ankle.
I stumbled.
Claws tore through the air where my head had been a second earlier.
"Speed insufficient," the System noted."Endurance insufficient."
"Stop narrating!"
"Allocate points."
I blinked. "What?"
"You have unallocated points."
I risked a glance.
Unallocated Stat Points: 5
"When did—"
"Earlier survival.""You did not notice."
Of course I didn't.
The monster reared back to strike.
"Fine!" I snapped. "Speed! Two points—no, three!"
The numbers shifted.
The world… didn't slow.
But my legs felt lighter.
I moved.
Not fast. Just—faster than before.
I slid under the monster's swing, rolled, came up coughing. My ankle still hurt, but it held.
The kid finally ran.
Good.
The monster roared, frustrated, and turned fully toward me.
I raised my hands without thinking.
"Hey," I said. "Over here."
It worked.
"Conclusion," the System said."You are effective bait."
"Shut up."
We circled each other.
I didn't have a plan. No technique. No idea how to actually win.
Just space. Timing. Not dying.
The monster lunged again. I dodged late. Claws tore my jacket, sliced skin. Pain flared bright and sharp.
I hissed and kept moving.
"Endurance critical," the System warned."Recommendation: allocate."
"Fine—two points!"
Endurance ticked up.
The pain didn't vanish.
But it stopped getting worse.
I gritted my teeth. "That's… weird."
"You are stabilizing," the System said."Do not romanticize this."
I backed toward a narrow gap between buildings. Trash bins. Fire escape above.
The monster followed, squeezing in, shoulders scraping brick.
It was too big.
It didn't realize that.
I grabbed a metal lid from the ground and smashed it against the wall.
The clang echoed violently.
The monster flinched.
I lunged forward on instinct and punched it.
Right in the side of the head.
My knuckles exploded with pain.
The monster staggered half a step.
I stared.
"…Did that work?"
"Marginally," the System said."Your strength remains embarrassing."
The monster recovered and swung.
I ducked, barely, and something inside me snapped.
"Strength," I growled. "All of it."
The last points vanished.
My arm felt heavier.
Denser.
I hit it again.
This time, something cracked.
The monster reeled back, screeching, head slamming into the brick wall. Dust rained down. It collapsed sideways, stunned but not dead.
I stood there, chest heaving, knuckles bleeding, staring at what I'd done.
"…I hit it," I whispered.
"Yes," the System said."You are improvising badly."
Sirens wailed nearby.
Guild response.
I staggered back, hands shaking.
The monster twitched.
I took another step forward—
Then stopped.
"No," I said. "That's their job."
I turned and ran.
Behind me, I heard shouts. Orders. The crack of abilities activating.
I didn't look back.
My legs burned. My lungs screamed.
But I was still moving.
The System chimed softly as I disappeared down the street.
[Achievement Unlocked: Engaged Superior Threat (Survived)]Stat Points +7
I didn't slow down.
[End of Chapter 4]