Mercy-killing the girl left a bad taste in Shaw’s mouth, but she quickly returned to her stoic state. If she mourned every human she lost on the way, she would’ve been broken by grief long ago.

The defeat of the troll added 80 experience to her stats. It wasn’t enough to bring her to level 2, but the day was still young, and the prey were still plentiful in numbers.

The hallway was mostly empty aside from the bodies scattered across the floor. Through the conflict, no one came out from the classrooms along the hall to see what happened or offer help. Either they were still barricaded in the rooms, or they have all been slain by the monsters that spawned inside. Shaw pondered the idea of going to the classrooms and convincing them to join the fight and level up, but she knew it would be a waste of time.

In a few hours, the teachers and students alike would realize that the police weren’t coming. The National Guard wasn’t coming. They were on their own now, and they, starving and thirsty, would have no choice but to leave their classrooms and venture into the wild.

As of now, it was in Shaw’s best interest to focus on leveling up. Make herself as powerful as possible as quickly as possible. As powerful as she might seem on the surface, she wasn’t just competing against fellow players and random NPC monsters. No...her enemy was the same people who granted her this power, and if she wanted any chance of victory, she would need a lot more.

The Silver Sword cut through a skeleton, reducing the undead creature into nothing but a pile of bones.

It had been 40 minutes since Shaw ventured out of her original classroom. She didn't know what happened to her classmates. Were they still alive? Did an NPC spawn inside the fortified classroom and gut the students one by one? She didn't know and she didn't care. They were irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.

The entire time, she had been going through the hallways, hunting down and brutally murdering every NPC she could find and claiming the associated experience. She was relentless and ruthless, and she grew stronger with every battle fought. The NPCs resisted, but none of them could stop her.

After multiple orcs, two dozen skeletons, four Roman legionnaires, three knights, and at least ten other NPCs, Shaw got enough experience to jump 2 levels and reach level 3. She split the 10 disposable attribute points evenly between strength and reflex.

Amy Shaw
Level 3
Strength: 25
Reflex: 26
Regeneration: 16
Psychic: 0
Disposable Attribute Point: 0

Now that 40 minutes have gone by since the Launch, the rest of the school was starting to realize what was going on. Their call for help was useless. In fact, when they tried, they quickly discovered that somehow they couldn’t even connect to the internet. Some students and teachers on the first floor got out of the building via the windows. The survivors on the upper floors, however, had to find other solutions.

A few of the players who managed to kill the monsters that spawned near them quickly discovered their character interfaces, and they were able to select careers of their own. When the power radiated through their body and they realized they could do things they never thought possible before, the reality of what was happening quickly set in. Soon, some of the students were able to put two and two together.

They didn't have the knowledge that Shaw had, but they still got the basics of what was happening and what they should do. Fight the monsters out there. Kill them. Level up. Repeat.

A few of the quicker minds have even gone several steps ahead of the others. They didn't know if the same thing was happening elsewhere around the world, but that was a likely possibility. In other words, the world they have known for decades was no more. The law was no more. The government was no more. And in a lawless society, the only thing that meant anything was power. In this case, power took the form of levels. Level up enough, and you could do anything you wished.

With these thoughts in mind, some of the braver and more adventurous students have decided to venture out into the bloody hallways and engage the NPCs in combat. Some did it because they wanted to protect their friends and classmates. Others took the field because of greed and desire. In the end, the only thing that mattered was that they joined the fight.

Some of them got what they wanted when they killed the NPCs and received the experience. Others were less fortunate. Many of the players were mauled to death by the NPCs in ways that could traumatize a man forever. Many of the players brave enough to step out of their classrooms soon regretted this decision as the NPCs charged at them. They broke on the spot and begged for mercy, only to be slaughtered by entities who knew neither mercy nor empathy.

Shaw didn't pay attention to any of that. She was way ahead of the others, and she intended on keeping the lead. One by one, the NPCs fell beneath her blade. She was injured a few times, but none of those injuries were too serious.

Turning around another corner, Shaw was a little surprised by what she saw. Standing in the middle of the hallway was a tiny green figure. A goblin. A goblin holding onto a staff.

Goblin Wizard
Level 2
Experience Provided: 100
Strength: 5
Reflex: 5
Regeneration: 3
Psychic: 30

On the other side of the hallway were two players. One of them, a boy with blonde hair, was holding onto a silver shield and a spear. He was a Soldier. Standing beside him was a boy with dark hair. He wasn’t holding onto any weapon.

The goblin wizard was tossing balls of fire at the two players. The Soldier raised his shield and deflected all of those blasts. The other player cowered behind him and used him as cover against the incoming projectiles. Shaw suspected he was a Mutant or a Mythical, judging from his lack of weaponry. There was no rule saying that players had to use their weapons in combat, but these new players would be in no mindset to hide their weapons. Only more skilled players might willingly forgo their weapons either due to arrogance or so they could have a tactical advantage against potential attackers.

The wizard had the players pinned back, but the two players were steadily gaining ground. Under the cover of the Soldier’s shield, the two players slowly moved forward step by step. Shaw didn't know what their levels were, but she could tell they have leveled up a little and received some combat experience already. Give them some time and victory, and 100 units of experience, would be theirs.

Once again, she had little concern for other players. All she did was simply draw her blade...and charge.

If the goblin sensed Shaw coming, it didn't change what happened. Wizards were not known for their reflexes. Give them the time to prepare a spell and protect them while they cast it, and they could defeat a foe of a higher level than themselves. But when they were stormed from the back by an elite Warrior? Well...it wouldn't go too well for them.

The goblin barely had time to turn around before Shaw’s Silver Sword cut through its thin neck and ended its pathetic existence.

Congratulations! You have received 100 experience!

As the body of the goblin hit the ground, the two players snapped to the third one. The girl who just charged in and claimed their kill! Their experience! They have spent so much time and energy fighting against the wizard and she just came in from behind and stole the kill? This was outrageous!

As Shaw returned her sword to the sheath and turned to leave, all the while without bothering to spare the two of them as much as a glance, the second player couldn’t help but raise his voice.

“Hey!” The young man called out furiously. “Hey! That thing was ours!”

Shaw glanced at him, but once again, she didn't say a word. After all, why should she?

When he realized he was ignored once again, the young man’s fury doubled. With a loud growl, he took a step forward. His eyes slowly started to turn red as his fist clenched up.

This time, he got Shaw’s attention.

At this point, the young woman could tell who the boy was. He was a Mutant, and the ability he got was Frenzy. In the Frenzy state, his strength and reflex would be greatly enhanced, although the effect would be temporary. The greater his base attributes, the more enhanced they would be. After the effect was over, the player would be in a state of weakness and potentially be defenseless. The duration of the Frenzy and its aftereffect depended on the power level and experience of the Mutant. It was a powerful ability that could change the tide of a battle if used correctly. Of course, if the Mutant used this ability at an unideal position, he would be left defenseless in a dangerous position.

But what truly made Shaw scoff a little was the fact that the player was using this precious ability here and now! Against her, a fellow player, of all people! Also, he didn't even use the ability against the wizard! Did she somehow look weaker than the goblin she just killed?

Still, this was a threat, and it was enough of a threat to make her turn back and face the two players. Her Silver Sword left its sheath once again, ready for blood.

Shaw was no stranger to killing fellow players, and she was confident these two boys wouldn’t have a chance of stopping her.

“Calm down…” She said quietly at the Mutant who was trying to enter the Frenzy state. “You really don’t want to do this…”