When Nox accepted the mission. Almost immediately, another one popped up.
[Player Status]
[Name: Nox]
[Level: 1]
[Title: None]
[HP: 100/100]
[MP: 50/50]
[Strength: 5]
[Agility: 5]
[Stamina: 5]
[Endurance: 5]
[Perception: 5]
[Luck: 2]
[Unallocated Stat Points: 10 (Starter Bonus!)]
[Skills: None]
Nox looked at it. Ten extra points. That seemed useful. He didn't do anything with them yet, just noted their existence.
Just then, a hand, covered in something dark and wet, slapped against the small windowpane of the classroom door.
A muffled voice came from the other side, begging, "Let me in! Please, open the door!"
Some students near the door screamed and scrambled backwards, falling over broken chairs.
Then, a loud monster roar echoed from the hallway, a sound like a very big, very angry dog.
Panic levels in the classroom went up several notches. People were yelling now, some were crying.
"What was that?" one student shouted, his voice cracking.
"Oh god, oh god," another one whimpered, huddled against a wall.
Loud bangs started on the classroom door, one after another, making the wood splinter. These were not human fists. Heavy, powerful thuds were accompanied by low, guttural growls.
"They're trying to get in!" Mark shrieked, pointing at the door. He was pale.
Ms. Joy was near her desk, her hands clasped together. "Everyone stay calm! Stay away from the door!" she yelled, but her voice was thin.
The doors were starting to give way. Hinges groaned, and wood cracked open.
With a final, loud crash, the doors burst inwards.
Two creatures stumbled into the room. They were vaguely dog-shaped but bigger, with rough, patchy fur and too many teeth.
Everyone who wasn't already pressed against the far wall tried to get there now. All eyes, filled with terror, landed on Nox. He was still standing, the gun held loosely in his hand.
"Nox! Do something!" a girl cried out.
"You have the gun, man! Shoot them!" another boy yelled.
Nox didn't look at the creatures. He looked at the students. He could not care less about them.
Ms. Joy stepped forward a little. "Nox, please. We need your help. Those things…"
Mark, surprisingly, found some courage, or maybe just desperation. He started to move towards Nox.
"Give me that gun! You don't know what you're doing!" He lunged, reaching for the weapon.
Nox reacted without thinking. He raised the gun and pulled the trigger.
The bang was loud. Mark stopped, a dark spot appearing on his chest, and then he fell to the floor and didn't move.
The other students gasped. Some screamed again. Ms. Joy covered her mouth, her eyes wide with horror.
Nox finally spoke, his voice flat, but carrying over their fear.
"You want my help now?" He looked around at their faces. "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 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 core. I could kill you all right now, just like I did him." He paused. "But you know what? I think these things outside 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 creatures in the doorway took a few steps further into the room, growling. More were visible in the hallway behind them.
Nox ignored the pleas. He looked at the blue screen that only he could see, which had reappeared showing his stats. He focused on the 'Unallocated Stat Points: 10'. He thought for a second, then he 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 of the window. He figured with his new strength, the jump wouldn't hurt too much.
He hit the ground. His legs absorbed the impact easily, but the dirt and broken ground beneath his feet 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 opening of the classroom window, he could see several faces staring down at him. Their expressions were a mix of terror and disbelief. He recognized a few of them, their mouths open as if they were shouting, though he couldn't hear them clearly from down here.
He just smirked, raised his middle finger in a slow, deliberate gesture towards them, and then turned away.
'Idiots,' he thought.
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 felt like a better plan than anything he had going before.
The area around the school entrance was a mess. There were dead bodies scattered around. Some students, a couple of teachers he vaguely recognized.
They looked torn up. "Looks like those dog things have been busy," he observed to himself, not feeling much about it. It was just part of the new scenery.
He rounded a corner of the building, heading for what used to be the main doors, now just a twisted wreck of metal and glass. And there it was. His first monster, up close and personal.
It was one of those dog-like creatures, bigger than any normal dog, with matted fur and teeth that looked 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 the creature.
The monster looked up, startled, its eyes fixing on him. It let out a low growl and tensed 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.
"Boy, you sure do stink," he said, a flicker of disgust, but mostly just detached observation.
Then, with a grunt, he pulled. Hard.
There was a tearing sound, and the monster's struggles stopped abruptly. 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, looking at the notification. "Right. Just like the games those bastards played.."
Ten experience points. He wondered how many more he'd need to level up, and what that would even do for him.
The mission was to clear the dungeon. This was just the first step. He looked towards the ruined entrance of the school. There were probably a lot more of those things inside.
"This is going to be fun."