Jason sprinted across campus, the unconscious girl growing heavier in his arms as blood seeped through the makeshift tourniquet he had fashioned from his shirt. He clenched his jaw. She wouldn’t last much longer if he didn’t get her medical attention. The university had become a war zone, filled with chaos and destruction. Screams echoed through the air, smoke rose from burning buildings, and monstrous insects prowled the streets, tearing apart anything in sight. The scent of blood and charred flesh filled his nose as he maneuvered through the wreckage, dodging debris and stepping over bodies. Panic had gripped the survivors, those who weren’t dead were either hiding or running, hoping to find somewhere safe. Jason ignored it all, focusing on the infirmary ahead.

  He knew the way. He had been there before when one of his friends had an asthma attack and needed their inhaler. That memory felt distant now, like it belonged to another life. He spotted the building just ahead, its entrance partially blocked by overturned furniture and shattered glass. Two massive ants, jet-black and the size of large dogs, were clawing at the doors, trying to force their way inside. Their sharp mandibles snapped at the air, their segmented bodies shifting with unnatural fluidity. Above their heads, glowing text hovered in the air.

  1 x Level 5 Worker Ant

  1 x Level 7 Worker Ant

  Jason’s breath steadied as he crouched, carefully placing the girl on a patch of grass. His fingers tightened around the rebar rod tucked into his belt. His heart pounded, but it wasn’t fear no, it was something else. Anticipation. He could do this. He had to. As he inched closer, a strange sensation pulsed through his vision. Faint, glowing lights appeared on the creatures’ bodies. The level 5 ant had several on its leg joints, its neck, its eyes. The stronger one had only two, both on its eyes. Recognition clicked in Jason’s mind. This had to be his passive skill Hunter’s Instinct. He could see their weak points. But something stood out. The weaker ant had multiple vulnerabilities, while the stronger one had almost none. That meant the stronger the enemy, the fewer weak points they had.

  Jason exhaled. He had an opening. He crept forward, gripping the rebar tightly before swinging it with all his strength into the glowing weak spot on the level 5 ant’s leg. The metal rod struck home with a sickening crunch. The ant shrieked, its leg twisting unnaturally as it spasmed. Its balance was gone. Jason wasted no time, darting forward, aiming for its eye to finish the job. Just as he thrust the rod forward, an overwhelming sense of danger slammed into his chest. He wrenched himself back, narrowly avoiding the level 7 ant’s mandibles as they snapped shut with a deafening crack. His heart pounded. That would have been his head.

  Jason stumbled back, gripping the rebar like a lifeline. The larger ant stood protectively over its injured comrade, its mandibles clicking menacingly. It lunged again, its speed shocking for something of its size. Jason barely dodged, rolling to the side before swinging at its leg, just like he had done to the first one. The impact barely left a dent. His stomach twisted. It was too strong.

  The level 7 ant clicked its mandibles together, and Jason saw it again its mouth glowing faintly white. Then it lunged. He barely leaped back in time as the creature’s attack smashed into the pavement, splitting the concrete with the sheer force of its bite. It had a skill Crunch. Jason’s mind raced. That meant it had a limited mana pool. He just had to outlast it.

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  The ant charged again, its mandibles now glowing only faintly. It was running low on mana. Jason sidestepped the strike, sprinting toward the injured level 5 ant. The poor thing was still struggling to move, its broken leg twitching helplessly. Without hesitation, Jason brought his weapon down in a brutal arc, shattering another leg before stabbing the rebar straight into its eye. The ant convulsed once before falling still.

  A warm sensation flooded Jason’s body as a white mist seeped from the corpse, entering his chest. His body felt lighter, stronger, his exhaustion washing away.

  System Notification: You have slain Level 5 Worker Ant.

  +3 Endurance, +2 Health, +2 Agility, +0 Mana, +3 Strength.

  Level Up! x1.

  All stats +1.

  Jason barely had time to check his stats before he turned back to face the level 7 ant. Something had changed. More glowing weak points now littered its body. Jason smirked. He could see it now. He ripped the mandibles off the dead ant and wielded them like weapons. The level 7 worker ant hesitated, its instincts telling it that something had shifted. It let out a shriek, then charged, burning the last of its mana in a desperate attempt to kill him.

  Jason was faster now. He dodged, stepping to the side before slamming one of the ant’s own pincers into the side of its head. A loud crack rang out as its exoskeleton fractured. The ant writhed, panicked, its movements becoming erratic. Jason didn’t let up. He rained blow after blow down on the creature, overwhelming it with speed and strength. The once terrifying monster was now nothing more than prey.

  With one final thrust, Jason drove the pincer through the ant’s skull. The shriek cut off instantly as the beast slumped to the ground. Another wave of energy washed over him, his muscles tingling with newfound strength.

  System Notification: You have slain Level 7 Worker Ant.

  +3 Endurance, +3 Health, +3 Agility, +4 Mana, +3 Strength.

  Level Up! x2.

  All stats +2.

  Name: Jason Cole

  Level: 6

  Health: 13

  Agility: 14

  Endurance: 18

  Strength: 16

  Mana: 12

  Unassigned Points: 10

  Jason exhaled, his breath steady. His strength had increased again. He glanced down at the level 7 ant’s body, noticing something glinting beneath the shattered exoskeleton. He knelt, pulling out what looked like an aged piece of parchment.

  System Notification: Congratulations! You have found an Explorer’s Map. Would you like to equip it?

  Jason blinked, then muttered, “Yes.” The map disappeared, and suddenly, a mini map interface flickered into view. A 100-meter radius stretched around him, displaying colored dots. Green for weaker creatures, yellow for those around his level, red for something stronger. This was a game-changer. But he had no time to study it now. Jason turned back to the injured girl, scooping her up once more. She was even paler than before.

  Jason rushed inside the infirmary, his breath heavy as he laid the girl onto the nearest cot. A nurse, gripping a blood-stained cloth, spun around with wide eyes.

  “Are you insane?! This whole place is a war zone!” Jason ignored her, gesturing to the unconscious girl. “She needs help. Now.” The nurse hurried over, checking the wound before pausing, her expression shifting to something close to relief. “You got her here just in time. Any later, and she’d be dead.” She glanced at the makeshift tourniquet. “Are you a med student? That was well done.”

  Jason exhaled, shaking his head. “No. Just a first aid course from some volunteer thing.” The infirmary was barely holding together. Windows were shattered, supplies were running low. This place wouldn’t be safe for long. He needed to move. He opened his mini-map again. Multiple red dots scattered across the 100-meter radius. However, one larger than the others pulsed from the top of the science building.

  Jason rolled his shoulders, gripping the ant pincers tighter. “I wonder what’s waiting for me up there.”

  He had a feeling he wasn’t going to like the answer.