As the fiery duel between the bear-shifter and fire-user raged on, chaos erupted.
From the bushes nearby, a grotesque rat-like beast sprang forward, sinking its fangs into the fire user's neck. Blood gushed out, and the man collapsed. Panic spread like wildfire. Everyone froze—then scattered—eyes darting around, searching for the next threat.
A chorus of howls echoed from the nearby forest. Wolves.
Before anyone could react, a swarm of mutated rats charged in, followed by screeching bat-like monsters. My instincts kicked in as one of the bat-creatures lunged at Rohith. I struck it down with a Thunder Punch, electrocuting it mid-air.
"Rohith! Dhaya! Head toward Praveen's dormitory—we need to regroup!" I yelled. With monsters everywhere, only sticking with trustworthy allies would keep us alive.
As we sprinted through the chaos, Dhaya pointed skyward.
"Look—it's that Chinese guy! The one with the flame-bird ability!"
High above, he soared on burning crimson wings, slicing through rats mid-flight with blazing talons. The power difference was obvious—he was Rank 2 Peak Stage.
"Now that's power," Rohith muttered in awe.
"We don't have time to watch—focus!" I shouted, blasting away a charging beast with a lightning strike. Using Rohith's wind boost, we sped past the battlefield.
We finally reached the road near Praveen's dorm. Shadows danced unnaturally around us.
"It's Praveen!" Dhaya confirmed. He was drawing monsters away from a fleeing group of students.
Dhaya sprang into action, raising a defensive stone wall to shield the civilians. I blasted enemies with thunder punches while Rohith used wind gusts to repel the swarm.
With our combined efforts and other awakened fighters joining in, we cleared the monsters.
Among the survivors, a few students revealed healing powers and began tending to the wounded.
"That could've been a massacre," Rohith sighed. "We're lucky no higher-rank beasts appeared."
We followed Praveen back to his dormitory, grateful for the safety—however temporary.
---
Morning – Calm After the Storm
As the sun rose, police forces and some awakened cleared the last of the mutated beasts. But not without a price—collapsed buildings, charred roads, and injured bodies lay everywhere.
I parted ways with the group and returned to my dorm.
In front of it, I spotted Mohan and Tamil.
"Where were you, man?" Mohan asked.
I briefly told them about the night's events.
"You're lucky to be alive," Mohan said. "I was asleep, but woke up to gunshots. Then I noticed I felt… different. Like something changed. And some text appeared in front of my eyes."
I glanced at Tamil.
He shook his head. "Nothing happened to me. I feel normal."
I nodded.
"Mohan, you're awakened. Tamil isn't—yet."
I asked Mohan to check his window.
> System Status
Name: Mohan
Rank: 2 – Late Stage
Power Level: 77
Abilities: Enhanced Physique, Metal Skin
"Whoa… metal skin?" I said, impressed. "You're a tank now!"
He smiled. "Guess I was lucky."
But deep down, I knew—we were just getting started.