As Kil and George landed on the ground, the goblins that had been chasing them through the building couldn't keep up. All they could do was angrily wave their arms out of the shattered windows.
"Kil!" Keiran rushed over as soon as he saw them. "Thank goodness you and George made it out. Where are Migs and Napoleon?"
"They're dead," Kil replied, locking eyes with Keiran. "We couldn't save them."
Keiran's eyes widened in shock, and he was momentarily speechless. "So, it's just the two of you who survived?"
"You could say that," Kil answered, his voice steady.
"Hey, save the reunion for later!" Ken shouted, still punching the goblins that were closing in on him. "For now, we need to kill these things."
Veins bulged on the foreheads of the three, feeling insulted by Ken's commanding tone.
A knife suddenly struck the ground in front of Ken. "Use that," Kil suggested with a slight smile. "If you keep swinging your worthless fists, you're just wasting your energy."
"Coming from you?" Ken pulled the knife from the ground and pointed it at the approaching goblins. "Remember, we're not done yet, Kil."
"Go ahead," Kil smirked. "Come at me anytime you want another beating."
Kil sprinted toward the nearest goblin in front of him. As he ran, he drew a knife from his waist, spun it around his fingers, and swiftly slashed the goblin's throat. Another goblin lunged at him, its claws ready to strike, but Kil's reflexes kicked in. At that moment, time seemed to slow down, and the life drained from his eyes.
In those fleeting seconds, Kil's movements as he slaughtered the monsters were almost inhuman. It was as if he had completely adapted to the situation. With blinding speed, he slit throats, stabbed bodies, and severed heads. Not a single scratch marred his skin as he killed twenty goblins in just two minutes.
Kil's three companions found it hard to focus on their own battles, their eyes drawn to the almost mesmerizing way Kil dispatched the creatures.
"Hey, George, tell me," Keiran pointed at Kil. "Are we even looking at the same Kil right now?"
"How is he moving like that?" Ken's eyes were glued to Kil. "It's like… he's not even human with how fast he fights."
In just three minutes, Kil had wiped out all the goblins in front of him. He stood in the midst of the lifeless bodies, blood splattered everywhere, heads separated from their torsos. His entire body was shrouded in what looked like smoke, though his form was still visible.
'How… How is he releasing such a powerful aura?' George thought, bewildered. 'We were killing those monsters side by side, but he unlocked his micro-files first? Why? Why are you always one step ahead of me?' George clenched his fists, grinding his teeth in frustration.
Kil exhaled deeply, smoke escaping his mouth, and the smoky aura surrounding his body gradually dissipated. Within moments, the battle at the old school building was over. Every goblin inside had been slain.
Ken collapsed to the ground, exhausted, letting his knife slip from his grasp. "Ugh," he sighed, catching his breath. "That was exhausting."
"Tired already?" Kil mocked. "If that wore you out, you've got no chance of surviving this tragedy."
A vein throbbed on Ken's forehead. "What did you say? Come here and say that again."
"By the way, Kil," Keiran interjected, cutting through the tension. "How did you do that earlier? The way you moved so fast and killed all those goblins in an instant?"
"I'm not sure myself," Kil replied, glancing back at the goblins he had slain before turning his gaze to his companions. "That familiar feeling, like I've been killing all my life… I don't know where it came from, but in that moment, my mind went blank, and it felt like I was drowning in an endless stream of pitch-black water."
Ken and Keiran swallowed hard, their unease palpable. "Man, you're terrifying, as always," Keiran admitted, unable to hide his fear.
"What's next?" George cut in. "Now that we've cleared the monsters here and found someone to join us in killing them, what's the plan, Kil?"
Suddenly, Keiran and Ken's stomachs growled loudly. Kil and George turned to look at the two, who could only respond with awkward laughter, scratching their heads in embarrassment.
"Tell me," George asked with a smirk, "have you guys had lunch yet?"
"Not yet," Keiran admitted, bowing his head.
"In that case, let's head to the canteen," Kil suggested with a smile. "You can't fight on an empty stomach, right?"
"Heh! If you think I'm going with you, you're wrong," Ken said, standing up. "I'm only here to fight these monsters. I never said I'd team up with you."
Kil sighed deeply. "What a shame. I was going to let you punch me in the face five times after we finish off these monsters."
Ken looked away, feigning disinterest. "Hmph! That's the reason I'm killing these monsters—to settle the score and beat you up afterward. So fine, I'll join you, but only for my own reasons."
Kil turned his back on his companions, pressing a finger to his lips as a mischievous grin spread across his face. 'Good thing this meathead is so narrow-minded. HAHAHAHA, idiot—no brains in the classroom and no brains out here either. All muscle, no brains,' Kil thought.
"So, shall we head to the canteen?" George interrupted.
"Yeah, let's go," Ken replied, rubbing his stomach and scratching his head with a sheepish grin. "I need to eat something, too."
Keiran frowned, puzzled. 'What is this guy even thinking? He just said he wouldn't come with us, but Kil twisted his brain around, and he changed his mind in a heartbeat. Ugh! No brains, as usual.'
Kil and the others made their way toward the canteen. Every step they took was met with the sight of lifeless students, pools of blood staining the floor, and the stench of decay hanging thick in the air.
"This school… it's been through hell," Keiran said, surveying the carnage around them. "What do you think? Is it like this outside the school too? We tried getting out through the gate earlier, but something's blocking it—touch it, and you're dead. We even found some goblins near the gate, their heads bashed in."
George and Kil exchanged glances. "So, you tried to get out through the gate?" George asked. "And those dead goblins you mentioned—we were the ones who took them down."
"Ah, that explains it." Keiran rubbed his chin, deep in thought. "I figured it was your doing."
"Shhh!" Kil hissed, motioning for them to stay quiet as he moved closer to the wall. Just ahead was the canteen. "There are goblins outside. I doubt there's anything left to eat in there."
Ken peeked around the corner at the goblins occupying the canteen. "There might be. I don't think they've raided the vendors' room yet. There's a fridge in there—should still be some food," he said, pulling his head back. "I count twenty-five of them."
"Alright, let's do this," Kil suggested.
Without wasting time, they charged into the canteen. The goblins quickly noticed the group and rushed to attack. Kil was the first to strike, slashing a goblin's throat in a cross pattern with his knives. Ken grabbed another goblin by the neck and, with brutal force, stabbed it repeatedly until it stopped moving. George plunged his knives into both sides of a goblin's neck, using its body as leverage to spring into the air and strike the next one. He was fueled by adrenaline, determined not to be outdone. Keiran, meanwhile, focused on precision, driving his balisong into the goblins' vital points.
It took a minute and a half to clear out the goblins. By the end, Ken and Keiran were visibly exhausted, their heavy breathing giving them away.
Kil noticed their labored breaths. "Let's keep moving before more goblins show up," he urged.
They opened the door, and once again, they were met with the sight of dead students scattered across the floor. Blood splattered the walls at every corner, and it was clear that many lives had been lost.
George sat down beside the corpse of a student. "These kids… they were only first years. They must've been looking for a place to hide but couldn't make it."
"This way," Kil said, opening a door at the far end.
As they entered, they found the mutilated body of a young woman, her corpse slumped beside a table by the window. The table was set with two chairs facing each other, and a flower vase stood at its center. A cabinet was pressed against the wall.
"Where's that fridge you mentioned, Ken?" George asked, glancing around. "I don't see it."
"You guys don't know this, but my buddies and I used to sneak in here all the time," Ken said, pushing the cabinet aside to reveal a hidden door behind it. "This leads to an underground kitchen. In times like these, it's the safest place you can find."
Ken opened the door, and they all stepped inside. Kil moved the cabinet back into place and closed the door behind them. They descended the stairs, the walls around them made of bricks, with torches lining the passage every few meters. The silence was thick, broken only by the sound of their footsteps echoing down the stairwell. When they reached the bottom, they found another door, which they opened.
They were greeted by a room that was immaculate—spotlessly white, clean, and filled with the delicious aroma of food. As Kil and the others entered, they saw a group of teachers lounging on a sofa, drinking wine, accompanied by the women who worked in the canteen. The teachers' laughter and merriment died as soon as they noticed Kil and the others, their hands and clothes stained with blood.
"So, some of you survived," said an older teacher, eyeing them suspiciously. "Did you make sure to close the cabinet and lock the door behind you?"
Kil's eyes darkened at the sight before him, his expression growing cold and lifeless.
"Yes, we made sure—" Keiran began, but before he could finish, Kil was already in front of the old teacher, a knife pressed against his throat. The teacher's eyes widened in terror as he stared into Kil's deadened eyes. His heart raced, and before he could utter a single word, Kil's knife plunged into his throat. Blood gushed from the wound as the teacher's body stiffened, and he fell to the floor, lifeless.
The canteen worker let out a piercing scream.
The other teachers scrambled to their feet, panic etched on their faces. "Hey! What the hell are you doing?" shouted a bespectacled teacher in his forties, pointing at Kil. "We're your teachers, and you're just students!"
Kil stood, his head bowed, before lifting his gaze to meet the bespectacled teacher's eyes. There was a terrifying hunger for blood in Kil's stare. "Trash like you doesn't deserve to live," Kil said, his voice low and menacing. "And you dare call yourselves teachers? Let me remind you—teachers are supposed to be the second parents of their students. But your presence in this room… it only proves that teachers are worthless. Why?" Kil pressed his forehead against the teacher's, his knife poised at the teacher's throat. "Because you let your children die."
Without another word, Kil slashed the teacher's throat. Blood sprayed across Kil's face as the teacher collapsed to the ground.