CHAPTER 57: CH 57: BREAK OUT- PART 2

Dain’s expression morphed into a sheepish grin, and he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Right, right. I forgot you were loaded. Probably bought a bunch of them off the market while everyone else was scrambling to bid. My bad. I won’t make that mistake again."

Fenrir didn’t smile.

"Good. Because you and Elaine owe me now. And I will collect on that favor when the time comes."

Dain nodded seriously, tightening his grip on the potion.

"Got it. I’ll make sure we pay you back, whatever it takes."

Fenrir gave a slight tilt of his head.

"Then go. She doesn’t have much time. I’ll buy as much time as I can."

With that, Dain turned and hurried away, supporting Elaine’s weight as best as he could.

Fenrir watched them go, the sound of their retreating footsteps echoing down the corridor.

When the pair finally disappeared from view, he exhaled slowly, a rare moment of relief passing over his face.

They weren’t the cause of this.

He was sure of it now.

Neither Dain nor Elaine had anything to do with the cracked dungeon gate or the monsters flooding the school.

For all her pride and temper, Elaine wouldn’t be so reckless.

And Dain—Dain was too calm. Too composed. If this had been his fault, Fenrir would have seen some kind of panic or guilt.

What he saw instead was... power.

Hidden behind that easy smile and laid-back attitude, Dain was holding back. Fenrir had no doubt about it now.

The way Dain carried Elaine without flinching, the way he had held his own for so long without a single scratch—it all pointed to someone who was far more dangerous than he let on.

Fenrir made a mental note to stay out of the pair’s business from now on.

Whatever they were hiding wasn’t his concern, and he didn’t need more variables interfering with his goals.

Shaking off his thoughts, Fenrir focused forward.

The next wave of monsters was closing in.

His system gave off a low pulse, showing a red line stretching through the school hallways, blinking steadily toward his location.

The monster presence was growing more intense, more chaotic. The broken gate must be pouring them out at full force now.

"Focus."

He muttered to himself, his grip tightening on his weapon.

Without waiting for them to arrive, Fenrir activated [Volcanic Surge] again, the searing heat exploding down the hallway.

The magic roared through the corridor, instantly consuming a handful of monsters in its path and leaving charred walls and melted tiles in its wake.

He didn’t stop to admire the damage. He moved swiftly, shifting his stance and taking aim with his gun.

Every time a monster lunged into his field of view, a glowing bullet greeted it, either piercing through its head or halting its momentum long enough for Fenrir to crush it with a follow-up skill.

The fight was relentless.

Monster after monster, claw after claw, Fenrir pushed through it all with methodical precision.

The corridor was slowly being turned into a battlefield—walls pockmarked with impact, scorch marks littering the floor, and the smell of blood and burning flesh thick in the air.

He barely noticed the fatigue until it began to tug at his limbs.

His enhanced stats helped, but he wasn’t invincible. Mana regeneration was already slowing, and his system showed a few minor injuries he hadn’t even registered.

Still, Fenrir pressed on.

Thankfully, there was no one at the school at this hour. But he had to wonder what the real purpose behind this break was.

’What would someone get by doing this...and at a deserted school none-the-less.’

With another burst of [Volcanic Surge], Fenrir cleared the nearest wave and took a quick moment to reload and breathe.

The monsters seemed to be thinning—for now. But he knew better than to trust a lull in battle.

He needed to find the core of the dungeon gate that was broken. If he could locate it and destroy it, the monster tide would stop.

That was the only way to put an end to this.

Fenrir wiped the sweat from his brow and began moving forward again, stepping over charred remains and broken floor tiles. The time for questions and distractions had passed.

Now, it was just him—and the hunt.

Kyle crouched on top of an overturned cabinet, quietly observing the monster herd moving through the corridor below.

There were too many of them—more than he could handle alone with his current stamina pool.

His skills were decent, but if he overexerted himself now, he would be useless when things got worse later. And from the way things were going, they would get worse.

"Too many damn monsters."

He muttered, frowning.

That’s when an idea clicked into place.

His eyes lit up slightly as he accessed his familiar menu, quickly scrolling through the stat reports.

His hamsters—Hamster #1 to Hamster #5—had been steadily growing stronger. Not just in cuteness, but in actual combat potential.

Between their boosted agility and recent strength gains, they could handle these small-fry monsters.

"Time for some real-world practice."

Kyle murmured, hopping down from the cabinet and whistling.

Within seconds, a tiny stampede of fur and determination appeared. Five small, well-groomed hamsters in light leather armor lined up in front of him.

Each one had a serious gleam in their eyes, as if they’d been waiting their whole lives for this moment.

"Alright. This is your first official assignment. You’ve seen the monsters. I’ve checked the numbers. You can take them. But stick to formation. Don’t break ranks. You know the drill."

Kyle said, crouching down to address them properly.

The hamsters saluted. Kyle couldn’t help but grin.

"Go farm some experience."

The hamsters scattered with a level of coordination that would put most junior squads to shame, darting between shadows, ready to pounce.

______

Meanwhile, in a distant corridor on the other side of the building, a pair of figures walked with purpose.

Betty Rose flicked her hair behind her back and clicked her tongue in annoyance.

"I cannot believe I had to come back to this shitty place. I worked so hard to get out. Why do I always get the annoying work, Nigel."

She grumbled.

Her companion, a quiet man with sharp eyes and an immaculately pressed coat, didn’t even look at her as he responded.

"This is an official investigation. And a dangerous one. We don’t get to pick our assignments, Rose."

Betty sighed dramatically, flipping her long blonde ponytail over her shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah. ’Something about the boss wanting something,’ blah blah. I know the script. Doesn’t make it less annoying."

"Focus. We exploded the dungeon gate and even endangered ourselves in order to carry out this mission. A single mistake can cost us our lives if we are not careful."

Nigel said, voice firm.

Betty’s eyes narrowed at that.

"Yeah, I got it. But that does not mean this is not boring."

Nigel didn’t answer, but his silence was enough of a confirmation.

Betty scowled.

"Fine. Let’s find the core. Smash the monsters. And then I’m going back to my job."

Nigel sighed at the younger’s words before scolding her.

"For the last time, stalking is not a job and you need to get a better hobby."