The streets outside were chaos incarnate.
Buildings burned, black smoke curling into the sky. Cries of terror ripped through the air, human and monster alike. People ran blindly, tripping over debris, stumbling into walls, screaming as creatures tore through them. Some made it only a few steps before claws or teeth ended their lives. Blood pooled in the gutters, slick and shining under the flickering fires. The smell of smoke, charred wood, and iron mingled in a nauseating haze.
I watched from a shattered window, perched on the edge of what used to be my mother's living room. My small hands rested on the cold sill, my fingers brushing over the blood still clinging to my skin. My heart didn't pound, nor did I feel fear. Only calculation. Observation. Opportunity.
The first wave of monsters poured from the destroyed buildings nearby. Feral Hounds, twisted versions of familiar animals, roamed in packs, snapping and biting. Larger ones lumbered behind them, slower but stronger, leaving a trail of destruction. I could feel their pattern already—the way they hunted in packs, the way they attacked without strategy but with brutal persistence.
The firelight reflected off their eyes, making them glow like burning coals. A girl screamed as a hound leapt over a barricade, shredding her mid-sentence. The moment was brutal, but my mind recorded everything. Every movement, every weakness. If I survived this, I would know how to anticipate them, trap them, and exploit them.
I stepped carefully over the broken furniture, moving quietly. Every sound mattered; every misstep could be my last. The rank F Silent Steps let me glide past rubble and glass, but I could feel my ears straining, picking up every footfall, every snapping branch, every guttural growl.
I crouched behind a toppled cabinet in the hall. A small trickle of smoke drifted past me, curling into my hair. My eyes scanned the street below. Two humans were sprinting, panicked and screaming, only to be ripped apart by a creature that lunged from an alley. The crowd thinned, panic spreading like wildfire. The System had unleashed a world of carnage, and I—small, fragile, thirteen, but sharp—was alive to see it.
The status screen pulsed softly in my vision:
Level 2 – Tanya von Degurechaff
HP: 42/42
Strength: 4
Agility: 19
Dexterity: 17
Magic: 20
Endurance: 5
Perception: 14
A new notification appeared:
[Monster Density Rising]
Recommendation: Avoid direct confrontation. Utilize terrain and traps.
I smiled faintly. Recommendation noted. The System's advice aligned with my thoughts; no mistake. If I engaged them directly, I would die. Instead, I would use the chaos to my advantage.
I grabbed a nearby length of rope, weighing it in my hands. A jagged piece of metal from the balcony above. Pieces of furniture I could topple. A strategy formed in my mind, fast, precise, like a machine calculating probabilities. Every monster had a predictable pattern—overly aggressive, prone to chase movement, blind to small, silent threats.
I moved again, carefully avoiding the main streets. Smoke stung my eyes, but I didn't care. My attention focused on sound and shadow.
Two hounds appeared below, sniffing the air, confused by the screams and smoke. I ducked behind a wall, dropped a piece of furniture over a weak spot in the alley, and tied a rope between two posts, creating a crude trap. A rock, balanced precariously, waited to fall.
The hounds approached. I bided my time, eyes flicking between their glowing eyes and the rope. Then—
A scream. One of them triggered the trap. The furniture fell, one hound pinned, claws trapped awkwardly. The second lunged blindly and got caught in the rope. I sprang from my hiding spot, knives flashing, precise and deadly. One stab, then another. Weak points exploited.
The creatures shrieked, thrashing, but the traps and my speed kept me out of reach. Blood sprayed the walls. Smoke and fire masked my movements.
The street erupted with chaos. Others were running. Buildings collapsed. Fires consumed entire blocks. And I moved through it all like a shadow, calculating every step, every strike, every trap.
Then another notification appeared:
[New Skill Available: Mana Sense (F)]
A soft glow pulsed in my vision. I focused, and suddenly I could feel the monsters—their presence, their mass, even the type of creature. The ability was crude at first, only hinting at shapes and heat, but enough to know exactly where danger lurked behind smoke and debris.
I took a deep breath, crouching behind a burned-out car. The firelight danced across my features, highlighting the sharp points of my ears and the cold calculation in my pink eyes. My knives were ready. My traps were set. My mind was sharper than ever.
This world wasn't safe. It would never be safe.
But I would survive.
And in the ruins, watching humans die by the dozen, I realized something vital: fear and cruelty were tools. Observation and precision were power.
And Tanya von Degurechaff was a master already learning the rules.
The monsters were many. I was alone. And the System had barely begun