The shattered glass doors of the Ravencrest University library hung crooked in their frame as rain blew into the lobby. Broken shards littered the marble floor, reflecting the faint blue glow that still leaked from the cracked sky above the city.
Cassian Vale stood several meters back from the entrance, his heart hammering against his ribs as the mutated beast snarled from the courtyard.
The mana spike he had launched moments earlier protruded from the creature's shoulder like a glowing shard of crystal. Blue energy flickered along its edges as the construct slowly destabilized.
For a brief moment, Cassian allowed himself a thin smile.
Then the creature ripped the spike out with its teeth.
The mana construct shattered into fragments of light that dissolved into the rain.
The beast's crimson eyes burned with fury as it stepped through the ruined doorway.
Glass crunched beneath its claws.
Cassian exhaled slowly.
"So much for that slowing you down."
The system responded instantly.
[Combat Engagement Detected]
[Mutated Beast — Level 3]
[Estimated HP: 64 / 80]
Cassian blinked.
"Sixty-four?"
That meant the attack had actually done real damage.
His eyes flicked to the small interface hovering near the edge of his vision.
[Mana: 34 / 50]
Not great.
But enough for a few more constructs.
The creature prowled forward slowly, muscles rippling beneath its enlarged frame. Rainwater dripped from its fur and pooled on the marble floor.
It had stopped charging recklessly.
Now it was watching him.
Learning.
Cassian's grip tightened slightly as he raised his hand again.
"Smart," he murmured. "That's unfortunate."
If the beast had been mindless, he could simply keep throwing constructs until it died.
But an intelligent predator was much harder to deal with.
Still, Cassian had one advantage.
His mind was already working through the problem.
Mana constructs followed structural principles. That much he had confirmed.
The spike had worked because it concentrated force into a small area.
But if he wanted to actually kill the creature…
He needed something stronger.
The beast growled and lunged.
Cassian reacted instantly.
[Mana Construct Activated]
Three triangular plates of glowing energy snapped into existence in front of him, forming a crude barrier.
The creature slammed into the shield with explosive force.
The impact sent Cassian skidding backward across the floor.
Mana crackled through the barrier as the construct strained under the beast's weight.
The triangular plates fractured.
Then shattered.
Cassian stumbled but kept his balance as the creature recoiled slightly from the burst of energy.
A new notification appeared.
[Mana Consumed: 12]
[Mana Remaining: 22 / 50]
Cassian grimaced.
"Too expensive."
He had burned over half his remaining mana just to block a single attack.
That strategy wouldn't last long.
The beast shook its head and growled again, preparing to charge.
Cassian's eyes darted around the lobby.
Think.
His engineering brain shifted into overdrive.
The constructs didn't have to be large.
They just had to be efficient.
His passive skill flickered to life again.
[Mana Blueprint Activated]
Thin glowing lines appeared in his vision, outlining possible structures. Dozens of potential shapes flickered past like design drafts.
Cubes.
Plates.
Spikes.
Then one particular design caught his attention.
A rotating structure.
Multiple smaller blades arranged around a central axis.
Cassian's eyes widened slightly.
"A drill."
The creature lunged again.
Cassian thrust his hand forward.
[Mana Construct Activated]
Five narrow blades formed instantly, spinning around a central point like the head of a rotating drill bit.
[Mana Consumed: 8]
[Mana Remaining: 14 / 50]
Cassian didn't hesitate.
He triggered his second ability.
[Arcane Pulse Activated]
The spinning construct shot forward with explosive speed.
The beast tried to dodge.
But the drill struck its chest before it could fully move aside.
The rotating blades tore into flesh with a violent burst of blue light.
The creature howled as the construct burrowed several inches into its body before finally shattering.
Blood splattered across the library floor.
The beast staggered backward.
The system chimed again.
[Critical Damage Inflicted]
[Mutated Beast — HP: 18 / 80]
Cassian's breathing slowed.
"Okay," he said quietly.
"That one definitely worked."
The creature trembled as it tried to regain its footing.
Its movements had grown sluggish.
But its crimson eyes still burned with hatred.
Cassian lifted his hand again.
Only a faint trickle of mana remained within him.
[Mana: 14 / 50]
He could maybe create one more attack.
Two if he made the construct small.
The beast lowered its head and charged again in a final desperate rush.
Cassian exhaled slowly.
"Alright," he said.
"Let's end this."
Mana gathered in his palm once more.
But this time he didn't create something complex.
No rotating blades.
No elaborate designs.
Just a simple spike.
But he made it denser.
Sharper.
More focused.
[Mana Construct Activated]
[Mana Consumed: 10]
[Mana Remaining: 4 / 50]
The glowing spike hovered in front of him.
The beast was only a few meters away now.
Cassian triggered Arcane Pulse.
The spike launched forward like a railgun shot.
It pierced directly through the creature's skull.
The beast collapsed instantly.
Its massive body slid across the marble floor before coming to a stop a few feet from Cassian's shoes.
Silence filled the library lobby.
Rain continued to fall outside.
Cassian stared at the corpse for several seconds before finally letting out a long breath.
"Well," he muttered.
"That escalated quickly."
The system chimed again.
[Enemy Eliminated]
[Mutated Beast — Level 3 defeated]
A cascade of notifications appeared.
[Experience Gained: 85]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
Cassian blinked.
Two more messages appeared.
[Level 2 Reached]
[Level 3 Reached]
He leaned against the wall behind him and laughed softly.
"Okay," he said.
"That's… actually encouraging."
More notifications followed.
[Stat Points Awarded: +10]
[New System Feature Unlocked]
[Inventory Function Activated]
Cassian straightened slowly.
His exhaustion faded slightly as the level-up energy coursed through his body.
The sense of mana around him sharpened again.
He looked down at the dead creature.
"First monster kill," he said quietly.
The words felt surreal.
Just an hour ago he had been worrying about exams.
Now he was leveling up by killing mutated animals inside a university library.
The system chimed once more.
[Warning]
[High Mana Density Detected in Ravencrest City]
Cassian frowned.
Then another line appeared.
[Dungeon Formation in Progress]
His smile faded.
"…That can't be good."