He thought they’d be glitchy skeletons or corrupted bots, but these things? They looked like humanoid insects, twisted exoskeletons with too many joints, dark skin pulsing with flickering code, and a face that kept rewriting itself like a corrupted profile picture.
There were five of them in sight.
The other ten?
Probably hiding.
Noct gripped the Rustfang Dagger tighter. The blade was light, almost too light. Probably dull as hell, but it’d have to do.
[Hollowspawn – Level 3]
HP: 100
Aggression: Active
Type: Common Enemy
He was Level 1.
No traits.
No techniques.
But fear? Nah. That wasn’t his style.
The closest Hollowspawn screeched and lunged, claws extended like data-blades glitching in and out of existence. Noct sidestepped, fast but clean, sliding under its arm and jamming the dagger upward into its side.
The blade didn’t go deep. Barely a scratch.
[5 DMG dealt]
“Lame…” Noct muttered, yanking it out.
The Hollowspawn whirled, arms flailing wildly.
Noct ducked, moved with fluid motion, and slammed the butt of the dagger into its eye, at least, where an eye should be. The monster screeched, stumbling back just enough for Noct to follow up with a stab to the neck.
[Critical Hit – 20 DMG dealt]
[Hollowspawn HP: 75/100]
They were fast, but predictable.
Noct kept moving. Kept slashing. Not because he was strong, but because he refused to get hit. The Hollowspawn’s claws grazed him once, cutting through his starter armor like paper.
[12 DMG taken]
[HP: 38/50]
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One mistake. That’s all it took.
“Can’t afford another one of those…” he muttered.
He flipped backward, baiting the mob toward a burnt-out car. As the Hollowspawn jumped to attack again, he dove behind the car and whipped a kick straight into its leg mid-leap.
The thing flipped, faceplanting into the asphalt, and Noct buried the dagger in the back of its neck.
[Critical Hit – 30 DMG dealt]
[Enemy Eliminated – Hollowspawn (Lv.3)]
+10 EXP
+5 Credits
[Credits: 7]
Noct exhaled through his nose, standing slowly.
“Alright. One down.”
Four more rushed in.
The quest timer blinked red.
[Time Remaining: 08:41]
Ten minutes didn’t seem like much. But in the system? Time dragged when every second was life or death.
By the seventh Hollowspawn, Noct was drenched in sweat. Cuts on his arms. Left shoulder numb. He’d used terrain, broken walls, even tossed a pipe into one of their faces just to get an opening.
He was surviving.
Barely.
[Quest Progress: 7/15]
[Time Remaining: 05:56]
[HP: 9/50]
And then, of course, they started grouping up.
Noct ducked into a collapsed convenience store, kicking shelves over behind him to create makeshift barriers. Three Hollowspawn crawled in through broken windows. One even dropped from the ceiling, landing with a metallic thud.
He was trapped.
[Combat Tip: Nearby obstacles can be used in creative ways to gain advantage.]
“Thanks, System. Real helpful,” he muttered, eyes flicking toward the back.
There. A busted power terminal sparking with blue energy.
Noct’s brain moved fast, way faster than his body ever could. He dove to the right, grabbed a loose length of wire from the floor, then wrapped it around a metal pole half-buried in the debris.
One Hollowspawn lunged.
Noct jammed the wired pole forward, right into the creature’s chest. It hit the live terminal behind it.
Sparks exploded.
The Hollowspawn convulsed, screeching as arcs of electricity cooked its insides.
[Enemy Eliminated – Hollowspawn (Lv.3)]
+10 EXP
+5 Credits
[Level Up!]
[Level 2 Unlocked]
+5 Stat Points Earned
[EXP: 0/200]
[You have earned a loot drop!]
[Item: Basic Healing Capsule (x1)]
Noct’s eyes widened. “Finally.”
He popped the capsule into his mouth without hesitation. It dissolved instantly.
[HP Restored: +25]
[HP: 34/50]
Still not full. But better than almost-dead.
He slammed his foot into a nearby Hollowspawn, sending it toppling over a knocked-over fridge, then stabbed through its jaw when it tried to crawl back up.
Another one down.
Another step forward.
[Quest Complete: “Purge the Infestation”]
+40 EXP
+10 Credits
[Basic Gear Chest (Uncommon) received]
[No penalties applied.]
[Total Credits: 22]
[Level: 2 | EXP: 40/200]
Noct collapsed into a chair made of shattered plastic and metal, breathing hard.
He didn’t smile. Didn’t cheer. Just stared at his stats, then at the Basic Gear Chest floating in his inventory, glowing with faint purple light.
Uncommon gear. That meant better stats. A start.
A slow smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
“No trait. No freebies. No sponsors…”
He stood up.
“…But I’m still gonna break this system.”
End of Chapter 2...