Standing in front of the elevator, Jason took a few deep breaths. Loosening up his arm, Jason was prepared to do something. Something rather idiotic in a sense.

You can do this Jason. You got this. Just go in and out.

He himself knew the stupidity of his action but he needed to do it.

DING

The door to the staff elevator opened and down he went. No one knew about this reckless attempt of his since most were dreaming in their sleep.

I’m here.

The door opened and his eyes witnessed upon the room in shambles. Broken walls and concrete covered the floor and a few faulty lights flickering through the corridor. To think he had survived through this mess, Jason himself was impressed by his own achievement.

Jason didn’t go out immediately. Crouching on the elevator floor, he focused his hearing trying to listen to whatever he could hear. Nothing, only the buzzing of the flickering light kept on knocking on his eardrums. He didn’t mind at all as long as it wasn’t a growl.

Since the coast was clear, he stepped out from the safety of the elevator and walked through the broken down storage facility. It took him a while but he managed to walk across the corridor to the hole on the wall. Cautious was like his new personality, built-in within him in a matter of hours after going through a hair raising experience. Taking a peek through the hole in the wall, he saw the corridor.

Really bad.

The result of the scuffle between those two silver raptors brought upon a catastrophic change in the corridor. A much worse state compared to the storage facility area.

Please let it be here.

An assumption, made out of a whim. A simple thought after remembering something from those hard times he went through. He rummaged through the rubbles, with his eyes kept on going back and forth watching his front and back. For some reason, the word paranoid was getting instill in this soul of his. He definitely didn't want to be surprised by the sudden appearance of a creature with jaw fill with razor-sharp teeth.

Going from one side to another, he was diligent. Searching for something that he wasn’t sure about. He barely made a sound while turning over the broken-down walls and such. But luck found its way.

I can’t believe it. It’s really here.

A stroke of luck found amidst the destruction of monsters. His hand reached out to the thing on the floor. But he stopped at the last second. He took off one of his shoes and pulled out his sock. Ignoring the smell, he wrapped it over his hand. A precautionary act that might be rather worthless. Grabbing the wider end of the thing, he lifted it off.

I didn’t think it would be this heavy.

A glistening shine even under terrible lighting conditions.

For a horn, it’s quite long.

Seeing it up close, Jason could saw the full length of this broken horn. The horn from one of the silver raptors. Twenty-one inches in length, a marvel sight to behold. On top of that creature’s head, it looks like a horn but in Jason’s hand, it definitely had the image of a sword.

“Ow,” yelp Jason as his thumb was cut a bit just from a minor mishap while stroking the broken bladed horn. While sucking his blood from his thumb, Jason was deep in thought.

Could I use the hilt from my broken katana? Wait, to begin with where the hell is it?

He went back inside the storage facility area and searched for his broken katana. A pitiful attempt of him throwing at the silver raptor. Looking around, turning over one block of rubble to another. He saw something at the corner of his eye.

“Found it,” said Jason. The thought of wielding a genuine katana-like blade was a dream to him. But as he turned it over. His face fell.

There goes my luck.

What left of it, was broken into pieces. Even the cheap steel couldn’t bear the might of the silver raptor rampaging. Jason plopped on the floor with a dazed look. Raising the broken silver raptor’s horn in his hand, he smiled.

Let’s be grateful for whatever I have.

He stood up and dusted off his pants. Thinking about it for a second, his clothes were rather tattered like a rag.

“I really should-” before he could even finish his monologue, a low growl echoed through the room.

Jason stood there frozen in place. The hair at the back of his neck was standing up as he knew something was not right. His eyes glanced at the elevator and it wasn’t far compared to the open hole in the wall. A chance for him to regain safety. Putting every strength he had in those two legs of his, he darted off the ground and ran towards the elevator.

His finger kept on pushing on the button while his eyes maintained its sight at the gaping hole at the opposite end. He prayed nothing would appear from that hole.

DING.

A sense of relief flew in as he went inside the elevator. A slight smile hung on his face, a testament of him escaping another crisis. But then he stopped his hand. Just a slight distance away from the close button, but the man in question felt it was odd.

“Why is it so silent?” Jason said.

Any normal man would go up in just a second but he just stood there like a statue with his ears perk up.

Growl...

The low growl echoed in the corridor yet his brows knitted together as if something was wrong.

That’s weird.

Jason felt the growl was rather bleak. Unlike the trembling growl full with dread he heard a few hours ago.

That two-legged monster is quite fast, shouldn’t it appear right about now?

He kept staring at the gaping hole waiting for something to appear. But ten minutes passed, yet nothing.

This is odd.

Something didn’t match up with what he knew about those creatures. A thought appeared in the midst of his thinking.

I know this sounds kind of dumb but I need to check it out.

A man that needs to be persuaded by his own self. It wasn’t wrong but going back to the den of the tiger was something he shouldn’t have to think about. Yet here he was now. Peeking through the broken wall to the corridor, he didn’t see a thing. Even with the lights flickering on and off, he still had his pride regarding his perfect vision.

Nothing in the corridor.

Growl...

That tone again kept on echoing through this corridor. If he wasn’t mistaken then the source of the sound might be coming from the corridor across the broken-down door. He walked down the corridor with his heart beating faster with each step he took. Jason swore he could even hear his heartbeat loud and clear, a testament of his anxiety about this action of his.

Soon he stood there right in front of the broken-down door. This other storage facility area was no different from the previous one. Broken down as if a bulldozer went through. Yet something caught his eye. A pool of darkening blood in the middle of the path. Something laid on top of it with its eyes staring at Jason.

He felt goosebumps as his eyes met with the creature’s eyes. Frozen in place, he didn’t dare move but the low growl echoed once more coming from the jaws of the creature on top of the pool of blood.

It looks badly injured. I think I know who’s the victor between that crocodile-like thing and this two-legged armor lizard.

The silver raptor was badly injured even the pointed end of its blade horn was broken. More of its metallic scales were scraped off from its flesh revealing the grievous wounds underneath it. The fight between those creatures was indeed to the death. Jason gulped down a mouthful of his saliva. The thought of running went away as in front of him stood a free meal.

If I kill it, I might level up once more.

One thing he knew. If he wanted to survive through this catastrophic ordeal, the only chance he had was through the game-like system. He knew the immense benefit regarding it and walking away from a creature at the point of death was a stupid notion.

Since within his sight was a big lump of experience points. His shaking lower limbs brought him closer to the silver raptor. A small rock hit the wall as the sound bounced in the area. He stopped as he saw the creature laid its eyes on him. He was having second thoughts as he met those penetrating slit eyes. Beads of sweat rained down his forehead. But as soon as the creature closed its eyes once more, he let out a breath of relief.

Come on, you got this.

Pumping himself up, he walked closer to the dying silver raptor. Then there he was, standing right in front of the head of the silver raptor. Being this close with the creature, he could feel the difference in size between him and the creature. He still wondered how he got away from a creature like this.

Hmm?

Something caught his attention. Raising his right hand he noticed blood trickled down from his close grip.

Shit, I’m bleeding.

Letting go of the broken blade horn. He saw the sock covering his hand was dyed in the color of blood. Due to the anxiety and the nervousness, Jason didn’t even felt the pain of gripping the blade horn too tightly.

“Minor Heal+,” said Jason.

He healed his injured palm and within seconds not a scar could be seen.

“Ah shit, why the hell did I use it?” he grumbled as he did it without a thought.

There was only one point left to use the skill and he wasted it for a cut on his palm. He didn’t things through and just used the skill thoughtlessly.

Get it together, Jason.

Shrugging off his own lack of rationality, he looked around to see something of use for the blade horn. He didn’t find anything but looking down he saw the black leather belt wrapped around his pants. He smiled. Taking it off in an instant, he wrapped the wider end of the blade horn making a safer grip compared to the measly sock.

“Fuh, it’s time then,” his eyes turned over to the sight of the dying silver raptor. He could saw the shallow breath it had, second by second it was reaching closer to its own death.

Jason held on to the blade horn with both of his hands, raising it up in the air. Like always, his target was none other than the eye. Even with it closer to death, he didn’t think he has the ability to pierce through those silver scales.

Then he swung his arm with the intention of piercing it through the eye. Moments before he earned his prize, something else came.

“Jason?” a voice called out to him.

He stopped in the middle of his attack and turned around in an instant. Jumping on his feet, he was prepared to fight but as he saw who it was, his shoulders loosened.

“Maria? What are you doing down here?” asked Jason.

“I can ask the same to you,” said Maria with both her arms crossed over in front of her chest.

“Wait, how did you find me?” something made him curious.

“I tracked you through the Glock GPS,” answered Maria with a straight face.

Jason couldn’t believe what he just heard. The Glock was still tucked between his pants, he found it after removing his belt. It fell off after he removed the belt.

“You put a tracker in your gun? Who in the...” he stopped his mouth as he shook his head. Now wasn’t the time to bicker about tracking your own gun, “Nevermind, just forget what I said.”

She wasn't pleased with Jason’s reckless action. He did it again right under her nose. She only slept for a while and the moment she woke up, he was gone. At first, she felt comforted by the blanket covering her but the moment she couldn’t find him on the same floor, she started to cuss him internally.

“Why are you doing this Jason? Why are y-” she stopped talking seeing the thing behind Jason.

She realized a bit too late and her whole body froze.

“Jason, get out of there,” she shouted, panicking after seeing a monster this close.

She didn’t see it the first time since the light kept flickering on and off and her eyes were only focused on Jason.

“Don’t worry, it’s harmless,” said Jason.

Maria wasn’t buying his words. While Jason had a thought in mind. Something he could put to the test.

“On second thought, come over,” said Jason.

Maria shook her head side to side, refusing to come over.

“Come on, this is about the blue window,” his words piqued her interest.

Although she hesitated, her feet still walked over to the side of Jason. She stood a step back behind Jason as if seeing him as a protective shield. She didn’t notice her own behavior but Jason definitely could see it. Being a shield did cross his mind for a while but he shrugged it off as it was pointless to think about.

“Here,” he handed over the Glock back to its rightful owner.

“What for?” said Maria taking back the Glock in her hand.

“Shoot it,” said Jason.

“What?” Maria had to ask him back, she thought she misheard him.

“Just shoot it at the head. Come on, hurry up. It’s dying already,” said Jason.

She thought about saving her bullets since the silver raptor was already closing to death door but since Jason pestered her about it, she aimed the shot a few times at the silver raptor. Yet like both of them thought, only a few sparks on its metallic head. The bullets didn’t even scratch the surface of its scales.

“Jason, let’s go back. I’m getting the creeps down here. Besides, it’s pointless trying to kill it,” Maria beckoned him while pulling the sleeve of his shirt.

Jason didn’t mind whatever Maria did and raised up the blade horn once more. In a swift moment, the pointed end of the blade horn pierced right at the eye of the silver raptor. The silver raptor wriggled its head trying to retaliate over the attacker. Even at death door, it won’t go down without a fight.

Maria panicked a bit and fled a few steps away. Seeing this silver raptor moved gave her a fright. Jason held on and put on more pressure from the back of the make-shift hilt. Soon, the silver raptor stopped moving as its head laid on the floor. Lifeless like a corpse.

Both Maria and Jason stood there in silence, neither one talking to one another. Then the thing he waited arrived.

Jason’s level increased to level 4

A wide smile hung on his face. He earned his free prize and was enough to bolster his motivation to earn more.

“Jason,” Maria called out to him from the back.

He glanced at her and saw her staring at the empty air.

“So what does the blue window said?” he asked.

She didn’t answer for a few seconds since she was in a daze. But as soon as she snapped out she said.

“I’m level 2,” said Maria.

Another thing that made him smiled. His hypothesis was proven to be true.

Like I thought, this whole thing is definitely like a game. Although she didn’t kill it, she still gained a portion of the experience.

He had his answer yet he still had something else left in his mind.

But…