The first Wretched—a former older man—stumbled through the now-open door, barely giving him enough time to crawl back through the hole and grab a weapon. It screeched, alerting a couple more monsters on the street behind it, and crashed lightly into the makeshift barrier.

  It didn't fall.

  Isaac used this short opportunity to grab the crowbar and hide next to the opening. If he wanted this plan to work, they had to come to him. His lethal weapons didn't really have enough reach.

  Thankfully, the Wretched didn't take long to recover and climbed into the hole. As soon as the top of its head appeared on Isaac's side, he counted to three and swung the crowbar with all his strength. The creature let out a strangled squeal as the blow sent it sprawling onto the dresser that made the base of the barricade.

  Wasting no time, Isaac unsheathed the hunting knife, pulled the Wretched's head up by its hair, and plunged the blade into one of its eyes. He expected resistance—maybe for the knife to get stuck—but for once, the Internet hadn't lied. The bone behind the eye crumbled under the force of his strike.

  The monster stilled, its arms falling limp at its sides.

  One down, Isaac thought, as the adrenaline coursing within his veins intensified, the song of blood growing louder. It begged him for more, and he was happy to oblige. More Wretched were already approaching anyway.

  Quick!

  He grabbed the corpse by the collar and dragged it onto his side and out of the hole. Even if it would disappear in a moment, he didn't want it to block the only path for the Wretched to reach him. Who knew what they would do if they couldn't come through it.

  To Isaac's relief, he didn't have to find out just yet. The next three Wretched followed the pattern of the first one, giving him more than enough time to stab them through the eyes before the next one came.

  The same, however, could not be said for what came after.

  Three more Wretched barreled through the entrance. The narrow doorway stopped one of them from coming through right away, but the other two simply screeched at each other as they slid inside. When they reached the barricade's opening, neither was willing to go second.

  They hissed and wailed as they slammed into his creation. The entire construction shook, and Isaac knew he had to do something if he didn't want this whole thing to go down like a house of cards.

  Just as the duo attempted to climb through together in a tangled mess of limbs, he snatched the nearest broom handle and stuck it into the opening. The Wretched on the left squeaked as it lost its grip and tumbled backward, losing the hold on its kin.

  That solved one problem, only to create another.

  The Wretched on the right, now free of its burden, lunged forward, reaching the end of the hole in the blink of an eye. Isaac cursed, dropped the broom, and ducked just in time to avoid a swipe of the beast's hand.

  Thanks to his new position, he grabbed the crowbar lying on the floor and raised it just in time to block another incoming strike. The Wretched let out a surprised grunt, but he didn't give it time to realize what had just happened. He drove his fist into its cheek, then followed up with a stab to the neck.

  The beast gurgled and stumbled out of the hole, only to fall to the ground. He stomped on its neck, cutting off any more potential sounds or movement from his eighteenth kill.

  Two to go, he thought, just as a shiver went down his spine, warning him about the next incoming monster. It was already back in the window, ready to step onto his side.

  Isaac didn't let that happen, and in a single move, he grabbed the crowbar and swung it up right into the Wretched's chin. The impact sent it staggering backward, its head cracking against the edge of the desk above. Still, that wasn't enough to kill it.

  Before the beast could fall, he took it by the neck and yanked it forward. A knife to the temple finished the job.

  One more.

  His gaze snapped to the last Wretched—the one that had been left behind. It must have fallen again when he shoved the second monster back because only now did it manage to scramble into the opening in the barricade.

  Isaac didn't give it the opportunity to reach his side. More Wretched were already closing in on the entrance, and he had to somehow close the door after this kill. Time was the essence.

  And so, with the crowbar in one hand and the knife in the other, he lunged at his final enemy. The battle-worn tool struck its head before it could even lash out, and the blade followed right after, plunging straight into its right eye.

  The Wretched stilled, and the Interface's red text returned, changing its numbers for the last time.

  Current progress: 20 out of 20 | Rewards claimed: 403 out of 500

  Isaac grinned wide as the blood in his veins burned hotter than ever. It should have been uncomfortable, maybe even deadly, yet it wasn't—he loved it. That final kill only intensified this sensation.

  Focus up! He scolded himself. Still got a job to finish. Gotta close those doors.

  He nodded and reached out to push the corpse out of the way. However, his hand never made contact.

  The world around him shifted.

  Darkness swallowed his vision.

  He blinked once, then twice, but nothing changed. The lobby of his apartment building was gone, replaced by a void—a void in which he could still move.

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  Solid ground remained beneath his feet, and even if it was disorienting, every single part of his body still responded to his command. Hell, he still had the crowbar and knife gripped tight in his hands.

  What's going on? Isaac gulped as the comforting thrum of his blood vanished, taking away his strength. Silence, complete silence, surrounded him, and for the first time in his life, he hated it. Interface?! What's happening? I finished the task!

  For a moment, he thought he had done something wrong, that he somehow failed, and this was the punishment, but then the world around him changed. It began with the sudden flicker of four tiny blue flames, each hovering at his sides. They then floated away from him, their fire exploding outward and blinding him.

  Isaac squeezed his eyes shut, shielding himself from the glare. When it faded, he hesitantly opened them again.

  The void was gone, replaced by a vast hexagonal chamber with walls constructed from ancient stone bricks, all illuminated by the same four floating flames. There were no doors, no windows, no way out for him. Yet, the room wasn't empty either.

  Weapon racks lined five of the six walls, each filled with an array of blades, bows, and even crossbows. They, too, looked ancient, with rust lining up their metal parts. Still, as Isaac glanced at one of the swords, he doubted its edge was any less sharp than that of his knife.

  "I don't understand," he muttered, turning to the final part of this chamber—a large block of cut stone that reached all the way to his waist. Just like the weapon racks, it wasn't empty.

  Bread and water? Isaac wondered, grabbing the tall glass full of clear liquid.

  He gave it a sniff. No scent, not that it meant much. It could be a poison for all he knew. He repeated the action with the loaf of bread lying on a large ceramic plate.

  This time, the smell was strong, familiar. He remembered it well from his visits to the local bakery. Still, he didn't try to take a bite. He wasn't hungry anyway.

  But wh—

  Before he could finish that thought, the red text made another return—this one much longer.

  Well done, Host. You have succeeded in obtaining enough power for your Virus to advance to the next stage, ranking among the first five hundred within your Contamination Zone. Your Interface is now unbound, and the process of awakening your Origin has begun.

  In the meantime, it's recommended that you get familiar with your unbound Interface and prepare for the incoming trial. The opportunity to claim your Pioneer reward lies ahead and will arrive shortly after your Origin awakens.

  Time until release: 10 Hours, 3 minutes.

  "It lied to us," Isaac muttered as he read the message for the third time. It might have mentioned the opportunity to still claim the rewards, but the wording made it clear—it wouldn't be easy.

  "Ten hours…"

  That was how much time remained until Phase 2 of the Breakout began. It almost seemed like the Interface, the Overseer, or whoever the hell controlled this mess, didn't want those who awakened early to be there when the next stage arrived.

  For some reason, Isaac couldn't decide if he was more mad by the clear manipulations or because he couldn't fight anymore Wretched for at least ten hours. Probably the latter—his priorities had shifted a lot since he woke up today.

  And what about you? He wondered, reaching into his pocket and grabbing the phone sitting there. The device ignited with a click of the button, but a quick glance at the top of the screen confirmed his worries.

  No signal. Obviously.

  Pocketing his phone, Isaac slid down to the cold ground and leaned against the table of stone. With ten hours on the clock, he might as well get some rest. Well, that, and he should check out this whole unbound Interface.

  All right then. Status, come here.

  Name: Isaac Walker

  Origin: Awakening

  Legacy: Locked

  Virus Stage: I - Attachment (Phase 1)

  Virus Integrity: 94%

  Power: Feeble - Tier I

  Agility: Feeble - Tier I

  Toughness: Feeble - Tier I

  Regeneration: Feeble - Tier IV

  Insight: Feeble - Tier I

  Isaac quirked an eyebrow. Attachment and attributes. But feeble? Really?

  Although, the high tier—or low, depending on how it really worked—next to his regeneration was interesting. Still, he should probably start with the next stage. It sounded the most important out of all the new stuff.

  Interface: Attachment.

  [Attachment Phase 1 - The first Virus stage, where it is now actively working to strengthen your being. Protection against Broken Strain slightly enhanced. Viron production online (Temporarily unavailable for the time of Origin Awakening). Sire Strain: Overlord Chaos.]

  This again, Isaac narrowed his eyes at the final part of the notification. Other than that, there still wasn't much to look out for—at least until this mysterious Viron came back online. What is a sire strain? Who is this Overlord?

  Yet, no matter what command he gave the Interface, it refused to answer.

  He sighed. "Fine then. I will find out on my own. For now, Power."

  [Power - Relates only to the power of your body. Affects strength, stamina, and, to a lesser degree, speed and durability.]

  "Sounds simple enough," he muttered. "What about Agility?"

  [Agility - Crucial attribute affecting your speed, reaction time, and overall dexterity.]

  Easy enough again. Toughness?

  [Toughness - Enhances your overall durability and raises the resistance of your Virus to damage, thus slowing down the decrease of its Integrity.]

  Now, that sounds important, and finally something that isn't almost obvious at first glance. Makes me wonder if it can make me bulletproof one day. He shrugged. Hopefully, I will find out sooner or later… Next.

  [Regeneration - Affects the speed of your healing as well as recovery of Virus Integrity and stamina.]

  Another important one. And it looks like the higher tier, the better, Isaac noted, glancing at the cut on his arm.

  At this point, it should still be red and raw, but that wasn't true. The wound had already scabbed over and was well on its way to full recovery. All of this also explained why his leg didn't hurt anymore.

  "So I got enhanced regeneration from the get-go for some reason. Nice."

  [Insight - Your awareness of the world. Further improves reaction time. Some call it the hidden 6th sense.]

  "That's…" he muttered, hesitating for a moment. "Different."

  Isaac understood most of what the Interface meant, but the part about the hidden sixth sense? Now, that gave him a pause. In his opinion, it could mean anything. Fiction had used that name for a lot of stuff. Really, he could only wait and see how it developed over time.

  And that's everything… for now, he added as an afterthought, glancing at the Origin in his status. Once that finished awakening, he was pretty sure there would be more to read. It seemed like Interface preferred to feed him information slowly instead of overwhelming all new hosts.

  Isaac smiled lightly.

  "This leaves… weapons. Now to see if any of you are actually usable… or if I will just end up killing myself trying to use you."