For the next hour or so, the ruined city became Deon’s training ground.

At first, they moved carefully through it. Every street was checked twice and every alley was treated as a death zone until proven otherwise.

Whenever they spotted large packs of Ruined Hounds, the trio immediately ducked into abandoned stores or slipped through side buildings until the creatures passed.

But lone Hounds?

They became easy pickings.

The second kill was even faster than the first. The moment one spotted them and launched forward, Deon already knew what it would do. He stepped aside at the last second, bringing up his katana before he slashed the creature in two separate directions.

[+3 Points Awarded]

The third took a little longer, mostly because the Hound had fled into a wrecked pharmacy, moving frantically between the broken shelves. Yet once it lunged, it died the same way as the others.

The fourth nearly bit him. Its jaws snapped close enough to catch a few strands of Deon’s hair before he drove the blade straight through its eye socket.

"Way too close," Hana breathed.

"I knew exactly what I was doing," Deon replied immediately.

"You screamed like a school girl."

"Can we forget about that?"

"No."

Deon clicked his tongue and kept walking. By the fifth kill, his demeanor had changed entirely.

The fear that had gripped him ever since arriving in this ruined world was still there, but no longer controlled him. Every successful fight chipped away at it bit by bit.

With a sword in hand and his points steadily climbing, the Miracle Royale suddenly didn’t feel unwinnable anymore.

Another blue panel appeared after the next Hound dissolved into ash.

[+3 Points Awarded.]

[Current Points: 18]

Deon sighed at the number. Just a few hours ago, he’d been broke and starving while getting laughed out of his own livestream.

Now he was carving through monstrous-looking hounds like some kind of canine exterminator.

Even so, he didn’t feel satisfied, not even one bit. Deon’s gaze instinctively lifted toward the distant sky as if the leaderboard might be waiting for him there.

Levi Knox...that bastard better not be farming faster than me.

But as he thought about it, another idea came to mind. Every single point so far had gone to him, not Hana, even though they were in a party.

"Something wrong?" Hana tapped him on the shoulder.

"Just...thinking about something," he whispered, glancing back at the suited man. "Have you noticed how I’ve gotten all the points?"

"Yeah?" she tilted her head in confusion. "Doesn’t that make sense, though? You’ve been killing them all by yourself."

Deon glanced down at the sword in his hand. He had grown used to its weight faster than expected.

His gaze shifted to Hana again.

She was tired. He could see it now that the adrenaline had worn off a little. Her breathing was heavier than before, strands of baby-blue hair sticking lightly to her cheek. Yet whenever a Hound appeared, she still forced herself to step forward instead of backward.

Deon checked the Leaderboards again.

[Leaderboard]

[1. Levi Knox — 26 Points]

[2. Deon Day — 18 Points]

[3. Jason Crowe — 3 Points]

That pretty-faced bastard had gained eleven more while we were moving. What the hell was he doing? Slaughtering packs alone?

Tch...it doesn’t matter. If the system rewarded killing blows, then the answer is obvious.

Deon turned the katana around by its back and handed the hilt over to Hana. "You’re killing the next one."

"...I’m what?"

"The next Hound. You’re doing it."

She pointed at herself in disbelief. "Me?"

"No, the other Hana standing here."

"There is no other Hana!"

"Then keep up."

She stared at him like he was a drunk lunatic spouting nonsense. "Deon, I’ve never used a sword before!"

"You’ve also never been trapped in a death game before. People adapt."

"That’s not helping!"

The suited man coughed lightly into his fist, carefully neutral as ever. "If I may... perhaps forcing a frightened amateur into close combat with monsters is not a good idea."

"Maybe you can lend it to me, and—?"

"Absolutely not," Deon denied the request immediately.

"Tch..." the man clicked his tongue quietly, but Deon managed to catch it regardless.

Slowly and reluctantly, Hana accepted the blade with both hands. "Fine...I’ll try my best."

They didn’t really need to look that far. Barely a street over, a lone Ruined Hound prowled near the wreckage of a collapsed traffic light. Its nose was practically glued to the ground, presumably searching for food.

Hana tightened both hands around the hilt, though the sword still wobbled slightly in her grip. "Deon...what exactly am I supposed to do?"

He pointed toward the Hound. "Always keep it in your vision, never let it surprise you."

"...That’s the plan?"

"That’s the important part of the plan."

She stared at him in disbelief. "There are other parts?!"

"When it jumps, it commits in a straight line." Deon crouched slightly, tracing an invisible path with his hand. "I’ll try to grab it or throw it off balance. You just have to do the final blow."

Hana swallowed once before staring at Deon. "You...really think I can do it?"

"Of course," Deon nodded. "I wouldn’t ask you to do something you can’t do."

But before she could answer, he had already grabbed a loose chunk of broken concrete, hurling it across the street.

CRASH!

The stone shattered against a storefront window. The Hound’s head snapped violently toward the commotion...before finally seeing them.

"DEON!" Hanna yelled, but he was already running towards it.

"Keep up!"

The Hound tore across the street, jaws open wide.

At the last second, Deon stepped in from the side and slammed his shoulder into its ribs. The impact knocked the creature off-trajectory, sending it skidding across the pavement.

"NOW!"

Hana squeaked more than shouted, stumbling forward and bringing the katana down with both hands.

Thunk!

The blade buried itself halfway through the Hound’s neck. The creature twitched once before going still.

Hana looked down at the corpse, then at the sword in her hands, then at Deon. "...I did it?"

Blue panels appeared before both of them, confirming her achievement.

[Assist Contribution Recognized.]

[+1 Point Awarded.]

There it is. The system really did count contribution. Even if I didn’t kill it, I still gained a point.

Hana, meanwhile, looked like she might cry, faint, or laugh first.

"I did it," she repeated softly, almost to herself. "I killed one!"

"You did."

"I actually killed one!"

Deon suddenly got goosebumps, hair standing on edge as he looked forward. "Well, you’ve gotta get used to it soon. Another one’s coming."

"What?" Hana’s voice had barely left her mouth when the answer arrived.

From the alley ahead came the rapid scrape of claws against concrete. A second Ruined Hound burst into view, charging straight towards them.

"Back!"

Deon shoved her by the shoulder, sending her stumbling toward the side while he pulled the katana from her grasp.

This one was faster than the last, jaws snapping wildly as it flew toward his chest. Deon twisted aside and slashed across its flank, drawing a spray of dark blood but not enough to kill it.

Tch...this one’s tougher. Could it be some kind of pseudo-Boss monster?

The Hound managed to get up, feinting left before darting right instead of charging in the usual straight line.

Deon narrowed his eyes and adjusted his footing.

This one seems smarter than the others...definitely some evolved species.

Either way, it was wounded, blood dripping from the gash along its side. Deon intentionally stepped backward, baiting it in.

The Hound took it immediately, launching straight at him. Deon already knew how this would end, stepping to the side as he raised his blade.

But just before he could hit it—

Thunk!

The suited man lunged from the side with a jagged shard of broken glass clenched in his fist. With a desperate yell, he drove the shard straight into the Hound’s exposed throat.

The monster collapsed mid-leap, momentum carrying both it and the man into a heap across the pavement.

[You have defeated a Ruined Hound.]

[+3 Points Awarded.]

The suited man stared at the message in front of him, chest heaving.

Then slowly...he smiled. "I-I did it. I actually did it..."

Deon remained where he was, sword half raised as he looked at the man breathing heavily on the concrete.

Hana looked between the corpse, the man, and Deon with growing confusion. "Mr. Jason...?"

The man pushed himself upright, trying to look modest despite the clear smile on his face.

"Ah...forgive me," he said between breaths. "I simply saw the chance and acted."

Saw the chance? You simply stole the kill! Tch whatever, let’s look at the leaderboards again.

The glowing list unfolded before his eyes.

[Leaderboard]

[1. Levi Knox — 28 Points]

[2. Deon Day — 19 Points]

[3. Jason Crowe — 3 Points]

"What...?" he muttered, reading it again.

[Jason Crowe — 3 Points]

The man had just earned three more. So why hadn’t his ranking changed?

Unless—

He closed the panel, immediately dashing toward the man. Deon jumped on top of him, mounting against his chest before placing the tip of his blade straight at the throat.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?"