Tell Me This is a Joke...

With Garuda reaching level 3, not only does her casting speed visibly increase, but the amount of control she can exercise for the flames she uses is now much more precise.

This means that the higher her level, the harder it would be for me to get a kill within her range!

"Garuda, leave some for me too!"

I couldn't help but beg, but as if she wasn't listening, the flames kept on burning the path, turning every single doggo into ashes. The smell of barbecued meat was spreading in the room, making me feel hungry even though I had already eaten dinner.

I turned to look at the vents, which gave us fresh air to breathe continuously. If not for those, then we'd probably have suffocated already. After all, an open fire in a closed room would quickly use up all the oxygen around it.

The fiercer the monsters tried to break through, the fiercer her flames became! The wolves came in as if there were an unlimited number of them outside, and from what I could count alone, Garuda had taken out more than 30 of them!

'At this rate, I wouldn't be able to level up at all!' I started to worry.

Just as I was thinking of how to gain some kills, the flames that Garuda used started to lose steam.

Worried, I tried to see her on the other side of the wall and saw her panting hard, large beads of sweat rolling down her forehead. That symptom was familiar, as I saw a comrade in training in the military have the same expression before falling down.

"Overfatigue!"

I tensed up, looking toward the entrance before me and seeing that there were still tons of wolves trying to get in. Garuda overused her power and ended up getting tired immediately.

"..."

This is a serious situation, but I felt slightly relieved. After all, it looks like I can still proceed as planned and gain a few more levels. I gripped the sword in my hand before standing directly before the long brick wall. At this point, positioning myself to the side is useless since I'd be alone defending against the horde right now.

I took a deep breath, looking at the first wolf that was trying to break through the fiery corpses of its allies. It ran without hesitation despite the flames, completely different from normal animals that naturally fear them.

The distance between us closed rapidly. Just as the wolf was about to reach me, I took a sidestep and swung my blade upward.

*SLASH!*

Since it was timed perfectly, the blade passed through its neck, cutting it diagonally upward and lopping it off in one smooth motion. Another kill, finally!

*Ting!*

And as if to respond to my wishes, the notification sound echoed, telling me that I'd leveled just up. Now, I'm also level 3!

Just as I expected, I felt my body get lighter in response to my gaining more strength. With this, I should be able to handle the incoming wave a lot easier!

I pulled the dagger and held it in my left hand, holding it in a reverse grip, before shouting out loud, trying to gather as much attention from them as possible.

"Bring it on, you mutts! I'll let you meet your maker!"

The wolves ran fast, their gazes filled with killing intent. If I was alone, I might've succumbed to fear then and there, but with Garuda still sprawled on the ground, panting hard, I can't let these monsters through!

The next wolf came, and like the first one, I sidestepped its leap before swinging my sword to lop its head off. However, this time, there's another one right behind it. It would be too late to swing my sword again, so having no choice, I had to swing the dagger, turning anticlockwise, and slamming its blade on the wolf's spine!

*SPLAT!*

Blood spewed out of the two wolves, making me feel sick. The smell of iron and smoke filled my nose, but I didn't falter. If I left this position, then the wolves would be able to enter!

I stood in my spot, not backing down one bit, for a few minutes. How long? I'm not sure. I didn't have the leeway to keep track of time after all.

"Hvir, I'm fine already. You rest while I take over." And the only indicator I had was Garuda's voice calling to me as she stood up.

She was still wobbly, but she looked like she was now able to fight once more. "Don't push yourself, and use your pyrokinesis in moderation!" I warned lightly before taking a step back to gain a short rest.

Without my notice, it was my turn to have ragged breathing. Sweat covered not only my face but even my clothes, which were now completely drenched. I guess the flames that were still burning brightly, increasing the room's temperature, were partly at fault too.

If we hadn't turned off the sprinkler system, then the entire underground 10th floor might've been flooded by now.

I knelt on one knee, trying to rest without lowering my guard. As I panted, I finally had time to check the notifications I had been ignoring since earlier. There were already several layers of them!

[Congratulations! You have slain a Deranged Wolf!]

[Computing experience based on your contribution...]

[Congratulations! You have leveled up to level 5!]

Such notifications had piled over a hundred times, meaning I killed roughly 60 or so wolves. Reaching level five after killing that many, is that fast or slow? I wonder...

Garuda, after recovering a bit, was only burning the first few meters before the entrance. She was trying to use her powers more efficiently compared to before. Still, the rate at which she killed the wolves didn't change from before. In just a few minutes, she'd probably catch up with my level too.

*Tack!*

"...?"

Among the sound of flames raging and the heavy breathing of Garuda and me, a foreign sound entered my ears. I turned to look at where the sound came from, somewhere behind Garuda, but didn't see anything.

'Was it something that fell to the ground, maybe?' Although I tried to convince myself so, I couldn't help but have this nagging feeling that I was forgetting something.

Then, suddenly, without even a hint of warning, a sharp tongue appeared from the empty space and went through Garuda's back, piercing her chest in one go.

"Ugh..."

Her body shook only a bit before she looked down, seeing the tongue going through her body. Her gaze, filled with confusion and fear, turned to me as if asking for help.

"..."

No way.

The chameleon!