James walked through the destroyed entrance of Dock 7, stepping over twisted metal and broken pieces of the rolling door. Smoke rolled around him from the Corpse Explosion he’d used outside, thick and acrid in the air.

The warehouse was wide and dark. Stacked containers lined the walls, old machinery sat rusted in corners, chains hung from the ceiling, and broken lights swung overhead, casting shadows that moved with each gust of wind through the open entrance.

Men inside were shouting in confusion. Some ran toward the entrance while others grabbed weapons. James counted at least fifteen visible, probably more hiding behind containers.

Then he noticed the details that mattered.

Frost crawled over one man’s arms, spreading across his skin like living ice. Fire glowed around another man’s fists, orange and flickering. Electricity sparked between a third man’s fingers, crackling with each movement.

Awakeners.

Not ordinary thugs. Men who’d cleared at least one Tower floor and gained powers from it.

But they were unprepared and disorganized, scrambling without formation or strategy.

One of them pointed at James and his eyes widened with recognition.

"That’s him. The guy who cleared Floor 5."

Another man looked confused. "He came here alone?"

James ignored them. His sword was in his hand, blood still wet on the blade from the two men outside. He stepped deeper into the warehouse and asked one question.

"Where is my mother?"

The awakeners stared at him like he was insane.

One of them frowned. "What mother?"

Another laughed nervously. "The boy must be crazy."

James asked again, his voice colder this time.

"Where is she?"

Nobody answered because nobody knew what he was talking about.

One fire awakener finally lost patience and stepped forward, flames growing larger around his hands. "Our boss told us to break you, not answer questions."

That was all James needed.

Black mist spilled from his storage ring. Four reanimated Dire Wolves appeared around him, their bodies scarred from old battles, fur matted and torn, and green light burning inside their dead eyes.

The laughter stopped.

For one second, the warehouse fell completely silent.

Then James gave the order.

"Attack."

The wolves moved first.

One wolf launched at the fire awakener, forcing him to throw his flames too early and too wide. Fire washed over the wolf’s side, burning dead fur and blackened flesh, but the creature didn’t scream and didn’t stop. It crashed into the man and drove him backward into a container with enough force to dent the metal and send a ringing echo through the warehouse.

An ice awakener attacked from the left, sending spikes of frost across the floor toward James. James moved aside with his shield raised, but one spike grazed his thigh and left a shallow cut that immediately began to sting from the cold. The other spikes shattered against the concrete behind him. He closed the distance in three steps and cut the man across the ribs with his sword.

The ice awakener dropped, gasping and clutching his side.

The System notification appeared only after the kill.

[LEVEL 5 HUMAN AWAKENER SLAIN]

[EXP GAINED: 80]

[CALL OF SOULS ACTIVATED]

[MANA RESTORED: 32]

James froze for half a second.

The Tower counted it.

Not as murder. Not as crime. Not as anything human.

Just a kill.

To his class, death was death.

The fight continued immediately. A lightning awakener tried to flank him from behind a container, but James turned and fired Necro Blast. The bolt of death energy hit the man in the chest and his flesh rotted fast, turning grey, then black, then liquefying as he collapsed screaming.

[LEVEL 6 HUMAN AWAKENER SLAIN]

[EXP GAINED: 95]

[CALL OF SOULS ACTIVATED]

[MANA RESTORED: 38]

The overhead lights swung wildly from the impacts, casting moving shadows that made everything harder to track. Smoke from the entrance explosion mixed with dust kicked up from the fighting and thickened the air.

The men began to panic.

One of them shouted, "What the hell is his class?"

Another said, "I thought he was just the Floor 5 guy!"

A stone-skinned awakener charged James and punched his shield hard enough to throw him backward. James’s arm went numb from the impact and his shoulder screamed in protest, but Shield Instinct helped him absorb enough damage to stay standing. He let the man come forward, then used Corpse Explosion on one of the fresh bodies near the man’s feet.

The corpse detonated.

The blast tore through the space between containers and threw three awakeners off their feet. One of the overhead lights exploded from the pressure wave and glass rained down. James stepped through the smoke and finished one wounded man with his sword.

[LEVEL 7 HUMAN AWAKENER SLAIN]

[EXP GAINED: 110]

[CALL OF SOULS ACTIVATED]

[MANA RESTORED: 44]

His wolves tore through weaker fighters. One wolf bit into a Level 4 awakener’s leg and dragged him down, crushing bone and tendon. Another pinned a Level 5 speed user long enough for James to finish him with Necro Blast.

A fire awakener managed to catch James’s left arm with a stream of flames. The leather armor protected him from the worst of it, but the heat seared through and left a burn across his forearm that made him grit his teeth. He killed the man with a sword thrust to the throat.

[LEVEL 6 HUMAN AWAKENER SLAIN]

[EXP GAINED: 95]

The awakeners who were laughing moments ago began backing away, slipping in blood and stumbling over bodies.

James kept moving.

Every few seconds, he asked the same question.

"Where is my mother?"

And every time, they stared at him like he was insane.

High above the warehouse floor, Derek stood on a metal platform with the man he’d hired to investigate James.

The man beside him was calm, older, and built like someone who’d survived real battles. He wore a dark coat and gloves with no visible weapon. His name was Ronan Vale and he wasn’t a mage-type fighter. He was a close-range awakener who used wind to strengthen his body and fists.

At first, Derek was smiling.

"He came early," Derek said, almost laughing. "And alone too. Does he know he’s cooked?"

Ronan didn’t answer. He watched James carefully.

Derek leaned against the railing, still enjoying himself. "That’s him. The boy from the broadcast. Floor 5 record breaker." His smile widened. "Look at him. Thinks one Tower clear makes him untouchable."

Then the first body dropped.

Then another.

Then another.

Derek’s smile faded slowly.

Below, James’s wolves were tearing through awakeners while James moved like a cold machine, killing quickly and asking about his mother after each death.

Derek turned sharply to Ronan.

"What the fuck are your guys doing? I thought they were awakeners."

Ronan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"They are."

That answer scared Derek more than any excuse would have.

Because it meant the men weren’t weak.

James was simply stronger than Derek expected.

A body slammed into the base of the platform below them, blood spreading across the concrete in a dark pool.

James looked up.

His mismatched eyes locked on Derek.

"DEREK!"

The whole warehouse seemed to freeze.

Derek forced a smile and spread his hands like he was still in control.

"If it isn’t my cousin James," he said from above. "I hope you’re prepared for the beating of your life."

James stood below with his sword in hand, wolves around him, and bodies scattered behind him.

"You wait there," James said. "You’re going to tell me why you kidnapped my mother."

Derek’s expression changed immediately.

"What?"

James’s voice dropped lower.

"My mother. Where is she?"

Derek looked genuinely confused. For a second, his fear was replaced by surprise. Then he turned to Ronan.

"Kidnap? I told you to destroy his house. Why would you kidnap my aunt?"

Ronan didn’t answer fast enough.

That tiny hesitation made James’s rage spike.

To James, it sounded like Derek was pretending or maybe Ronan acted without telling him. Either way, he wasn’t calm enough to believe anything.

Derek looked back down quickly.

"James, wait. I didn’t—"

James didn’t wait.

Ronan raised one hand slightly and gave the order.

"Boys."

Around twenty more men stepped out from between containers, side rooms, and upper walkways. These ones looked more organized than the first group. Some had fire burning around their hands. Some had ice spreading across their weapons. One carried a spear coated in lightning. Another had wind swirling around his boots. A few wore proper low-grade combat armor.

Derek looked relieved for a moment.

James only looked at him.

"You’ll talk after I finish them."

Then James attacked first.

The second wave rushed him.

James sent two wolves into the left group and two into the right, then moved straight through the center with his sword and shield.

The fight became brutal and chaotic.

An ice user froze the floor under James’s boots, but James drove his sword into the concrete to stop himself from sliding. He used Necro Blast and dropped the man before the ice could spread further.

[LEVEL 5 HUMAN AWAKENER SLAIN]

[EXP GAINED: 80]

A fire user burned one wolf badly, flames charring its entire left side, but another wolf tore into his throat from the side before he could finish it. Blood sprayed across a container and the man fell gurgling.

[LEVEL 6 HUMAN AWAKENER SLAIN]

[EXP GAINED: 95]

A speed-type fighter appeared behind James and cut across his shoulder, drawing blood. The blade bit deep enough that James felt warmth spreading down his back. He turned with the attack instead of resisting it, grabbed the man’s wrist, and let one of his wolves slam into him from the side.

[LEVEL 5 HUMAN AWAKENER SLAIN]

[EXP GAINED: 80]

[CALL OF SOULS ACTIVATED]

[MANA RESTORED: 32]

Another container rang from an impact as someone was thrown against it. The warehouse floor was becoming treacherous with blood, making footing uncertain.

An electricity awakener hit James with a bolt of lightning that made his muscles spasm. His sword hand went numb and he nearly dropped his weapon. The shock left his fingers tingling and unresponsive for several seconds.

[LEVEL 7 HUMAN AWAKENER SLAIN]

[EXP GAINED: 110]

One wolf leveled up after enough kills and assists.

[CONTRACTED UNDEAD: DIRE WOLF 02 HAS LEVELED UP]

[LEVEL 8 → LEVEL 9]

[STRENGTH +2]

[AGILITY +2]

[BITE FORCE INCREASED]