Dancing with the Deaths

CHAPTER 7 - THE WILD LAW OF LitRPG

The midday sun felt like an overly bright stage spotlight, glaring down on the cracked asphalt in front of the A-117 Supermarket. For Marsel, however, the most dazzling and annoying light was the line of holographic text floating in his field of view.

**[Marsel - Fortress Manager Lv. 2]**

**[XP: 995/1000]**

"Just five points short," Marsel grumbled, kicking a pebble. "Only five points. The stingy System."

It had been two days since the Scavenger attack. Bullet production from the pizza oven was running smoothly, and food stocks were secure thanks to Mr. Budi’s 'creative' management (who turned out to be adept at mixing canned sardines with instant noodles). But Marsel’s level was stagnant. The Ekorupts around the supermarket had been wiped out by Tyrex during the morning patrol, and they only gave a measly 1 or 2 XP.

"We have to go out," Marsel stated firmly, tightening the straps of his backpack, which was loaded with ammo and first aid supplies.

Next to him, Tyrex was flexing his chest muscles, making his tank-top armor look like it was about to burst. He carried two shopping baskets that had been compacted into giant knuckle dusters on both hands.

"The outside world is a giant gym, Your Majesty!" Tyrex cried enthusiastically. "I am ready to sweat and earn XP!"

Nana, wearing a hoodie over her nurse uniform, looked more nervous. She held an iron mop handle with a sharpened tip—an emergency weapon crafted by Tyrex.

"Sir, are you sure we should leave Mr. Budi alone?" Nana asked, glancing inside the store, whose rolling door was half-closed.

"Mr. Budi is safe. I already gave him the job of counting the toilet paper stock. He’ll be busy all day," Marsel replied. He pointed north, where a dull concrete building with a crooked police emblem was visible in the distance. "Our destination is Sector 4 Police Station. It’s one kilometer away."

"A police station?" Nana frowned. "To look for firearms?"

"No. Regular firearms aren't effective against high-level Ekorupts anymore," Marsel tapped his temple. "The System says there’s a 'Loot Box Signal' there. Most likely a Class Upgrade Item or a Skill Book. We need that if we want to survive the next wave."

"Loot!" Tyrex’s eyes sparkled. "Let's go claim that treasure!"

They started moving. The city streets were silent, but not a peaceful silence. It was the silence of a predator. Abandoned cars on the road were starting to be overgrown with digital moss—neon purple vines that were a manifestation of the System's corruption.

Every step they took was accompanied by the crunch of broken glass or plastic.

"Formation," Marsel whispered as they approached the intersection.

Tyrex immediately moved to the front, acting as a living shield. Nana was in the middle. Marsel was in the back, monitoring their blind spots with his scanner, which now functioned as short-range radar.

**[Radar: No movement within a 50m radius.]**

"Clear," Marsel said.

Suddenly, Tyrex stopped. He sniffed the air. "The smell of stale donuts and... dried blood."

They had arrived at the Police Station. Its iron fence was broken, as if hit by a truck. In the parking lot, a police patrol car lay overturned, its wheels still spinning slowly due to a System physics glitch.

"Go in through the side," Marsel instructed. "The front door is too exposed."

They slipped through a broken window in the waiting room. The inside of the police station was in utter disarray. Case files were scattered across the floor, mixed with spent bullet casings. Fluorescent lights in the hallway flickered ominously.

"System, locate box," Marsel muttered.

A yellow navigation arrow appeared on the floor, pointing toward the evidence room on the second floor.

"Upstairs," Marsel whispered.

The staircase leading to the second floor was pitch black. The metallic smell grew stronger. When they reached the stair landing, Marsel saw something that made him hold his breath.

On the wall, there were claw marks. Not ordinary claw marks. Three parallel lines that tore five centimeters deep into the concrete.

"Tyrex, be alert," Marsel whispered. "Whatever made this, its claws are sharper than a kitchen knife."

They arrived at the evidence room door. It was made of thick steel, but it was already dented inward as if struck by a giant hammer.

Inside the room, a metallic blue chest floated ten centimeters above the floor, spinning slowly. Its light illuminated the grim room.

**[SYSTEM BOX (RARE)]**

**[Contents: Unknown]**

"There it is," Marsel said. His heart pounded. Rare Loot. This could change everything.

Tyrex stepped forward joyfully. "Treasure for the Ki—"

*SWOOSH!*

A strong gust of wind blew from a dark corner of the room.

"Watch out!" Nana screamed.

A shadow darted out from behind a filing cabinet. Fast. Too fast.

Tyrex didn't have time to raise his shield.

*SLASH!*

"ARGH!" Tyrex roared as three gashes appeared across his broad chest. Blood spurted. The figure leaped backward, sticking to the wall like a gecko, then landed on top of a safe.

Marsel aimed his scanner.

The creature wore the remnants of a riot police uniform, but its body was disproportionate. Its arms extended down to its knees, and its fingers had morphed into thirty-centimeter bone blades. Its police helmet had fused with its skull, and the shattered visor revealed a single, crazed red eye.

**[EKORUPT BERSERKER (Former Tactical Unit) - Lv. 5]**

**[Attributes: High Agility, Frenzy]**

"Level 5!" Marsel shouted. "Tyrex, don't just charge! It's too fast!"

But Tyrex was already consumed by rage and his new passive skill. "YOU DARE HARM THE WALL KING'S VALUABLE ASSET?!"

Tyrex activated **[Taunt]**. "COME HERE, YOU IRON COCKROACH!"

A red aura emanated from Tyrex's body. The Ekorupt Berserker hissed, provoked. It leaped from the top of the cabinet, lunging straight toward Tyrex.

"Hold!" Marsel yelled.

Tyrex tried to strike with his basket knuckles, but the Berserker performed an impossible mid-air maneuver. It spun, avoiding Tyrex's slow punch, and landed on the bodybuilder's back.

*STAB! STAB!*

The bone blades plunged into Tyrex's shoulders repeatedly.

"AAARGH! Tickles! It tickles, but it hurts!" Tyrex roared, spinning around trying to throw the creature off.

"Nana! Heal!" Marsel commanded while aiming his scanner.

"Get in range first!" Nana shouted, running closer despite her fear. Green light emanated from her hands. *Heal Pulse* struck Tyrex's back, closing the stab wounds as quickly as they were made.

But this was a battle of attrition. Nana's Mana was limited. Tyrex's blood was limited. And the Berserker was tireless.

Marsel fired a System Bullet. *BANG!*

Missed. The Berserker was too agile. The creature leaped from Tyrex's back to the wall, then lunged at Nana.

"NANA!" Tyrex and Marsel yelled simultaneously.

Nana raised her mop handle in a panic. The Berserker swatted the handle, breaking it in two, then swung its claws toward Nana's neck.

Time seemed to stop for Marsel. He saw the enemy's attack pattern. He saw Tyrex's muscle-bound foolishness. He saw Nana's fear.

He wasn't a fighter. He was a Manager. And Managers manage assets.

A notification appeared on his retina, triggered by desperation.

**[NEW SKILL UNLOCKED: MANAGERIAL COMMAND (MICRO-MANAGEMENT)]**

**[Effect: Takes over the subordinate's motor control for 5 seconds.]**

**[Cost: 20% User Stamina]**

"TYREX! OVERRIDE!" Marsel yelled, his eyes glowing bright blue.

Suddenly, Tyrex's body stiffened. He was no longer a rampaging bodybuilder. He became a puppet under Marsel's control.

In Marsel's mind, he saw a tactical grid. He saw the Berserker's attack path. He saw Tyrex's position.

*Shift left. Grab. Slam.*

Tyrex's body moved with terrifying robotic precision, far faster than his actual reflexes. As the Berserker flew through the air toward Nana, Tyrex's giant hand snatched the creature's neck with 100% accuracy.

*GRAB!*

The Berserker stopped mid-air, its red eyes wide in shock.

"What..." Tyrex himself was confused about why his hand moved on its own.

"SLAM IT NOW!" Marsel yelled, releasing control.

Tyrex, regaining consciousness, grinned widely at the enemy in his grasp. "WITH PLEASURE!"

He slammed the Berserker into the concrete floor with all his might.

*CRASH!*

The floor cracked. The Berserker spat black blood. Its bones were shattered. Before the creature could recover, Marsel leaped forward, pressing the tip of his scanner directly into the creature's red eye through the broken helmet.

"You just got a final disciplinary notice," Marsel hissed.

*ZING!*

A laser beam pierced the creature's brain.

The Berserker convulsed for a moment, then its body disintegrated into a torrent of blue light particles.

**[ELITE BOSS DEFEATED: BERSERKER]**

**[XP Received: 300]**

**[LEVEL UP!]**

**[Marsel - Fortress Manager Lv. 3]**

Marsel fell to his knees, completely out of breath. The *Managerial Command* skill had drained his energy as if he had just run a marathon.

"Mr. Marsel!" Nana rushed over, checking his condition. "Are you okay?"

"So... dizzy," Marsel mumbled. "Tyrex, you good?"

Tyrex stood up, staring at his own hands in awe. "Your Majesty... that felt like... I was possessed by the spirit of Bruce Lee. My movements were... efficient. Beautiful. Without unnecessary posing."

"I was controlling you," Marsel said, slowly getting to his feet. "Next time, when I give a command, don't worry about style. Speed-type enemies are your weakness."

Tyrex bowed deeply, this time without a hint of jest. "Forgive me, Your Majesty. I was too eager to strike. I swear I will listen to every word."

Marsel patted Tyrex's arm, which was covered in scratches (already beginning to close thanks to the Guardian's passive regeneration). "It's fine. Now, let's open the box."

They gathered around the floating blue chest. Marsel placed his hand on it.

*Click.*

The chest opened. Inside, there were no golden weapons or legendary armor. There was only a small electronic module shaped like a server hard drive with a camera lens in the center.

**[ITEM ACQUIRED: REMOTE SURVEILLANCE MODULE (FORTRESS UPGRADE)]**

**[Function: Integrates all CCTV within a 2KM radius into the Fortress System. Unlocks the 'Fog of War' feature on the Map.]**

"A camera?" Tyrex looked disappointed. "Can't it be used for punching?"

"This is stronger than your punch, Rex," Marsel said, his eyes shining. "This is eyes. With this, we won't be blind to what's out there anymore."

***

An hour later, back at the A-117 Supermarket.

Mr. Budi greeted them at the door with a sour face. "That took forever! I counted the toilet paper three times! 4,502 rolls total! And I'm hungry!"

"You can eat later, Sir. Look at this," Marsel said, ignoring the complaint.

He carried the module to the server room behind the cashier—a small room full of the supermarket's CCTV monitors that had previously been completely dead. Marsel inserted the module into the System Core slot on the wall.

*VROOOOM.*

All the monitors in the room lit up simultaneously. They didn't just display the grainy black-and-white images of the supermarket, but high-definition, clear blue images from various parts of the city. Traffic light CCTV, the neighboring store's CCTV, highway CCTV.

"Wow..." Nana covered her mouth. "We can see everything."

A holographic map of the city appeared on the center table. The area around the supermarket was now brightly lit, no longer covered in black fog.

Marsel began scrolling through the screens, checking the perimeter. The streets were quiet. No Scavengers were visible.

"Wait," Mr. Budi suddenly said, pointing to one of the screens in the upper right corner. "What is that? On the main road?"

Marsel zoomed in on the image. The camera was from an ATM facing the main highway, about two kilometers from their position.

On the screen, thousands of Ekorupts were visible. Not a random horde. They were marching.

Drones in the front. Crawlers along the sides of the buildings. Berserkers—like the one they had just struggled to defeat—there were dozens, standing still like officers.

And in the center of them, there was one distinct figure. An Ekorupt that looked like a giant wolf with thick bio-organic armor, radiating a purple aura visible even through the camera.

**[Beta Unit Identified]**

**[Status: Gathering Forces]**

**[Movement Target: South (Toward A-117)]**

"They aren't just wandering around," Marsel whispered, his blood running cold. "They're marching."

"Is that... an army?" Nana asked softly.

"That's an invasion," Marsel corrected. He looked at his friends. Tyrex's face hardened. Mr. Budi started shaking again.

Marsel pressed the intercom button, his voice echoing through the small room.

"Prep all the ammo. Turn on the pizza oven until it explodes if you have to. Tyrex, get some sleep. Because tomorrow... tomorrow we go to war."

The monitor screen flickered once, then displayed the face of the Wolf Ekorupt, which seemed to stare directly into the camera, and smile.

*