Ivy turned instantly, firing without hesitation.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Heads exploded one after another as she advanced deeper into the building.

She gestured sharply with one hand.

“Split up,” Ivy ordered. “Dogs.....three groups. Clear each corridor. Don’t stop moving.”

At her command, the illusion dogs divided into three coordinated squads, disappearing into different hallways. Their movements were swift and precise, tearing through monsters in each room they entered.

Even the stronger monsters....those that seemed like high-level threats were being taken down faster than expected.

With the Tang saber and Ivy’s water ability working in coordination, the two of them were able to clear three entire rooms in just three minutes.

In less than an hour, they had successfully cleared one full floor and were already moving toward the next. They fought like their lives depended on it because they truly did. In a way, it felt almost like a twisted game of survival. Either the monsters won and turned Ivy and Darren into food, or Ivy and Darren wiped them all out first. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

The only advantage they had was that the monsters inside the factory had been starved for a long time. They had not been able to feed properly on humans or any fresh prey, which made them slightly weaker than usual. However, they were still strong enough and desperate enough to hunt.

And right now, Ivy and Darren were the only prey in sight.

Ding!

{Congratulations, host. You’ve killed over one thousand monsters.}

“Ha...” Ivy muttered under her breath, panting heavily. Sweat mixed with monster blood dripped down her face and arms as she steadied her breathing. Her grip on her weapon remained firm despite her exhaustion.

Darren wasn’t in any better condition. He was breathing heavily, sweat soaking through his clothes, his chest rising and falling rapidly. Still, he refused to stop. He kept firing his gun, while also using his water abilities to crack open monsters’ skulls whenever they got too close.

Ding!

{+10,000 points gained.}

{+10 crystal cores obtained.}

“Let’s split up,” Ivy said suddenly, her voice sharp despite her fatigue. “There are still two more floors. We should clear them quickly.”

Darren nodded immediately in response, wiping sweat from his brow. “Alright. Got it.”

Without wasting any more time, they separated and moved deeper into the factory.

Ivy didn’t hesitate for even a second before kicking open the next section’s door.

The moment she entered, she was met with a horrifying sight.

Monsters of all shapes and sizes filled the room....snake-like creatures slithering across the floor, spider-like beasts clinging to walls and ceilings with razor-sharp teeth and distorted limbs. All of them turned toward her at once, releasing hungry, guttural growls that echoed through the space.

“Die, you motherfuckers!” Ivy cursed under her breath, her eyes narrowing sharply.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

She immediately opened fire, each shot clean and precise. Monsters dropped one after another as bullets tore through their skulls. The system continued to register her kills, rewarding her in real time as she advanced through the room without hesitation.

Ding!

{Crystal core acquisition in progress...}

{System update: High yield confirmed.}

Ivy didn’t slow down for even a moment. She combined her gunfire with bursts of compressed water energy, striking through armored hides and finishing off anything that still moved.

Minutes felt like hours inside the chaos of the battle.

Ding!

{A total of one thousand cores have been obtained, host. Congratulations.}

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of nonstop fighting, the monstrous growls inside the factory began to fade. One by one, the sounds of struggle disappeared until silence slowly settled over the entire building.

Ivy stepped out of the room and made her way back toward the central corridor, where Darren was already waiting. He looked just as exhausted as she felt.

They both stood in the middle of what had once been a thriving factory now reduced to a graveyard filled with over a thousand monster corpses. The thick stench of blood and decay hung heavily in the air, almost suffocating.

At this point, both Ivy and Darren had already covered their noses and mouths, unable to tolerate the overwhelming smell any longer.

Without wasting any time, Ivy raised her hand.

“System, absorb,” she commanded calmly.

Immediately, storage sequences activated. All usable goods inside the factory....bags of rice, milk supplies, beans, canned beverages, and other preserved items....vanished into the system storage. Even large industrial machines were taken, as they could later be dismantled for resources and space efficiency.

Within moments, the once-stocked factory had become completely empty.

What remained was nothing but silence, destruction, and the aftermath of a brutal fight.

“Let’s get out of here before we get sick from this smell,” Ivy said firmly.

Darren nodded. “Yeah... agreed.”

Together, they turned and began walking out of the factory. Outside, darkness was already beginning to creep in. Night was approaching fast, and both of them knew monsters became significantly more dangerous after sunset.

As they reached the armored vehicle where the nine illusion dogs were waiting....

“Please... help us!”

A voice suddenly echoed from their right hand side.

Ivy and Darren froze.

They slowly turned their heads towards the building the sound came from which is not that far from the factory.

On the rooftop of a nearby structure, silhouettes of people could be seen, waving desperately in their direction.

“Please help us, warriors!” the voice called again, filled with panic and desperation.

Darren raised an eyebrow, still breathing heavily from the recent battle. “Should we...?” he asked, glancing at Ivy. “We just finished a major fight.”

Ivy remained silent for a moment, her eyes narrowing as she assessed the situation.

Then she shook her head firmly.

“No,” she said coldly. “We’re going back to base.”