[Chapter 7: Bloodbath]

The slaughter was a symphony of chaos and unbridled carnage. Inside the primary barn, Iris moved like a whirlwind of fur and focused fury. She was no longer the awkward woman struggling with denim jeans; she was a predator unleashed in a pen of helpless prey. Her claws flashed in the dim, dusty light of the rafters, rending through hide and bone with sickening ease, while her jaws snapped and tore at anything that moved.

Outside, Searanox sat in the driver’s seat of his car, his eyes fixed on the distant structure. Through his mental link, he could see what the drone saw. While Iris handled the main floor, the drone was already on its way to the secondary barn just across the wide, gravel path. It didn't bother with doors. It shattered through one of the high ceiling windows, the glass raining down like diamonds onto the livestock below, and immediately initiated its assault.

The kill notifications began to roll through the corner of his eye in a steady, emerald stream.

─ [+5 Exp]

─ [-2 TP]

─ Bing. Level Up! You are now Level 2.

─ Congratulations! You are the first to level up and reach Level 2

─ You are rewarded with +5 All Stats.

─ [+5 All Stats Applied]

The moment the reward hit, Searanox gasped. It wasn't just a number on a screen; it was a physical hammer blow of empowerment. His Dhampir physiology, already superior to a human's, seemed to tighten and refine. His vision, already sharp, now resolved the individual grains of wood on the distant barn door. He felt his muscles knit closer together, his bones becoming like tempered steel. The '+5 All Stats' was a massive, foundational leap in power, and being the "First" gave him an edge that the other Progenitors likely wouldn't be able to close easily.

He watched the notifications scroll past—a grim, digital counter to the lives being extinguished just hundreds of yards away. He felt a strange, jarring mix of lingering human revulsion and a new, dark satisfaction at the sheer scale of the power he now wielded. Iris was a force of nature, a killing machine that seemed to be enjoying every agonizing moment of the hunt. She wasn't just following orders; she was reconnecting with a primal essence the System had hardcoded into her heavy brawler vessel.

The drone, meanwhile, had found the pig pens. Two hundred animals were crammed into the enclosure, their panicked squeals creating a dissonant chorus that echoed across the fields. The drone didn't feel pity. It simply hovered, its blue lens glowing with a cold, calculating light, and began to cull them. With every silent flash of its beam, another pig collapsed.

─ [+4 Exp]

─ [-2 TP]

The experience was pouring in now—a steady, intoxicating stream of power that was both exhilarating and terrifying. Searanox could feel himself getting stronger with every dead animal. It was a rhythmic, almost meditative process. One death, one point. A hundred deaths, a new level of existence. The drone continued its work, acting as a silent, efficient reaper in the darkness of the industrial pens.

The notifications eventually became a blur, a constant, flickering stream of text that threatened to overwhelm his peripheral vision.

─ [+4 Exp]

─ [-2 TP]

He leaned his head back against the headrest, closing his eyes. He didn't need them to see the carnage; the mental tether to the drone provided a sensory overload of its own. He could feel the experience coursing through his veins like a warm, thick liquid, a tangible heat that spread from his chest to his fingertips. He was becoming faster, more deadly, more other. The world outside the car—the city, his job, his old life—felt like a faded, dusty painting compared to the vibrant, bloody reality of this farm.

The drone moved on to the chicken coops. It was a flurry of white feathers and sudden, final silence.

─ [+4 Exp]

─ [-2 TP]

The experience was a drug, and Searanox realized with a start that he was already becoming addicted. He wanted more. He needed more. He was a predator, and this farm was no longer a business or a source of food for the city—it was his personal hunting ground, a reservoir of potential waiting to be tapped.

─ Bing. Level Up! You are now Level 3.

He let out a long, shaky breath, a grim smile playing on his lips. The tingle of the level-up washed over him, resetting his fatigue and sharpening his mind to a razor’s edge. The diminishing returns were starting to kick in as his level rose, the experience per kill dropping as the "challenge" of slaughtering domestic livestock decreased, but the sheer volume of targets made up for it.

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─ [+2 Exp]

─ [-2 TP]

─ [+2 Exp]

─ [-2 TP]

The notifications continued—a constant, rhythmic pulse of death and reward. He was no longer just a man sitting in a car; he was a master of destruction, a conductor of a massacre. He could hear the distant, muffled sounds of the struggle—the panicked, high-pitched bleating of animals in the third barn, and the wet, tearing sounds of Iris's claws meeting flesh. It was brutal, bloody business, but as he watched his stats climb, he knew it was necessary. In a world about to be overrun by beasts, this was the only currency that mattered.

─ [+2 Exp]

─ [-2 TP]

The drone and Iris were an unstoppable duo. One provided the cold, mechanical precision of a machine; the other provided the visceral, terrifying strength of a monster. Together, they were a testament to the lethality of his chosen class.

─ [+2 Exp]

─ [-2 TP]

When he opened his eyes again, the world seemed even sharper. The darkness of the night wasn't just "visible" anymore; it was layered with detail. He could feel the new stat points, a tangible resource he could almost touch within his mind. He watched the kills roll in, each one an affirming reminder of his ascent.

─ [+2 Exp]

─ [-2 TP]

He knew this was just the beginning. The 'Stage 5 Causality Effect' was still a week away, and he was already transcending the limits of humanity. He wasn't just a player in a game; he was the apex of a new food chain.

─ Bing. Level Up! You are now Level 4.

The drone hovered near the entrance of the final barn, its blue lens fixed on the heavy wooden doors. It was waiting. Searanox felt the prompt in his mind, the drone's simple AI asking for its next objective.

─ [+1 Exp]

─ [-2 TP]

He looked at the drone through the mental link—a beautiful, terrible tool of his will. Then he looked at the barn, which had become a scene of unspeakable carnage. He sent the final command, his thoughts cold and absolute.

“Kill everything... except Iris.”

While the slaughter reached its crescendo, Searanox pulled a small notebook from the glove box. He began to write down his stats, the experience required for each level, and the rate of TP consumption. He tracked the way the experience points dropped as he grew stronger. Understanding the mechanics was the most important resource he had.

"Knowledge is power, after all," he whispered to the empty car.

His current tally sat at 1,622 out of 2,500 Exp for the next level. The drone was a tireless, merciless worker, moving from one pen to the next without a hint of hesitation. The experience was a river, and Searanox stood in the middle of it, letting the gore-stained current wash over him. He felt a surge of raw power. The drone had cleared the final pig pen and was now moving toward the cattle.

His knuckles were white as he gripped the steering wheel, his body tense with a mix of adrenaline and a strange, primal pride. This wasn't just a massacre; it was a harvest. Every kill was a direct result of his command, a manifestation of his authority over life and death. The intoxicating power washed away the last lingering vestiges of his mundane, boring life. He was Searanox, a Progenitor, and he was claiming his throne.

─ [+1 Exp]

─ [-2 TP]

─ [+1 Exp]

─ [-2 TP]

─ Bing. Level Up! You are now Level 5.

─ Congratulations! You are the FIRST to level up and reach Level 5.

─ You are rewarded with +5% All Stats.

─ [+5% All Stats Applied

─ You have gained: [Class Equipment Voucher Lv.5]

The notification for the 'First to Level 5' was different. The 5% increase was a multiplicative bonus—it meant that every point he gained from here on out would be worth more. And the voucher? That was a wild card he hadn't expected.

After what felt like an eternity of carnage, the notifications finally began to slow. The frantic pace of the green text dipped, then eventually stopped altogether. Searanox tucked his notebook into his pocket, his hand steady.

The drone hovered in the now-silent barn, its lens reflecting the gory, shadowed scene of the final culling. From the darkness of the doorway, Iris emerged. She was unrecognizable. Her sleek, dark fur was matted into thick, wet clumps of blood, and her claws were slick and red. She walked toward the car with a slow, weary grace—the gait of a predator that had eaten its fill and then some.

She stopped in front of the passenger door, her silver eyes meeting Searanox's through the glass. They were wide, glowing, and filled with a terrifying, primal satisfaction.

"It is done, Searanox," she said. Her voice was no longer a calm, administrative tone; it was a low, rumbling purr that vibrated through the car's frame. "They are all dead."

─ [-2 TP]

Searanox nodded slowly. He looked at her blood-soaked form and realized he felt no disgust. He felt no horror. He only felt a deep, profound sense of completion. With a flick of his mind, he dismissed the drone. It vanished into a cloud of blue, sparkling embers that drifted away in the night wind.

─ [-1 Active Drone]

"Get in, Iris," he said, reaching over to unlock the door. "I’m nearly out of TP, and we need to get clear of this place before the sun even thinks about coming up."

He reached into the back seat and pulled out a roll of heavy-duty trash bags, handing them to her as she opened the door. "You may want to sit on these. I'd rather not have to explain the bloodstains to any nosy neighbor tomorrow."

Systembound: Rise of the Dronemancer Chapter 7