The instant Thora fell, she twisted her body backward through several rotations, kicking down multiple monsters in succession before landing steadily on her feet. There was no time to catch her breath. The combat knife in her hand rose again as she faced the monsters closing in. Everyone inside the perimeter fence cried out in alarm. Not only had the monsters regained their mobility, but they were showing signs of going berserk. Thora was now trapped in the middle of the horde, completely surrounded with no way to break through. "Boss!" Tristan's expression turned cold and hard as he immediately opened fire. The others pulled out their weapons and joined the barrage, their combined firepower blanketing the monster swarm in an instant.Just as everyone began shooting, a figure had already vaulted over the perimeter fence—even Ashley and Draven looked surprised. The two of them fired in unison to clear a safe zone, then immediately pushed toward Thora's position, carving a path for her. Right behind them, Tristan, Shirley, and Ryan leaped over the fence as well. They still had usable cards on them. At the very least, they had to ensure their boss made it back safely across this distance. Thora was struggling more with every passing second. Not only had her score been wiped, but her physical attributes were steadily declining, making it harder to fend off the monsters' attacks. Just as she was about to collapse, a figure suddenly flashed in and pulled her tightly into his arms—one hand wrapped around her waist while the other gripped a pistol, continuously gunning down the surrounding monsters. Her stats had dropped to rock bottom. Unless she found somewhere to rest and recover, she couldn't keep fighting. Feeling the absolute safety of being held, Thora's taut nerves finally began to relax. She lifted her gaze to look at the person holding her and murmured in a daze, "Darius ... is that you?" The moment the words left her mouth, a sharp pain shot through her waist. "You want me to throw you to them right now?" Draven's voice carried a dangerous edge of anger. Thora pressed her lips together and said nothing, letting him carry her through the monster horde. She'd temporarily lost her combat ability and could only watch as he fought off the creatures. Fortunately, with the others having jumped in to help and all the candidates inside the fence providing cover fire, the pressure wasn't too overwhelming. "Don't let it happen again."Draven's voice sounded beside her ear, low and dangerous. "Next time you call me the wrong name..." His voice dripped with rage. "I'll kill you." Those words would send a chill down anyone's spine. Thora had long since witnessed Draven's volatile moods and didn't take the threat to heart. With everyone working together, Draven quickly escorted Thora through the safe zone and back inside the perimeter fence. He gently set Thora down on the ground. Tristan immediately stepped forward and pulled out every recovery item from his bag, using them all on her. "Boss, are you okay?" Tristan asked, his voice tight with concern. Thora shook her head. "My stats are pretty rough. I just need to rest a bit and I'll recover." The remaining candidates all stepped forward, offering their own recovery items to her.They all understood clearly—the person before them was the hero who had saved the game world and everyone in it. When everyone else had cowered in fear, she alone had stepped up. The least they could do now was help her recover as quickly as possible. With the recovery items replenishing her, Thora's stats gradually climbed back up and her overall condition steadily improved. Ashley watched her, a flicker of something unreadable passing through her eyes. "Thora really isn't afraid of death." "Thanks," Thora replied politely. Ashley smiled. "The game's back to normal. I should get back to my quests. See you all around." With that, she took two steps and vanished from the spot. Draven also turned to look at Thora, smiling as he spoke, "Thora, you've certainly rendered a great service."Thora glanced at him coolly. "Any rewards for that? Like a direct admission to the military academy, maybe." Draven paused for a moment, then answered seriously, "The military academy assessment follows established rules. They don't change for individuals, and they won't be altered due to unexpected circumstances." He wanted to see how Thora would react, but found her expression completely unfazed, as if she'd already known the answer. It made him suspect that Thora's question had been nothing more than a joke at his expense. Luke cleared his throat softly. "Boss ... that was an accident. I originally estimated I could hold them for five minutes." The moment he said it, Tristan and Shirley's gazes shot toward him like daggers. Luke guiltily rubbed his nose and quickly shut his mouth. Draven's expression shifted. After listening to a private system message, he frowned briefly, then turned to face all the candidates and announced in a clear voice, "Attention, candidates. The game has returned to normal operation. You may continue completing your quests. The rules remain unchanged—new students will still be admitted based on leaderboard rankings. The game virus has been confirmed destroyed, and all systems are functioning normally. "The final sprint starts now!"