《Ascent of the King (Flashlight Progression Fantasy)》


 Chapter 1 – Don’t fear the dark

    William stopped abruptly, staring down the seedy alleyway.


    Something definitely moved at the end of the alley. He saw it¡ªthe outline of a shadow flashed by quickly, with a strange silhouette, perhaps a tail, or even a gaping jaw with jagged teeth. It was hard to tell, and fear vividly filled in the gaps.


    Was it a monster? Shit. He quickly fumbled for his phone, barely noticing that his hands were trembling. Did he miss the emergency notification? Maybe his phone buzzed in his pocket and he missed it since he wasn¡¯t paying attention.


    If it really was a monster, then perhaps it had already seen him. In that case, worrying was a pointless affair that could neither prevent nor delay his impending death.


    Death. What a sobering thought. And yet he felt strangely calm in the face of it.


    He glanced at his phone, which he had finally managed to free from the tight confines of his jeans. Relief rushed into him when the home screen lit up and only the time stared back at him¨Cthere was no civilian alert. Thank god.


    The government issued monster outbreak alerts very promptly these days. Last time the notification came less than a minute after a break formed, giving him plenty of time to duck under the counter at Kicken Chicken until the military resolved the situation. That night he made sure to stay far out of sight of the glass paned walls that had somehow still not gone out of fashion despite their obvious design flaw. His mood soured remembering that manager Kim had locked himself into the back office and refused to let him in.


    Kim had always been a spineless coward. Later that night he told the reporters he saw a skulk or a devil hound¡ªa complete lie like usual, but he got on the headlines. ¡°Local fast-food manager witnesses terrifying rare beast stalking outside restaurant during tonight¡¯s category five gate break.¡± What a load of bullshit.


    He digressed.


    Over the last twelve years, the government had boiled down the tracking system to an exact science. There was little to no chance for a break to occur without an alert being promptly issued.


    Since there wasn¡¯t an alert, it was probably safe.


    Squinting into the darkness, William wondered if he¡¯d just imagined that shadow flitting by. The moonlight may have reflected off those broken glass shards, casting the shadow that played tricks on his eyes. Yes, that had to be it. There was absolutely nothing to worry about.


    This anxious state always settled in when he didn¡¯t get enough sleep, a reminder to pick up the pace. Mental clarity was important for the initiation ceremony tomorrow. It would be devastating if he performed poorly due to something as entirely preventable as lack of sleep, one of few things he could control in this world, unlike his family background¡ªhe was made an orphan at three due to his parents¡¯ untimely death¡ªor his rather unfortunate financial position.


    To ease his nerves, William turned on his phone¡¯s flashlight despite the low battery. Since the phone was an older model, it lacked a built-in flashlight and instead relied on turning the entire screen white. He had grown attached to the old piece of junk over the years, and at this point he doubted if he would be willing to trade it in for a newer model even with money to spare.


    The screen¡¯s white light filled the alleyway at once with its reassuring brightness, illuminating the dumpster and all the discarded litter and broken furniture that lined the inner alleyway. It was burning hot, but he paid no attention to that.


    From a ragged sofa with its coils hanging loose to a rusting bike rack, there was nothing visibly out of the ordinary in the alley, although that did little to calm his hyperactive imagination. Images of the mangled bodies from the last attack flashed through his mind. They rarely showed the monsters on the official broadcasts, only the aftermath.


    He had half a mind to just turn back, but Manager Kim, that fat bastard, wouldn¡¯t pay if he missed two deliveries in one night regardless of if he had good reason or not, and rent was already late.


    It was just paranoia, he told himself, although it was proving difficult to suppress the nagging feeling.


    Taking a tentative step forward, he pointed the phone screen to the left, illuminating the garbage bags, then to the right, illuminating the dumpster, before quickly swinging the beam of light back left. His movements were jerky and paranoid, scanning with a practiced eye until he noticed the slight wiggle of an old shoe that was previously stationary, peeking out from behind the dumpster.


    ¡°Eughhh¡­.. who¡¯s there?¡± mumbled the owner of the shoe in an intoxicated voice.


    It was just a homeless man. The first drops of rain fell from the sky. Damn, the bags could get wet if he didn¡¯t hurry.


    He sprinted past the man, who mumbled incoherently while slumped with his back against the wall, missing both his front teeth. The homeless were a common sight in the abandoned and avoided inner alleys of the city, but they didn¡¯t bother William too much. He¡¯d seen worse, and they were a reminder of how he could end up¡ªor more accurately end up again¡ªif he got evicted.


    He kept running, turning two corners as he heard the homeless man now hollering wildly, the sound harsh yet getting more distant as he turned more corners. It was the drugs, he thought.


    William had run too far, too fast, to notice that the homeless man¡¯s hollering eventually turned into frantic yelling, and then screams of pain, before fading into muffled silence as he was dragged away by the leg.


    Something was out there.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Willliam lifted the first red and white paper bag, noting that its precious contents were intact despite the slightly damp exterior. He squinted at the receipt.


    ¡°Four piece meal with two sides for apartment 626.¡± He then checked the second bag. ¡°And this one¡¯s the nugget combo and lemon soda.¡±


    He found himself facing an intimidatingly luxurious gray apartment building. A doorman stood at the entrance, dressed in a crisp uniform adorned with gold buttons and a matching white cap. He greeted William with a polite nod as he approached, then extended a hand to open the polished glass door.


    ¡°Delivery?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± William replied, entering the building.


    As he stepped inside, an overwhelmingly luxurious scene unfolded, and he couldn''t help but feel like he was intruding. The scent of luxury brand perfume filled his nostrils, the kind where the nauseatingly high price of one bottle could probably keep him fed for a whole month. Plush, velvet-covered sofas were arranged neatly around several glass coffee tables, each topped with intricate floral stem sculptures carved by hand. A concierge desk made of dark, polished wood stood to the center, where an attractive female attendant sat.


    Several maids and butlers shuffled around the lobby holding clean towels, dusting the corners, and attending to all sorts of bits and ends.


    He couldn¡¯t tell if this was supposed to be a residential apartment or a seven star hotel.


    He approached the desk, feeling out of place in his wet red and white striped delivery uniform and matching saucepan hat. The beautiful attendant glanced at him briefly before smiling. "Good evening. Are you here for a delivery?"


    "Yep," William replied, holding up the bags of food. "Apartment 626."


    ¡°Oh?¡± the attendant replied in a surprised tone after hearing the apartment number, one of her eyebrows raised, as if she¡¯d forgotten her professional attitude. However, her original demeanor quickly returned. ¡°The elevator is to your left.¡±


    He wondered what that reaction was, although it was none of his business. Heading towards the direction the attendant pointed, he walked past a maid scurrying around with a silver tray of carefully prepared food and tried his best to ignore the fact that they had servants doing everything for them and that even the elevator itself was plated in gold. Whoever lived here was used to being treated like royalty.


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    Taking the elevator up to the sixth floor, he walked through a long hallway lined with portraits and fine porcelain vases dating back to the classical era. His classmates from elite families were classically trained in the history of the arts and would know the finer details of the paintings and porcelain, but that nuance was lost to him.


    Down the hall, a young maid with a ponytail stood in front of apartment 626 with a fancy hanger trolley of white towels.


    Knock, knock.


    ¡°I told you to just leave the fucking towels outside!¡± a young man yelled out from inside the room. ¡°Don¡¯t make me repeat myself!¡±


    The door burst open, and a muscular blond college student in a cashmere bathrobe gestured angrily at the maid, then at a nub to the side of the door.


    ¡°There¡¯s a hanger here for a reason!¡±


    The tenant slammed the door shut with a bang, startling the embarrassed maid into dropping one of the clean towels onto the floor.


    William bent down and picked up the towel, handing it to her with an understanding expression. He¡¯d suffered through enough of Manager Kim¡¯s tantrums over the years to how she was feeling.


    "Guess he¡¯s never heard of a ''please'' or ''thank you,'' huh?" he said quietly.


    The teary eyed maid stifled a laugh, her posture relaxing slightly as she took the towel from him gratefully.


    "Probably not," she replied, smiling faintly. She leaned in and whispered. ¡°But it¡¯s best to stay on the young master¡¯s good side.¡±


    The maid quickly put the towels on the nub and scurried away, nodding to William as she passed.


    William was left waiting in front of the door alone, not looking forward to knocking. The receptionist¡¯s reaction earlier made a lot more sense now. The guy on the other side of this door had a terrible attitude, which from experience meant he probably wouldn¡¯t tip and might even leave a complaint online.


    He exhaled. In the end, this was a job and he had to finish the delivery. He cleared his throat. ¡°Kicken Chicken delivery,¡± he replied in as enthusiastic of a voice as he could muster up. ¡°You ordered the four piece meal with two sides?¡±


    Upon hearing that, there was a flurry of foot movement, and William swore he could¡¯ve heard the customer mumble forgot I ordered. Then, the door swung open.


    An intimidating muscular blond college student stood in a bathrobe at the other side of the door. Behind him stood a finely worked grandfather clock and the portrait of an old industrialist with combed white hair, all glinting with gold. Now that William looked at the student directly, he realized who it was. Everything made sense now¡ªthe excessive wealth, the maids, the strong attitude.


    The square jawed young man with an arrogant face was Luke Brightsteel, the darling son of one of the top elite families and heir to the Brightsteel conglomerate. By a strange twist of fate, William happened to currently share classes with him.


    The Brightsteels were industrialists hailing from the beginning of the common era. William had read all about them in history books back at the orphanage. Back then, they were known to be cruel to their factory workers and heavily involved in political affairs. The family fortune had only grown since then, and they were still involved with the government and the new post-break guilds.


    Luke¡¯s eyebrows raised in surprise, his eyes darting in disbelief between William¡¯s red and white Kickin Chicken uniform and his face.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me,¡± he started to laugh, his fist pounding the door frame. ¡°You¡¯re a delivery boy?¡±


    William¡¯s grip on the delivery bags tightened, but he didn¡¯t say anything. He knew exactly why Luke was acting this way¡ªhe and Luke had a bit of a history from two semesters ago.


    The elite families had always valued physical education, now even more so in the post-break era. Those values clearly showed in Luke¡¯s impressive and conventionally attractive physique. He had well defined collar bones and broad muscular shoulders, and unlike William, he looked well-fed from childhood to adolescence. Luke Brightsteel prided himself as one of the best athletes at Trinity Academy, undefeated in pole vaulting, javelin toss, and the dash.


    That was, until William beat him in the dash. Luke was furious, unable to comprehend how an unknown student lacking any formal training managed to beat him in a televised athletics event¡ªshaming him in a televised event.


    It was because William spent many of his early years at the orphanage sneaking into the library in the dead of the night to pick out books, which taught him to be light on his feet. Then in middle school, he began running deliveries through the alleys, which taught him to be fast and alert.


    Luke didn¡¯t know this, however, and even if he did he couldn¡¯t care less.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that a student at Trinity could be struggling this badly.¡± His tone was unmistakably mocking. ¡°Tell you what, why don¡¯t I arrange a higher paying job for you at my father¡¯s company. Maybe cleaning toilets or something. Surely even that will pay more than being a delivery boy.¡±


    William did his best to ignore the provocation, lifting the bag containing Luke¡¯s order. ¡°Here¡¯s your food.¡±


    There was only one day left until the initiation, and he didn¡¯t want to cause any new problems now.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Luke laughed and roughly grabbed the bag from William, before looking down with a sour expression. ¡°Why is my bag wet?¡±


    ¡°All deliveries are double wrapped. Your food is dry..¡±


    ¡°As my grandfather would say, a worker with no eye for detail will soon have no eye at all,¡± Luke sneered, pointing at the other bag in William¡¯s hand. ¡°Give me that one too to make up for this one being wet.¡±


    William noticed a faint heat-like steam aura began to rise from Luke¡¯s arm as if it was evaporating as Luke reached out to grab the bag.


    But that was impossible. He couldn¡¯t have awakened before the initiation. His eyes were playing tricks on him again.


    At that moment, years of reflexes kicked in and he pulled back the bag quickly, much to Luke¡¯s and his own surprise.


    ¡°That¡¯s someone else¡¯s order,¡± he said defiantly. He wasn¡¯t about to have a delivery go missing and risk being late on his rent again.


    Luke paused for a moment as if he was contemplating something, before a smirk returned to his face.


    ¡°Suit yourself. See you tomorrow at the initiation,¡± he said. ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll get a power that helps you deliver chicken even faster.¡±


    With a derisive snicker, the bathrobed heir nudged the door shut with his foot.


    William cursed under his breath as he turned back down the hallway towards the elevator.


    Luke¡¯s attitude angered him, but on a deeper level he envied Luke. William didn¡¯t care as much about his modern chateau lifestyle or the countless attendants caring for his every wish¡ªanother butler just passed by him with a bottle of fine champagne¡ªbut what he truly envied was the formal education, the storied richness of history and culture, the strong sense of dignity that came with being a member of an old elite family.


    Dignity of class was something beyond the superficiality of being a good or a bad person. Class was not something that could be emulated by simply reading books¡ªit was inherited, nurtured, and it commanded a degree of respect that could never be emulated by an outsider.


    For instance, no matter how bad of a person Nero from the imperial era was, his name still graced modern history books with a gravitas reserved only for truly great men.


    The dungeon break twelve years ago may have introduced many new forces to the world, such as strange new materials that scientists were still learning to harness, but was this transformation all that different from the transformation wrought to the world by industrialization centuries ago? Or the agricultural revolution? Or the end of the imperial era and destruction of the natural world during the volcanic era?


    Unchallenged recency bias led modern academics to arrogantly claim that they lived in the era of greatest change, the post-break era, the other world era, the dungeon era, but William disagreed. This era was no different from the last.


    As things changed, so too things stayed the same. Old military traditions of the elite families fell easily in line with the new need for organized armed forces on anti-monster duty. Guilds that arose in the post-break era were simply corporations taking on an expansion of duties and a new name.


    Even the other world itself was quickly falling into line¡ªmost breaks were resolved within hours. Monthly civilian casualties in the city had fallen to less than ten. Things were becoming assimilated into normal.


    Just like before.


    But he digressed yet again.


    William''s fundamental dissatisfaction with his existence arose from his inability to change the fact that his own existence was a mere footnote in the books he pored over so dearly, that he was a side character in the recorded history of the likes of Luke Brightsteel, to be forgotten regardless of what he chose to eat or say or do on any given day, simply by right of his birth and upbringing.


    He was deeply envious of those who had the means to become somebody. But to become somebody when he lacked both societal and familial means, he needed power.


    The initiation ceremony tomorrow had to go well.


    Lost in thought, he realized that he was back in the alleyway from before. Most people¡ªeven delivery workers¡ªavoided the inner city alleys, but he was used to them. He¡¯d grown up on the streets, and they were fine shortcuts that enabled him to spend less of his evenings delivering and more of his free time exploring and understanding the world.


    The sight of a familiar shoe brought him back to his senses.


    It was up ahead, abandoned, sitting upright in front of the dumpster with the lace untied. There was no sign of the owner.


    Did the homeless man leave and forget his shoe?


    William peeked cautiously around the other side of the dumpster with his phone flashlight in hand, and there was nothing there, but when he turned back he noticed a few torn scraps of clothing on the floor that he hadn¡¯t noticed earlier, and his mind and his imagination and his ears picking up the slow dripping sound from behind him all quickly converged to the same conclusion¡ªrun.


    And so he ran.

 Chapter 2 - Run

    Chapter 2 ¡ª Run


    He scrambled forward as fast as he possibly could, the delivery bag abandoned, desperately darting between corners as he could now clearly hear the footsteps of something chasing him.


    Whatever was chasing him could move eerily silently, although if he listened closely he could hear the unsteady gait, the unmistakable breathing, its body moving fast and stealthily with the exception of that awful dripping sound. He dared not look back and risk losing momentum.


    All those years of experience navigating the alleys since middle school came to save his life at this very moment. He hurtled around several corners and ran over furniture with the rapidity of a monkey, knowing that with each turn he drew closer to the main streets where there would be police patrols, where he could call for help.


    But that was ages away, and no help could be found in the alleyways. The government had given up on them long before the break. He turned another corner where a rusted rake had fallen to the ground. Not seeing it in time, his foot got caught by the long wooden handle, knocking him off balance. Falling to the ground with a tumble, the creature gained in distance behind him, and he knew that it was all over.


    But the impact never came, and William dared to glance back as he got up on his feet, but only for a moment. Nothing stood behind him. In a brief moment of vulnerability, he wondered if it had stopped chasing. Just as he was about to turn and continue running, a rustle came from above.


    A pair of yellow eyes emerged from the corner of the second floor of the building behind. It moved slowly, the rest of its body imperceptible in the darkness. Horrifying realization dawned upon him that this creature could climb.


    William ran without looking back, not stopping to catch his breath even as his lungs burned and his feet were heavy as lead. His heart thumped like it was about to burst from pressure, but there was no force in the universe that could make him stop running now. The street lights were just up ahead¡ªthat meant a main street was there! Sprinting forward with both arms pumping, he ran into the open and nearly crashed into a parked car.


    Looking around wildly, he recognized the place. This was the old docking district. There was a police station down the right between the convenience store and the warehouse. He¡¯d be safe if he could get there.


    ¡ª¡ª


    The officer looked on at William with a bored expression.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that it chased you down to the docking district.¡±


    William nodded, but he could tell that the officer was not buying his story.


    Four soldiers with assault rifles idled about outside the conference room. One picked his nose.


    ¡°Where is it now?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°What did it look like?¡±


    ¡°I told you, it had yellow eyes and it could climb¡ª¡°


    ¡°I mean the body, so we can identify it.¡±


    ¡°It was dark, I couldn¡¯t¡ª¡°


    ¡°Essentially you didn¡¯t see what it looked like.¡± He sighed, jotting down another note onto his notepad.


    The overweight officer with a mustache put one elbow on the table, his metal rings glowing under the harsh fluorescent interrogation light. He sat across from William. ¡°Listen, kid. Tell me what this is really about. Were you smoking in the alleyway?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m telling you¡ª¡°


    ¡°If you need an alibi for the school, just let me know. This wouldn¡¯t be the first time a Trinity kid needed a coverup.¡±


    ¡°Officer, this isn¡¯t a coverup and I am being entirely serious. You need to send a patrol to find this monster.¡±


    The police officer shook his head. ¡°No can do, kid. We¡¯re short staffed at the moment and need to be on alert for an emergency.¡±


    ¡°This is an emergency.¡±


    The officer snorted. ¡°Fat chance of that. I¡¯ve never heard of a monster that stops chasing someone after seeing them. At least, not on this side of the gate.¡±


    It was clear that he¡¯d made up his mind.


    William slumped back down on his chair. What the officer said was true. Over the last twelve years, scientists from around the world had done extensive behavioral testing on captured monsters. A foreign paper first called it the madness principle, the phenomenon where exposure to the human world caused monsters to lose their intelligence and indiscriminately attack humans.


    This was a proven fact, with countless studies backing it.


    If this monster stopped chasing, then it broke everything that humanity knew about monster behavior. It seemed implausible. Only monsters still on the other side displayed any form of intelligence or organized behavior.


    Even he was starting to second guess himself. He was tired, the initiation was tomorrow, and maybe he just imagined the whole thing.


    ¡°Second,¡± the officer continued. ¡°We¡¯ve had breaks under control for months now. It¡¯s sort of confidential, but our radar guys at the government have figured out a way to immediately find new breaks using electromagnetic tracking. That¡¯s why casualties have been so low lately.¡±


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    William nodded weakly. That¡¯s what he suspected as well. The officer made sense, too much sense.


    ¡°You probably saw some kind of animal, or just the light moving in a funny way.¡± He paused in thought. ¡°Could be a homeless guy using an ability, too.¡±


    ¡°Either way, I doubt it was a monster. Have confidence in the systems we have, kid. They haven¡¯t failed us yet. And isn¡¯t Trinity having its initiation tomorrow? You better head home and get some sleep.¡±


    ¡°Mind if I charge my phone a bit before I go?¡± His battery was completely dry.


    ¡°Be my guest. You should always keep your phone charged to receive emergency alerts, you know that right?¡±


    William nodded.


    The overweight officer got up from his chair and left the interrogation room, leaving him alone.


    He plugged in his phone to the socket and checked the time. It was already two in the morning. A few texts floated on the lock screen from Manager Kim, no doubt asking about why he missed his last delivery. If Manager Kim docked his pay, he was going to miss his rent payment again. It hurt his head just thinking about it.


    Best just not think about it for now. If everything went well at the initiation, he¡¯d be able to awaken a decent ability, join a guild, and make a solid part time living going on raids. At least enough to keep a roof over his head until he graduated college.


    The officer swung by the interrogation room and rapped on the door.


    ¡°We¡¯re closing soon, kid. You should head back.¡±


    ¡ª


    William arrived at his apartment defeated and tired. He had stuck to the main streets after that questionable experience in the alleys, and arrived at home safely.


    He was greeted by a rat scurrying past the staircase that led up to his dingy place, and after a quick shuffle with his keys the creaky door whined open. His place was small in a way that was reminiscent of a coffin, with peeling wallpaper, a sagging bed, and a tiny kitchen that had seen better days.


    A cracked mirror showed his reflection, blond with dark brown eyes, slightly malnourished, tall, with bookish looks and messy hair.


    He was filthy after everything that happened today, and immediately headed to the shower, trying to forget the whole episode altogether as he wetted his face. Perhaps the officer was right, and he had imagined the whole thing. It was too dark to tell for sure.


    Tomorrow was the big day. William dried himself, changed into night clothes, then went to sit at his laptop, pushing aside his old forged workpapers and the rosary artifact his parents left him. He cracked it open and navigated to the discussion forums.


    This was actually a useless practice. He already read all that there was to read about abilities. Out of the common four elements, he already knew that he preferred to awaken a fire ability, because knowing his luck, he¡¯d awaken at a power level of 1 or 2, and at least fire was still viable at those levels compared to something like clairvoyance which was quite bad at lower levels.


    He just needed to nudge the awakening towards fire. Hence the little setup he had next to his bed, with the candles, newspapers, fire-proof tiles that he scavenged from a nearby junkyard, and matches. It almost looked like an altar for witchcraft. He built it over the last few months to ¡®manifest¡¯ a fire ability.


    If the forums were to be believed, then a person¡¯s wishes, experiences, family background, and a slew of other non quantifiable factors were taken into account when ability was being determined. For instance, individuals from families that had deep ancestral roots to the forest were likely to awaken earth or plant based abilities. Doctors and nurses were more likely to awaken healing abilities. So on and so forth.


    The problem was that he had no clue what his family did. All that the government told him was that his parents died in a bus accident, that his surname was Blackwood, and that they left him a college fund and an old trinket but otherwise no money to use on day to day expenses.


    The trinket he inherited was an old rosary, by the looks of it dating back to before the volcanic era. He had the trinket appraised a few years ago, discovering that it had a small amount of silver in it, but not enough to make much of a difference if he sold it. Besides, he had absolutely no intention of selling the only reminder of his parents. Back at the orphanage he hid it in between the cracks of his bed because he was afraid the caretakers or other kids would take it from him just because it was shiny. These days he left it on his desk as a reminder that a long time ago, someone did care about him.


    He appreciated the college fund, which in addition to a scholarship program were the reasons why he could attend Trinity Academy, but the mystery around his family dug at his soul. He felt like he was missing a part of his identity. In the absence of concrete knowledge of them, he could imagine that his family was storied and respectable, perhaps even nobility or maybe even royalty, but deep down he knew that that was just his fantasy, wishful thinking. Logically speaking, it was most likely that he belonged to an ordinary or less than ordinary family, despite his delusions of grandeur. After all, why else would they be riding on a bus on the day of their death if they were rich?


    He half smiled, knowing that all the fantasies he had in his head of his family were truly just that¨Cfantasies¨Cand yet he didn¡¯t wish to fully discredit them and subscribe to reality. After all, sometimes it was just this little bit of fanciful thinking that kept him going day by day, giving him hope that maybe he was more than met the eye after all.


    To the right of his laptop were several dusty books from the city library, the kind that the government never bothered to scan into the internet archives. William had scoured them for any mention of Blackwoods in the past, but aside from some offhand mentions of a mayor here or a tax evasion arrest warrant there, he couldn¡¯t find any conclusive details of his family, or even confirmation if those other Blackwoods were related to him at all.


    He tried accessing the government census records, but many files were destroyed during the break, and his request was of too low priority to get processed by the bureaucratic machine.


    The whole endeavor left him completely in the dark. For purposes of his ability he had to just stick with his gut and awaken something practical.


    Taking a match out from the box, he lit the candles and prayed.


    He paused at the sight of his reflection in the mirror. Staring into his own eyes, which gave off an unmistakable appearance of weariness beyond his age, he wondered¨C¨Cwhat did his parents look like? Did his mom also have brown eyes like himself? Who did he inherit his nose from, with its ever so subtle tilt? Did he look more like his mom or his dad? Feeling suddenly sentimental, he spoke softly. ¡°Mom, dad, if you¡¯re out there¡­ I¡¯m all grown up now. I¡¯m still alive. I hope that you¡¯re proud of me, since it hasn¡¯t been easy. Sometimes I don¡¯t know if I want to keep going on.¡±


    As usual, there was no response. The apartment felt empty as usual, unbearably lonely, and it only reminded him of the harsh reality of life more than anyone¨Cif he didn¡¯t make himself valuable, he was as good as a discarded piece of furniture. Nobody really cared about him. He could have died today and nobody would have even noticed, besides maybe Finn. Oh, and Evelyn would probably feel minorly annoyed that her pet project she invested so much time and effort in went missing, but that was the extent of his impact on the world. He sighed.


    He completed his little ceremony, then blew out the candles and went to bed. This was the most he could do, and the rest was up to fate. Sleep would do him well right now¨C¨Che was having dangerous thoughts, as he truly didn¡¯t know if he wanted to keep going on.


    No.


    If death wanted to visit, it should have the courtesy of coming to him first rather than the other way around, please and thank you very much.

 Chapter 3 – Trinity Academy

    Chapter 3 ¨C Trinity Academy


    The next day started suspiciously normally. No alert had been issued overnight, and William felt tempted to accept the convenient explanation that he must have imagined the whole episode yesterday. Things would be so simple that way¡ªhe could pretend he hallucinated it all and go on about his college life like usual. And yet he couldn¡¯t shake off the little nagging feeling saying otherwise. He hated to admit it, but his gut sense was right more often than not.


    ¡°How are you not nervous?¡± Finn asked, his hands visibly trembling on the lecture hall desk. He wore glasses, and could easily be mistaken as fifteen or younger due to his short and scrawny appearance.


    Finn Mutton was one of the first friends William made in college, and although he sometimes lacked a spine, William appreciated his normal upbringing and family situation. As the second son from a regular middle class family, his older brother died during the initial dungeon break twelve years ago.


    That was actually a common story among many families, so William still considered him as normal as you could get. As only Finn survived among their two children, his parents doted over him like no tomorrow.


    Unlike his hard-working brother, Finn spent most of his time laying on his dorm room sofa grinding mobile games while neglecting everything else.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be just like any other exam,¡± William replied. ¡°No big deal.¡±


    He hadn¡¯t shared with Finn anything about the events last night. Finn had a tendency to panic, and that was the last thing William wanted to deal with right now.


    ¡°But the initiation isn¡¯t just any school test. Our future gets decided in a span of two minutes. How is that even fair? What if I don¡¯t even get a power level of two?¡± Finn moped with his hands over his face, lost in his own world. ¡°I can already imagine my mom¡¯s face, she¡¯s going to be so disappointed.¡±


    ¡°Life has never been fair,¡± he said, biting down what he really wanted to say. ¡°Might as well get used to it.¡±


    As much as he liked to rag on Finn for getting nervous at the smallest things, he had to admit that he hadn¡¯t slept well last night either. The initiation was just too important. Unlike Finn, he didn¡¯t have a family to fall back on if things went poorly, and he couldn¡¯t stomach delivering fast food for the rest of his life.


    Right on the hour, the door to the classroom burst open and Luke Brightsteel walked in with a group of students. He wore a tailored dark navy blazer, with meticulously combed blond hair and an appearance of unmistakable media-readiness for the initiation today, where there would be plenty of cameras flashing on all the new prospects. Luke scanned the classroom angrily before locking eyes on William.


    Finn was lost in his own worries as usual and hadn¡¯t noticed the dagger staring contest, and continued to talk. ¡°Well, you know my grades are bad, and my mom¡¯s gonna kill me if I can¡¯t at least be a healer¨C¡± he stopped, finally noticing the approaching problem.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t think you had the balls to come in today,¡± Luke Brightsteel sneered, planting his palm on William¡¯s desk rudely. William¡¯s eyebrow twitched with irritation. Don¡¯t show weakness, he thought. Luke was flanked by a group of three male and two female students that frequently hung out with him. Needless to say, they were all from elite families.


    The male upperclassman called Jared Pain added with a smug grin, "You should probably know that Luke is going to one of the big seven, and I already have a sponsorship from Blue Mountain. What about you two? Anyone bother to sponsor you two yet? Maybe Kicken Chicken?¡±


    The two girls of the group giggled as the upperclassman started to mime a cashier.


    The mockery was annoying, but they had a point. Sponsorships were the reason why all the students were dressed to impress today. For the average guild aspirant, getting the attention of a recruiter from one of the top guilds could be the golden ticket to a life of fame and luxury. But like all things in this world, nepotism played a major role. The Brightsteels, the Pains, the Mardurs, and all the other elite families shoed-in their heirs for those positions.


    Somehow, unlike on any other day, today William felt a bit more confrontational than usual. He noticed a shiny tint on Luke¡¯s face, quickly realized its true nature, and let the poisonous words simply slip out of his mouth without caring about the consequences.


    ¡°Nice makeup.¡±


    The laughter from their group instantly ceased.


    Finn shrank in his seat, as was typical of him.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t piss them off, those guys can cause us a lot of trouble,¡± Finn whispered anxiously to him.


    Jared and the others looked at their leader for his reaction. There was a brief pause, and Luke looked angrier than ever.


    ¡°You better not let me catch you on your first expedition,¡± he finally said.


    It was a thinly veiled threat. What happened on expeditions into the gates was beyond the control of the government. And with that, the crew turned and left.


    More people were beginning to enter the lecture hall, including a rather gorgeous girl with long black hair who squeezed past Luke¡¯s crew before quickly darting over to William and Finn. She wore similar elite family attire to the two girls from Luke¡¯s group, except her blouse appeared to be just a bit more properly tucked in. Her appearance gave the vibe typical of a brand ambassador to a skincare company. Clean, elegant, and captivating¡ªthat is, if she fixed her attitude.


    ¡°What did you do this time?¡± she asked, her eyes accusatorially landing on William.


    ¡°Mind your own business, Evelyn,¡± he replied, not in a mood to explain himself.


    Evelyn¡¯s eyes then switched over to Finn, who buckled under their intense gaze. ¡°William pissed off Luke and his gang,¡± he blurted out.


    ¡°Great. The school board just told me that they¡¯re canceling all of our final exams, and now I come here and find out that you¡¯ve pissed off the darling son of one of the great families, whose mother, if you didn¡¯t know, also sits on the school board. As if this day couldn¡¯t get any more wonderful.¡±


    Finn nearly fell out of his chair, and even William looked up in surprise. ¡°They¡¯re canceling our exams?¡±


    Back before the dungeon break, year-end college final exams were considered a sacred rite, a path to a good career. Even now in the post dungeon break era, exams were still a defining moment in a university student¡¯s life. Regular jobs still had their place in the world, and so did final exams.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Evelyn crossed her arms. ¡°Yeah. Which means all of our studying is going to be flat out useless. Apparently the government is pressuring all university students to join combat training. I think they¡¯re expecting more breaks to happen, so we¡¯re being trained to fight. My mom said that it¡¯s going to be mandatory for everyone our age.¡±


    William recalled that Evelyn¡¯s mom worked in some kind of important government-adjacent position, although he wasn¡¯t sure of the specifics.


    Evelyn Moon belonged to the renowned Moon family, considered one of the minor elite families and known for producing skilled blade users. She was also the current vice president of the college¡¯s Charitable Aid Society. When William first joined the school, she self-nominated to look out for him due to his vulnerable background as an orphanage child who went through government subsidized schooling for delinquent children¡ªthe only schooling available to unclaimed orphans. She definitely helped him acclimate to the school¡¯s culture, which William appreciated as he was mostly self-taught through grade twelve, but sometimes it felt like she was patronizing and treating him like a sickly abandoned cat, like a pet that she had the responsibility of taking care of.


    It was also clear that her main purpose for joining the Charitable Aid Society lay in padding her resume and advancing her future career. That¡¯s why whenever William caused any trouble, Evelyn would be the first to appear to chastise him. His success at school was an extension of her own perfect image to the professors who would write her recommendation letters in the future.


    He doubted that she¡¯d bother talking to him at all if he wasn¡¯t useful to her in this way. After all, she was still a minor elite family¡¯s daughter, and he and Finn were nobodies. They were acquaintances by circumstance and nothing more.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t aiming for a career as an awakener, but if the government is this keen on making it part of our curriculum, it¡¯ll be something I need to take seriously from now on,¡± she said with her arms crossed. ¡°If I¡¯d known this beforehand I would¡¯ve taken more elixirs.¡±


    ¡°But aren¡¯t elixirs like a fortune each?¡± Finn replied.


    ¡°Yeah. My family saw some on the market, but I only had one. They¡¯re even more expensive than usual lately. I heard that the Brightsteels have been buying them in bulk for Luke, just like they did with Cassius.¡±


    That name rang a bell for William. Cassius Brightsteel was the older cousin of Luke and one of the strongest fighters in humanity¡¯s arsenal. He was the first to clear a crisis level gate seven years ago.


    ¡°Elixirs huh¡­ so even here, it¡¯s pay to win,¡± Finn said in a dejected voice.


    ¡°Pay to win?¡± Evelyn asked with a confused look on her face.


    ¡°It¡¯s a gaming term.¡±


    Evelyn scrunched her nose at the mention of gaming term as though she¡¯d smelled something foul, right as the loudspeaker in the room crackled to life.


    All students are required to report to the auditorium to prepare for initiation. Attendance is mandatory.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get going,¡± Evelyn said. ¡°I¡¯ll see you there, and don¡¯t you cause any more trouble William.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± William replied.


    Watching Evelyn rush past the students and disappear through the door again, William rose from his chair and took a much needed stretch. Today was one of the only occasions that he wore a formal collared shirt, and he wasn¡¯t used to how it squeezed around his neck uncomfortably even after unbuttoning the first button. He looked at Finn, whose blazer was a size too large for his small stature and fit awkwardly over his shoulders.


    He mentally reviewed his preparations¡ªbreathing exercises, fire ability specific techniques, energy circulation, and anything else to distract himself from thinking of last night¡¯s strange occurrences¡ªas he descended the stairs with Finn.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m going to be sick,¡± Finn said, his face pale with nervousness.


    William put a hand on Finn''s shoulder and straightened it. ¡°Try to breathe through your nose for two counts, then exhale through your mouth,¡± he said. ¡°The forums said that that helps with nerves when casting.¡±


    Finn tried to follow along as William explained the basic breathing technique to him. They quickly made their way to the auditorium hall, sliding down the center aisle as the dean of Trinity Academy and several older tenured professors sat on the stage near the podium. Some of the newer professors sat below the stage facing the students in the front row.


    ¡°Professor, where¡¯s the orb?¡± a male student sitting in the front row asked Professor Usha, who taught abstract calculus, which William did not look forward to taking next semester.


    ¡°They¡¯re running a bit late because of an accident on the intercity highway. City news says that traffic is at a standstill,¡± Professor Usha sighed, adjusting her glasses. ¡°But the initiation will happen today, you have my word on that.¡±


    ¡°So we just have to wait here until they arrive?¡±


    ¡°That is correct, Mr. Sicon,¡± Professor Usha replied. ¡°Patience is a virtue.¡±


    William felt a nudge on his left from Finn, who held his phone out to an image of a capsized truck burning on the intercity highway with a slew of crashed vehicles behind it.


    ¡°It¡¯s bad,¡± Finn said. ¡°We might be stuck here for a while.¡±


    An accident¡­ it really is a strange day, William mused. Maybe that thing from yesterday caused the accident. He tried hard not to think of those yellow eyes flickering in the darkness, that dark form climbing ever so slowly across the second story of the abandoned apartment building.


    The university dean¡ªa clumsy older man wearing a violet cap and gown¡ªappeared to have just finished a heated conversation with some organizers as he rose to his feet and stepped onto the podium, adjusting the microphone before beginning his speech.


    ¡°Students of Trinity Academy,¡± he said, his amplified voice carrying effortlessly across the auditorium. ¡°As you may have heard, due to a major traffic accident there will be a delay in the initiation ceremony today. Unfortunately, the initiation process falls under military jurisdiction as a matter of international security and is therefore dictated by the government. It cannot be rescheduled, so we will stay in place until the caravan arrives, however long that takes.¡±


    He paused for effect, his gaze steady as he continued. ¡°As always, we ask for your patience and¡ª¡±


    A distant rumble like a thunderstorm interrupted his words. The lights flickering ominously, and the microphone screeched. Concerned whispers erupted from the audience. William felt a chill run down his spine involuntarily. He suddenly had a horrible sense of deja vu.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°What was that!¡±


    ¡°Did you feel that?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I did!¡±


    ¡°Was that thunder?¡±


    Students looked around at each other in confusion as the dean frowned and tapped the microphone.


    He adjusted his cap and continued in a somewhat frazzled tone, trying to take back control of the situation. ¡°Ahem, settle down students. No need to be startled by a bit of thunder. Now as I was saying¡­ We ask for your patience during this time and will provide accommodations for those who require lodging overnight¡ª¡±


    A second, more intense boom rang through the auditorium, knocking out the electric lights overhead, sending vibrations through the seats, leaving behind only the overcast light from the side windows to illuminate the auditorium. William leapt up from his seat, fully alert. His body reacted instinctively¡ªthis was no thunder.


    At that moment, a low foghorn sounded from far away, a deep, vibrating monotone note that persisted unbearably long.


    Something began to click in his mind. A foghorn. Now where did he read about that before? An article from half a year ago appeared in his mind. Scientists have speculated that an unusual gate break could conduct a strong enough force to generate an¡­


    To generate what? He couldn¡¯t remember the rest.


    Warning. Alert confirmed. Lockdown commencing.


    A robotic female announcer, unlike anything William or any of the students at Trinity Academy had ever heard, spoke from the intercom above. Metal sheets fell in an avalanche of steel from the windows above, then locked shut, completely sealing off the windows in walls reminiscent of a prison, plunging the auditorium into darkness.


    A female student let out a high pitched scream.


    All one thousand of Trinity Academy¡¯s staff, students, and faculty were now locked in and sealed off from the outside world.


    Backup generator activated.

 Chapter 4 – Lockdown

    Chapter 4 ¨C Lockdown


    The backup generator hummed into existence, dim emergency lighting sputtering to life, illuminating the walkways in an orange glow reminiscent of the interior of a submarine. Students attempted to climb over their seats, casting hectic shadows onto the walls. Chaotic shouts and screams continued, although more subdued than before.


    A few seconds later, the ceiling fans came back online, then the door signs, then finally the auditorium lights groaned back into operation, restoring the auditorium to full capacity. Power had been fully restored.


    The hysteria in the auditorium that had quickly built up in that brief moment of madness began to subside with power returning, although most people still looked on edge.


    William took shallow breaths, his heart still beating rapidly as he tried to make sense of what the hell just happened. The adrenaline from yesterday was back. He had instinctively grabbed the nearest object he could find to defend himself with, which turned out to be his water bottle, although now that the lights were back and his senses had returned he looked a bit silly wielding a flimsy plastic bottle like a bat.


    Were they really safe?


    His eyes darted to the metal sealing of the windows. Three layers of thick reinforced steel now stood between the inside of the auditorium and the outside world, their durable presence prompted by what appeared to be an automatic defense system. He hadn¡¯t seen so much steel in an eternity, and of such high quality as well¡ªwasn¡¯t it in short supply lately? In the post-break era, steel was worth more than gold, as steel was sorely needed in the production of tanks, artillery shells, and other instruments of war. Such an amount must have cost a fortune. No monster could break or ram through that thickness of reinforced steel.


    And yet, what was this uneasy feeling? His heart continued to beat uncomfortably fast.


    ¡°Students, stay calm,¡± the undisturbed dean said through the microphone, looking around the hall at the panicked students. ¡°As you all know, Trinity Academy offers nothing but the best for our elite student body, and that includes emergency countermeasures. Our newly installed lockdown system is state-of-the-art, military grade, and is working as intended to keep us safe during these troubling times.¡±


    ¡°I personally negotiated and won the contract bid with Gammon Corporation¡ªthey are the best, as you know¡ªand can assure you that they built us an impenetrable fortress, nothing but the finest. Trinity Academy educates the future leaders of our world, and you deserve every protection in this world. No monster or security threat will ever interfere with a student¡¯s Trinity education!¡± he finished confidently, the pride palpable in his voice.


    Cheers and applause broke out from the audience, particularly from the elites. In times like this, Trinity Academy¡¯s massive endowment showed its colors. No wonder so many tycoons and moguls sent their children here. Few other private institutions could muster the sheer industrial-level scale and complexity of such a defensive structure. It was certainly reassuring, William thought.


    Residing in an automated iron fortress during a monster outbreak sure beat hiding under the counter because Manager Kim barricaded him out of the office. Every time William thought of him a bit of hatred welled up inside.


    ¡°As we are in a state of emergency, we will follow our Emergency Protocol Guidelines. The document has been transferred to your portal inbox.¡±


    A student¡¯s hand called out from the front row. ¡°Sir, we don¡¯t seem to have phone signal.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Then this break must be more serious than usual. Nevertheless, as long as we conduct ourselves in an orderly fashion, we will endure this crisis with dignity befitting our institution.¡±


    An aide walked over and respectfully handed the dean some papers, which he set onto the podium.


    ¡°Ahem,¡± the dean cleared his throat, lifting a pair of reading glasses to his eyes as he squinted at the papers on the podium lectern. ¡°The Emergency Protocol Guidelines are as follows¡ª¡±


    ¡°In the event of a monster break within active distance of Trinity Academy, the university will lockdown for a maximum expected duration of a week. In the case of an unusual unresolved break, the lockdown will persist until disabled by a government issued clear or manual override.¡±


    ¡°The lockdown process seals all indoor school grounds from the outside. Students and faculty can move continuously from the west end to the east end of the facility uninhibited, but will not be able to leave the premises of the Trinity Academy until the lockdown is lifted.¡±


    As the dean continued to outline the emergency procedures, a soft creaking sound, barely audible over his voice, drew William¡¯s attention upward. His eyes scanned the ceiling fans, now spinning steadily, their mechanical hum blending into the background. But there it was again¡ªa faint grinding sound.


    ¡°Did you hear that?¡± he whispered to Finn.


    ¡°Hear what?¡± Finn whispered back, his voice cracking slightly.


    ¡°Never mind.¡±


    William had heard this sound before, coming from the rusty old fan in Kicken Chicken, its rotor mechanism ground down over the years. The mechanical wear and tear was especially evident every morning when he turned the fan back on.


    ¡°There is enough food, water, and electricity stored to last a full year at maximum capacity. The canteen will remain open during lockdown, with chefs operating the breakfast, lunch, and dinner buffets as usual, free of charge.¡±


    William still hadn¡¯t visited the school canteen yet. He mostly cooked his own meals or ate leftover sides from work to save money. He wondered what the canteen looked like.


    ¡°Classes will resume the day after lockdown is initiated. All students are expected to attend class as per usual. Students are expected to abide by reasonable standards of behavior during emergency times as determined by faculty at their discretion. This forbids the following: Disobedience, improper conduct, running in the halls, banging on or otherwise interfering with erected walls, and other such behaviors that may disrupt order or endanger students and faculty.


    ¡°Students without dorms will be provided sleeping bags in the gymnasium. To conserve energy, lecture halls will be unpowered and unheated at 8 PM. Students are encouraged to head to bed by 12 AM, although you are all adults here and should behave yourselves accordingly in line with our Academy¡¯s discipline.¡±


    The dean looked up from the papers, concluding his reading. ¡°That sums up the main points of the Emergency Protocol Guidelines. If you have specific issues such as a medical emergency, seek out your primary subject professor for further guidance. All essential facilities such as the infirmary will remain open to attend to students and staff.¡±


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Students will now report to their primary subject professor, who has standing authority to maintain order. Classes will resume tomorrow. Dismissed!¡±


    The speech appeared to have a sobering effect on the student body which just a few minutes ago was on the verge of breaking down into chaos.


    William found the dean¡¯s speech inspiring and admirable, as well as mostly convincing. Through body language and tone alone, the dean appeared to have full confidence in the system.


    Perhaps he was being too paranoid. William sighed, deep in thought, when Finn nudged him.


    ¡°We better get going,¡± Finn said, shaking his head. ¡°Dude, this lockdown is going to suck. We don¡¯t have any internet. What do they expect us to do, play cards for three days straight?¡±


    Finn never changed, still worrying about his games during a monster outbreak. But somehow, his words nudged William towards the answer to a lingering curiosity.


    ¡°Hey, Finn,¡± William said as they searched for the personable Professor Millet, their history professor and primary subject professor. ¡°Why do you think there¡¯s no phone signal?¡±


    Finn shrugged. ¡°Don¡¯t know. Why?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s due to an EMP effect.¡±


    The missing words from that article he read a year and a half ago had resurfaced in his mind.


    Scientists have speculated that an abnormal gate break could conduct a strong enough force to generate an electromagnetic pulse, otherwise known as an EMP, knocking out all active electronics in a radius from the activation zone.


    In the event of an EMP, the government has constructed a mechanical failsafe. A low frequency foghorn similar to those used by vessels at sea can transmit the alert status with a single worker¡¯s manual input.


    William quickly explained what he read to Finn, who looked impressed.


    ¡°How do you remember all of that?¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°I have a good memory.¡± It was true, he did seem to have an uncannily good memory. Perhaps all those late nights in the orphanage library without any screens to distract him helped him to develop better concentration.


    ¡°You know,¡± Finn said. ¡°It¡¯s kind of crazy that the Gammon Corporation knew to build a backup generator and everything. My dad always complains how thorough they are whenever they order caulk from us. If our impurity ppm is more than 50 they reject it outright.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like they have high standards for materials?¡± William asked.


    ¡°Stupidly high standards, especially for some of the stuff that goes into expedition-ready equipment.¡±


    ¡°Everything they make is new?¡± William asked.


    ¡°For the most part, yeah. Made-to-order, that¡¯s why they¡¯re so expensive.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re in good hands, then?¡±


    ¡°Yep, definitely.¡±


    The two of them quickly noticed that Professor Millet was nowhere to be found, and reluctantly joined in with a larger crowd surrounding the rather stern Professor Ghoulstein, who had a widow¡¯s peak receding hairline, and noticeably large protruding lips. Bad rumors constantly circulated around him, although William hadn¡¯t personally seen him before to confirm them. His skin complexion had an odd touch of gray, giving him an unhealthy look.


    ¡°Professor Millet is absent due to illness, so I have been placed in charge of his primary subject class,¡± said Professor Ghoulstein. ¡°I hope that none of you have any objections.¡±


    ¡°As I was saying, this isn¡¯t a vacation¡ªin addition to attending classes, all of you are expected to fulfill your civic duties so that the university can remain operational. And yes, that includes cleaning duty, transport, hauling, the works.¡±


    Several students moaned in protest.


    ¡°Do we really have to do manual labor?¡± asked Vanessa Lullaby in a rather bitchy tone, her arms crossed. Despite her demeanor, she was quite pretty and had a glamorous figure, her chrome blonde hair curling in waves ever so slightly above her large chest.


    Needless to say, she was quite possibly one of the most stared at girls at Trinity Academy as well as a semi-famous online influencer, and her bikini photos had tens of thousands of likes on Yube¡ªWilliam preferred not to elaborate on how he knew that.


    ¡°Tone, Vanessa,¡± replied Professor Ghoulstein, his gaze darting between her eyes and her body, before lingering uncomfortably on her hips.


    ¡°There is a method to everything. As such, I will not allow complaints in these circumstances,¡± he continued, as Vanessa crossed her arms.


    The faintest hint of discontent showed on Professor Ghoulstein¡¯s face, his lips curling ever so slightly. ¡°Very well,¡± he said, his voice low. ¡°You and Abby can start with mopping the floor of the girl¡¯s bathroom in the east wing. Mops are in the janitor¡¯s closet by the water fountain. Make sure that it¡¯s polished clean, and I mean after every use. I¡¯m going to send someone to check when it¡¯s done.¡±


    ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s go, Abby,¡± Vanessa said, storming off with the shorter girl called Abby who William had a theoretical physics class with two semesters ago.


    The greasy professor quickly dished out duties to everyone.


    ¡°You two, what are your names again?¡± Professor Ghoulstein said to him and Finn, before waving his hand. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. You will be in charge of hauling flour bags from stability storage to the cafeteria. You¡¯ll find rollers in the janitorial closet in the east wing by the water fountain.¡±


    ¡°How many bags should we bring to the cafeteria?¡± William asked.


    ¡°As many as you can, and don¡¯t ask any more useless questions,¡± Ghoulstein replied. ¡°You¡¯re on an eight hour shift until dinner.¡±


    Finn looked a bit annoyed. They left the auditorium and headed into the east wing, or simply ¡®east wing¡¯ as people liked to call it.


    ¡°Why couldn¡¯t they just automate all of this?¡± Finn said. ¡°Is there really a reason we have to do all of this ourselves?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s partly to save power, and also partly because automation is way too expensive. Trinity has a big budget, but even military outposts don¡¯t have automatic conveyor belts.¡±


    ¡°Eh, fine.¡±


    ¡°By the way, what do you think about Professor Ghoulstein?¡± asked William.


    Finn looked back to check if the professor was there before replying. ¡°He¡¯s a little annoying ordering us around. Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°I get a bad feeling from him.¡±


    ¡°At least we don¡¯t have any classes with him,¡± replied Finn absentmindedly, as he arranged the offline apps on his phone into a folder.


    They walked down the hallway in east wing, which looked incredibly strange with all of the windows sealed off in between the rows of artifacts and trophies displayed in cabinets lining the sides of the hallway. Most of Trinity Academy had to be renovated after being destroyed in the break twelve years ago, which was why the university had a strange aesthetic clash between thousand year old priceless artifacts from the volcanic era displayed in modern tin can furniture.


    After quite the trek, they finally reached the large sanitation closet, the door left slightly open.


    ¡°Are the girls still in there?¡± Finn asked, his inquiry immediately answered by a yelp from inside.


    William peeked in and saw a strained Vanessa trying her best to hoist Abby up as the smaller girl reached in vain for a second unused mop above the shelf.


    ¡°Finally, someone¡¯s here. Hey, tall guy, can you get that mop for us?¡± Vanessa asked, pointing at the mop hanging above the shelf.

 Chapter 5 – Seeds of Doubt

    Chapter 5 ¨C Seeds of Doubt


    Vanessa Lullaby looked expectantly at William, then at the mop teetering on the edge of the shelves, then back at William.


    ¡°Well, are you gonna help or not? We can¡¯t reach it,¡± she said, slightly out of breath as she set down Abby. In the process of lifting Abby her skirt had somehow ridden up to her upper thigh, and she pulled down on it hastily.


    William blinked blankly, his mind a mess for the first time in quite a while. Part of him felt like a fan meeting someone he only ever saw before online, who he¡¯d already forgotten went to the same school as him. Vanessa had three and a half million fans on Yube for a reason; she possessed the envy-inducing body shape that other girls would edit their photos to look like. And yet another part of him felt a bit of disgust thinking back to Professor Ghoulstein¡¯s lustful gaze directed at her.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll get that for you,¡± said William in as flat of a tone as he could muster. He didn¡¯t want to stutter or anything¡ªhe¡¯d rather not lose face like that¡ªso he tried his best to act normal. Act cool. As he settled into a meditative state, he felt his heartbeat slow down.


    In fact, it wasn¡¯t really Vanessa¡¯s presence that had him on edge. Something about this whole situation felt a bit off to him, like a boiling kettle waiting to explode. Best if he remained alert and vigilant.


    He reached up to the top of the shelf and knocked the plastic mop off of it with his fingertips, the mop hitting Abby on the head as it came down.


    ¡°Ow!¡± the short girl yelped. ¡°What the hell, William?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, sorry.¡± He picked up the mop and uprighted it, sending a few more apologies Abby¡¯s way. Vanessa took it, nodding in acknowledgement.


    Her grateful voice sounded like soft butter. ¡°Thanks. You¡¯re the guy who¡¯s always with Evelyn Moon, right? What was your name again?¡±


    She actually remembered seeing him around before? That was news to him. Although now that he thought about it, valedictorian-in-the-making Evelyn Moon definitely drew eyes wherever she went, and since he tagged along behind her blazing trail he must¡¯ve garnered some attention here and there.


    ¡°William Blackwood, and he¡¯s Finn Mutton.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Vanessa Lullaby. It¡¯s spelled lullaby but you can pronounce it lu-la-bee or lu-la-bye, either way works. Even my own family can¡¯t agree which is correct. And this is¡ª¡±


    ¡°They know me,¡± Abby Fate answered, rubbing her head. ¡°We were lab partners in theoretical physics. Finn here still managed to get the lowest grade in the class for the midterms even though I shared my notes with him.¡±


    ¡°What grade did you end up getting for that class?¡± William asked out of curiosity.


    ¡°A minus,¡± she said proudly. ¡°How about you?¡±


    ¡°B minus,¡± William answered, thoroughly impressed. He had to live in the library for weeks just to barely scrape together a B minus for that class. Anyone who could score an A minus was a genius in his book.


    ¡°Not bad,¡± Abby said. ¡°And how about you, Finn?¡±


    Finn looked ashamed. ¡°I bombed that class, it was too hard. Got an F.¡±


    Abby scoffed. ¡°Well, you should actually try to study next time¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Vanessa called while leaning on the closet door. She tugged at her sleeve while a bead of sweat rolled down her neck. ¡°It¡¯s kind of hot in this room. Why don¡¯t we talk outside instead?¡±


    William and Finn quickly wheeled out the cart they originally came for and left the janitor¡¯s closet, closing the door behind them to join Abby and Vanessa who were waiting for them outside. It did seem to be quite hot in the closet now that Vanessa had mentioned it, although the girls were probably a bit more sensitive to temperature.


    In other circumstances he might¡¯ve felt a bit more self-conscious in this situation, but there was something sobering about being forced to perform menial chores together that made him feel more comfortable.


    Finn on the other hand was clearly a bumbling mess, knocking into shelves when retrieving the roller cart and deliberately avoiding eye contact with Vanessa.


    Abby Fate and Vanessa Lullaby seemed quite familiar and friendly with each other. The Fate and Lullaby families were both wealthy but not quite considered elite or minor elite families. William came across the Fate last name a few times when he searched the city records for traces of his own family, along with the last names of many other Trinity Academy students.


    Since they only found one set of rolling carts in the janitor¡¯s closet, they agreed to help the girls wheel over the heavy cleaner solution and buckets, and wheel them back later when they finished. William and Finn were bound to pass the girls¡¯ bathroom several times during their eight-hour shift as it was in east wing, between stability storage and the cafeteria. Despite Vanessa and Finn¡¯s protests about the chores, William was secretly glad that they had something to do. He wasn¡¯t sure how his nerves would hold up simply waiting around for something to happen.


    The four of them walked down east wing, rolling past students who were performing all sorts of miscellaneous tasks. A few male students looked shocked seeing two unknown students in the company of one of the top beauties in college, but since they were clearly helping her and Abby move supplies, they looked more like helpers than anything else.


    William mentally reviewed the internal layout of the school. Stability storage was through east wing and up past the gymnasium, right before the generators. The girls¡¯ bathroom was at the end of east wing by the observation tower staircase.


    Sometimes, small details could make all the difference in the world. A single misplaced rake could make him see something he never would have seen otherwise¡­ a slight nudge to the course of history¡­ although now was not the time to get too philosophical.


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    Vanessa sighing, clearly irritated. ¡°I just can¡¯t believe he¡¯s having us mop the bathroom floor. What are my parents paying this stupidly expensive tuition for anyway?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind doing a few chores, as long as we¡¯re not going to be gruesomely killed,¡± Abby replied. She suddenly smirked. ¡°Speaking of gruesome deaths¡­did you guys ever hear about the stalking beast or the night terror?¡±


    ¡°Is that a type of monster?¡± Vanessa asked.


    William decided to speak up, as he¡¯d searched this up before. ¡°It¡¯s a monster, and a pretty nasty one too. Not many written records of it, since it¡¯s encountered so rarely, but its official name is the skulkus furtivis. Skulk for short,¡± he added. ¡°Skulks were assessed to have a mid to high threat level to human life by the Threat Assessment Bureau. They¡¯ve never been seen on this side, thankfully. Only beyond the gate.¡±


    It was the same monster that Manager Kim claimed to have seen that night to the reporter, he thought. It was painful to listen to Manager Kim trying to push the angle to the reporter that even monsters couldn¡¯t resist the smell of his store¡¯s fried chicken.


    Abby continued to speak animatedly. ¡°Right, the skulk. The night terror from rumors. It¡¯s the stuff of legends. I heard a particularly nasty first hand story about them from my sources.¡±


    ¡°So, imagine you¡¯re just a regular soldier shipped off through a newly opened gate in a military convoy. You arrive and everything seems fine, it looks like a quiet world, so you set up an expedition camp and gamble a bit with your bunk mate. You guys drink a bit too much and fall asleep.¡±


    ¡°But later that night, you hear screams from your room, and when you turn on the lights you find blood everywhere. There¡¯s pieces of intestines spattered on the sheets, bloody mucus on the wall, and your bunk mate is missing an arm and his stomach is torn open!¡±


    ¡°Ugh, I never understood why you liked gory tv shows and these kinds of stories,¡± Vanessa groaned.


    Abby Fate¡¯s eyes sparkled with interest as she continued. ¡°Because they¡¯re exciting!¡±


    William and Finn exchanged concerned looks. Neither of them knew this side of Abby. To them, she had just been a hard working project group member who cared a lot about her grades.


    ¡°Anyway, as I was saying¡ªso your dead bunk mate¡¯s body is splattered all over the place, which obviously causes quite a commotion, particularly because nobody saw a monster anywhere near camp. Your camp leader sets up watch patrols and infrared sensors, even though those sensors rarely work on the other side with the interference and all, but the next night it happened again! Another soldier dead, this time missing half his face!¡±


    ¡°As hard as your team members try, nobody can seem to find the monster responsible. It¡¯s as if the monster is invisible and makes no sound, and only seems to attack at night, which makes no sense to anyone. Suspicious, right? Your leader decides to withdraw the expedition team back to base, and that¡¯s when rumors start spreading and the legend of the night terror is born. The monster that kills at night that no one has ever seen.¡±


    ¡°Where did you hear this?¡± asked William, highly curious now. He spent most of his free time reading about all sorts of topics, and even he hadn¡¯t ever heard this story before.


    ¡°On the Occultorium forum, of course,¡± Abby said innocently. ¡°I¡¯m one of the original subscribers so I have access to the VIP locked threads. It¡¯s the best place to get all the juicy details that get censored out of the news.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Occultorium was an underground online forum that had quite a bit of notoriety. Topics on there included anything from celebrity gossip to satanic summoning rituals. Sometimes a big story broke from there, like the high schooler who slashed his entire family with a knife was found to be a frequent user on those forums. The forum actually gained more traction after that slashing.


    ¡°That story could just be someone¡¯s imagination running wild then,¡± William said.


    ¡°It could, but who knows?¡± Abby replied. ¡°Strange things happen in this world.¡±


    A heavy collision against the window to their side made the four of them jump in their place.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± Vanessa yelped, stepping back.


    ¡°They can probably hear us talking,¡± William said matter of factly. ¡°Some monsters are sensitive to sound.¡±


    Seeing Vanessa flustering, Abby laughed. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be such a big baby. There¡¯s no way any monster can get through that much metal,¡± she said with a smirk, cupping her hands in front of her mouth. ¡±Come get us!¡± Her shout drew the attention of a few passing students.


    Her shout was answered by another collision, and frantic clawing sounds against the steel fortifications covering the window as the passing students walked away nervously and Finn took a backstep, nearly colliding into Vanessa.


    ¡°Y-you probably shouldn¡¯t do that or we''ll get in trouble,¡± Finn said nervously. ¡°The rules said we¡¯re not supposed to do anything to endanger fellow students.¡±


    Abby put her hand on the steel wall. ¡°Come on Finn. You¡¯re even more scared than a girl? Can you even call yourself a man?¡±


    William reached over and touched the steel. Logically, he wasn¡¯t too worried either about a monster breaking through such thickness of reinforced high quality steel. He had to admit that listening to the monster on the other side actively trying to scratch through the wall was disconcerting though. Imagination was a fickle thing, and he could still see those yellow eyes, those long limbs clinging to the second story of the building. He shuddered. At the very least whatever monster was trying to ram its way through the steel had stopped after a few attempts.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not joke about it too much Abby,¡± William said, roughly patting her shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s bad luck.¡±


    ¡°Bad luck huh? I didn¡¯t think you were superstitious. Maybe you should check out the occult forum. You might like it. If you use my invitation I¡¯ll get a referral bonus,¡± Abby said teasingly. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯re not going to have much to do while we¡¯re trapped here at school.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, without any internet it¡¯s so boring,¡± Finn said.


    And another few days of not being able to work, William thought bitterly. I¡¯m going to have to ask for a rent extension.


    ¡°Wait, I have an idea¡ªwhy don¡¯t we tell some ghost stories tonight?¡± Abby said. ¡°How about at midnight, for the vibe? Let¡¯s meet in front of the girl¡¯s bathroom at midnight.¡±


    ¡°And don¡¯t even think about saying no, Vanessa,¡± she added, her hands on her hips. ¡°I know you have nothing better to do, you can¡¯t even post anything tonight.¡±


    They had already arrived in front of the girls¡¯ bathroom, and after much insistence from Abby, Vanessa was the first to cave in.


    Vanessa sighed. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll come.¡±


    Finn looked at William strangely, and without words William could already understand what he was trying to say. If they backed out now, they would look even more pathetic.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be there as well,¡± Finn said enthusiastically.


    Let¡¯s hope nothing goes wrong tonight, William thought soberly.


    They helped the two girls unload their cleaning supplies, trying not to dwell on Abby¡¯s occult forum monster story, when a commotion came from down the hallway.


    Luke Brightsteel and the group of friends that always surrounded him walked down the hallway with a new addition, an awkward looking freshman.

 Chapter 6 – A Fragile Equilibrium

    Chapter 6 ¨C A Fragile Equilibrium


    The much taller and larger blond put a heavy hand on the awkward student¡¯s shoulder. ¡°We¡¯re going to be good friends, Ebby. You know that, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    The smaller, awkward student with glasses looked out of place with the rest of Luke¡¯s entourage of rich and popular students.


    ¡°You did me a big favor, Ebenezer. I¡¯ll get your brother the best recommendation, as thanks from my family to yours.¡±


    ¡°You mean it?¡± Ebenezer asked, looking hopefully at Luke.


    ¡°Of course I do,¡± Luke replied. ¡°The Brightsteel family never forgets those who help them.¡±


    The group continued down the hall, passing them, as Luke appeared to be too preoccupied with his new acquaintance to care about anything else.


    What was that all about? William¡¯s curiosity was mildly peaked, but he had other things to worry about.


    Perhaps this was the right time to leave for them as well, before Professor Ghoulstein gave them an earful for taking too long. William motioned for Finn. ¡°Let¡¯s go grab that flour.¡±


    The two of them unloaded the cleaning supplies and prepared to leave for stability storage to retrieve the heavy bags of flour. Vanessa and Abby thanked them for the help and William promised that they¡¯d help wheel back the cleaning supplies at the end of their shifts.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget, we¡¯re going to meet here at midnight, okay?¡± Abby reminded them enthusiastically. ¡°No backing out. We can play some midnight truth-or-dare as well.¡±


    The four of them all agreed.


    A group of students meeting in the middle of the night at school in order to tell ghost stories and play truth-or-dare out of boredom sounded like a plot lifted directly out of a cliche horror movie. What could possibly go wrong?


    ¡ª¡ª


    ¡°This is¡­ so¡­ heavy,¡± Finn said, struggling to move a bag of flour onto the cart.


    ¡°It¡¯s flour, of course it¡¯s heavy,¡± William replied, patting the bags already on the cart so that they didn¡¯t shift when in motion.


    They were in stability storage, a cold basement storage sector right before the generator room that students normally did not see, since the only thing stored here was food, stupidly large amounts of food. The entire room was a dull metallic bluish gray reminiscent of a submarine¡¯s interior. Here, emergency lights were the only lights available.


    The emergency pamphlet did not lie. Hunger would not be an issue here. Between stacks of shelf stable rice and flour to freshly procured seafood and frozen meats in the deep freezer, the storage area had enough ingredients to host a year¡¯s worth of banquets fit for a king.


    Besides two other male students who quickly came and left with frozen vegetables, they were alone. The overhead ventilation hummed vigorously, bringing in cold dry air. The monotony of their task at hand and their relative isolation gave room for William¡¯s mind to spin.


    ¡°Finn,¡± William said suddenly, stopping.


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking¡­¡± he continued softly. ¡°What if something¡ªa logical axiom, let¡¯s say¡ªthat you never thought could be wrong, turned out to be wrong? What would you do?¡±


    Finn frowned. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Remember during our first lesson in theoretical physics last semester, we were taught about the axioms that govern the behavior of all bodies of mass?¡±


    ¡°Vaguely, yeah.¡±


    ¡°The law of attraction, the law of conservation of mass¡­ those. Hypothetically speaking, what if they were wrong?¡± William said.


    ¡°Well, that doesn¡¯t make any sense. We know that those are true.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m well aware,¡± William snapped. ¡°But hypothetically speaking¡ª¡°


    ¡°It¡¯s not possible. That doesn¡¯t make any sense,¡± Finn replied.


    ¡°How do you know that the axioms are true?¡±


    ¡°Because they are, because so many people tested them and they always hold true. We built rockets and cars and used telescopes to track how planets move with those axioms. How could we do all that if the laws of physics didn¡¯t make sense?¡± Finn said in an exasperated voice.


    William shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m trying to figure out. Well, not specifically about the laws of physics.¡±


    Finn looked at William blankly.


    ¡°I think that we should be careful when going around the school,¡± William said.


    ¡°Careful of what?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly. But let¡¯s just be careful.¡±


    A hiss of cold air issued into the deep freezer, causing a bout of condensation droplets to form on the deep freezer window before they stabilized into ice crystals.


    William gestured at the ice crystals forming on the window. ¡°That¡¯s a cycle. Every time the ice on this side of the window starts to melt a bit, the freezer senses that the temperature is too low and pumps in more cold air, which causes the condensation on this side to freeze, before it starts to melt again. Forming a delicate system of artificial equilibrium.¡±


    ¡°I mean, that¡¯s just how a freezer works. By the way, isn¡¯t it time for us to bring this to the kitchen? We have enough flour for one trip.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Finn looked at him strangely as he hit the elevator button, almost squinting through his glasses as if to judge him.


    ¡°William, you¡¯re nervous,¡± he said quietly. ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve ever seen you nervous. What¡¯s bothering you?¡±


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    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Your hands are shaking,¡± Finn said. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you shake before.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just cold down here. Forget it, Finn.¡±


    Finn dropped the subject, but his look was strange.


    ¡ª¡ª


    The kitchen bustled with activity. Professor Ghoulstein busily chatted with one of the chefs at the corner before spotting William and Finn burst in with the cart loaded with flour.


    ¡°Took you two long enough. A few more trips and we¡¯ll have enough for tonight¡¯s menu. The chef¡¯s serving cherry pie for dessert,¡± Professor Ghoulstein said. ¡°Which means we¡¯ll need cherries and sugar from stability storage. That¡¯ll be your job to fetch. I already sent the others ahead for sweet cooking wine.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll get that for you, professor,¡± Finn replied in a strained voice that he probably thought sounded enthusiastic.


    ¡°And try to be faster this time.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª


    When they entered stability storage again, they were greeted by a commotion. The awkward freshman called Ebenezer was fighting over a bottle of cooking wine with the two male students sent by Professor Ghoulstein.


    ¡°The chefs need this, why are you fighting us?¡± said the taller male student, exasperated.


    ¡°It¡¯s mine, I was here first!¡± Ebenezer replied.


    ¡°Just move the stacks over there, there¡¯s plenty!¡± the taller male student shouted, pointing behind the rack at an unopened set of wine bottles.


    ¡°I can¡¯t move all that by myself. You do it, you¡¯re two people!¡± Ebenezer shouted back.


    However, the two male students overpowered him and took the loose bottle of sweet sherry wine, giving him a bad look as they left.


    After all, the two male students technically had the right to the bottle since that was a cooking ingredient for their dinner tonight. Why did Ebenezer want cooking wine so bad in the first place?


    William decided to ask. ¡°Why do you need cooking wine?¡±


    Ebenezer frowned, grabbing the side of the stack. ¡°That¡¯s none of your business.¡± He pulled at the stack, trying to move it aside to access the box of wine behind it.


    ¡°Do you want help with that?¡± Finn asked.


    ¡°No. I¡¯m fine, just leave me alone,¡± Ebenezer said, not even looking back at them.


    Finn shrugged at William. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll just get what we came here for. Er, what did Professor Ghoulstein need us to get again?¡±


    ¡°Cherries and sugar,¡± said William. ¡°I think he meant frozen cherries, which should be in the deep freezer. I¡¯ll get them, I think I saw them earlier.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll look for the sugar then.¡±


    They split up to grab the ingredients. They could still hear Ebenezer cursing under his breath. He had given up his original plan of moving the stacks and now was trying to squeeze in between the two stacks.


    William unhatched the deep freezer¡¯s handle, wishing he had gloves or a jacket at this point. He¡¯d better be quick. He entered and began closing the door behind him, before the rather morbid thought of getting stuck in the freezer flitted through his mind. Grabbing an ice scraper hanging from the wall, he wedged it in between the door so that it¡¯d leave a slight gap. Phew, that felt better. He didn¡¯t want to end up banging on the freezer door with no one to hear him like in that one movie. The low hum of the compressor filled his ears as he looked quickly for what he was here for. Scanning the layout quickly, it became obvious that ingredients were organized by type, with fruit and vegetables in the very back.


    He cupped his hands around his mouth and blew some hot air into them, shivering as he walked to the back of this massive freezer room. The frozen cherries were buried between bags of other fruit, so he started to move them aside.


    He just wanted to get this over with faster. It was so cold in the freezer that he could feel his eyes start to tear up. As he moved aside the last bag of unrelated produce to grab the cherries, the compressor above issued a low hiss.


    He looked up. Listening carefully, he felt like he could hear a faint rattling or knocking sound coming from the temperature regulator. That tended to happen when the system was old. Maybe a broken piston, or a loose mounting bracket.


    But strangely, if he listened very closely, the rattling noise seemed to be moving.


    William frowned. A theory had been building up in his mind for a while now, nagging at him and goading him like a jaded housewife that he chose to keep ignoring, because it was a theory that he could not dare imagine being true.


    He listened intently, even the cold biting into his fingers forgotten for that brief moment, as he turned his gaze toward the vent near the corner of the ceiling. It was an unremarkable rectangle of metal slats, frosted slightly at the edges from the freezing air it exhaled. But now, under the pale, sterile light of the freezer, something seemed off. The slats were faintly trembling, vibrating in a way that could be caused by a broken compressor, or perhaps something else entirely¡­


    William narrowed his eyes, his breath clouding faintly in the cold air. He focused on the rattling sound itself. The sound was subtle, almost imperceptible, but the more he focused on it, the more it seemed like something was shifting behind the vent.


    And then it stopped. The low hum of the condenser returned.


    His head stayed perfectly still, his eyes still glued to the vent. The sound he thought he¡¯d heard had disappeared. How curious.


    Didn¡¯t he leave the freezer door slightly open? The hot air flowing from outside must have forced the temperature regulator into overdrive. That explained this entire situation, a far more rational explanation than the nonsensical theory in his head.


    Grabbing the bag of cherries, he left the freezer and closed the door behind him, where Finn was waiting with several packets of sugar.


    ¡°Nice timing,¡± said Finn. ¡°Let¡¯s head back to the kitchen.¡±


    They left stability storage with the ingredients, leaving an increasingly frustrated Ebenezer behind.


    ¡ª¡ª


    The next time they came back to stability storage, Ebenezer was already gone. It appeared that he¡¯d gotten frustrated and given up trying to get the sherry wine at some point, judging by all the knocked over dry ingredients. He couldn¡¯t understand why Ebenezer was so desperate for it. Maybe Luke asked him for it.


    Time went by quickly, and before long their shift was coming to an end. William and Finn helped Vanessa and Abby bring back the cleaning supplies, agreeing to do the same the next day, before heading to the cafeteria to grab dinner.


    William had never seen so much delicious food in his life. It took all his effort not to faint on sight. He inhaled roasted beef and cherry pie like a hurricane before getting a little self-conscious about the fact that he was starting to attract a few sideways glances due to his lack of table manners. This was still Trinity Academy after all.


    It took all of his self control to eat slightly slower. He noticed last night that his ribs were becoming a little visible.


    ¡°Five more hours until midnight,¡± Finn said, glancing at the clock on the wall. ¡°What do you want to do until then?¡±


    ¡°I need to do my daily power manifestation.¡±


    ¡°Yeesh, you actually believe in that pseudoscientific stuff?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t hurt to try.¡±


    Finn did not object. The five hours passed by quickly, and before long the time had arrived to go down to the east wing girls¡¯ bathroom.


    The hallways were quiet. Only a few students were still moving about at this hour. To conserve electricity, the lights in the halls had been dimmed to such an extent that they could barely see down the hall.


    The two of them walked down into the dark hallway as William continued to wrestle with that nagging thought in his mind. Doubt and reason, haziness and truth clashed against each other like raging waves slamming into the stern of the ship, but throughout the chaos, one thing remained as clear as the stars above.


    If that ever so small chance that his theory had merit proved to be true, the world could never be the same again.


    He wished with all his soul that this was not the case. Because if it was, that little seed of madness would take root and soon engulf the entire world into the flames of chaos, and all of humanity would have to face consequences previously unimaginable.


    But for now, until he was proven otherwise beyond reasonable doubt, he decided to tuck away his paranoia and try to simply enjoy the night.


    If all went well, today would be a peaceful night of college memories and he¡¯d have nothing to worry about.

 Chapter 7 – The First Dead Body

    Chapter 7 ¨C The First Dead Body


    To give Abby Fate some credit, the current scenario was the picturesque scene for a truth-or-dare bottle spinning, ghost story telling student misadventure. Both the uneasy ambience and the mood were perfect. All they needed to complete the ambience were a few lit candles and a chalk drawing of a ritual magic circle on the classroom floor.


    The way that the school had been entirely sealed off from the outside world gave the university the feeling of an enclosed passenger vessel at sea, tossing and turning as a dangerous storm brewed outside. A clap of thunder sounded, causing the entire building to vibrate as the steady beat of rain drummed down onto the building from the outside. On occasion, stray monsters could be heard clawing or banging against the steel fortifications. In the distance the muffled rat-a-tat of machine gun fire and explosions could be heard.


    The clawing sounds were the worst, like fingernails dragged against a blackboard, and by the sound of it at least some amount of damage was being done to the wall. A thousand lives trapped within the university could only pray that the fortifications installed by the Gammon Corporation would hold strong.


    ¡°I¡¯m so glad I¡¯m not out there,¡± Finn said timidly. ¡°It must be really bad if we can hear fighting this close by. We¡¯re not even close to the city center.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope that the military can get things under control quickly,¡± William replied. Truth be told, he felt a bit sick, his nerves more shot than usual.


    ¡°They can always send in the tanks and get awakeners to hel¨C¡±


    ¡°Boo!¡± shouted a female voice from the side, causing Finn to yelp and crash against a cabinet in his startle.


    A clear peal of laughter came from the side, as Abby Fate and Vanessa Lullaby walked out into the open. Both of them had switched out of their formal attire and were wearing gray pajamas, which were issued out earlier during dinner. William and Finn had also changed into the same.


    ¡°Oh come on, don¡¯t be so scared already. We haven¡¯t even started yet,¡± Abby said. ¡°Look what I found.¡±


    She held up a bottle of rice liquor and four cups to her face triumphantly.


    ¡°Now where¡¯d you find that?¡± Finn asked with awe.


    ¡°I have my ways,¡± Abby said cheerfully. ¡°This game¡¯s not as fun without a little booze.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t we get in trouble if the professors find us drinking?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not against the rules, is it? And plus, they won¡¯t find us,¡± Abby replied. ¡°The professors are probably getting drunk as we speak. Where do you think I found this? I got it straight from the professors¡¯ cabinet in their rec room.¡±


    ¡°Wow, you actually snuck in there¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t sneak in. Professor Usha wanted me to grab her coat for her and so I did, and took something for the road as well. They won¡¯t miss one bottle.¡±


    Both girls looked quite glowing in their loose pajamas and slippers. Playing drinking games with company while telling ghost stories¡­ this situation seemed almost too good to be true. In some ways, William almost felt thankful for the monster outbreak that led to the sequence of events that culminated in the current moment. Not to mention, it was a good distraction to keep his mind off of other things that were fueling his paranoia.


    ¡°Now all we need to do is find an abandoned classroom,¡± Vanessa said. ¡°And then let the games begin.¡±


    The four of them walked down east wing and settled into a random classroom with some science equipment laying around. Vanessa went to hit the lights, but they didn¡¯t turn on.


    ¡°Um, I think they cut out the power,¡± she said, fumbling in the dark.


    ¡°Give me a sec. I have an idea,¡± William said. ¡°There¡¯s storage in the back.¡±


    Taking out his phone, he turned on his screen for light and headed to the back of the classroom, flipped through the storage cabinets before coming back with two burners and a few half-used candles that were discarded after some experiment.


    ¡°Wow, mood lighting. Who taught you about that?¡± Vanessa joked as William began to light the candles one by one with the burners.


    ¡°Nobody taught me,¡± he replied. ¡°I¡¯m used to lighting candles in my apartment.¡±


    ¡°Classy,¡± Abby added. ¡°And why do you do that?¡±


    ¡°To try to manifest a fire ability.¡±


    Abby Fate snorted loudly as she munched on chips from the bag in her hand. ¡°That was not the answer I was expecting.¡±


    ¡°My mother has our housekeepers keep a few candelabras lit in the living rooms,¡± said Vanessa Lullaby. ¡°They add a bit of warmth to the d¨¦cor.¡±


    Not having an eviction notice hanging on the front door adds to my apartment¡¯s d¨¦cor, Wiliam thought to himself, although he didn¡¯t say anything out loud. To be honest he always felt a bit out of place at Trinity Academy, as someone from his background.


    With the candles lit, the last piece of the puzzle to complete the ghost story aesthetic was a chalk drawn ritual circle.


    ¡°Hang on.¡±


    William grabbed a piece of chalk from the blackboard and began to draw a big circle on the floor with several concentric circles that vaguely resembled what he saw in comics. Abby looked over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°That¡¯s wrong,¡± she finally said, as if she couldn¡¯t bear to watch William fumble with the chalk any longer. ¡°Give me that.¡±


    ¡°Wrong?¡± Vanessa asked, looking just as bewildered as Wiliam and Finn.


    ¡°This is how the circle of moloch is supposed to look,¡± she said, going quickly to work. ¡°The devil¡¯s horns go there¡­ the five handed shrike goes here¡­ what?¡± she said in annoyance, looking up at the three of them staring at her in disbelief.


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    ¡°You memorized all of that?¡± said Vanessa.


    ¡°Obviously. It wasn¡¯t hard. This is just a basic summoning circle. You haven¡¯t even seen the more advanced stuff yet. Some of those need ingredients like beetles and flesh sacrifice,¡± she said nonchalantly. ¡°Oh and blood, lots of blood.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even want to imagine what kind of ability you¡¯re going to awaken,¡± Finn said nervously.


    Abby laughed. ¡°Who knows, we¡¯ll have to see.¡±


    William could see her as an actress in a horror movie. She would make a great killer, with blood all over her face and her eyes opened maniacally, and nobody suspecting her due to her well-behaved, high GPA facade.


    The three of them watched as she finished the chalk ritual circle in a frenzy, its shape taking a more twisted form than what William had originally envisioned. Now that it was complete, it certainly looked legitimate.


    ¡°Great, now we¡¯re ready to start. But first, everyone has to take two shots!¡±


    Vanessa poured for all of them and they quickly toasted and downed shot after shot, with both of the girls laughing at Finn¡¯s grimace and bright red cheeks. As the warmth spread across their bodies, they laughed and chatted vigorously as the night went by and Abby continued to amaze them with her obscure occult knowledge. Abby kept losing the games and ended up drinking the most, but she didn¡¯t seem to mind.


    ¡°And that¡¯s when he flipped out and started¡ª¡±


    ¡°Wait, shhh,¡± Vanessa said suddenly in the middle of their celebrations, putting a finger up to her lips. ¡°There¡¯s someone outside.¡±


    The sound of heavy footsteps could be heard coming from outside as the four of them tried their best to keep silent.


    ¡°Who is that?¡± Finn asked in a small voice.


    ¡°Maybe a professor,¡± Vanessa replied, her voice unsure. ¡°It sounds like they¡¯re gone. We should keep it down though.¡±


    The room creaked and groaned, an ominous sound that would send a chill down anyone¡¯s spine.


    ¡°Finn, I dare you to go outside and check who it was,¡± Abby said. ¡°Consider it payback for when I lent you my notes.¡±


    Finn¡¯s face went as white as a sheet. ¡°I-I can¡¯t, w-what if it¡¯s a professor and we get in trouble?¡±


    ¡°Oh come on, don¡¯t be such a¨C¡± she began to say, when she was interrupted by a blood curdling shriek coming from down the hall.


    ¡°Is that someone screaming?¡± Vanessa said, her eyes nervously darting towards the door.


    Even the occult obsessed Abby looked alarmed.


    ¡°William¡­ can you go check that out?¡± Vanessa asked.


    William had already risen to his feet before she said that out of sheer instinct. He felt his alert state cutting through his slight tipsiness as he moved cautiously towards the door. Suddenly, another even higher pitched scream pierced the hallway, followed by the sound of someone running.


    ¡°Help! Someone, come!¡± shouted a male voice from down the hall.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound good,¡± said William, grabbing a burner from the counter before swinging the door open.


    Vanessa, Abby, and Finn all gathered behind William as they peered down the hallway as a male student just nearly ran past.


    ¡°Why are you guys in there¡ªoh well, it doesn¡¯t matter¡ªsomeone¡¯s hurt bad. He¡¯s not moving. I¡¯m going to find a professor¡ª¡±


    ¡°Easy there. What happened?¡± William asked.


    The male student took a deep breath. ¡°A bunch of my friends were thinking of playing a stupid game, I mean everyone¡¯s bored out of their goddamned minds right now with how the lockdown¡¯s going and how hard it is to find enough beer to go around, so we were heading to the gymnasium to grab some mats. That¡¯s when we went past the janitor¡¯s utility closet. The door was open for some reason, and we saw someone just laying there on the floor, not moving at all!¡±


    ¡°Who was it?¡±


    ¡°I think his name was Ebenezer or something old fashioned like that?


    William frowned. Didn¡¯t they just see him in stability storage this afternoon?


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± he said, motioning the other three to follow before turning back to the male student again. ¡°Go find a doctor. We¡¯ll check on Ebenezer.¡±


    ¡°Ebby?¡± Abby said. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the kid we saw Luke bullying this morning¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s him.¡±


    They moved down the east wing hallway and shortly ran into a small crowd of a dozen forming around the janitor¡¯s closet. One girl sobbed quietly into her hands as a guy knelt over Ebenezer, checking his body.


    He appeared to have collapsed on the floor in the exact same spot Abby had been standing earlier in the morning. His face was pale as a ghost and frozen in an expression of shock.


    ¡°What happened?¡± William asked.


    The male student kneeling over him looked up. ¡°He¡¯s not breathing. I¡­ I think he¡¯s¨C.¡±


    A gruff white haired professor burst onto the scene, elbowing away students to get a better look.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on over here?¡± he demanded.


    ¡°Professor Snow,¡± the male student said. ¡°We found him like this just a few minutes ago.¡±


    ¡°Call a nurse!¡± Professor Snow demanded, looking around wildly for a volunteer. He ended up pointing at a female student. ¡°You, go fetch the nurse.¡±


    She lowered her head and ran down the hallway, whimpering as she went.


    The professor put a pair of fingers on Ebenezer¡¯s neck pulse, then cursed under his breath. ¡°No pulse, and his body¡¯s cold¡­ he¡¯s dead. A Trinity student is dead! How the hell did this happen?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know, we just saw the janitor¡¯s closet door open and found him like this!¡±


    ¡°Preposterous.¡±


    The professor continued to examine the body in a fervor, pulling down his collar, checking his eyes, looking around his head.


    Meanwhile, the sound of scratching against the walls intensified, with monsters outside the lockdown attracted by the commotion.


    ¡°Professor, is it possible that a m-monster killed him?¡± a terrified female student asked.  ¡°D-did a monster get into the school?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nonsense,¡± said Professor Snow immediately.


    ¡°B-but aren¡¯t some monsters more active at night time?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible for any monster to have gotten in. There¡¯s also no sign of any trauma on the kid¡¯s body at all. Kind of looks like he just had a heart attack, got shocked to death judging by that expression. If a monster got him, he¡¯d be pretty torn up.¡±


    ¡°Professor Snow is correct,¡± said Professor Ghoulstein, who had just arrived at the scene with his trademark scowl on his face and the nurse behind him. Even in the dim lighting of the hallway, his unhealthily gray complexion could be seen quite clearly.


    Professor Snow nodded to the nurse and stepped aside as she opened up her first aid medical kit. After taking some measurements and examining the body, she came to the same conclusion.


    ¡°I think this is just an unfortunate accident,¡± said the nurse. ¡°His cause of death is shock, and it appears he¡¯s been dead for at least two hours now.¡±


    William frowned. The last time he and Finn saw Ebenezer was in stability storage. If he were to reconstruct the timeline, Ebenezer must have died of shock within the four or so hours after they left stability storage.


    So what happened in those four hours? William furrowed his brows, deep in thought. Uneasiness began to build in his chest, forming what felt like a hard rock that made it hard for him to breathe. Ebenezer was desperate to obtain a bottle of sherry the last time they saw him. So what made him give up? And how does a perfectly healthy eighteen year old suddenly die of shock?

 Chapter 8 – The Situation Worsens

    Chapter 8 ¨C The Situation Worsens


    Before William could build any further on his thoughts, two staff members arrived with a medical stretcher, their movements brisk and professional. One of them, a tall man wearing a lab coat and a grim expression, strapped on a pair of surgical gloves and knelt by the young man¡¯s lifeless body, his glasses crooked on his face and his expression twisted in anguish as if he was in great pain.


    ¡°Everyone, step aside!¡± ordered the second staff member, a woman with a sharp tone that cut through the murmur of the crowd. ¡°And don¡¯t touch the body. We¡¯ll be conducting a full medical examination and documentation of everything that transpired here.¡±


    She lowered her voice to speak to her partner. ¡°It looks like the nurse¡¯s report was accurate, but we can¡¯t rule out the possibility that this is a case of overdose.¡± Her gaze switched to the crowd now, scanning them suspiciously. ¡°We take cases like these very seriously. As you know, the city and especially this academy has a zero tolerance policy for illicit substances. Anyone found spreading such illicit substances will be investigated and face consequences.¡±


    A girl gasped, and the students shuffled farther back, nobody wanting to appear guilty. The tenor of the situation changed in an instant. Now that the blame had been shifted from an unknown to a possible student¡¯s activity, the tension had taken a different tone, and everyone seemed to be rigid and on their best behavior¡ªthat is, with the exception of William.


    William¡¯s gaze lingered on Ebenezer¡¯s glasses, the way they barely clung to the edge of his nose, and his unfocused gaze. Something about the scene felt off, but he couldn¡¯t put his finger on it.


    The woman turned to the two professors. ¡°Let¡¯s clear this wing and take the body back for preservation. Unfortunately we won¡¯t have access to lab results until after the lockdown lifts, so until then make sure to keep an eye out on any unusual behavior.¡± Her voice turned cold. ¡°They¡¯re adults now, they need to learn that their actions have consequences.¡±


    She then spoke to the man with surgical gloves on, who was carefully taking samples with a cotton swab from Ebenezer¡¯s nose. ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Just about. Give me a few more seconds.¡±


    William gulped. They were about to take away the body, before he could even finish his train of logic. The alcohol sat warm in his stomach. For some reason, he felt like he had to¡­he needed to¡­touch the body? But why? Such a strange, intrusive, and possibly incriminating thought to have in a terrible situation like this, and yet somehow he felt like if he didn¡¯t act now, he''d regret missing the opportunity to know something, forever.


    The man with surgical gloves appeared to have finished swabbing. No time left to consider. A crude plan formed in William¡¯s head, which he executed immediately even though he risked looking suspicious while doing so.


    He took out his phone and fumbled it intentionally, an action made easier by the liquor coursing through his veins. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to¨C¡± he stammered, leaning down to pick it up. As he did so, he deliberately reached out just a bit too far with the back of his hand, reaching out past his own slippers to touch Ebenezer¡¯s arm. But just as he was about to come into contact with his arm, an unpolished dress shoe came into view and kicked his hand away.


    ¡°You heard the lady. No touching the body,¡± said Professor Ghoulstein in as unpleasant a voice as ever, with that ever present raspy undertone that underlined his childishly high pitched voice with a smoker¡¯s growl.


    William tried again, but the professor¡¯s foot kicked him away once more rudely.


    ¡°Did you not hear me the first time?¡± Professor Ghoulstein asked contemptuously. ¡°Are you trying to cause trouble here?¡± He suddenly looked triumphant. ¡°Or maybe you¡¯re the guilty party! What¡¯s your name?¡±


    Professor Ghoulstein grabbed him by the shoulder and roughly pulled him up to his feet, then picked up his phone and shoved it towards him. ¡°I asked, what¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°William Blackwood, professor,¡± he replied reluctantly, taking his phone as the two staff members hoisted Ebenezer¡¯s body onto the stretcher and covered him with a plastic sheet. Now he¡¯d never know what his gut was trying to warn him about. He frowned. The crowd was beginning to disperse as well, with some students speaking to the other professor as others left the scene, not wanting to attract Professor Ghoulstein¡¯s wrath in turn.


    ¡°Now, William, what were you trying to do just now? Tamper the evidence? Trying to take back the drugs that you gave that poor boy, is that right?¡±


    William swallowed, not sure what to say. He had no defense for himself. His actions were clearly suspicious, because he tried to touch the body not once but twice.


    ¡°No answer, hm? So you are guilty!¡±


    He looked to Finn for help, but Finn looked frozen as a stone, simply staring into the crowd. More students began to disperse, a few casting side eyes as Professor Ghoulstein continued to blame William.


    ¡°He¡¯s innocent, he was with us this entire evening!¡± said Abby Fate, her cheeks flushed as she charged over with Vanessa Lullaby by her side. ¡°We were hanging out together!¡±


    Ghoulstein¡¯s expression was inscrutable when he noticed Abby and Vanessa coming to William¡¯s defense, before turning to a rage when he noticed what was in Abby¡¯s hand. Abby still had the bottle of liquor she had lifted from the professor¡¯s break room! William couldn¡¯t even blame her for the major oversight, since she not only had the most shots out of all of them but she was also quite petite.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°Where did you get this?¡± Professor Ghoulstein said, grabbing the bottle from her hand. ¡°You stole this from the breakroom? Does this lockdown seem like a joke to you?¡±


    Now it was Abby¡¯s turn to be speechless. ¡°I, um¡ª¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Ghoulstein pointed at Abby. ¡°You¡¯re on toilet scrubbing duty, and you will begin right now.¡±


    ¡°The toilets?¡± she asked, looking like she was about to gag at the disgusting request as a few onlookers laughed, and others looked away nervously. ¡°In the middle of the night?¡±


    Most Trinity Academy students had never seen a mop before, much less a toilet scrubber. Ghoulstein¡¯s request was not just a punishment but also a humiliation ritual.


    ¡°Correct. The supplies are here, and this is your punishment for stealing. I¡¯ll be personally checking that you finished your duty tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Am I supposed to scrub all of them?¡±


    ¡°Correct. Don¡¯t think of skipping a single one, or I will escalate the matter to the disciplinary committee.¡±


    ¡°I mean, even if I actually do that, that¡¯s going to take all night!¡±


    Ghoulstein smiled sinisterly. ¡°Then think before you decide to steal next time, young woman, and try to obey emergency protocols. Given the circumstances, this is a suitable punishment for a transgression of your magnitude.¡±


    ¡°And you,¡± he turned to William. ¡°I will be watching you very closely. You will go directly to the sleeping quarters, and are not permitted into the halls after dark under any circumstances from now on. If I catch you, that¡¯s your first strike to being expelled.¡±


    With that, Professor Ghoulstein finally left to speak with Professor Snow as other faculty members and confused students began to arrive on the scene, some of them whispering loudly about the covered stretcher they saw being carried down the hallway.


    Abby looked defeated and humiliated as she took a toilet scrubber and a bottle of cleaning solution from the closet, as Vanessa tried to comfort her in the most Vanessa-like way possible.


    ¡°I really would help, Abby, but my back is still sore from this afternoon,¡± Vanessa said. ¡°And I feel the skin on my hands already peeling from all those chemicals. How about I treat you to something nice after lockdown. Maybe we can go to a horror convention, how about that? We can do matching outfits.¡±


    Abby shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s alright, I¡¯ll manage,¡± she said meekly. Compared to before when she seemed packed full of energy, she now looked quite down.


    William wanted to say something to her but he couldn¡¯t find the right words. It was his fault that she got in trouble after all, and he could feel Ghoulstein¡¯s watchful eye bearing down on him. He decided to just leave before he got into any more trouble.


    ¡°Guess I¡¯m going to the gymnasium to sleep,¡± he said to Finn.


    ¡°Me too,¡± Finn replied, still trying to avoid Ghoulstein¡¯s attention.


    With a bit of guilt, he left Abby in the janitor¡¯s closet and began making their way to the gymnasium. On their way, they crossed Luke and one of his friends, the two of them speaking in low voices. Word must have gotten to them that Ebenezer died. Luke didn¡¯t look happy, in fact he seemed quite angry.


    Before long, they reached the gymnasium.


    ¡°Sleeping mats and blankets are to your left, and sleeping quarters are down by the side!¡± said a female volunteer.


    William grabbed a sleeping mat and blanket and walked over to the sleeping quarters, which had been divided by gender down the sides. Plenty of students were already laying there, and a few were even snoring.


    He and Finn set up their sleeping mats and settled down, with William placing his hands over his stomach as he looked up at the ceiling blankly. He simply meditated for a while, his body still processing the alcohol in his stomach as his mind spun in all sorts of directions, losing a sense of how much time passed.


    He thought of Abby Fate coming to his defense when even Finn didn¡¯t say anything. And now she was alone in the bathroom, scrubbing toilets in the middle of the night with the lights not even working, and it was all because she defended his stupid attempt to touch the body even though the staffers clearly said not to.


    The more he thought about it, the more he realized there was no way he could sleep like this with the guilt and shame welling up in his chest. He didn¡¯t even have the courage to face her and tell her sorry. Ghoulstein looking at him was a convenient excuse. If he was honest, he just felt bad and wanted to avoid the issue.


    Damn it.


    At the very least he should help her clean the toilets. He didn¡¯t want her to suffer for the next six hours until sunrise all by herself just because she tried to help him when he made a mistake.


    William rolled off his sleeping mat and stood up.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Finn mumbled, half asleep.


    ¡°Bathroom.¡±


    It was technically true. He walked to the front and told the volunteer the same¡ªit was a different volunteer now, as the previous one had retired to bed¡ªthen headed back into the hallway. Professor Ghoulstein¡¯s words hung heavily in the air, but his guilty feelings for leaving Abby to dry were stronger. It was his duty to help her.


    The hallways felt darker than even before, with no one left in the halls. William took out his phone, seeing that nearly two hours had passed since the incident, as he shone his phone¡¯s white light in front like he¡¯d done so many times in the past. Hopefully Ghoulstein had gone to bed already. Surely even he needed to sleep.


    Before long, he reached the east wing girls¡¯ bathroom and knocked.


    ¡°Abby,¡± he said. ¡°I came to help you out a bit so you can go to bed earlier.¡± He paused, then added some more. ¡°Sorry for leaving without saying anything, and thanks for trying to cover for me. I really appreciate it.¡±


    No response came from within the bathroom. Maybe she didn¡¯t hear him.


    ¡°Abby, you there?¡± he called out again.


    He waited, but again there was no answer. Maybe she fell asleep on the floor, he thought. The poor girl. William put his hand on the door, hesitating for a second because this was the girls¡¯ bathroom after all, but it was the middle of the night and he highly doubted that anyone else was in there.


    He pushed with his shoulder against the bathroom door, its creak ringing through the night as he began to doubt if even Abby was in there.


    But if she wasn¡¯t¡­ why?

 Chapter 9 – The Nightmare

    Chapter 9 ¨C The Nightmare


    The bathroom was surprisingly luxurious, even by Trinity Academy standards. The floor was lined with polished white marble, and the walls were covered in painted ceramic tiles that shimmered faintly under the dim glow of William¡¯s phone screen. Ornate silver-framed mirrors lined the walls above a row of spotless porcelain sinks. Each sink had a neatly folded stack of soft, lavender-scented hand towels beside it, and there was a dispenser with lotion and liquid soap, both labeled with premium brand names.


    The stalls were more like private booths, with floor-to-ceiling wooden doors painted in a pristine white finish. Each stall door had a small, elegant plaque of a different animal on it. The air was filled with the faint scent of roses, though it did little to mask the acrid smell of the cleaning chemicals that lingered in the room.


    William stepped further in, his slippers sliding softly against the marble floor. Near one of the sinks, a toilet scrubber rested against the counter. Beside it was an open bottle of cleaning solution, tipped slightly, as if dropped in haste. A bucket of soapy water sat by the door, untouched, with a sponge floating on its surface.


    The trash bin nearby was overfilled with damp paper towels and wet wipes, indicating someone had been working here for a while. However, everything seemed abandoned mid-task. Several of the stall doors were open, and William noticed one of the toilets inside was half-cleaned, with streaks of cleaning foam still clinging to the porcelain.


    It was clear Abby had been working diligently at first, but for some reason, she stopped abruptly.


    ¡°Abby?¡± William called again, his voice echoing slightly in the empty space. His footsteps grew louder as he walked further in, checking each stall. Every one was empty. He even opened the supply cabinet at the far end, but obviously she wasn''t there. He didn¡¯t know what he was expecting by checking that.


    A chill crawled up his spine as he stood in the center of the bathroom, his phone¡¯s light reflecting against the tiled walls. The faint sound of water dripping from a faucet was the only sound in the bathroom, each drop echoing unnaturally loud in the silence.


    Where could she have gone? The door had been closed, and she wouldn¡¯t have just left everything like this, especially when she knew Ghoulstein would check her work in the morning. The thought that something might have happened to her began to gnaw at him.


    ¡°Abby?¡± he called one last time, his voice less confident this time around.


    No response.


    The silence felt oppressive, and the once luxurious bathroom now seemed cold and unwelcoming, as if it were holding its breath, waiting.


    ¡°Is she not here?¡± asked a familiar nasally voice from behind.


    William spun around and saw Finn standing at the doorway. Finn rubbed his eyes and yawned.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± William asked.


    Finn groaned. ¡°I needed to go to the bathroom too, but I forgot to bring my phone so I just tried to follow you. It¡¯s so dark and I got lost before I heard your voice. Don¡¯t think they¡¯ll mind if I use this bathroom do they?¡±


    ¡°Probably not, there¡¯s no one around.¡±


    William was actually glad that Finn was here. Being entirely alone in the dark wasn¡¯t a good feeling. He felt bad for Abby. And speaking of which¡­


    ¡°If no one¡¯s around, then where did Abby go?¡± Finn asked, washing his hands. ¡°Ghoulstein said he¡¯d give her a disciplinary strike if she didn¡¯t finish cleaning the toilets, right? She¡¯d absolutely hate that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know where she went,¡± William said. ¡°It looks like she left in the middle of her work. Just like Ebenezer¡ª¡°


    He stopped. What did he just say? Now that the alcohol had time to settle and his thinking began to trickle in, his conscious train of thought finally began to catch up with his subconscious thought.


    Ebenezer¡­ Abby¡­ what was the connection here?


    ¡°She left just like Ebenezer? I don¡¯t get it. You think someone slipped her drugs?¡± Finn asked groggily, still confused. ¡°And then she went off and wandered somewhere? That doesn¡¯t sound like her.¡± He went to the sink and turned on the leaky faucet, taking off his glasses to splash some water onto his face, before turning back. ¡°It¡¯s so dark in here, it¡¯s hard to see anything. Mind shining a light here for a sec?¡±


    William didn¡¯t reply.


    Finn looked over. ¡°Uh, William, can you hear me? It¡¯s really dark in here.¡±


    William had stopped paying attention to Finn a minute ago. His mind raced to connect the dots. The last time he saw Ebenezer was in stability storage, desperately and unsuccessfully trying to retrieve an unreachable box of sherry wine. He was alone when they left stability storage. Then when they revisited the storage area, Ebenezer was gone. He¡¯d left the place quite a mess in his attempt to grab the wine, but the box was clearly untouched, and he was nowhere to be found.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    And now the exact same thing happened to Abby. Both of them disappeared after being interrupted in the middle of their task. He was beginning to think that this wasn¡¯t a coincidence.


    He looked around the room again, this time more carefully. His eyes caught something on the farthest stall door¡ªa faint smudge, almost like a handprint, trailing down the white wood. It wasn¡¯t dirt or grime, but something darker.


    He continued to look around. Now that his eyes had adjusted to the dark, he realized that there was one place he forgot to check with his flashlight. It was a place that he would have no reason to check otherwise, because logically, nothing should ever be there in the first place.


    That place was¡­


    Above.


    William¡¯s eyes shifted ever so slightly upwards, his body stiff, his chest tight as if he was afraid of making a sudden move. His fingers were clammy with cold sweat, wrapped tightly around his phone. He was afraid of what he could possibly see. His breathing slowed to a steady rhythm as he tried to calm his nerves, squinting into the dark. The theory¡­ the theory¡­what if it was true¡ª


    He looked past the door frame and into the darkness above.


    At first, he saw nothing. Relief. But then, above Finn, ever so imperceptibly, the outline of something within the dark shifted. Finn was still moving, still talking to him, trying to get his attention, but he could no longer hear what his friend was saying, as all his attention was focused on a single point¡ªthat edge where the walls met, where he could have sworn in the blurry darkness something had moved, but he could not be entirely sure.


    Impossible. He refused to believe it. His eyes had to be playing tricks on him again. It was so dark, anything could be mistaken¡­ Before he even knew what he was doing, acting out of instinct alone, he slowly pointed his phone upwards.


    The beam of William¡¯s phone light wavered slightly, his hand trembling as it moved upwards. The cold marble beneath his feet felt like ice now, his body frozen in place. The pale glow of his flashlight began to creep along the smooth tiles of the wall, inching higher, painting the bathroom in stark, unnatural shadows.


    He tried to convince himself that he was just seeing things¡ªa shadow cast by an uneven tile, a trick of the dim light, his exhausted mind playing games with him. But as the light climbed higher, he saw it again. A blur of motion that shouldn¡¯t have been there, ever so slightly out of sight.


    ¡°Finn,¡± he whispered hoarsely, but Finn was still obliviously talking to himself, rubbing his eyes and muttering about the dim lighting.


    The beam reached the corner where the wall met the ceiling, and for a moment, everything appeared perfectly normal. Relief washed over him in a brief wave¡­ until the light hit something that didn¡¯t belong.


    Two reflective pinpricks caught the beam, gleaming faintly in the darkness like the eyes of a predator. They blinked ever so slowly, as if being awakened from rest.


    William¡¯s breath hitched. His instincts screamed at him to look away, to pretend he hadn¡¯t seen anything, but his body betrayed him, his hand gripping the phone like a lifeline as the light continued its slow, treacherous ascent.


    At first, all he could make out was an irregular mass clinging to the ceiling, its surface mottled and uneven, shifting like an oil slick in the faint light. Then the shape became clearer, and he wished it hadn¡¯t. A gaunt, sinewy body stretched impossibly long, its limbs jointed at unnatural angles. The creature¡¯s flesh was a patchwork of green and black, its skin glistening as though coated in some viscous substance.


    The head¡­ or what he assumed was its head¡­ tilted slightly, the reflective eyes narrowing, as if it were sizing him up. Its mouth was a jagged tear across its face, filled with uneven, serrated teeth. The jaw jutted forward and hinged unnervingly, stretching unnaturally from one side of its head to the other.


    William felt his knees lock, his body paralyzed by a primal fear he had never experienced before. This wasn¡¯t just a monster. This was something wrong, something that shouldn¡¯t exist.


    He instinctively knew what this creature was, despite having never encountered it before¡ªcertainly not in real life. He had never even seen its likeness in a picture on the news or on video. And yet he knew what it was.


    The creature was so rare that it did not even have a danger classification of its own yet. And as far as monsters went, the unknown category was by far the most dangerous one. It was a skulk. Full name skulkus furtivis. The night terror. The thing that Manager Kim greedily claimed to have seen that other night. The monster that not one person had seen and lived to tell the tale. The creature that inspired urban legends on the occult forums.


    At this moment, William Blackwood knew that he was well and truly dead.


    His mind screamed at him to run, but his legs refused to obey. He wanted to call out to Finn, to warn him, but his throat was dry, his voice stolen by fear. Finn, still oblivious, turned back toward William, squinting at the light.


    ¡°Hey, can you stop shining that in my eyes?¡± Finn muttered, rubbing at his glasses. He took a step toward William, and in doing so, moved closer to the thing above them.


    ¡°Finn,¡± William croaked, his voice barely audible. He didn¡¯t dare move his light away from the creature, terrified of what it might do if plunged back into darkness. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ move.¡±


    He could swear that the light seemed to have an effect on the creature. A sliver of hope.


    ¡°What?¡± Finn paused, his expression confused. He squinted up at the corner where William¡¯s light was focused, his tired mind taking a moment too long to process what he was seeing.


    The creature shifted. Its head twisted at an impossible angle, its eyes locking onto Finn with an intelligence that sent shivers down William¡¯s spine. Slowly, its limbs began to uncurl, each movement deliberate and horrifyingly silent.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Finn whispered, finally understanding. ¡°Oh, crap.¡±


    His reaction was the worst possible one. Panicked, he stumbled back, his foot catching on the edge of a bucket. The clatter of metal against marble echoed like a gunshot in the oppressive silence.


    Whatever effect the light had on the creature was broken in that instant.  Its body uncoiled in a blur of motion, dropping from the ceiling like a spider descending on its prey. William¡¯s phone light caught the full horror of its form for a split second¡ªa grotesque amalgamation of sinew and shadow, its limbs too long, its jaw too wide, its movements jerky and unnatural. It seemed disoriented.


    ¡°Run!¡± William shouted, his voice breaking as adrenaline finally overpowered his fear. He grabbed Finn by the arm and yanked him toward the door, the two of them stumbling in their haste to escape.

 Chapter 10 — Imminent Death

    Chapter 10 ¡ª Imminent Death


    William burst out of the bathroom with Finn, nearly tripping as he ran for his life. He could hear the door creak open behind them¡ªhe looked back, and saw the skulk had hooked its appendage into the handle and pulled open the door. For a moment, it paused, its grotesque dog-like head tilted at an unnatural angle, as if sniffing the air. The dim emergency lights glinted off its mottled, oil-slick hide, and William caught the faintest glimpse of its gaping jaw, strands of saliva stretching between its teeth like cobwebs.


    It moved haltingly at first, testing the hallway with a jointed limb. Its claws¡ªif they were in fact claws; its appendages ended in points rigid enough to spear flesh, yet delicate enough to grab and hold like human fingers¡ªtapped against the modern flooring of the hallway, slow and deliberate, as if hesitant about this new area.


    Then, with a sudden, jerking motion, it mounted onto the left wall, clinging on in a gravity defying alien fashion that had something to do with its viscous coating, its body contorting strangely to appear slightly shorter now, its limbs folding and unfolding in a disjointed crawl as it began to approach them silently, sideways.


    William stared blankly at the horror, momentarily stunned. It could be easily mistaken for the unknown monster he¡¯d seen in the alleyway yesterday¡ªyesterday felt like years ago now¡ªand yet the way it climbed was different. It was different.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look back¡ªdon¡¯t look back!¡± Finn screamed.


    William waved his phone at the skulk, the light no longer able to deter its movements besides momentarily disorienting it. The skulk continued its advance towards them. He could now hear its breath.


    He turned around and ran. His heart hammered as he tore down the east wing hallway with Finn, his lungs so overworked that he couldn¡¯t even scream, the skulk¡¯s sinister steps echoing behind them like a death rattle. The corridor here was sleek and modern, in contrast to the bathroom¡¯s post-volcanic era gothic style¡ªinstead of ceramic tiling, frosted glass panels lined the walls, illuminated by embedded LED strips that cast a sterile blue glow. Display cases showcased robotics trophies and holographic projectors, their cold light glinting off the Skulk¡¯s oily hide as it scuttled sideways along the wall, its body compressing and stretching like a shapeless mass.


    It was fast. With a shuddering click, its neck elongated, jaws unhinging to snap at the air just inches from Finn¡¯s shoulder. Finn screamed, swerving violently into a display case of trophies. An old triathlon bronze cup fell from the cabinet, clanking onto Finn¡¯s knee.


    With a kick, the bronze cup swiveled towards the skulk, momentarily distracting it as it stepped backwards, assessing the new threat with cautious prods with its outstretched leg. For a brief moment, William wondered why the skulk seemed afraid of the bronze cup. Sleek, brass colored, and moving¡­ in a way, the trophy appeared visually similar to the explosive traps the military used to hunt monsters. Perhaps that was what caused the skulk¡¯s hesitance?


    The time to wonder was not now.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡± He pulled Finn to his feet with force and then ran, building precious distance between himself and the jaws of death as the skulk remained distracted, but that saving grace did not last. Pushing the bronze cup to the side, the monster mounted the left side wall and began its horrifying advance again, its movements alien and disconcerting.


    William was quite fast, faster than Finn for sure, but his slippers slid against the floor and he couldn¡¯t build enough traction. At this rate even he¡¯d be caught. Running was a lost cause. Glancing left and right, he spotted a computer lab in front, and made the split second decision to change strategies.


    ¡°Left!¡± he shouted.


    He crashed through the lab doors into a small room filled with rows of workstations and scanner printers, his momentum nearly sending him sprawling. The room smelled of circuitry and burnt toner, blue lights blinking at every workstation. He whipped around, hand shaking as he realized Finn was still behind.


    ¡°Hurry!¡±


    Finn was still running¡ªlimping, even¡ªas the sound of climbing came from behind, not more than a few seconds behind him. The margin was close, far too close for comfort, and Wiliam gritted his teeth, mentally preparing to close the door if Finn couldn¡¯t make it.


    He waited until the very last moment, until he could hear the clanking right behind Finn and there was not even a moment left to spare. The second Finn¡¯s arm appeared in front of the door, William yanked him in forcefully and slammed the door shut as adrenaline coursed through his veins. The hollow boom echoed like a gunshot.


    Fumbling, he twisted the lock closed with trembling hands, and just in time¡ªa terrifying scratching sound came from the other side of the door. The monster on the other side seemed to be trying to dig in between the shutter and the frame, then paused as if to experiment, to test the door for pressure points.


    Finn stood white faced next to him, his eyes large with fear as he dared not utter a single word, only wordlessly watching the door, that flimsy, old fashioned wooden door. The two of them stood in complete silence, listening to that terrible scratching sound. Then, it stopped.


    ¡°Is it gone?¡± Finn whispered.


    William didn¡¯t reply, his eyes still trained on the door, scanning each and every corner of it.


    Finn made a hushing gesture with his finger, then leaned in towards the door delicately, cupping his ear against the crack in the door to listen. The blinking blue lights from the work stations illuminated his face along with the phone light which now hung limply in William¡¯s hand.


    It was quiet. Finn leaned in further, in an attempt to hear anything. Nothing.


    Then, amidst the silence, a strange dark mist emanated from through the door frame crack.


    ¡°Get away from there!¡± William shouted in a panic.


    Finn moved away, but he was late. He inhaled some of the black particles, and the effect was immediate. The mist appeared to have some kind of intoxicating effect, as Finn stumbled backwards and fell to the ground, his eyes slightly unfocused and glazed over. As this episode occurred, the mist also stopped coming in through the door.


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    William had grabbed a chair as a weapon and stared intently at the door as the scratching resumed for a brief moment, before the sound of shuffling came from outside, like the skulk was leaving. Minutes passed. After a while, he finally accepted that the monster had left.


    Finn continued to sit on the ground in a stupor, not quite unconscious but very much dazed. The mist¡­thinking back, that must have been the so-called drug that caused Ebenezer¡¯s death. Too high of an exposure to whatever biochemical mechanics existed within the mist could have triggered heart failure in him. Perhaps the same thing happened to Abby, wherever she was now.


    William wondered if the skulk would come back and try to break down the computer lab door with brute force, but his gut told him no.


    His hunch was right. Something about the creature¡¯s behavior had struck him as odd this entire time as he reviewed the facts. It seemed to pay extra care to avoid detection by humans, going far out of a monster¡¯s normal activity pattern to clean traces of its activity. Despite its terrifying jaw and serrated teeth that could tear any person apart into a gorey mess, it acted cautiously.


    Almost as if it was trying to conceal its very presence. Although the skulk could have at least tried to break the door with its massive bulk, it chose not to. And because of that, William was safe, for now. Thinking back to where it was first encountered, in the girls¡¯ bathroom, it left almost no obvious sign that it had been there. But why?


    Either way, it didn¡¯t matter at the moment. He didn¡¯t plan on leaving this computer lab for the rest of the night, because that thing could be waiting in ambush for them out there. He looked over at Finn. Finn had recovered slightly from the black mist, and now slumped against a desktop computer with a blank expression on his face, in a state of shock. Good. He needed quiet for a few minutes to put everything together in his head and figure out what to do next.


    Now that he was completely alone with his thoughts and had mostly sobered up, it was probably a good time to review all the facts.


    First of all, the skulk had to have been responsible for Ebenezer and Abby¡¯s disappearances. The circumstances of their disappearances were far too similar¡ªboth simply vanished in the middle of performing a task that they desperately needed to complete for various reasons.


    As for how Ebenezer died without any visible markings on him or signs of a struggle, he now had the answer. It was the mist. That he could say with high certainty, because healthy college aged students didn¡¯t just drop dead out of shock. Finn¡¯s current state after such limited exposure to the black mist supported this conjecture. Perhaps a higher degree of exposure could lead to heart failure or death by shock, like in Ebenezer¡¯s case.


    But as the facts unraveled, so too did additional questions. For instance, why did it not devour Ebenezer when it had the chance? It clearly got close enough to use its mist on him, so why not finish the job? What did it do to Abby¡ªwas she even alive? And most pressing of all, how did a monster get into the university through a military grade Gammon lockdown system?


    And¡­ was his theory correct?


    Undoubtedly.


    The fact that the monster acted with such calculated intelligence could be explained in no other way than the theory.


    William pulled a chair out and sank into the computer desk, his head in his hands. He could still feel his heartbeat through his palms. He and Finn were alive for now, but for how much longer? Not just them, what about everyone else? He doubted that this particular monster would go on a rampage at school¡ªit was far too cautious, too intelligent for that¡ªbut was this the only one? Were there other irregular monsters out there? He thought back to the monster that chased him last night, the one that climbed onto the second story of the building. A chill ran down his spine as the true implications of that impossible encounter registered. An irregular monster was outside and on the loose near civilians.


    He had no time to worry about what might happen to others at this moment, however. Back to the most immediately pressing question. How did the monster get into a locked down building?


    WIth brows furrowed in concentration, he dug into his memories. A single conversation with Finn came back to mind.


    It¡¯s kind of crazy that the Gammon Corporation knew to build a backup generator and everything. My dad always complains how thorough they are whenever they order caulk from us. If our impurity ppm is more than 50 they reject it outright.


    Ah, naturally. The Gammon Corporation were sticklers for quality control. Nothing but the finest, nothing but the best. And that was where the crux of this university¡¯s lockdown mechanism failed¡ªnot by a failure of the Gammon Corporation¡¯s quality control; that part was quite fine, but rather exactly because of it, and because the base assumptions of the project were misguided from the beginning.


    William quickly scanned the room. Based on a quick observation of the space and his deduction, they should be fine here, although he couldn¡¯t say for sure.


    He still had more deductions to make, but as he hazarded towards the darkness of the unknown, the missing pieces became far too numerous for him to do any more than field an educated guess, and Finn was beginning to stir.


    ¡°William,¡± Finn croaked, pointing at the water bottles sitting on the desk William was at. ¡°Water.¡±


    He grabbed one and walked over to Finn. There was so much he could say, so much he wanted to say, but every discussion had to start at the foundation. And in this case, it was Finn¡¯s current unknown state of health.


    ¡°How do you feel?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I¨C¡± Finn began with a hoarse voice, his shoulders budging. ¡°I can¡¯t move my arms.¡±


    So the black mist caused a degree of paralysis. Thank god he didn¡¯t stay near the door. Even he couldn¡¯t have predicted that. William uncapped the water bottle and tipped it into Finn¡¯s mouth. When they got out of here¡ªif they got out of here alive, he¡¯d have to take Finn to a doctor immediately.


    Finn drank for a while, before shaking his head to signal to stop. A bit of water spilled onto the ground.


    ¡°Feel better now?¡±


    Finn nodded slowly, but his expression changed into a mixture of a sob and sheer terror. The reality of the situation must have finally caught up to him.


    ¡°What was that thing?¡± he said finally, between labored breaths. ¡°Why is this happening to us? I thought we were supposed to be safe here!¡±


    William waited until Finn calmed down. It took a while, but he was patient. This discussion was not one he wanted to have with Finn in a panicked state. After several minutes, when Finn¡¯s hyperventilating died down, he finally replied quietly. ¡°How much do you want to know?¡±


    ¡°You know something?¡± Finn asked incredulously, shooting him a sharp look.


    ¡°I do. Not everything, but a little. I have a theory.¡±


    Finn paused before replying. ¡°What is it?¡± His voice sounded different now, a bit more grounded than panicked, far more weary, and even slightly curious.


    William looked at Finn, or at least that was his intent, but his eyes could not lie. He saw through Finn¡ªbeyond him¡ªat something far larger.


    It was a while before either of them spoke. Then, he finally began.


    ¡°Finn, tell me, what do you know about the madness principle?¡±

 Chapter 11 — The Madness Principle

    Chapter 11 ¡ª The Madness Principle


    ¡°Does it have to do with your theory?¡± Finn asked, his voice hoarse but tinged with a spark of curiosity.


    ¡°It does,¡± William replied, standing up as he leaned onto the cold metal desk. His hands shook ever so slightly, betraying the fear and exhilaration building up beneath his calm exterior as he inched closer to the truth of the matter. ¡°But let¡¯s start at the beginning. What do you know about the madness principle?¡±


    Finn shifted uncomfortably, wincing as he tried¡ªand failed¡ªto move his arms again. He settled for tilting his head slightly toward William instead. ¡°It¡¯s just a rule, isn¡¯t it? One of those laws of monster behavior everyone talks about. All monsters go insane when they enter our world from theirs. Everyone knows that.¡±


    William nodded slowly, his gaze distant as if he were piecing together fragments of an intricate puzzle in his mind. ¡°Right. And this is proven¡ªor so we¡¯ve been told. But do you know the origin of the theory?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Finn admitted after a pause, his brow furrowing.


    William pulled out a chair and sat, clasping his hands together. ¡°Twelve years ago, a group of farmers from the lowlands outside Albane trapped a two-fanged hound in their barn. They used pitchforks to guide it in.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Finn said.


    ¡°The hound had been weakened already¡ªit was near death. The farmers decided to let it die slowly in the barn rather than risk putting it down themselves, since it was still vigorously snapping at them. But something strange happened. No matter how hurt the hound was, no matter how close to death, it would try to bite them. It had a good sense of hearing, so when the farmers fed the pigs in the morning and walked closely to the barn, the hound would get up, snarl, and head to the corner of the wall closest to the farmer.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    ¡°One of the farmers noticed that whenever he walked by the wall, the hound would follow him inside the barn, pacing along the inner perimeter. The farmer tried throwing in a stone, then a small piece of raw meat, but the hound ignored both. It only followed him.¡±


    ¡°Huh,¡± Finn muttered, frowning. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ weird.¡±


    ¡°And then the hound died.¡±


    There was a long silence. Finn stared at William, waiting for more, but nothing came immediately. Finally, he broke the quiet. ¡°What does that have to do with the madness principle?¡±


    ¡°It has everything to do with it,¡± William said, his voice low and deliberate.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡±


    ¡°Two months after that incident, a group of researchers led by Ferdinand Casper¡ª¡±


    ¡°Wait, the same Casper who coined the term ¡®madness principle¡¯?¡± Finn interrupted, suddenly sitting up straighter despite his paralysis.


    ¡°Yes,¡± William confirmed. ¡°Casper and his team went down to the Albane lowlands and interviewed those farmers, who had inadvertently conducted what was essentially an unprecedented experiment. Up until that point, most people believed monsters to be overgrown animals that acted on known vectors of behavior: hunger, thirst, territoriality. But Casper proposed something different. He argued that once monsters crossed into our world, they became consumed by an all-encompassing aggression¡ªa madness¡ªthat completely overrode their other senses and needs. Their sole purpose became hunting humans, regardless of their condition or survival prospects.¡±


    Finn nodded slowly, absorbing the information. ¡°So, basically, monsters lose their minds when they come here, like zombies.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± William said. ¡°But there¡¯s more to it. Was this always the case? Did monsters behave this way naturally, even in their own world? Back then, survival took precedence over academic research. Few cared about such irrelevant questions when breaks were happening multiple times a day and casualties were piling up in the thousands.¡±


    ¡°But Casper was undeterred. Building on the insights gained from the Albane farmers, he began capturing smaller monsters himself¡ªa dangerous task¡ªand replicating their experiments. His findings confirmed what the farmers had observed.¡±


    ¡°In contrast, plenty of reports had come in that monsters beyond the gate acted normally. They ate, slept, communicated, and nested. Yes, they were aggressive, far more so than any terrestrial creature, but they retained their faculties. So, the question remained: when did they change?¡±


    ¡°To answer that question, Casper expanded his goal to capturing live specimens directly from the other side. The operation took months of planning and faced countless setbacks, but eventually, he succeeded. And what he discovered changed everything.¡±


    William paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. When he spoke again, his voice carried a grim certainty. ¡°The moment a captured monster crossed the threshold between worlds¡ªthe instant it stepped into ours¡ªit lost everything. Intelligence, communication, restraint¡ªall gone. A two-fanged hound that could coordinate with its pack in the other world became a drooling, snarling wreck in ours, driven solely by an unrelenting desire to hunt humans. That¡¯s the madness principle.¡±


    Finn stared at him, wide-eyed. ¡°Okay, but why are you telling me this now?¡±


    William crossed his arms, his expression grave. ¡°Because my theory is that something is causing the madness principle to fail. We both saw proof of it today. That skulk that chased us exhibited signs of intelligence. It didn¡¯t act like a mindless predator. It moved cautiously, and if I¡¯m not mistaken, with intent.¡±


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    Finn¡¯s face drained of color. ¡°Do you really think that was a skulk?¡± he whispered, his voice trembling.


    ¡°It fits the description, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡­ but your theory doesn¡¯t make sense,¡± Finn argued weakly. ¡°How can the madness principle be wrong? Surely we must have heard about it by now if such a big change occurred?¡±


    Finn paused for a moment, before resuming. ¡°Maybe this monster is just acting weirdly for another reason? I mean, think about it, it¡¯s just one monster, how can one weird episode disprove such a proven rule?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought as well, Finn.¡± William let out a slow breath, his expression grim. ¡°But it¡¯s not just one monster.¡±


    Finn looked stunned. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    William leaned forward, his voice low but steady. "Last night, when I was delivering as you know I usually do, I ran into something. At the time, I thought it might just be my imagination. In retrospect I am pretty certain that it was a monster."


    "Really? But¡­ I don¡¯t remember there being an alert."


    "That''s the thing!" William said, his voice rising. "There was no alert! It was dark, but I saw it and I heard it clearly. The thing could climb, Finn, and there was no alert!"


    Finn''s eyes bulged in fear. "How did you get away?"


    "I ran,¡± William said simply. ¡°It chased me for god knows how long, until I got to the streets. And then¡­¡± He trailed off, shaking his head. ¡°It stopped. Just like that. Disappeared. I never saw it again.¡±


    ¡°Did you report it?¡± Finn asked, his voice barely above a whisper.


    ¡°Went straight to the police station,¡± William confirmed. ¡°But they didn¡¯t believe me. They thought I was making it up.¡±


    "You''re not messing with me?"


    William shook his head. "I''m dead serious."


    "Then that means..." Finn was in thought. "It stopped chasing you."


    He nodded. "Yeah."


    "That means it has strategy."


    William nodded again.


    Finn¡¯s breath hitched. ¡°Which means¡­ it can think.¡±


    "If my theory is correct, then yes, it can not only get through gates without raising an alarm, but it can also think. In direct contradiction to the madness principle, and in direct contradiction to our current understanding of breaks."


    "Shit, man. We''re in deep shit." Finn looked nervously at the window, which had been covered entirely with steel fortifications. His movements appeared more sluggish than before. ¡°What do we do?¡±


    ¡°For now?¡± William replied. ¡°We try to survive. How are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°A bit sleepy,¡± Finn answered. ¡°My mind feels fuzzy.¡±


    William frowned. The side effects from the mist seemed to be getting worse. Finn needed medical attention soon.


    ¡°Talk to me,¡± Finn said. ¡°That might keep me awake. Something exciting.¡±


    William nodded. ¡°There is something I wanted to share with you anyway. Now that we¡¯ve established that the madness principle has failed, possibly for the first time ever, we have to consider the skulk¡¯s behavior in a different manner.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s consider the facts. It¡¯s in the university with us now, and the university is under impenetrable lockdown. So there¡¯s two scenarios that may have happened. One, the skulk was already present in the university before the break occurred. It¡¯s possible, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what happened.¡±


    ¡°So, your second point is implying that the skulk got in here after the lockdown?¡± Finn laughed weakly. ¡°That¡¯s next to impossible. My dad worked with Gammon Corporation for so many years now. He knows their designs and the materials that go in them are top notch.¡±


    ¡°Yes, they are. But Gammon Corporation mostly does contract work, don¡¯t they?¡±


    Finn blinked blankly. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you know that, but yeah, mostly contract work. Why does that matter?¡±


    Now it was William¡¯s turn to let out a dry laugh. ¡°Because our dear dean must have contracted Gammon Corporation to work on defensive fortifications, but to save himself from blowing his whole budget he must have skimped on a few areas here or there in the original contract, and asked Gammon not to fully replace the old systems.¡±


    ¡°Now that you mention it¡­.¡± Finn said, his eyes focused in an effort to prevent himself from falling unconscious.


    William stood up and grabbed a pen from one of the desks, then tore open a package of printing paper, taking a sheet. He laid the sheet of paper onto the ground and began to draw a crude diagram of the school.


    ¡°Ebenezer was taken in stability storage, here.¡± William circled stability storage emphatically. ¡°I think he was killed by the mist. Maybe inhaled too much.¡±


    Finn groaned. ¡°That¡¯s not good.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t inhale as much. Maybe you¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Finn snorted. ¡°I hope so.¡± He pointed towards the east wing bathroom on the diagram, which was just a crudely drawn rectangle. ¡°That¡¯s where Abby was taken then.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± William circled it. ¡°And here¡¯s the janitor¡¯s closet where Ebenezer was found.¡±


    He then began to draw a line connecting all three locations.


    Finn groaned again, this time for a different reason. He seemed to have finally comprehended what William was getting at. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s in the vents.¡±


    ¡°It fits all the criteria. The HVAC system sounds pretty old. That was probably not replaced by Gammon Corporation since it¡¯d be a very expensive fix¨C¡±


    ¡°Are there any vents running through this room?¡± Finn said, interrupting William.


    ¡°That¡¯s the thing,¡± he replied. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s on the other side of the hallway, but without a detailed blueprint of the university there¡¯s no way to know for sure. We¡¯ll just have to hope for the best.¡±


    At that, the alertness began to fade from Finn¡¯s eyes, the neurotoxins finally taking their toll on him. His head lulled over, and soon he began snoring.


    William exhaled, relieved that he seemed to just be sleeping rather than dead. It was probably best that they stay here for the night. He¡¯d already scanned the room and didn¡¯t see any vents. With any luck, they¡¯d be safe here until morning.


    He sat a little further to the side, bringing over a stack of printing paper to act as a pillow, then laid down awkwardly onto the cold, hard ground. It wasn¡¯t comfortable, but it''d have to do.


    As he laid there staring at the ceiling, one of the ceiling tiles in the corner of the room shifted slightly. Then it shifted again in a way morbidly reminiscent of egg hatching, revealing a sliver of darkness beyond.


    It had found them.

 Chapter 12 — Power Awakens

    Chapter 12 ¡ª Power Awakens


    William shot up to his feet as the black mass silently descended from the ceiling above. The computer lab that felt like a safe sanctuary now seemed like a prison, the walls more enclosing than ever, the windows sealed off just like his fate. There was nowhere left to run. And even if he ran, what about Finn? Scratch that. What a stupid thought. Now was not the time to worry about Finn, when both of them were about to die.


    The monster stepped into the blinking blue lights of the work stations. The creature¡¯s grotesque form was illuminated in horrifying detail. Mottled skin glistened wetly under the blinking blue glow. It observed him closely, revealing its hound-like head and elongated jaw with saliva dripping from it as it sniffed one of the computer monitors.


    There was something ragged in its mouth, and as it walked past a desktop, the object loomed into sight. A human arm, severed just below the elbow, dangled in its mouth. The sides had been gnawed cleaned, red flesh ripped from bone, the skin mangled and covered in blood and other bodily fluids. No once did William ever wonder what the inside of a human body looked like, and now that he¡¯d seen it, he could not recall encountering anything more disgusting in his entire life. Bile built up at the back of his throat, but he swallowed, resisting the urge to expel his dinner.


    As he faced certain death like a cornered animal, all of his options extinguished, his mind raced to what were now irrelevant topics. Only now did he finally realize why he so desperately wanted to touch Ebenezer¡¯s dead body. It was to confirm the body¡¯s temperature, because the janitor¡¯s closet was hot, so hot that Vanessa complained about it. If the body was still cold in such a hot environment, then it meant that Ebenezer must have been dragged over there through the vents in stability storage.


    The monster stood over Finn, sniffing his shoulder as he snored, so mercifully ignorant of the current situation.


    Coming to his senses from a hypnotic daze, William grabbed a metal stool to defend himself with, then produced his phone out of his pocket, shakily turning on the phone screen to maximum brightness. The white light beamed from his phone towards the skulk, who appeared to wince slightly at the light. Its skin convulsed and its body seemed to contract, and it let out a low rumbling growl¡ªthe first sound he¡¯d heard it make.


    ¡°Back off!¡± he shouted.


    The skulk shifted its immense bulk and darted behind a row of monitors, knocking over a keyboard as it did so. It seemed to be averse to the light. Strangely, the blinking blue lights from the computers did not bother it in the same way, but something about his phone¡¯s screen made it irritated. As long as he could keep the light shining onto it, he could keep it disoriented, or at least he hoped.


    Unfortunately, the creature learned quickly. Knocking over an entire row of tables, it advanced on him by pushing the row of tables towards him, dragging along with it all the cables and crashed monitors as it used all the excess equipment as cover. Its movements were no longer as calculated as before, no longer trying to cover its tracks as meticulously.


    The light! He needed to maintain a direct connection between the beam of light and its body. Since it was using ground level cover, he needed elevation to retain line of sight onto it. William scrambled and climbed onto a table, knocking over a monitor as he held out his phone at where the skulk had been just a moment ago¡ªbut the spot behind the debris was empty. It had moved.


    Where did it go? William spun around, looking behind him, when the impact came from the side. He fell from the table, landing heavily onto the ground, his head bouncing off the hard floor painfully as the metal stool clanked to the ground nearby. With his ears ringing, he felt the monster¡¯s front limbs pressing him down with a weight that felt like an entire refrigerator had fallen on top of him. He couldn¡¯t breath, couldn¡¯t even lift his chest up to take a single breath of air, as the monster¡¯s jaw descended onto his neck.


    Time felt like it was going in slow motion, but he knew it was an illusion. He was defenseless and optionless. All he had left was his phone, which hung limp in his left hand, that old piece of junk he never had the heart to throw away because he¡¯d grown so attached to it. It was all he ever had since the beginning, when he picked it up out of a dumpster after he left the orphanage. Now, almost a decade later, it had somehow followed him till the end of his life.


    In a sense, it was a physical representation of his loneliness. He never had a mom to cook him a nice meal when he came back from school, never had a dad to bring him to the arcade or teach him how to ride a bike. He never had a birthday party or even a birthday cake, never had a friend to play hide and seek with¡ªthat was a game he only heard about in books. He never knew what it meant for someone to love him.


    The only warmth he ever looked forward to when coming back from school was his phone, where he could read¡ªand most importantly, where he could forget the things he no longer wished to remember. The years were not kind to him.


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    A tear rolled down William¡¯s cheek. How uncharacteristic, he thought to himself, that at the very end, he would turn sentimental. For once he felt envious of Finn. To die in his sleep, obvious to it all¡­ that didn¡¯t sound too bad now.


    He blinked, suddenly coming back to reality. Time had not stopped at all. Why was he still alive? His eyes trailed to the left, his head too tired to even move. A monitor had fallen onto the ground before he himself fell, and that monitor just happened to be propping up his left hand. A dazzling beam of white light emanated from his phone. Somehow, it seemed brighter than usual.


    The beam of light crossed over above his body like the sword of an angel, and the skulk appeared to be injured on the side of its jaw, as if the light had burned it when it tried to cross. The monster had reared its head warily, as a tendril of black mist floated out of its jaws.


    But the light coming from the phone screen intensified, as if it was calling to him. For some reason, he felt like the source of the light no longer came from the phone¡¯s battery, but rather something entirely different¡­ it came from himself. It was almost as if he was¡­ awakening a power?


    How could he have forgotten the criteria for awakening! Close contact with otherworld energy was the trigger for power manifestation. These days, that meant waiting for a turn to touch the awakening orb, which was just an orb retrieved from the other side with a high concentration of otherworld energy, but back in the day, the first awakeners discovered their powers when in contact with an organic concentration of otherworld energy. For instance, a particularly powerful monster¡­


    William¡¯s eyes shot open. He knew what to do¡ªto just follow his instincts. Reaching over with his right hand, he reached towards his phone screen. The phone was now burning hot on his left hand, and his right hand now burned as well, but he paid no attention to that. He reached into the light, grasping it, the pain immense and building as the light began to take a physical form. The pain was unbearable, the pressure and heat feeling like it would melt right through to his bone! But he grit his teeth and pressed on.


    And then he drew it. A shard of light¡ªbrilliant, shining, scalding white light¡ªremained in his hand like a dagger. It was the length of a textbook, and shaped almost like a thick toothpick. The skulk reeled. It had been trying to separate the phone from William while breathing out that black mist, but now it backed up in fear.


    William held his breath, careful not to inhale any of the black mist, as he rose to his feet. The sensation of mana coursing through his body was quite foreign, and yet he¡¯d read so much about it in preparation for this day. It felt like a liquid that sloshed around in his body, but also like life force itself, weakening him and draining him ever so slowly.


    But that did not matter at this moment. The skulk mounted onto a printer, then lunged at him. As the monster streaked through the dark computer lab, its beast-like jaw extending once again in that horribly alien fashion, William drew back his right arm as muscle memory kicked in, then threw the shard of light like he¡¯d done so many times in the past, playing with pebbles in the alleyway by himself.


    His aim was true. Even though the skulk was a moving target, the light shard pierced into its shoulder with a terrible hiss, causing the skulk to let out a multi-pitched groan of pain. It rocked back and forth, attempting to remove the light from its shoulder, but every time it touched the shard of light it jerked back in pain as a hiss issued from the contact point, like a piece of meat dropped onto a hot pan.


    William reached towards his phone¡¯s light once again, trying to draw another shard, but found that he wasn¡¯t able to. He already had to count himself lucky. Lower ranked powers were barely able to scratch higher tier beasts, and he had somehow managed to manifest a weapon strong enough to injure an unclassified beast. That by itself was already a miracle.


    Not only that, but the fragment of light persisted despite being disconnected from him for so long already. That too could only be described as a miracle. How could such a power exist? Where would it fall under the traditional grading scale? Again, irrelevant concerns pestered his mind in such a perilous situation. All he needed to know was that he could hurt this unclassified monster.


    The skulk attempted to lunge at him again, but William dodged to the side. He felt his face starting to turn red from holding his breath. He couldn¡¯t keep this up much longer. Taking his phone, he shone the light at the skulk again, causing it to writhe in pain. The shard of light continued to hiss as the skulk writhed, no doubt burning any new flesh that came into contact with it.


    Finally, the monster seemed to have decided that it had enough. It backed away, grabbing the severed arm before leaping up into the ceiling tile, with the fragment of light still embedded within it. William chased it, feeling somehow emboldened by his newfound powers, but he too was at his limit. He took a breath, panting, and felt the mana drain becoming too much to sustain the phone light any longer.


    As the ceiling tile closed once again, William limped towards Finn until he could no longer muster the energy to move anymore. He collapsed to the ground, the light dimming from his phone until it returned to battery power once more.


    The last thing he could remember was a blinking blue light.


    ¡ª


    He woke up, startled. Instead of the cold, hard floor of the computer lab, he now felt a small pillow underneath his head.


    A beep issued from the vital signs monitor to the right of him.


    ¡°Nurse,¡± called someone¡¯s voice. ¡°Patient 104 is awake!¡±

 Chapter 13 — The Hospital

    Chapter 13 ¡ª The Hospital


    William blinked, the harsh hospital lighting irritating his eyes. He was in a hospital ward, lying in bed with an IV fluid bag dangling from a hook by his side. Next to him, a vital monitor beeped steadily. The sun shone through the window, revealing a clear blue day. He seemed to be the only patient in the room, as doctors and nurses bustled about outside. It felt like a while had passed since he fell asleep.


    "Where am I?" he murmured, looking around until he spotted a small placard on the wall that read Mount Cyane Hospital, sponsored by the Van du Gartens¡ªthat was Cissie Van du Garten¡¯s family, the curly haired blonde who stuck next to Luke Brightsteel like her life depended on it. He was just a few miles from the university, then, in the city center. Judging by the peaceful surroundings, it seemed like the lockdown had ended.


    A nurse in her twenties walked into the room, holding a clipboard. "Good morning, Mr. Blackwood. How are you feeling today?"


    "Not too bad," William said, sitting up with some effort. "Just a bit sore." He glanced down at his hospital gown, noting the smooth, unblemished skin underneath. Now that his head was clearer, he remembered vividly why he looked uninjured. The skulk had gone straight for his neck, but he''d managed to repel it before it could land the killing blow.


    "How long have I been out?" he asked, gesturing toward the window. "Looks like the lockdown''s over, right?"


    "The lockdown ended over a week ago, Mr. Blackwood," the nurse replied gently, a hint of pity in her smile. "You were found unconscious about a day before that."


    "A week? That long?"


    "Yes. We''re still caring for some of the wounded from the attacks, but most patients have been discharged." The nurse moved to the other side of the bed and began checking the vital monitor. "Can you turn your chest toward me?" she asked, holding up a stethoscope.


    William complied as the nurse placed the cold metal against his ribcage, following her instructions.


    "Did anyone else from our university pass away?" he asked.


    The nurse shook her head. "The only death reported was a boy named Ebenezer Finch."


    "What about Finn Mutton?"


    "Finn Mutton is stable but still in a coma. He''s being cared for down the hall by one of my colleagues."


    Finn had survived. William couldn''t believe it. Somehow, they had both made it through.


    ¡°Can I visit him?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Finn is in a more critical condition than you were, so we¡¯re not allowing visitors for him quite yet, to avoid contamination.¡±


    Poor Finn. It sounded like he was barely hanging on. "Is Abby Fate here too?" he asked.


    The nurse looked confused. "I''m sorry, but there''s no patient named Abby Fate here, Mr. Blackwood."


    That arm the skulk had been carrying... Could it have been Abby''s?


    "Did anyone else at Trinity see the monster?" he pressed.


    "We haven''t received any reports of monster-related injuries at Trinity Academy, Mr. Blackwood," the nurse said. "Your vitals look good. Try to rest more, and we''ll get you discharged by this afternoon. Someone will bring you some food soon. You must be starving, right?"


    As the nurse left, William pondered their conversation and everything that had happened during the week he''d been in a coma. No monster-related injuries? So nobody else had seen the monster at the university? How was that even possible? This situation was more complicated than he thought. The skulk must have covered its tracks well, and as for Abby¡­ he wished that she may have survived somehow, but if she didnt¡­ hopefully she didn¡¯t suffer for long.


    He absentmindedly reached for the nightstand where the nurse had left a bag of his belongings. Rummaging through it, he found his phone. The screen had a new, fine crack running down the bottom corner, a new battle scar in the most literal sense of the word, but other than that it had survived pretty much intact. He looked at it with a mix of reverence and curiosity. It seemed tied to his newfound power, though he didn¡¯t fully understand how.


    He turned it on, noticing the battery was nearly dead. Digging through his bag again, he found his charger and plugged the phone in. When it powered up, besides a dozen angry messages from Manager Kim, everything else looked normal. Flipping the screen to white, he no longer felt the mana-draining sensation from before. He reached toward the light, trying to touch it, to materialize it, but it remained an ordinary screen light. How strange. He kept experimenting¡ªturning it on and off, unplugging it, adjusting the brightness¡ªbut no matter what he did, he couldn¡¯t recreate that ethereal, life-saving white light.


    What a bizarre situation. He¡¯d never heard of someone unable to use their power after awakening. Sure, some abilities took practice, but complete inability to manifest it again? That was unheard of. Even level one ability users could manifest their powers without issue. Why couldn¡¯t he?


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    The frustrating part was that with Finn in a coma, his ability was the only evidence proving something had happened that night. Though he firmly believed what he saw, it would be nice to have some confirmation.


    A second nurse entered a while later with a tray of food. William''s stomach growled at the sight of the plain sandwich, soup, and slice of fruit¡ªa simple meal that looked delicious given his hunger.


    "Try to eat slowly," the new nurse said, handing him a napkin.


    William looked up, recognizing the voice. His spoon nearly dropped when he saw her face. She had long brown hair tied into a ponytail and an ordinary but pleasant face he remembered from that night outside apartment 626. It was the maid.


    "You remember me, don''t you?" the ponytailed nurse said with a calm smile. "I¡¯m Farida. You delivered the fried chicken the young master ordered, right?"


    "Yeah," William replied, setting down his spoon. "That was me."


    "Thank you for helping me that day. I took the job for the weekend, but it wasn¡¯t easy," she said with a laugh. "You¡¯re a good person."


    "I don¡¯t think so. I¡¯m selfish," William shrugged.


    She smiled again. "Then you¡¯re a good person who happens to be selfish sometimes. Isn¡¯t that all of us?"


    He let out a small, dry laugh. "Sounds about right."


    Farida nodded knowingly, then leaned closer and lowered her voice. "Listen, William. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but I think you¡¯re a good person. I¡¯ve overheard your visitors talking. They don¡¯t seem like family."


    William listened intently but interrupted briefly. "Whoever you saw, they¡¯re not family. I don¡¯t have any family left."


    Farida looked at him with pity and placed a comforting hand on his arm. "I¡¯m sorry. I know things can be tough sometimes. But you should know¡ªthe older gentleman with the sickly skin, I think he¡¯s a professor at your school, has been talking to your dean about your coma, Finn¡¯s coma, and Ebenezer¡¯s death. They seem to think you¡¯ve all been poisoned by some new drug, and he¡¯s insisting you¡¯re responsible for spreading it."


    "That¡¯s not what happened¡ª"


    Farida nodded. "I believe you. The story sounds strange, but I don¡¯t think they care. Your dean mentioned keeping Trinity¡¯s reputation intact, and the other professor insists you¡¯ve been spreading drugs around school and should be punished."


    She paused. "The police will be here soon to question you. Be careful what you say." She hesitated. "And I¡¯m curious¡ªwhat really happened? The lab results showed you were exposed to some unknown synaptotoxic substance, but they couldn¡¯t find its origin."


    "It was a monster. It released a black mist that caused paralysis, and apparently, it also puts people in comas."


    Farida seemed surprised. "Really? I haven¡¯t heard any monster reports. And a monster with such strong paralytic abilities would have been documented, right?"


    "Probably. It¡¯s a long story. I went looking for my friend Abby Fate in the middle of the night¡ªshe was being punished and had to scrub toilets, and Finn followed me. That¡¯s when we ran into the monster in the girls¡¯ bathroom."


    Farida suddenly looked emotional. "Did your friend Abby go missing?"


    "She did. How did you know?"


    "I overheard your visitors talking about a girl who went missing. They were planning to blame you for her disappearance too. Do you think the monster took her?"


    "I¡¯m sure of it," William confirmed. "She looked like she was cleaning when it snatched her."


    ¡°That sounds just like what happened to¡ª¡± Farida began to say, her eyebrows furrowing in distress, when the sound of footsteps from outside the door prompted Farida to look behind. She took out her phone and flipped to her contact code. ¡°Here, scan my contact. If you run into any trouble, let me know, okay?¡±


    William scanned her into his contact list, as the door burst open and Farida scurried out.


    The atmosphere in the hospital room shifted instantly as the group entered. Professor Ghoulstein, with his gray complexion and perpetually sour expression, led the way, followed closely by the dean of Trinity Academy, the gray haired man who gave the speech during the beginning of lockdown. Behind them trailed two uniformed police officers, their expressions professional. One of them carried a notepad, while the other held a digital recorder.


    William felt his pulse quicken, though he tried to remain calm. He had been expecting them to come, but not this quickly. He suddenly had a sneaking suspicion that they arrived this quickly to catch him before he could collect his thoughts.


    The detective, a middle-aged man with rough features and an air of experience, stepped forward. "Good afternoon, Mr. Blackwood. I''m Detective Sharp, and this is my accompanying officer for today." He gestured to the middle aged officer beside him. "We''re here to ask you a few questions regarding the incident at Trinity Academy last week."


    William swallowed hard. "Of course. I''ll do my best to help."


    The detective nodded approvingly. "Thank you. Now, let''s start from the beginning. Can you tell us what happened on the night of the lockdown?"


    William took a deep breath, organizing his thoughts. "It started when people started yelling and running down the hall, saying that one of the students wasn¡¯t moving. We then went over to the janitor¡¯s closet and found Ebenezer Finch there.¡±


    The detective scribbled something in his notepad. "And who was with you at the time?"


    "Finn Mutton, Abby Fate, and Vanessa Lullaby were with me. We were together most of the night."


    "That aligns with what Ms. Lullaby had to say to us earlier in the week. And what were you doing at the time of the discovery?" Detective Sharp asked, his tone neutral but probing.


    "We were just drinking and playing truth or dare in an abandoned classroom. Abby suggested it, and we thought it would be a fun way to pass the time during the lockdown."


    Professor Ghoulstein butted in. ¡°You see how irresponsible these kids are, stealing alcohol and causing trouble in the middle of a lockdown? I don¡¯t doubt for a moment that their group is the source of the substance!¡±


    As Professor Ghoulstein spoke, William couldn¡¯t help but notice a sealed envelope in the hands of one of the police officers, addressed to him from the government. The last time he¡¯d seen a sealed envelope was when he received notice of his inheritance. What was that all about?

 Chapter 14 — Draft Notice

    Chapter 14 ¡ª Draft Notice


    William pointed at the sealed envelope from the government. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    The officer cleared his throat. ¡°You¡¯ve been out for a while, kid. It¡¯s a draft notice.¡± He held up a hand seeing William about to speak. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not just you. All able bodied citizens of service age are getting called up, with your cohort first. We¡¯ll be sending you over to the testing center for your awakening right after we¡¯re done here with you, if we find you eligible.¡±


    That reminded him. The awakening orb! That was exactly what he needed right now¡ªtouching it could potentially reawaken his power. But something that the officer said bothered him.


    ¡°So if that letter is a draft notice, what would make me ineligible to be drafted?¡±


    The officer exchanged looks with the detective, as the dean kept silent with a stern look on his face.


    ¡°We¡¯ll let you know when we finish our questioning,¡± replied the detective. ¡°Before we revisit the timeline of the events at Trinity Academy, Mr. Blackwood, it¡¯s come to our attention that you reported a monster sighting the night before the lockdown. Can you elaborate as to why you made this report?¡±


    ¡°Were you perhaps intoxicated, or under the influence of any sort of substance at that time?¡±


    William glanced at the tape recorder set on the table, recording their conversation. They were trying to get him to slip up.


    ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you report that you had seen a monster, when an alert had not been issued that night?¡±


    Part of William wanted to scream at the officer, to tell him the truth, but he knew that that would play right into Professor Ghoulstein¡¯s hands. Nobody had any reason to believe him, and ranting on about the madness principle no longer applying would only make him appear more unhinged, and he wasn¡¯t about to let some legal trickery land him in prison.


    ¡°I must have seen a dog or some other animal, sir. It was raining that night, with poor visibility. I was delivering food, so I took the alleyways.¡±


    The detective nodded. ¡°Naturally, you may have misidentified an animal in the alleyway and acted out of fear. Understandable, given the world we live in now.¡±


    ¡°Now back to the events at Trinity. Did you have contact with Ebenezer Finch before he went missing?¡±


    William quickly and truthfully explained the encounter in stability storage, until the detective waved him off.


    ¡°That matches our discussion with the other two students.¡± He flipped over a page on his notepad. ¡°Now, here is where the sequence of events gets fuzzy. Why were you and Finn found in a locked computer lab, with all of the monitors thrown around the room and destroyed?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s destruction of school property,¡± Ghoulstein said. ¡°All the more pointing towards his guilt¡ª¡±


    ¡°A student knocking over some computer equipment is not a city recognized crime, Mr. Ghoulstein,¡± the detective said. ¡°Now William, would you please enlighten me on the sequence of events that led to that.¡±


    William hesitated, not knowing how to spin this the right way. "Abby was assigned by Professor Ghoulstein the task of scrubbing the toilets as punishment for stealing liquor. Later, I decided to check up on her."


    The detective raised an eyebrow. "Why did you decide to check on her?"


    "I felt guilty," William admitted. "She got into trouble defending me earlier, and I wanted to make sure she was okay."


    "And what did you find when you arrived at the bathroom?"


    William paused, choosing his words carefully. "When we got there, Abby was gone. Finn arrived shortly after me, since he actually needed to use the bathroom. Since Abby wasn¡¯t there, we decided to go look for her.¡±


    The detective held up a finger. ¡°Care to explain why there was a shattered trophy display in the hallway?¡±


    ¡°Finn tripped and hit it by accident,¡± William lied, not sure if the detective would buy it. The detective scribbled onto his notepad. ¡°He thought he was being chased by a monster.¡±


    The detective continued to jot down notes. ¡°Very well, continue.¡±


    ¡°He scared me by saying that there was a monster, so we ran into the computer lab and locked the door¡ª¡±


    Professor Ghoulstein scoffed audibly, earning a glare from the detective. "Monster? Mr. Blackwood, are you trying to falsely report a monster again? Are you certain about what you saw?"


    ¡°It was dark, and Finn¡¯s panicking made me think he might¡¯ve actually seen something,¡± William lied. ¡°After we entered the computer lab, we both started to feel strange. I think that the substance that put us into a coma came through the vents. I don¡¯t remember anything after that.¡±


    By saying it this way, he could force the police to investigate the vents. He hoped they¡¯d investigate.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Anything else to add?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    The detective leaned back slightly, studying William intently. "Mr. Blackwood, based on the evidence we''ve gathered, including toxicology reports and witness statements, it appears that you, Mr. Mutton, and Mr. Finch were exposed to a powerful neurotoxin. It is our suspicion that this neurotoxin is also related to Ms. Fate¡¯s disappearance, although we have still not ruled out the possibility that she has simply disappeared for personal emotional reasons.¡±


    ¡°Let it be clear that there was no record of monster activity within the university during lockdown as you claimed that Finn believed. Furthermore, Professor Ghoulstein has expressed concerns about your involvement in distributing illicit substances within the school."


    ¡°Since there is insufficient evidence to conclusively paint the picture, and since after an examination of your personal belongings we did not find any evidence of possession of illicit substances, we will resume questioning when your friend Finn Mutton awakens. For now, I¡¯ve deemed you eligible to undergo the awakening. Your classmates have already undergone their awakenings and have begun their basic training regiments. You will join them shortly.¡±


    ¡°Follow me, Mr. Blackwood.¡±


    William walked behind the detective, passing Ghoulstein and the dean. Ghoulstein gave him a nasty look, but the dean remained wordless with his usual stern expression. He never struck William as a thoroughly bad person, rather just an old man with pride in Trinity Academy.


    After a quick visit to the changing room, where William put on a shirt and pants, they took the elevator down and exited the building. Only then did he finally realize the scope of damage caused by the outbreak. Burnt cars and fallen road signs riddled with bullet holes could still be seen on the street. although the government had done its job in cleaning up.


    A tank with deep claw marks on its hull armor was parked in front of the intersection, and several members of the big seven guild Jormungandr talked animatedly with rifle-bearing soldiers.


    Besides that, the city center had returned to a semblance of normalcy, as civilians walked down the street minding their business. Two repairmen hoisted over a new glass panel to replace a shattered storefront windowpane. A mother pushing a baby stroller walked by, chatting with another mother. Construction workers and their foreman coordinated to lower a crane onto a fallen road sign.


    ¡°We had the highest casualties in years from this outbreak,¡± explained the officer as he opened the door to the police car. ¡°Had a few high tier beasts that gave the military¡¯s tanks a run for their money. The regular monster number was far higher than normal this time around, and to top it all off, our communication systems got fried at just the wrong time. It¡¯s a miracle that we could still muster up an organized response. At our headquarters, our police chief was issuing paper orders. Can you imagine that? Paper orders in today¡¯s day and age!¡±


    William got in the back of the vehicle as the police officer got into the driver¡¯s seat and the detective into the passenger¡¯s seat.


    ¡°This looks like one of the worst outbreaks ever. Is that the reason why the government issued a draft?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that and the overall strategic picture. We¡¯re running low on both soldiers and materiel. Central has been telling us for months now that a bunch of our munitions depots and synthetic fuel factories down in the Albane lowlands are getting completely overrun by monster attacks, and no one¡¯s doing jack shit to stop it. Even the manufacturing depots running right outside the city in the outskirts are getting hit. The government is desperate, there¡¯s not enough military personnel to cover the perimeter on the home front, and materials are becoming more scarce. Every bullet and every soldier counts now.¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t awakeners help out?¡±


    The officer scoffed. ¡°Most awakeners aren''t worth shit, kid. There¡¯s old guys like us who can¡¯t awaken even if we wanted to, and out of the pool of people who actually awaken, the majority don¡¯t get to develop their powers enough to actually outperform conventional ballistic systems. In this day and age, you can¡¯t just rely on awakened powers. There needs to be integration between powers and conventional arms. That¡¯s what the guilds don¡¯t understand.


    He shook his head, clearly frustrated. ¡°And don¡¯t even get me started on the ridiculous political games they play¡ªit only makes our overall response worse. Can you believe Blue Mountain was bickering with Jormungandr for dungeon rights an hour into the outbreak, as if people weren¡¯t dying on the streets? Big seven guilds my ass! Of course, none of that mattered much lately when things were running butter smoothly with the new electromag tracking system, but this latest outbreak knocked it offline for an entire week.¡±


    With an aggressive rev of the engine, they began to drive towards the testing center, as William absentmindedly fiddled with his phone, running his thumb over the new crack that had formed. ¡°So, since a lot of awakeners aren¡¯t developing quickly enough, and we¡¯re losing control over our factories, the government wants to accelerate the development of awakeners and in the meantime take us out of the control of the guilds, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the gist of it. I don¡¯t envy you one bit, kid. I bet they¡¯re gonna be sending you through to the other side, or down to those nasty areas where we¡¯ve fully lost control and unclosed gates are everywhere in some dumb attempt to try to restabilize things. If you¡¯re lucky they¡¯ll start you off small, doing those little enclosed ¡®dungeon¡¯ gates that the guilds have been hogging. I¡¯ll just be living my life here in the city where it¡¯s relatively safer, trying to wait this whole shitshow out.¡±


    The rest of the ride was quiet. William didn¡¯t fully believe all of what the officer was spouting¡ªdraft or not, there was no way that Trinity students were getting sent onto suicide missions that they couldn¡¯t handle¡ªbut some of his biased takes had to be based on reality.


    They pulled into the testing center, a sleek and contemporary building in the middle of downtown. A man in a suit opened the door for William. He got out of the car feeling somewhat like a VIP.


    ¡°We¡¯re here. See ya, kid, and don¡¯t get into any more trouble,¡± said the police officer, giving him a salute before rolling up the window.


    ¡°You¡¯re Mr. Blackwood from Trinity Academy, is that correct?¡± asked the man in the suit, his eyes barely visible as he smiled. He appeared to be in his early thirties.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s me,¡± William confirmed.


    The smiling man in the suit gave a quick handshake, then got into introductions. ¡°We¡¯re already quite a bit behind schedule, but late is better than never. My name is Naver Frost, and I¡¯ll be your navigator and liaison. Your classmates have already undergone the awakening process and evaluation,¡± Naver said. ¡°But don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll get you up to speed in no time.¡± He spoke quickly and professionally.


    ¡°So, what does a navigator do?¡± ask William. He¡¯d never heard of the role before. ¡°Is that a new thing?


    ¡°That is correct. The navigator department is a new department established concurrently with the awakened fighting forces in Crisis Protocol 109. Since the awakened fighting forces do not fall under the traditional branches of service under the military or the guilds, we act as a liaison between government and guilds. Most importantly, we¡¯re here to limit unnecessary casualties in the coming months.¡±


    With the swipe of a card, Naver Frost opened the door to the intimidating Awakeners¡¯ Bureau. It was a modern building that appeared to have been recently renovated.


    ¡°After you, Mr. Blackwood,¡± Naver said politely.

 Chapter 15 — Awakener’s Bureau

    Chapter 15 ¡ª Awakener¡¯s Bureau


    Upon stepping into the Awakener¡¯s Bureau, he was immediately greeted by a long line of male and female college students in queue for awakening, none of whom he recognized. Most of them, or probably all of them, appeared to be from Dongan Academy, judging by the sweaters several of the students wore.


    ¡°Follow me, Mr. Blackwood,¡± said Naver, walking forward as he fixed his sleeves.


    William felt many eyes on him as he moved to the front of the line.


    ¡°Who¡¯s that guy behind the navigator?¡± one student whispered loudly enough for those nearby to hear.


    ¡°I think he¡¯s from Trinity Academy,¡± another voice chimed in, dripping with both envy and curiosity.


    ¡°Are you sure he¡¯s a Trinity Academy student? I mean, he¡¯s tall, but he doesn¡¯t look that rich,¡± muttered a girl wearing a navy Dongan Academy sweater. Her tone carried skepticism but also awe. ¡°He looks kind of sickly too. Hm¡­ I take that back. He must be a Trinity student if he has a personal navigator.¡±


    ¡°But wasn¡¯t Trinity¡¯s awakening ceremony a few days ago?¡± her friend replied, glancing between William and Naver. ¡°Why is he here now?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I wonder if he has a girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, did you hear about the girl who went missing in Trinity Academy?¡±


    News spread fast, and the implications were not good. William ignored the chatter, trying to stay positive and push down that lingering feeling that he was indirectly responsible for Abby¡¯s possible death. In fact, the inconclusive nature of her situation made it even worse. He kept his focus straight ahead, clearing his mind of bad thoughts, although snippets of conversation continued to reach his ears as he walked past the long line of draftees. People openly stared, some sizing him up, others judging him some way or another. He suddenly felt aware of how haggard he looked¡ªhis frame was noticeably thinner after days of surviving on IV fluids alone.


    They arrived at the front of the line, and Naver spoke to the official-looking woman at the reception.


    ¡°My advisee has priority for awakening,¡± Naver said, slipping her some paperwork. The woman reviewed the paperwork quickly and stamped it, then pointed towards the bench nearby.


    ¡°Please wait over there for your name to be called.¡±


    William moved to the bench, and Naver walked over after a brief conversation with the official.


    ¡°The awakening process takes about five to twenty minutes depending on the person,¡± he said to William as he walked over. ¡°Since someone just went in, you¡¯ll have some time before your name is called. Do you want me to fill you in on the new procedures?¡±


    ¡°Please do,¡± William replied.


    Naver cleared his throat, maintaining his professional yet approachable demeanor. "The beginning of the process is the same as before," he began, speaking in a calm, measured tone. "With the orb. Do you want me to elaborate?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡± He¡¯d read about the procedure in depth and didn¡¯t need a recap. ¡°Just let me know what¡¯s new.¡±


    ¡°Very well. As before, you will receive a numerical power level evaluation, with a level of 1 being the lowest. The government has also added a physical aptitude test to determine your overall combat readiness.¡±


    ¡°After you receive your level, which is now officially referred to as your rank under the new system, you¡¯ll enter the awakened fighting forces as part of the reserve pool in support of active military and guild personnel. You will be assigned combat missions and undergo specialized training.¡±


    William felt like the navigator was dodging an important question. His rent was already late, and he had no desire to work his part-time job anymore after seeing what he¡¯d seen. ¡°Are we getting paid for this?¡±


    Naver suddenly looked apologetic. ¡°Ah, apologies Mr. Blackwood, but I did look into your file a bit.¡± He leaned in and whispered into William¡¯s ear. ¡°You are an orphan, is that correct?¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± William answered. He noticed that many of the other draftees were listening in on their conversation, but he found no reason for Naver to hide his orphan background. He was on a partial scholarship to Trinity Academy, and so what? He was proud of it. He earned the right to be there, with the highest test scores ever achieved by a student in the government subsidized schooling for delinquent children program. He paid for his own living expenses since childhood, and so naturally he needed to know if he was going to get paid for risking his life.


    ¡°Mr. Blackwood, members of the awakened fighting forces will be paid a salary depending on rank. At rank 1, that may be a very basic amount to cover living expenses.¡±


    ¡°I can work with that,¡± William replied. ¡°Is there any way to earn more?¡±


    Naver Frost appeared surprised at his eagerness, but regained his composure to answer. ¡°Yes. After the awakening, you will have the same freedom as a normal awakener to take on missions from the request board and enter raid parties as a for-hire member. In fact, this is encouraged to allow the reserves to grow stronger through real combat experience.¡±


    ¡°However, you must remember that no duties will supersede your military duties. If you are recalled for a reserve mission, that takes precedence over any other obligations, guild or otherwise.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± He couldn¡¯t help the smile from growing on his face. From what he was hearing, this development fit his goals perfectly. Even as a rank 1, the government would at least cover a chunk of his rent and utilities, and he could quit his shitty job with Manager Kim and do what he needed to do from the beginning¡ªbecome an awakener.


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    He wasn¡¯t like the other students at Trinity Academy with bright futures ahead of them regardless of the state of the world. He¡¯d been praying for something to change his pitiful paycheck-to-paycheck situation for the longest time, and it sounded like his big break had finally arrived. Now if only he could awaken that light that could penetrate the hide of an unclassed monster, and he might actually have a shot at turning his life around, maybe even becoming rich.


    To be rich¡­ that was his dream since childhood, ever since those days where he slept in dumpsters with the rain hammering down noisily on the cover. He always wanted to live in a nice apartment with a heater that worked, a ceiling that didn¡¯t leak, with a game station and a big TV, and a big bed to sink into where he could actually stretch his legs out for once. Just thinking about it made him excited.


    ¡°Why does he look so smug about hearing that he¡¯ll get paid? Isn¡¯t he rich?¡±


    ¡°Maybe he¡¯s just like that,¡± another girl replied. ¡°His expression is weird.¡±


    William quickly wiped the smile from his face, which had naturally arisen after thinking about all the luxuries he could afford if he became like one of those famous awakeners.


    Naver Frost cleared his throat awkwardly. ¡°That sums up the new policies. Do you have any other questions?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all I have.¡±


    ¡°Good. I¡¯ll be back later to check on you once the initiation is complete. See you soon,¡± Naver said, before turning and heading into the employee only area.


    As he watched Naver walk away, for some reason William felt like he detected a hint of sadness in Naver¡¯s expression, that could be seen even through his professional facade. He sat in silence as Dongan Academy students talked around him.


    A male student near him turned to his companion. ¡°Did you hear about the reevaluation process? Apparently you can get retested after a month, or after completing ten missions to get ranked again. That means even if I get rank 2, I can test again and get rank 3 or 4 or something. I heard you get paid a lot more too. Like at rank 3, you¡¯ll be making more than most managers!¡±


    His friend snorted. ¡°Yeah, good luck with that. Not many people can get stronger that fast.¡±


    A few minutes later, the testing center door opened. Out walked a beaming male Dongan Academy student, newly evaluated and wearing an impressive military uniform with three stripes emboldened onto his chest.


    ¡°Nice one, Killian!¡± cheered one of the student¡¯s friends. ¡°Level three, not bad at all. What power did you get?¡±


    ¡°Body reinforcement,¡± he declared proudly, holding out his hand as an aura-like glow began to appear from it. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to get to the dungeons.¡±


    Congratulations continued as a white haired woman with a clipboard walked out of the double door room labeled Testing Center.


    ¡°Next for evaluation, William Blackwood from Trinity Academy.¡±


    A few murmurs erupted from the line.


    ¡°See, I told you he was from Trinity.¡±


    William walked to the woman, who motioned him in. ¡°Come with me.¡± They headed through another set of doors into a hallway. At the end of the hallway was a steel framed door. William felt the outline of his phone in his pocket, mentally preparing.


    ¡°Please,¡± the white haired woman beckoned. ¡°Your awakening will take place on the other side of this door.¡±


    With an inhale, William grabbed the handle and pulled, walking into what could only be described as a reinforced testing chamber with white walls. Scratches, burn marks, and all sorts of debris and indications of untamed power usage of varying degrees of strength could be seen throughout the facility. A large black sphere sat in the middle of the room, supported by a stone podium.


    A row of target dummies stood to the left like pins at the end of a bowling alley, with a weapon rack by the beginning of the lane where the bowling balls normally would be. Various other miscellaneous objects of questionable use lay around the facility, including a bouncing yoga ball, cardboard boxes, and a crowbar.


    On the other side of the room was a soldier with a reader in his hand, an evaluation administrator, a panel of three judges, and a female barrier user dressed in guild uniform. She held a golden staff in her hand that emanated a glow from which a translucent barrier extended to cover the judges and personnel.


    Barriers were considered a defensive or support type ability. Barrier users had the critical capability to enhance the overall survivability of their team, and were paid a lot without having to risk themselves all too much on normal missions. Overall it was a decent gig, but he digressed.


    The evaluation administrator approached him and shook his hand.


    ¡°When we give the ready signal, which will be when I raise my hand, please step up to the orb and place your dominant hand onto it with your palm first,¡± instructed the evaluation administrator. ¡°Your ability should manifest immediately. Feel free to use anything in the room to demonstrate your power, although any intentional attacks against our barrier are strictly prohibited and you will face severe consequences.¡±


    ¡°Is there a reason why some people can¡¯t awaken or manifest an ability even after touching the orb?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good question. Power manifestation is an imperfect science that we do not fully understand, although we have observed that younger candidates are far more likely to be able to manifest their power. All draftees from your cohort so far have been successful at manifesting some degree of power.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any other questions?¡±


    ¡°How is power level¡ªsorry, rank¡ªdecided?¡±


    ¡°Another excellent question. We have an energy reader,¡± the evaluation administrator said, indicating towards the soldier with the scanner in his hand. ¡°That will measure the energy synchronized to the orb from your power, which gives us a general understanding of the magnitude of your power. Then, the judges will adjust that based on your demonstration ability.¡±


    ¡°Some powers may have a lower scanner reader compared to their actual combat power. For example, we had a telekinesis user today who demonstrated exceptional ability against the dummy targets over there, bringing her score from rank 3 based on her reading to rank 4.¡±


    ¡°Understood. Can we use a tool for our power? Like, for example, my phone?¡± William slid his phone out of his pocket and showed the administrator, who looked at the cracked old screen with confusion.


    ¡°O-of course you may, although you might find it better to use one of the other props that we¡¯ve prepared in the facility, which should give you a better result than your phone,¡± he answered politely, although with a strained voice.


    He probably thinks I¡¯m mad, William thought. Anyway, it didn¡¯t matter now.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m ready.¡±


    ¡°Very well. Let us begin the procedure. Please wait for my signal, then proceed to touch the orb.¡±


    The evaluation administrator walked back to the other side of the room, stepping through the barrier mage¡¯s barrier as if he had just entered a bubble.


    He turned around and raised his hand. ¡°You may proceed.¡±


    William approached the orb with curiosity, his phone in his hand. No matter how much he tried at the hospital and on the car ride here, he couldn¡¯t get that glowing white light to appear again. Perhaps now was the moment for it to return.

 Chapter 16 — The Awakening Orb

    Chapter 16 ¡ª The Awakening Orb


    The awakening orb that stood before him was impressively large, about an arm¡¯s length in diameter, a sleek, pitch black sphere of such unnatural perfection that it could not possibly have originated from the human world. It was an artifact, a precious commodity found within the ruins and dungeons of the other world. Although he couldn¡¯t sense otherworld energy from it, he could imagine that the black sphere contained an enormous amount of it, swirling and stirring within like a tumultuous storm.


    William turned on the screen light of his phone, prompting murmurs from the judges. He ignored them, focusing all of his attention on the smooth surface of the glassy sphere in front of him. He reached out with his other hand, then placed his palm onto the curved surface.


    As his palm touched the orb, a strange trickle of cold energy began to seep from the orb into his arm, then into his torso, before spreading across his entire body. That sensation of mana from that other night¡ªhe felt it again! The hairs on the back of his neck were sticking up as he concentrated his focus.


    But something felt wrong this time around. The flow of mana to his phone seemed weak¡ªmuch weaker than during the other night when he faced off against the skulk, when the thread of mana connecting his body with his phone seemed so overwhelmingly powerful he could even touch it. But that was not all. Within him he felt the presence of a strange, new sensation, an energy different in its very nature from the light.


    If the nature of light could be described as stable and robust, this new sensation was raw, explosive in nature, uncontrollable, all consuming, and it had come into direct contact with the waning energy from his other mana. The two opposing forces clashed, light and this new force, and upon first contact the new energy tried to push through, to engulf and consume, and yet its efforts were quietly parried by the waning energy, which seemed to hold its strength despite its weakened state.


    As the new, explosive mana crashed against the stable, ethereal mana, it pushed harder and harder, trying to overwhelm its adversary, but the more it flared up in its efforts the more futile it became. It crashed against the light again and again, as if in utter desperation, but each attempt seemed to get weaker and less forceful. Then, after countless tries and to William¡¯s astonishment, the explosive mana receded. It then approached one final time, this time not in an attempt to overwhelm, but rather in deference, as it began to take on some of the characteristics of the waning energy. Although it was still explosive and consumptive in nature, it now bore a hint of ethereal stability that was wholly contradictory to the very nature of the mana, and it too lessened in force.


    William opened his eyes¡ªhe didn¡¯t even remember closing them¡ªas the first sensation he felt was heat above his dominant hand. Not a lot of heat, but just the presence of heat. And then he saw the flame. It floated obediently above his palm, its size no larger than a thumb, flickering as it levitated. The size of the flame was so diminutive that it reminded him of the flame above a candlestick. He observed it curiously, like it was a peculiar oddity presented by a magician at some kind of magic show, and he was an audience member trying his best to find out the trick behind how the magic functioned.


    He raised his palm a little, and the ball of flame rose with it, maintaining a respectful distance from his palm. The ball of fire¡ªyes, it was in fact a ball at its core, with an obedient flame rising up to give it a teardrop shape¡ªhad an ordinary color, a reddish yellow that one would expect from any other flame, and it felt non-threatening, which was in all respects a strange way to perceive an elemental power as destructive in nature as fire.


    Because of its small size, he felt instinctively comfortable moving it around with just a thought. No longer fixed to his palm, the small wisp floating about calmly in front of his body.


    Seeing that the awakening had settled and there were no more accidental explosions waiting to happen, the soldier with the scanner emerged from behind the safety of the barrier and proceeded towards the orb. With a curt nod to William, he placed the scanner against the orb.


    The scanner let out a high pitched sound denoting that it had registered the reading, and the soldier pulled it back to read the screen.


    ¡°Level one ability, Fire manipulation.¡±


    The announcement almost felt surreal, and yet as the seconds passed and William registered what he said as reality, he felt a sense of disappointment building up within his chest. He had gone into this awakening with high hopes that the powerful light ability would show itself once again, and yet even after touching the awakening orb, it didn¡¯t resurface. He instead awakened some kind of laughably weak fire ability.


    William looked at the phone in his left hand. The screen was white but otherwise entirely normal, simply operating off of battery power like any other phone in the world. He blinked, then glanced between the phone screen and the little ball of fire floating in front of him, still refusing to believe it. After touching the orb, he had felt the presence of the light mana within him, so where did it go? Even if it was weakened, surely it should have at least showed up a little bit? How come he couldn¡¯t manifest the light ability at all this time?


    The questions he had been building up had no clear answer, and as the judges scribbled down notes onto their evaluation forms while looking as if they had lost most of their interest, the reality of the situation hit once again. He had awakened a level one power. A level one power! And not just that, it was even weaker than a normal level one! It seemed like the judges were expecting more from a Trinity Academy student, and looked mildly disappointed.


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    The evaluation administrator coughed as he passed by the soldier, who was now returning to his previous position. ¡°Your power evaluation is level one, Mr. Blackwood,¡± the administrator said. ¡°But the judges will give you three minutes to display your power and prove that it may be more effective than its orb reading. Apologies, normally we would extend more time, but the line today is long, and please understand that your reading was only at level one. Do you understand the instructions?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°Very well. Your three minutes start now. Begin.¡±


    It was strange. The main benefit of awakening the fire element, the reason why he¡¯d chosen to try to manifest it for so long, was its explosive nature. Even with a low power level, the typical physical type fire element user could generate a flame striking attack, and the typical mage type fire element user could use a fire spell that had an explosive or scorching effect that produced results beyond its power level.


    That was why fire element users were employable on raids even at low power levels. The common level one or two flame user could do a lot better than a level one water or telekinesis user. That was the whole reason why he wanted to awaken a fire ability in the first place¡ªit was guaranteed employment.


    And yet, now he seemed to have awakened a fire ability that had subdued its explosive characteristics, negating the main advantage of the element. William glanced at the judges, who were still observing him carefully. Perhaps the first thing he should focus on was increasing the explosive force of his ability.


    William frowned heavily, his brows creased in concentration as he tried to pour more mana into the ball of fire. With immense effort, he seemed to be having success, as the wisp of flame grew slightly larger and was now approaching the size of a fist. But once it reached that size, his efforts plateaued. He tried to grit his teeth and force more mana into the ball, but it appeared to refuse any additional mana input rather decidedly.


    That was frustrating, but at the very least he¡¯d produced a ball of flame large enough to work as a passable fire spell. He pulled his arm back, then pointed forward at the target dummy to the side, letting loose a single word.


    ¡°Go.¡±


    The ball of flames launched itself obligingly, traveling at a speed a bit faster than he¡¯d anticipated, almost as if the mana itself was exhilarated to finally be let loose a little. As the judges watched on, the fireball collided with the target dummy and seemed to splash outwards, causing a small blackened patch to appear on the target dummy.


    It was more or less comparable to the spell a novice level one fire mage could cast, William thought. Perhaps even a bit weaker. The judges continued to look thoroughly unimpressed. But unlike a normal fire mage, something strange was happening with William¡¯s spell. The fireball that had splashed against the dummy seemed to now be reforming into a ball again by the dummy. One of the judges stopped gossiping for a moment and lowered her glasses to get a better look at the rare sight.


    Now that the flame ball had reformed, it floated slowly back towards WIlliam. He felt that the reforming of the ball took a significant chunk of mana, which made him sweat a little and feel a bit weak, but he didn¡¯t want to keel over and show weakness in front of the judges. Instead, he raised his finger one more time before the flame had fully retreated to him, then pointed at the target dummy once again.


    ¡°Attack.¡±


    The fireball hurtled forward once more with eagerness, once again slamming into the target dummy with middling effect. He tried a few more times, but was not able to produce a stronger spell than the first time.  At this point, the panel had completely lost interest, talking between each other without casting a single glance at him.


    And with that, one of the judges spoke.


    ¡°Time is up, Mr. Blackwood. We will make deliberations now as the administrator will walk you through the physical evaluation.¡±


    The evaluation administrator nodded politely at the judges, then walked to William. ¡°Give them a few minutes,¡± he said, pulling out a grip strength testing machine. ¡°Now, we¡¯ve added a physical evaluation to check your overall fitness levels as well as act as a test on how your awakened powers have enhanced your physical capabilities. Please put your fingers around this machine like so, and squeeze with as much force as you can muster.¡±


    William took the machine and squeezed, but he felt how weak he was. He had already been a bit on the thinner side before his trip to the hospital, but now he was even weaker than before because of having rotted in bed subsisting on only IV fluids for approximately a week.


    ¡°Now we¡¯ll be testing your push-up and pull-up ability.¡±


    Needless to say, as he proceeded with the range of exercises designed to evaluate his physical form, he struggled to perform as well as he could in his weakened state. William was already starting to feel a bit of despair about this whole evaluation.


    After completing the exercises, the administrator turned to him as the judges filed out of the room to the back. ¡°Your fitness score is C-. Passable, but needs improvement.¡±


    The soldier jogged over and passed the administrator the evaluation forms from the judges, which the administrator quickly read.


    ¡°As for your ranking, you¡¯ve been evaluated to be Rank 1 on the middle to low end. That puts you in the general ballpark of people from your cohort with average to below average physical ability, and a middling level one ability.¡±


    The words hurt, but William resigned himself to his fate for now. There was nothing more he could do. Time to regroup and consider his options. He had a lot of thinking and planning to go through, now that the awakening dealt him a second-rate hand.


    The evaluation administrator then passed William a file of paperwork. ¡°You¡¯ll receive an email with these details later. This includes the obligations of your role as well as other important details.¡±


    William took the paper and scanned through it quickly, skipping past the sections about the training sessions and mandatory meetings, no longer as interested, and skimmed until he reached the compensation section. The payment amount he saw did not make him happy. The base rate was less than a third of his current rent, not including utilities. If he wanted to pay his rent and treat himself to a nice dinner later this week, he needed to take on missions and join raid parties¡ªlots of them, and soon.

 Chapter 17 — Level 1 License

    Chapter 17 ¡ª Level 1 License


    ¡°This is for you,¡± said the evaluation administrator, handing over the stamped evaluation card along with an electronic token. ¡°Stay still for a moment please.¡± He then took out his tablet and ran a full body scan of William. ¡°I¡¯m sending your measurements to the back. Just wait one moment, and you¡¯ll receive your uniform and official awakener license.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± William said, taking the items from the administrator.


    ¡°Are you familiar with the new uniform rules?¡±


    ¡°No. There are rules?¡±


    The evaluation administrator nodded. ¡°Yes. We established new protocols to combat the threat of a catastrophic monster outbreak combined with heavy electromagnetic interference.¡±


    He continued to read from his papers in a businesslike voice. ¡°Under Crisis Protocol 109, all members of the awakened fighting forces are required to wear their uniform at all times while performing duties in an official military capacity.¡±


    ¡°That includes participation in combat operations, patrols, or awakener duties of any kind, including those related to guilds and miscellaneous tasks. The uniform will prominently display your rank so that during times of crisis when electronics are offline, power levels can be clearly identified and communicated.¡±


    ¡°I see. So we¡¯re supposed to wear the uniform all the time?¡± William asked. He felt slightly embarrassed wearing a rank 1 uniform at all times. It felt like a token of shame.


    ¡°During all missions, yes.¡±


    ¡°So what happens if I forget?¡± he asked.


    ¡°According to the crisis protocol, failure to wear your uniform will incur a penalty with escalating consequences including pay deduction. The government is very serious about this, as we had major issues identifying awakeners during the crisis last week.¡±


    William quickly noted that he would wear the uniform. He didn¡¯t want his already meager pay to get deducted any further.


    ¡°But what about tanks that have to wear heavy armor? Do they need to wear the uniform as well?¡±


    ¡°Under extraneous or unreasonable circumstances, the uniform mandate does not apply. Wearing heavy armor counts as one of those circumstances.¡±


    ¡°Does the uniform offer protection?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Uniforms are weaved with synthetic fibers blended with enchanted fabric that offer a degree of protection against the elements as well as minor cuts. You¡¯ll be issued new sets of uniforms periodically as they become damaged from combat usage.¡±


    An attendant emerged from the back of the room, scurried over and handed him a standard issue military uniform as well as his laminated license. Its embroidery was noticeably more plain than the one the rank three student was wearing earlier, although he couldn¡¯t expect anything more as a level one.


    William put on the plain single striped uniform, which combined the aristocratic military aesthetic from the early common era with modern functionality and a slightly toned down design. Overall, it was visually distinct but not exactly impressive, being a rank one uniform after all.


    He left the testing center shortly after and was received by the white haired woman once again, who walked him through to the main hallway before calling out the next candidate¡¯s name.


    ¡°Look, that¡¯s the Trinity Academy student! He just finished his awakening.¡±


    ¡°What rank did he get?¡±


    ¡°Look at his uniform. He¡¯s just a level one.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s kind of disappointing¡­¡±


    ¡°Why couldn¡¯t his parents just buy him an elixir? I heard that drinking one guarantees that you¡¯ll awaken at level four minimum.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just some bullshit you heard from the internet, man.¡±


    The chatter quickly died off as people were no longer interested upon discovering he was just another rank one awakener. William sighed. He was used to being treated as invisible, or even a second-class citizen, but he really thought that he¡¯d be able to turn his situation around after the awakening. If only he could have awakened the light instead¡­ He couldn¡¯t stop the childish thoughts from running through his head, even though there were far more concerning things to worry about¡­ the theory¡­ Abby¡­ the mysterious light¡­ and yet all he felt was disappointment, as if the key to dealing with all of these mysteries had slipped from his grasp at the last possible moment, extinguishing hope.


    Naver Frost glanced at his awakener license and patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Congratulations on awakening!¡± he said with that characteristic smile of his that made his eyes appear as crescent moons. It was hard to read what he really thought, although for whatever reason it seemed like Naver was genuinely happy about the low ranking. ¡°A fire ability is quite good!¡± Naver added on cheerily.


    Naver¡¯s enthusiasm couldn¡¯t rid him of his disappointment. ¡°You can be honest, Naver,¡± William said. ¡°I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t want to get stuck with a level one. If you got assigned to some other advisee from Trinity who awakened at a higher level, you would¡¯ve been better off.¡±


    ¡°Well, I will most certainly mourn the dreams of steak dinners and luxury hotels that come with advising a higher rank,¡± Naver laughed. ¡°But don¡¯t feel so down, Mr. Blackwood. Fire is an excellent ability to have as a level one. We can work with that.¡±


    Naver¡¯s words were right. Even if he didn¡¯t have that powerful light anymore, he could still work with a level one fire ability. ¡°You¡¯re right, and there¡¯s no use crying over spilled milk, after all,¡± he said.


    ¡°Naturally.¡± Naver Frost¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°And don¡¯t forget, there are some disadvantages to awakening at a higher level.¡±


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    Before William could get a read on what he meant by that, his navigator gently but firmly pushed him towards the direction of the exit.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost time to go, Mr. Blackwood,¡± he said, returning to his cheery voice as he glanced at his watch. ¡°We¡¯re already a bit late for today¡¯s training. The car is outside.¡±


    ¡°What car?¡± William asked. He felt like his navigator was being evasive.


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯ve missed several broadcasts while you were in a coma. The government provides transportation to and from all training regiments,¡± said Naver. ¡°So that there are no excuses for missing training.¡±


    They were definitely serious about the whole draft situation, William mused. And to be fair, he knew quite a few Trinity Academy students who would probably whine and make excuses not to attend.


    ¡°I cannot accompany you to the training, but please keep me in the loop, since I will act as your information and dungeon broker for the next two months. If you have any questions, message me through my contact card in the email you received earlier today.¡±


    William raised an eyebrow in surprise. A personal information broker and a personal dungeon broker for a level one awakener? Did he mishear?


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Naver Frost nodded. ¡°Everything has already been arranged between your university and the government.¡±


    William felt his heartbeat quicken in excitement as process the good news. He couldn¡¯t believe that they would spare resources like this on a rank one awakener¡ªagain, having an elite Trinity background pulled through. Having a good information broker made a world of difference at both low and high ranks.


    Information brokers received vital confidential updates on newly discovered items and dungeons, technologies and patents, as well as monster activity updates in the wildlands. Meanwhile, dungeon brokers could actually broker deals for raid rights to dungeons. There was no need to explain why those were important.


    Normally an awakener had to be level five or higher and in a captain position at a guild to earn such personalized treatment. A regular level one awakener had to settle for second-hand information found through the online forums, with some desperate awakeners who felt stuck at their level paying a stupidly high subscription fee for access to the VIP forums. Even then, some of the best threads and communities were locked and invitation only.


    Dungeon brokering was an even trickier business. The dungeon brokerage business was mainly controlled by a few companies that specialized in the business, with some independent brokers handling the smaller and more common dungeons. A normal level one awakener would usually have to pay exorbitant fees to have the rights to raid a smaller dungeon or even give up half of their loot rights, so some awakeners and independent parties actually tried to wander around until they found one of those tell-tale rectangular portals. But that could take weeks.


    In other words, without an information or dungeon broker, the average level one awakener had a hard time even getting the opportunity to develop themselves. It was like trying to run a marathon with a blindfold on and heavy weights strapped to your legs. Forward progress was possible, but heavily limited.


    Having Naver Frost supporting him made things completely different. Trinity Academy must have reached quite the deal to secure personal navigators for all of its students, and more importantly, they were both invested in the same success¡ªin him. But all good things came with a catch. The arrangement didn¡¯t sound permanent¡ªhe¡¯d only have his personal navigator for the next two months.


    Two months¡­ It wasn''t much time at all, but he could get a lot done in that time frame as long as he worked efficiently to get the full benefit of a personal navigator¡¯s support. He could work with this.


    Hope began to return to him, fueling him. He wouldn¡¯t stay level one forever. To hell with expectations. He was awakened, and that meant that his work had only just begun.


    He had to make some serious plans to reach his objectives. One, research about the madness principle and its implications. Now that he had an information broker, he¡¯d have to have a serious talk with Naver, but only after knowing if he could trust him.


    Two, he needed to investigate Abby¡¯s disappearance. He owed this to her. Abby had stood up for him when no one else would. Over the course of his life, not many people helped him when he was in need. This was a matter of principle, and he took this seriously. But following the skulk¡¯s tracks beyond the school building was a suicide mission unless he had the required sufficient strength and information to survive a potential confrontation with it.


    That led to the third item on his list, which was by far the most important. Before anything else, he needed to get stronger, and he needed to find that light again.


    Getting stronger could be broken down into two separate parts. Part A would be related to resource management. Everything related to the monster hunting process was expensive. Weapons, artifacts, armor, consumable potions, military equipment, and all of that came with ludicrous price tags due to the high demand for them. He¡¯d need to complete his first raid before going to the stores or the auction houses.


    Part B would be the actual development of his powers through exposure to otherworld energy, combat exposure against monsters, and overall honing of his body and skillset. For now, he¡¯d best focus on putting on some muscle and learning to better control his fire magic.


    With his plans set, William signaled to Naver. ¡°I¡¯m going to head over to the training site now. Where is it?¡±


    ¡°By the warehouses in the outer districts of the city,¡± Naver replied, glancing again at his watch, then at his phone. ¡°Your car is waiting outside already. License plate HN1107. Black.¡±


    ¡°See you later then,¡± said William, walking past the rows of Dongan Academy students who were no longer paying him much attention at all. As he emerged from the Awakener¡¯s Bureau and into the sunlight, he took in the feeling of a fresh start, looking idly at the park with many trees across from the Bureau. It was a sight for sore eyes in the otherwise very metropolitan downtown area.


    A honk from the black car that just pulled up broke him from his moment. William boarded the car.


    ¡°You¡¯re almost late, you know that right?¡± the driver said in a gruff, impatient voice. He was in his forties and looked like the average taxi driver.


    ¡°Can we get there on time?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. If we¡¯re fast it¡¯ll take about twenty minutes. You better buckle up, kid.¡±


    William buckled his safety belt in as the car sped forward, hurtling through traffic as they made their way towards the outskirts.


    He checked his phone for the first time in a while, swiping away several heated messages from Manager Kim which included a photo of his fat manager pointing at the broken kitchen exhaust in anger. A problem for another time.


    Absentmindedly, he opened up the information forums and posted a single comment.


    During the outbreak, I think I saw a monster acting weird, like it had intelligence. It knew how to open doors. Did anyone else see something similar? Am I crazy? ¡ª Anon 2175


    He hit send without much expectation for a reply.


    ¡­


    Less than a minute later, a few replies began to roll in.


    Maybe you need to go see an eye doctor, zzz.


    A monster that can open doors? Even my mom can make a better story than that. Reported.


    Dumbass.


    Yeah, you¡¯re crazy.


    ¡­


    Less than a minute after posting, he received a notification.


    Your comment has been reported for falsification of a monster encounter.


    Now that was frustrating, and nobody seemed to believe him  either. Maybe he¡¯d be better off posting on a less mainstream forum. What about that forum Abby Fate liked, the Occultarium?

 Chapter 18 — Desperation

    Chapter 18 ¡ª Desperation


    The Occultarium was a set of occult forums that exploded in popularity after the first monster sightings more than a decade ago, for obvious reasons. It was now the largest non-mainstream community on the internet. It was ¡®non-mainstream mainstream¡¯, so to speak, a paradox that fit quite well with the overall vibe of the forums.


    He didn¡¯t use it all that much because of its reputation for being the home of unironic demon worshippers, conspiracy theorists, and all sorts of other weirdos, especially on its more fringe threads, but it had a strict policy against any form of content suppression. You could say anything there without getting questioned or reported. Anything.


    Maybe they¡¯d be more receptive to his theory. He opened up the front page with a tap of his thumb, which opened to a scrolling feed with a dark background.


    "I tried summoning a lesser demon last night using the blood of my pet hamster but it didn¡¯t seem to work. Did I do something wrong?"


    "Ever notice how some monsters have red eyes? That¡¯s because they signed a fiend contract. Fiend assimilation is the next step in human evolution, mark my words. If we don¡¯t begin human-fiend experimentation soon, we¡¯re slowing down our inevitable evolution."


    ¡°Why is everyone freaking out about outbreaks? We should be celebrating them. They¡¯re signs of being accepted by the elder gods!!! Almach torida!¡±


    William sighed. He didn¡¯t know what else he expected, but reading some of the comments on the occult forums actually made his head hurt. Whatever. Not everyone on the forum was an idiot, he knew that for sure, given how fast the forum solved the cutter killer case two years ago...the forums beat the police and detective force by two weeks. The same happened with the mysterious monster sighting a year ago. The occult figured out that it was a horned bear nearly a month before the police came out with the official report. There were many niche subject experts on the occult forums.


    Hopefully someone who wasn¡¯t an idiot would see his comment. He typed up the same message as before, then hit send on the Occultarium forums, not really knowing what he expected. It felt like sending out a message in a bottle into the ocean.


    The car bumped up and down, making William feel a bit nauseous. They had gone onto the intercity highway, which stood above the city majestically, offering quite the scenic view of skyscrapers and the sprawling urban landscape below. Signs of damage and reconstruction efforts could be seen throughout the city. Judging by the concentration of cranes near the west, that must have been where the outbreak gate originated.


    How quickly things changed. Just a week ago, outbreaks were almost entirely under control, with at most a dozen deaths a month. Then, in the blink of an eye, that number turned into thousands. Thousands of people, all with their own families and loved ones, dead. He didn¡¯t need to turn on the news to know that among those dead were children, even babies. Nobody was spared. With the appearance of what the news headlines seemed to be calling interference gates, nowhere felt safe anymore.


    Feeling the nausea settle a bit, he pulled his phone out again and called Naver to speak with him about arranging a dungeon raid. With only two months of his service, he planned to visit a dungeon every single day, maybe even twice a day if he could manage it.


    His navigator picked up almost immediately. ¡°Hello. I presume you¡¯re on your way to the training site, Mr. Blackwood?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Good. I¡¯ve heard from my colleagues that there are other Trinity Academy students who are not as¡­ cooperative.¡±


    William let out a low laugh. ¡°Sounds like them alright. Anyway, let me get to the point. I want to start getting combat experience as soon as possible. Can you send me a list of dungeon raid parties available for this afternoon?¡±


    ¡°I already entered your profile into the Awakener Bureau matching services queue. We haven¡¯t gotten any immediate matches, since your ranking is low and you lack experience, but I expect that we¡¯ll find a suitable match within three days if I reach out to some independent parties.¡±


    William cursed under his breath. Even with a dungeon broker on his side, it would take three days? There was no way in hell that he¡¯d accept idling for three days straight as everyone else grew stronger. He needed to go to the other side. Even the air in dungeons carried otherworld energy in it, necessary for growth.


    ¡°I have to find something, Naver. Anything. For this afternoon.¡±


    ¡°I will try, but most of the low rank dungeons are already fully booked, Mr. Blackwood, including the high fee ones. It¡¯s due to the influx of draftees.¡±


    ¡°Shit. What about a porter job then, for a higher rank dungeon? There¡¯s always plenty of those available, right?¡±


    Naver did not respond immediately. After a moment, he replied in a strained voice. ¡°Although I can certainly arrange for a porter position to a mid-rank gate, I can¡¯t advise that in good conscience, Mr. Blackwood.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous. There is a reason that those positions are vacant. Please reconsider.¡±


    William shook his head, frustrated. ¡°Dangerous¡­ so is going on a raid party for even the shittiest dungeon. So is just living in the human world, since an outbreak could happen at any time right behind your back if you¡¯re unlucky.¡±


    As he spoke, he felt himself grow angrier, more heated. ¡°A monster almost killed me last week, Naver, and I was supposed to be in the safest place in the world! I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s dangerous¡ªwhat difference does it make? I should already be dead!¡±


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    The driver looked back through the rear mirror at him with a concerned look, but he didn¡¯t care. So much frustration had been building up in his chest under his calm exterior. He barely survived a monster attack¡ªtwice! And yet nobody would believe him, Ghoulstein wanted to expel him and throw him into jail for even mentioning it, the strong ability he awakened seemed to have simply vanished into thin air, and now this? At this rate he wouldn¡¯t even reach rank two before the end of the two month period!


    Did the world just want him to roll and keel over whenever commanded? He was sick of it all, of being completely unable to control his own path in life. To hell with safety! He needed power, and he needed it now. Rather than die pathetically due to some random shit stroke of luck, which he seemed to be running into far too often these days, he¡¯d rather face death head on in the dungeons. At least that would be his own choice.


    A long silence followed after William¡¯s outburst, before Naver Frost¡¯s professional voice came back through the phone. ¡°Mr. Blackwood, let me speak to you frankly.¡± His tone was solemn. ¡°Firstly, as for the monster issue, I reviewed your police file. It¡¯s best if we speak offline regarding that matter, in private.¡±


    ¡°That aside¡­¡±


    A long sigh came from the other side of the call. ¡°You are the third client that I¡¯ve advised thus far Mr. Blackwood. My previous client was¡­ quite eager and hard working, just like you, a talented level two mage who managed to grow to level four after just a year. She was warm-hearted and kind as well.¡±


    Naver¡¯s voice sounded constricted. ¡°She died on a porter job in a high rank dungeon. Eaten by a Wendigo. She had a bright future, William, and all they could drag back out of the gate was her ribcage. You can¡¯t imagine how I felt, waiting for her to return, only to see what remained of her corpse dragged between a wet blanket¡ªI felt so guilty. It was my idea for her to take that mission.¡±


    William waited respectfully in silence for Naver to continue.


    ¡°As for my first client¡­ he was a reckless man. He died on his first mission, also a porter job to a mid rank dungeon. They never said how it happened.¡±


    ¡°And now you are asking that I sign you up for a porter position. Forgive me for the superstition, but perhaps you will reconsider?¡±


    ¡°Mr. Frost,¡± said William in a calmer tone. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Even so, I can¡¯t change my mind. Please, just get me a porter job for this afternoon. I can¡¯t be sitting around. I¡¯d rather die than idle.¡±


    He swallowed. ¡°But I promise you that I¡¯ll survive, Mr. Frost. Trust me¡ªI¡¯m not so easy to kill. Just get me in.¡±


    A heavy sigh came from the other end. ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll talk to Horast. He still owes me for Annabelle. I can call in a favor, one last favor¡ªthat he will take care of you.¡± His voice was deflated, but sincere.


    ¡°Thank you, Naver.¡±


    ¡°Let me make this clear. Taking on and protecting a level one total newbie is a huge favor to ask of any awakener. This is a favor that I cannot ask lightly, especially of a good man like Horast.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make the call now. Keep your promise.¡± And on that final note, Naver ended the call.


    It seemed like Naver was also haunted by demons of the past. Annabelle¡­ William was starting to regret his outburst. He was not the only one in the world dealing with death¡ªthe death of Annabelle seemed to have hit Naver especially hard. He couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine the guilt, seeing his own advisee reduced to a pile of picked apart ribs¡­


    The driver interrupted his thoughts with a gruff comment. ¡°We¡¯re almost there. Another five minutes.¡±


    William nodded, looking out the window pensively. They were now passing through the outer districts of the city, where the skyscrapers gave way to warehouses and industrial complexes. This part of town was less polished, more utilitarian. The streets were lined with old industrial waste and equipment, as well as old damage from monster attacks that were never patched up, and the air carried a faint metallic tang. It was a stark contrast to the city center they had just left, which had been kept in pristine condition up until the latest outbreak.


    Finally, the car pulled up to a large warehouse and outdoors storage yard with a faded sign reading ¡°District 17 Industrial Warehouse.¡± William took a deep breath, shelving his concerns for later.


    Another, newer sign hoisted next to the original faded one read ¡°District 17 Training Area.¡± Uniformed soldiers milled about outside the perimeter of the training as William opened the door.


    ¡°You¡¯re late,¡± said a sergeant in ordinary military uniform, approaching him as he stepped out of the car. ¡°Name?¡±


    ¡°William Blackwood.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s sir, to you. You damn kids treat this like some kind of picnic¡­¡± the sergeant growled. ¡°If the top brass gave me authority to discipline you all, I¡¯d whip you into shape. But they seem to think that you kids are too good to get treated as ordinary soldiers, huh?¡±


    The sergeant glanced down at the rank one badge on his uniform. ¡°Well, maybe not you,¡± he smirked. He took out a scanner. ¡°License,¡± he demanded.


    William took out his newly minted awakener¡¯s license and had it scanned.


    ¡°Go on through to training group five.¡±


    William nodded stiffly, tucking his awakener¡¯s license back into his pocket as the sergeant gestured toward the east end of the training area. Numbered signs had been erected at each part of the training area. So far he could see groups 1-3.


    His boots crunched as he walked across the gravel-strewn lot. The air smelled faintly of oil and rust, a sign that the place had once been an industrial storage area before being repurposed for training. To his left, empty oil barrels and stacks of wooden and metal crates formed makeshift targets, some of the crates marked with faded hazard symbols indicating they might have once held explosive materials or toxic chemicals. Now, they served as obstacles for drills, their surfaces scarred from repeated impacts during combat exercises.


    He spotted a few other Trinity Academy students within groups 1-3, training alongside students from other universities as well as non-university members from the same age cohort, like several rugged youths who appeared to be construction workers, and a thin acne-covered youth with glasses who seemed to be a stay-at-home son. It was particularly easy to spot Trinity Academy students, as many of them seemed to have a grim expression being forced to undergo training as a common soldier.


    Although, now that he mentioned it, the atmosphere was nothing like recruit training in the movies, with a drill sergeant walking around shouting and scaring recruits straight. The instructors appeared to be made of experienced awakeners, some guild affiliated, others independent. Judging by the shiny artifacts and expensive looking weapons the instructors had on, they had a large amount of combat experience.


    He passed by a gun range where a group of recruiters were being taught how to operate and aim a rifle¡ªwithout any ammunition. Probably related to the supply chain shortages. A few empty ammunition crates with the Pain Corporation logo of three inverted triangles sat nearby.


    If the military couldn¡¯t even spare ammunition to train recruits, the situation was much worse than he thought.


    William suddenly stopped, sensing something approaching, and just in time as a sharp projectile flew past his face. The projectile crashed into the fence, shattering into little stone pieces.


    ¡°Oops,¡± called out a snobby Trinity Academy student with a smirk, the source of the projectile. He was one of the elites that followed Luke Brightsteel around like a dog, and now this dog looked like it had found its bite.

 Chapter 19 — Difference in Power

    Chapter 19 ¡ª Difference in Power


    William glanced between the stone projectile and the elite. Without a doubt, this asshole meant to do that.


    The snobby Trinity elite raised an eyebrow, as if saying what are you going to do about it? His uniform had the numeral IV on it. So he was rank four. William had seen him tagging along Luke Brightsteel¡¯s inner circle, but distinctly remembered that he wasn¡¯t entirely welcome with them.


    An instructor charged over to the elite. ¡°What the hell was that for? You hit him!¡± she said, pointing at William.


    ¡°It was just an accident,¡± the elite replied, shrugging. ¡°And plus, my stone wasn¡¯t going that fast. I¡¯m sure it barely scratched him.¡± Although the elite looked haughty, he was continuously sneaking glances off to the left, as if searching for someone¡¯s validation.


    Following his gaze to the left, outside of the designated training area and in the fields, a strong, tall blond man in a gold adorned VIII uniform traded unarmed blows against a bald old man with muscles so large for his age that they looked comical. The old man was shirtless, wearing only a fighting gi, his muscles rippling with every strike blocked. Each punch was followed by a shockwave, although both fighters seemed to be only half trying.


    The blond man was Luke Brightsteel, looking more regal than ever in his newly issued uniform, and William recognized the old man as a powerful general in Jormungandr, one of the big seven guilds.


    But the elite that shot the projectile at him didn¡¯t seem to be looking at Luke. Instead, he appeared interested in one of the other elite girls who seemed preoccupied staring at Luke¡¯s fight. Upon seeing that, the snobby elite looked frustrated.


    William squinted his eyes to see the three other uniformed students out in the special training fields, just about making out a familiar long black haired girl standing in the sidelines with a sword in her arms¡ªEvelyn Moon, rank five. He was glad to see her unhurt. She appeared entirely concentrated on the fight in front of her, studying their movement like she was studying for a test.


    Standing several arms lengths next to her was a relaxed brunette male Trinity student wearing a black cloak over his uniform with the three inverted triangles of his family¡¯s corporation. That was Jared Pain, rank six. William hated to admit it, but the young Pain heir did look the part of the male heir to a family fortune when he wasn¡¯t busy acting like a clown, with his fine rank VI uniform and family coat of arms on his cloak.


    There was one other person to the side, a gangly haired male with dark circles under his eyes who appeared rather disheveled compared to the three Trinity Academy students. His uniform read rank five.


    So three out of four of the awakeners level five and above in this group all belonged to Trinity Academy. William was impressed but not surprised.


    ¡°Where did you get scratched?¡± the female instructor in her late twenties asked, walking over to William with a bandage in her hand. ¡°We have healers and nurses on hand, but still it¡¯s best not to get hurt in the first place.¡±


    She then looked a bit more closely, confused as to why he appeared unhurt. ¡°Can you turn?¡±


    William turned his face to show her the other side, which was equally unblemished.


    ¡°That¡¯s strange¡­ I¡¯m sure you were hit by the stone.¡±


    William shrugged. ¡°I dodged it.¡±


    Now the instructor started to frown, apparently in disbelief. She reached into her pocket as if to grab her pen, when her hand abruptly shot forward.


    William leaned to the side, dodging the potential punch, although the instructor pulled back at the last moment. Her frown then broke into a smile of disbelief. ¡°You have great reflexes for a rank one, kid. Have you gotten training? Combat training, or even martial arts?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± He had always been quick on his feet, but now that she mentioned it he felt lighter than usual after the awakening. That did not translate to an impressive physical exam, however. ¡°I did food delivery work though.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a possible explanation as to why your reflexes are so good. You look a bit pale though. Have you eaten?¡± She produced two protein bars from her pouch, which William eyed greedily.


    ¡°Can I?¡±


    ¡°Be my guest,¡± she said, handing him both bars.


    William tore open the wrappers and ate both bars in several large bites, wiping his mouth sloppily when he was done as his stomach grumbled. He needed that¡ªall he ate this entire time was one hospital meal.


    ¡°Feel better?¡±


    William nodded, wiping his mouth.


    ¡°Give me your license,¡± she demanded.


    He obliged, handing it over.


    ¡°Mage-type fire awakener, hm? What a shame. You should¡¯ve been a close ranged type,¡± she said, before depositing the license into a large sorting contraption that was sitting on a table by itself to the side. A few students looked over nervously at it.


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    ¡°What¡¯s that for?¡± he asked, pointing at the contraption.


    ¡°Randomized sparring pairings,¡± she said as if it was the most normal thing in the world. ¡°Now do me a favor. Come with me, since you¡¯re a natural I should use you as an example.¡± She grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the front near the demonstration area, in front of where all the students were performing stretching drills.


    Although not many people were paying attention to him before, now that he¡¯d stepped onto the demonstration stage with the instructor, whispers started to come from the crowd.


    ¡°Who¡¯s he?¡±


    ¡°I think he¡¯s a Trinity student.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s rank one, though. Why is he up there?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the guy who hangs around with that loser Finn?¡±


    ¡°Hope I get him as my sparring partner. He looks easy.¡±


    The instructor either didn¡¯t seem to hear the conversations, or simply didn¡¯t care, as she bent over to take out some training items from the bin. William couldn¡¯t tell either way. He was getting slightly irritated by some of the comments from the crowd, though. The elite girl that the snobby guy was gawking at earlier was now looking at William and whispering to her friend, as the snobby elite shot a look of pure resentment at him, presumably for stealing the spotlight. William almost found it surprising that the snobby elite had friends near him¡ªeven annoying people like him had a bunch of friends, huh?


    The female instructor cleared her throat, as the other instructor moved to her side. ¡°Ahem. As we were saying earlier, the first principle to combat against monsters is to avoid getting hit if you can. That applies to tanks as well, mind you. The secret to not getting hit all comes down to movement, including footwork.¡±


    She hoisted a safety vest over William¡¯s shoulder, and then moved him a few feet back. ¡°Now the volunteer here has shown some incredible natural skills, due to his work in food delivery¡ª¡±


    Several Trinity Academy looked thoroughly amused at that, although the students from other universities didn¡¯t share that sentiment. Some of the recruits that did not belong to Trinity looked at Trinity students with awe, others with envy. It wasn¡¯t every day that they got to stand side by side with the future heirs of massive, famous companies.


    ¡°¡ªso I decided to use the volunteer here to show that even a level one mage can use excellent movement to avoid a monster¡¯s attacks.¡±


    She raised her fists in a fighting stance.


    ¡°I¡¯ll hold back. Try to dodge as much as you can,¡± she said.


    None of the instructors had standardized uniforms on, so William couldn¡¯t tell how strong she was. As all eyes were now on him, he stepped into his own unique fighting stance¡ªone step back, ready to run at a moment¡¯s notice. He suddenly felt quite silly. Since when did he ever have combat or martial art training? All he ever did was run.


    The protein bars sitting in his stomach churned, as the dryness of his throat that he had overlooked due to his hunger now came back to distract him. He backed up, circling the female instructor as she approached him.


    Her first punch was barely a punch at all, more like a slow motion forward reach. William simply sidestepped it, moving to the center of the stage.


    ¡°Dodging all starts with your base, from your feet up. If you maintain a solid core and control over your center of gravity, you can stand your ground and dodge even when a monster attacks, without falling backwards.¡±


    She moved forward again, and this time threw a normal punch. William took one step back, evading the blow. The movement came naturally to him¡ªafter all, wasn¡¯t this just running away backwards, while looking forwards? He¡¯d avoided so many random hanging cables, fallen brooms, and other sorts of crap while running through the alleyways all these years that this came naturally to him.


    Suddenly, her movements quickened. The female instructor darted forward quickly, throwing several punches towards the padding of the safety vest on his chest. William backed up until he was on the edge of the platform, and an uppercut came swiftly towards him. He leaned to the left, sidestepping, when another punch came from the right.


    Although he twisted his body in another attempt to avoid it, this punch grazed his safety vest. But before he could even recover, he saw a leg traveling towards him as she performed a spinning kick like he¡¯d seen in martial arts videos. Even taking out of account the obvious rank disparity, how was this a fair fight? Someone with extensive martial arts training against him, who had no training whatsoever?


    He barely managed to block the kick with his arm, although it wasn¡¯t really a block since he took the full brunt of the kick. The hit sent him reeling to the side, and all he could think was that he was glad he didn¡¯t get knocked off the platform entirely. His already good instincts and movements had improved due to his awakening, but it still wasn¡¯t nearly enough to face off against seasoned veterans.


    ¡°Ow,¡± he groaned, rubbing his arm.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you were fast enough to block my kick,¡± the instructor said, before turning to the crowd. ¡°However, in a real combat situation, the last thing that a ranged-type fighter wants to do is block attacks with their body. Many common monster types have claws, so you better not get into the habit of blocking.¡±


    The lesson continued for a while, with the instructor effectively using him as a punching bag to describe all the various different types of do¡¯s and don¡¯ts to monster fighting, although the general premise still lay around the fact that dodging produced the best results, although blocking could be used to a certain extent if a raid party had enough healers or healing items to go around.


    In between bouts with the professor, William looked around the crowd for Vanessa Lullaby, but he couldn¡¯t see her anywhere.


    They then moved into more physical training, and then combat awareness training. Nearly an hour had passed before the two instructors finally waved for them to stop. The sorting contraption had been wheeled onto the demonstration desk by a soldier.


    ¡°And now for the sparring session of today¡¯s training,¡± the instructor said, scanning across the area. ¡°As you all know, in a real world situation, you will not be constantly fighting monsters that are exactly the power level that you can handle. Learning how to survive against a stronger  enemy is one of the core lessons that we must teach you all, the next generation.¡±


    ¡°Because of that, we will be introducing completely randomized sparring partners.¡± The machine closed with a click, before being opened up once again as the instructor pulled out the first two cards from the list.


    After ten sparring pairs were announced, William finally heard his name called.


    ¡°William Blackwood. You will be sparring against¡ª¡± the instructor said, reaching into the pool of laminated licenses again, ¡°¡ªEvon Mudd,¡± she finished.


    Evon Mudd, the earth mage elite who directed the projectile towards him earlier, looked very pleased with the drawing.

 Chapter 20 — Sparring Match

    Chapter 20 ¡ª Sparring Match


    William locked eyes with Evon Mudd, refusing to back down from the snobby earth mage¡¯s challenge.


    The female instructor patted his shoulder to comfort him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about the fight. You¡¯re not expected to win against a rank four. Just treat it as a learning experience, a friendly sparring match,¡± the instructor said to him as he walked towards the rectangular shaped arenas that were designated for sparring. ¡°One of the main lessons that we¡¯re trying to convey is just how big a difference in power can be. Not all fights are meant to be won, and sometimes your best option is to simply dodge like we practiced today, and try to stay alive.¡±


    Although the instructor didn¡¯t mean it, William felt like her comments were an extension of Naver¡¯s, which was particularly annoying because of how right both of them were. Still, he¡¯d made up his mind. He¡¯d rather take a proactive approach in his own demise than a reactive approach, and that was a principle he could stand by with both his mind as his heart.


    ¡°How many rounds are we doing today?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Everyone will be doing two rounds.¡±


    ¡°Same opponent?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll get a different random opponent next.¡±


    Great. So he could possibly get his ass beaten twice in one day. He quickly scanned the crowd, assessing the rank distribution of the recruits in this training group. The majority were rank two¡¯s, then about a dozen or so rank threes that seemed pleased with their rank, and a handful of rank fours that looked more than satisfied overall. William could count only two other rank ones, and both of them seemed miserable.


    Was rank one really that rare? So he was not only bottom of the bucket, but far below average too. Shit.


    As for the high ranking group of four students that were getting specialized training out on the field, they still appeared to be occupied with private lessons from the guild generals and would not be sparring with the rest of them.


    The old man from Jormungandr was personally teaching Evelyn Moon now, parrying her sword swings with his arm gauntlets. Evelyn¡¯s movements were refined, almost like a dance¡ªhe still remembered how she loved to complain about her family making her take swordsmanship lessons.


    Now that she was an unapproachable rank five, he probably wouldn¡¯t get the same opportunities to talk to her much anymore. That was life, though. Time to move on. Maybe if he worked hard, he could eventually get onto her level.


    Funny, how things happened. William knew that fighting was far from her dream job. She¡¯d always wished to work a desk job at a prestigious company, where she could chase her perfectionist dreams with numbers and charts. He almost felt sorry for her in a way. But then again, level five¡­ yeesh. The only person who needed pity now was him, and the other two sad level ones.


    He hopped down from the demonstration stage platform and moved to the sparring area, where Evon Mudd was already waiting for him. Since there weren¡¯t enough sparring arenas available for everyone, people waited by for fights to resolve, and waiting behind Evon were a few of his friends.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been hearing that you¡¯re also from Trinity. Please, enlighten me on how you managed to awaken at rank one,¡± Evon Mudd asked in a snide tone. ¡°Did your parents never buy you a single tincture for your development? Forgot about you, maybe?¡±


    William didn¡¯t reply, although now that Evon mentioned it, none of the other two level ones were Trinity Academy students, while a good portion of the rank threes and fours were.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just get this over with,¡± he said, irritated by Evon¡¯s words but biting back his tongue, since he knew the severity of his disadvantage. Shit talking and then losing the spar to this rank four asshole would just be embarrassing for him.


    ¡°Shall we, then?¡± Evon extended a handshake, which William took.


    He squeezed as hard as he could, and felt quite satisfied seeing Evon¡¯s grimace. Despite the level difference, they were both mage type awakeners, and William had the hard hands of someone who scrubbed grease off the Kicken Chicken kitchen counter for six years straight.


    ¡°You¡¯re really asking for this,¡± Evon said angrily, spinning back around after pacing from the middle of the arena. With a gesture, gravel from the ground began to levitate up into the air, forming a jagged boulder. ¡°You know how outmatched you are, rank one?¡±


    He had to react quickly. William concentrated all his focus on extracting out the mana needed to fuel his flame ability. He reached inwards, searching for that tendril of mana, when a piece of stone broke off from Evon Mudd¡¯s boulder and came hurtling towards him.


    He barely managed to twist to the side, avoiding the stone which then crashed against the empty crates instead of his chest, but his concentration was broken. The grasp he had on the mana disappeared.


    Evon looked particularly smug seeing him struggle. ¡°You can¡¯t even cast? Your parents must be awfully disappointed to have such a weak son.¡±


    Parents this, parents that¡­ just hearing that snobby voice pissed him off. William yanked the tendril of mana that had escaped him, summoning the flame. He felt a rush of exhilaration, finally getting the hang of connecting with the mana. But just like before, all he could muster up was a fist sized ball of fire.


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    Several of Evon Mudd¡¯s friends bursted out laughing.


    ¡°Are you serious? That¡¯s pathetic,¡± jeered one of Mudd¡¯s friends.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t I show you what level four magic looks like,¡± Evon Mudd said casually, balling up his hand as he made a sharp downward motion. The packed debris rock launched towards William as if it had been launched by an invisible catapult.


    William directed his flame against the rock, which did absolutely nothing against the rock, dissipating as the rock easily passed through it. With no other options, he sidestepped again, quickly evading the pile of debris projectile which crashed into the ground behind.


    ¡°You¡¯re really good at running and dodging like a monkey, aren¡¯t you?¡± That¡¯s all you¡¯ll ever be good at, rank one!¡±


    As Evon began to coalesce another giant pile of debris¡ªhis power was strong, but even William could tell that he did not have the best control or imagination¡ªWilliam pinched his fingers together, trying to imagine the dissipated flames coming back together again.


    He noticed something odd about his fire ability. For some reason, the moment he connected to the stream of mana, he could completely forget about maintaining the connection and focus entirely on controlling the flame itself. The mana flowed out from his body and into the flame at a consistent rate, almost like plugging a vacuum into the outlet in his apartment. It honestly made no sense to him, because this kind of interaction went against everything he¡¯d ever read online about fire type abilities, which were supposed to come in short bursts of mana expenditure, rather than a sustained expenditure. He chalked it up to the influence of that other mana.


    Where the rest of the light mana went¡­ no clue, which meant that he had to rely on this single flame ball as his entire mana-fueled offensive arsenal for the foreseeable future.


    But even a small weapon could be effective when applied at the right time, in the right way. Pinching three of his fingers closer, he began to collect the flames behind Evon, setting a trap in his blind spot. The process took a while.


    Evon had already conjured up a full boulder again, and tossed it against him. The casting speed difference between rank four and rank one was no joke.


    William dodged, but as he was trying to maintain his concentration, he messed up his footing and got hit in the hip by the heavy boulder. The reinforced fabric of his uniform held, but he felt his skin bruise underneath.


    ¡°We can do this all day!¡± Evon shouted.


    Trying to ignore the pain, William continued the process of coalescing the flames back into a ball in Evon¡¯s blind spot, but as it finally formed, his friends spotted it.


    ¡°Hey, he¡¯s making some fire behind you!¡±


    Those damn cheaters. As if fighting from three ranks up wasn¡¯t enough, they had to call out his tactics? Did they have any shame? Thankfully, his friends noticed too late.


    Evon Mudd turned after being tipped off by his friends, but William already sent the fire ball towards him. Unfortunately, the fire ball couldn¡¯t even be described as ¡®flying¡¯ towards him like a normal fire mage¡¯s spell¡ªit kind of just casually gilded towards him at a leisurely pace, reminiscent of a grandma driving a car down the road.


    Still, the distance to travel was so short that it managed to make impact. To William¡¯s dismay, the fireball barely singed Evon before it dissipated once again, leaving a temporary black mark on his uniform that faded after just a few seconds.


    ¡°It looks like I¡¯m resistant to level one magic,¡± Evon Mudd sneered, looking cockier than ever as he brushed the dark specks off his uniform. ¡°That felt mildly hot.¡±


    Damn. So even with the surprise factor of the flame ball¡¯s unusual characteristics, a direct hit from his fire spell barely did any damage. This was the true difference in their ranks.


    High level awakeners possessed a slew of advantages over lower ranks, including increased resistances and slight regenerative abilities. It wasn¡¯t an exact science by any means, but as far as he could tell, his level one fire spell was about as strong as a slap in the face to Evon.


    If magic couldn¡¯t cut it, then maybe he¡¯d better just use his fists¡­ William charged forwards with an intent to simply punch Evon in that smug face of his, only to take a stone pebble to his mouth. Pain surged from his front teeth and lips, and he even felt one of his teeth had become slightly wobbly as blood dripped down his cut upper lip.


    Stone after stone immediately followed, pelting him in the neck, the eye, and he knew that if he didn¡¯t have an awakener¡¯s strengthened constitution and regenerative abilities, he might actually be in trouble.


    He ran forward again, gritting his teeth through the pain as he covered most of his eyes with his elbow, as stones now cut into his arm. Right when he was about to reach Evon, a thicker rock slammed into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him and sending him sprawling onto the ground.


    He struggled to breath as he stared up into the sky, his forehead hot as a stove, his eye swollen, neck bleeding, tooth hurting¡­ but above all, he felt hot, flushed with pure, unadulterated frustration. Frustration at the fact that even now after the awakening, he still ended up being this pathetic. His frustration stewed until it became a burning conviction¡ªthat porter mission, and the one after, and the one after that¡ªhe¡¯d risk anything to get stronger.


    Evon Mudd stepped over him, a large stone levitating over his head that he seemed to be ready to drop on him. ¡°Did you really think that you could beat me¡ª¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡± called a healer, rushing over to William. She cleared the arena as Evon Mudd¡¯s friends laughed and congratulated him for the victory.


    The healer placed her hand over his forehead as a warm, calming sensation flowed into his body, and all of his injuries began to recede. The swelling from his eye died down, the bruises and scratches around his body healed, and even his tooth felt better.


    ¡°There. How do you feel?¡± she asked, helping him up.


    William groaned. ¡°A bit of a headache, but otherwise fine. Thank you.¡±


    She smiled. ¡°Just doing my job,¡± she said, before leaving to attend to another student.


    William walked away from the arena, avoiding eye contact with Evon Mudd or any of his friends after the rather humiliating defeat, still sulking. Was there anything he could have done better in that fight? Then, the realization hit him. He still had round two to go through, with another random opponent!


    Although he hoped that it would be another lower rank, knowing his shit luck lately, he¡¯d better expect the worst.

 Chapter 21 — Sparring Match, Round Two

    Chapter 21 ¡ª Sparring Match, Round Two


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have gone on the offense,¡± the female instructor lectured him, shaking her head as he walked back towards the demonstration stage. ¡°Avoiding damage is the most important principle in fighting monsters, especially when you¡¯re alone.¡±


    So she observed his fight. Now he felt even worse. ¡°Sorry. I just got a bit mad,¡± he admitted.


    The other instructor, a muscular man with dreadlocks and a sleeveless gi approached. ¡°Patience is a virtue, my son. Do not let your emotions cloud your judgement.¡± He gestured up towards his chest in an uplifting motion. ¡°Breathe in like so,¡± he said, holding his breath at the top. ¡°Then exhale.¡±


    ¡°In, then out,¡± he repeated, his chest moving up and down in a relaxed motion.


    William decided to take the male instructor¡¯s advice. He inhaled, repeating the instructor¡¯s actions. In and out. He breathed in, then breathed out, again and again. Although his body relaxed, his headache grew worse. His emotions were a total mess lately. Even though he tried to pretend that he was calm, that he was better than all that, an all encompassing anxiety pressed down on him.


    That anxiety then mixed with the frustration of his helplessness, his weakness. And then there was the worst of them all. Loneliness.


    The only real friend he¡¯d made at Trinity was Finn. Here he was, standing in a training facility with over a hundred Trinity students, and he didn¡¯t really know any of them. He could blame plenty of things, like his background, or the fact that he was too busy with part-time work, but the fact of the matter did not change.


    He breathed in and out, then focused on coping with his feelings the only way he knew how to, since childhood¡ªby just not thinking about it, and keeping busy with something else.


    ¡°Are you two both part of a guild?¡± he asked the two instructors.


    The female instructor grinned, pulling up her sleeve to show an intricate tattoo of an eastern style tiger. ¡°Proud vice-captain of the White Tiger guild!¡±


    ¡°I am also a vice-captain of the White Tigers,¡± the male instructor replied proudly. ¡°It¡¯s a privilege for us to teach you young people.¡±


    William had heard of the White Tiger guild before. Although they weren¡¯t on the same level as the big seven, like Jormungandr or Blue Mountain, they were still a respectable guild with a few high level members.


    Someone else was approaching him. It was Evelyn Moon, an affronted expression on her otherwise pretty face. The numeral V glistened on her black and gold uniform.


    ¡°How was the hospital?¡± she asked Willliam with concern, before turning to the instructors.


    ¡°Before that, are you sure that we should be¡ª¡± she said to the instructors, pointing towards the sorting machine.


    The female instructor nodded. ¡°It¡¯s important for the rank fours to learn not to be too arrogant. In the field, arrogance leads to death.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you see what happened to William? He just came here from the hospital, then got beaten by a level four until he was bleeding everywhere!¡± she protested. ¡°And you want to enter us into the sparring pool?¡±


    For some reason, a knot seemed to tighten in William¡¯s chest. Evelyn watched his fight too? And she saw him get absolutely beaten in such an embarrassing way, too¡­


    The female instructor from White Tiger rolled her sleeve back down as she walked closer to Evelyn until their foreheads were almost touching.


    ¡°Miss,¡± she said in a not-so-friendly tone. ¡°The most important lesson that we must teach all of you¡ªand I mean all of you¡ªis that those things out there don¡¯t care about fairness. They don¡¯t play by the rules.¡±


    She poked Evelyn in the chest with a finger. ¡°Do you know how many of my disciplines I¡¯ve lost? How many high rankers I¡¯ve seen torn in half? And you know why half of them died? Lack of attention. Thinking that they were too good.¡±


    Evelyn made a humph sound. ¡°Fine.¡±


    She turned to William, looking concerned again as the instructor walked off. ¡°Are you okay? I heard you and Finn were in a coma. What happened to you two?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story, with some uh¡­sensitive details. If you want to know, we¡¯ll have to find a time to talk,¡± he said, before adding something else, feeling emotional. ¡°Thank you for being concerned, Evelyn.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I was worried, especially because you don¡¯t have any family to take care of you,¡± she said. She was standing so close to him that he noticed a sweet coconut shampoo scent from her. ¡°Keep me posted, okay?¡±


    William nodded, feeling taken care of in a way that he really wasn¡¯t used to. He felt immensely grateful to Evelyn. ¡°I will.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to go to that new bubble cafe some time¡ªdon¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll pay,¡± she quickly added. The bubble cafe was currently the trendiest high end place in the city, and therefore expensive. Evelyn¡¯s offer to pay was considerate but made him feel kind of pathetic.


    ¡°You can tell me what happened when we¡¯re at the cafe,¡± she said. ¡°I heard that the police were involved. Please be careful.¡±


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    ¡°I will be,¡± he replied. ¡°When do you want to meet there?¡±


    Evelyn sighed. ¡°My schedule is crazy these days. I have raid parties, then missions, then some brand promotion events after that. I¡¯m booked for nearly every day this week. The government postponed all university classes too, just so we can focus on this. Anyway, what''s your schedule like?¡±


    She already got multiple raid party offers? Damn, rank fives were really in demand. The difference between a rank one like himself and a rank five was night and day.


    William struggled for a second, then quickly explained to her about the porter position that he¡¯d have for the afternoon.


    Evelyn looked blankly at him. ¡°What¡¯s a porter?¡±


    William was shocked that she never even heard of a porter, but then again, she probably didn¡¯t ever have to pay attention to a position like that.


    Before he could reply, they were interrupted by the male instructor blowing a whistle loudly while walking in between the arenas.


    ¡°Round one is over. We¡¯re going to announce your sparring partners for the next round.¡±


    The instructor began to call out names, quickly getting to Evelyn, who got matched with a rank three.


    ¡°Catch up later, okay?¡± she said, before heading over to her opponent who looked to be incredibly nervous facing off against a rank five.


    The instructor listed off several more people before getting to him.


    ¡°Next,¡± the instructor said. ¡°William Blackwood, and¡­¡±


    ¡°Luke Brightsteel.¡±


    William almost vomited blood hearing that second name. Gasps arose from the crowd. Everyone had been waiting to find out who the unlucky soul was that would draw the Brightsteel heir. Evelyn turned around with a completely shocked look on her face.


    All eyes were on William as he and Luke walked to the same arena. Luke looked like he was about to burst out laughing at the situation. The numeral VIII shone brightly on his chest.


    His head started to hurt again. What even was the purpose of this exercise? Just to get absolutely humiliated in the most asinine way possible?


    As Luke walked into the circle, he held up two fingers. ¡°Two seconds. That¡¯s how long this¡¯ll take.¡±


    William reluctantly walked into the circle as well, as a crowd of spectators now formed around their circle. Evelyn constantly glanced over in concern, distracted from her own fight. A few students had even pulled out their phones and were recording the fight, although the female instructor batted down anyone who she saw raising a phone. Still, she couldn¡¯t get all of them.


    Great. So now a video of him getting his ass beat by Luke Brightsteel was going to circulate on the internet. As if this day couldn¡¯t get any worse.


    Luke casually stretched, extending his arm as a plume of body reinforcement aura extended from it. He had been fed so many elixirs that he must have nearly awakened before his time with the orb. He could possibly be the first rank eight awakener in history.


    Although, for some reason Luke didn¡¯t seem as cocky as usual. William noticed that he almost seemed pensive.


    ¡­As if that mattered.


    A mediator walked over. Apparently the bigger fights got mediators. ¡°The fight will begin on one. Three¡­. Two¡­ One!¡±


    Within the very first second, William already knew how badly outclassed he was. He simply could not dodge. Luke launched himself forward with such force that he left craters in the ground, and flames burst out of thin air around his punch as his fist closed in.


    Two abilities? Luke Brightsteel was a dual ability awakener, both fire and body reinforcement? That was a one in ten thousand phenomenon¡ªwhat the fuck. William couldn¡¯t even register anything else before the fist connected right in his stomach. Luke had struck him casually¡ªhe only used a fraction of the power he¡¯d shown when fighting the bald man from Jormungandr.


    And yet William felt like he¡¯d been struck by a truck. He could no longer breathe, and he heard an audible crack in his ribcage. Blood spurted out of his mouth as he collapsed to the ground, face first. The last thing he saw was Luke Brightsteel walking away casually, not even looking back. He wasn¡¯t even worth regarding, apparently.


    ¡°The fight is concluded. Winner, Luke Brightsteel!¡±


    Three healers rushed to William, all concentrating their magic on him. William felt his ribs reform and his lungs repaired, then sat back up with sweat dripping down his forehead. Even though he¡¯d been healed, the pain still lingered.


    He could hear the female instructor lecturing the rest of the training class about the importance of knowing one¡¯s place, and not attempting to fight an enemy beyond your league, a lesson that he and a few others had been the guinea pigs to demonstrate, but he barely listened. All he could do was breathe and try to suppress the pain.


    The spar was the last event of the training. After everyone else wrapped up, the session came to an end. Naver texted him that he secured a porter job with Horast for the afternoon, so he had something to look forward to. He stood by himself near the water cooler, drinking as much water as he could with the little white paper cups as he waited for his car to come. Evelyn already left, picked up in a fancy limousine by her navigator and an entourage of staff members.


    Luke left shortly after that, picked up by his family¡¯s motorcade. A whole line of paparazzi waited for him outside the training area. The same happened with Jared Pain, and even the disheveled looking level five to a lesser degree.


    ¡°Help me out with the demonstration again next time, alright?¡± the female instructor said before she and the other vice captain were received by the White Tiger guild.


    A constant parade of black cars came through the facility. Finally, William¡¯s phone buzzed. His car was here. Quickly boarding, he looked out the window. To his side was a pack of survival gear that Naver Frost prepared for him.


    He had a long road ahead of himself to catch up to someone like Luke Brightsteel.


    Forty minutes later, he arrived in front of a gate beyond the outskirts of the city, where a slightly red faced middle aged man with an opened bottle of beer in his hand greeted him in a friendly, albeit slightly drunk way. ¡°You¡¯re William?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s me. Thanks for taking me in,¡± he said politely, although he was starting to question what kind of friends Naver had. ¡°Are you Horast?¡±


    ¡°Damn right I am,¡± Horast said, spitting onto the grass. ¡°And as you¡¯ll come to find out, the most reliable tank in the Vander guild.¡±


    ¡°Horast, you have to stop doing that,¡± an archer said while she practiced nocking an arrow. ¡°You¡¯ll gross out the kid before we even go.¡±


    William quickly took stock of the rest of the raid party. There were ten of them including himself, a tight knit group that mostly seemed to know each other, besides a few slot-in members who must have been recruited on a mercenary basis including a chubby rank two wearing a uniform like himself.


    And then there was the gate. Rectangular in shape like a door, glowing white, just like he¡¯d seen in the videos.


    ¡°We¡¯re just waiting on one more of you kids before we go,¡± said Horast, right as another black car pulled in. ¡°There he is.¡±


    A familiar snobby elite stepped out of the car. It was Evon Mudd.

 Chapter 22 - The Irregular Gate

    Chapter 22 - The Irregular Gate


    "Well, well, well. Look who it is," Evon Mudd said with the most smug look on his face immediately after stepping out of the car. "The rank one embarrassment of Trinity Academy."


    "Don''t say that," Horast replied with venom in his tone, walking up to Evon. He pointed towards the portal. "Beyond that gate right there, we''re all working together to stay alive. There is no room for doubting your own teammates on the other side."


    "This is just an intermediate dungeon, isn''t it," Evon said casually, feigning a yawn. "What''s the big deal anyway? Anyone rank three or higher should be perfectly fine for something like this. It''s people like him that turn out to be liabilities."


    Horast looked like he was about to say something, but Evon Mudd''s family bodyguards were still standing by near the black car that he arrived in. He shook his head in disapproval and walked away, muttering under his breath. "The arrogance of these rich kids," he muttered.


    "Alright, listen up," Horast said loudly, walking back to the front of the gate. "We''ve all arrived now, so we''ll be making our way into the dungeon. The scanner reports show that this is an Intermediate dungeon, so we should be adequately prepared with our large roster of ranks three through five, but remember, anything can happen on the other side. Always be vigilant, and always be aware of your surroundings."


    "For those of you who have not worked with us before, remember that safety always comes first. Never jeopardize the safety of your teammates for a selfish reason."


    The people listened on, but William caught a few of the members looking at him with disdain. Even as a porter, a level 1 was pretty much a liability in an intermediate dungeon.


    "Sasha and I are armed with rifles as well," Horast said. "In case of an emergency. I prefer not to use them, since ammunition is being rationed at the moment and every bullet counts."


    William honestly wished that more raid parties used conventional firearms. Guns and other armaments were in a strange situation at the moment. The more powerful raid parties fielded by guilds with ranks five and above usually did not use them out of arrogance and disdain for them, with due reason because their own powers were quite sufficient.


    Top tier guild raid parties with the most powerful rankers in the country such as Cassius Brightsteel never used conventional weapons in dungeon raids. It was seen as an embarrassment to bring an RPG or a tank into a dungeon, but William strongly disagreed with this. Many top ranked guild members lost their lives because of that arrogance, and there was quite a lot of hubris at the top.


    And on the other hand, the people who could benefit the absolute most from even light firearms like rifles and such going into beginner or elementary dungeons were unable to do so because military materiel was prohibitively expensive and also controlled by the government.


    Therefore the only people who really used military applications in dungeons were the military themselves and some odds and ends that could be acquired by middle of the pack raid parties like this one. Such as the old bolt action rifles that Horast and what William presumed to be his wife Sasha had hoisted on their backs.


    "We use the standard spearhead attack formation, with tanks and other front liners forming a spearhead that protects our more vulnerable members in the middle and the back. Does anyone have any questions?"


    "No sir," the warrior woman from earlier said. "It''s like the kid said, this is just a lower intermediate dungeon. Let''s get to it and get home sooner."


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    "Alright then," Horast replied, taking another swig of beer before tossing the can to the side. "Let''s get this party rolling."


    Raising his sword and shield, he waved over the members of the dungeon raid team. "Our raid begins now! Let''s go!"


    The party followed Horast''s lead in through the gate and into the dungeon beyond it.


    William found himself walking side by side with the other porter, the chubby rank two student in uniform, and to his annoyance Evon Mudd as well.


    "Ever been through a gate, rank one?" Evon Mudd taunted.


    William didn''t reply, which seemed to only encourage Evon on.


    "Of course you wouldn''t have, coming from a no-name family like yours," he replied. "I have already been through many of these gates for family business." He casually stepped up to the white rectangular gate and waved in a formal but condescending way. "See you on the other side, rookie."


    "You really like to talk, don''t you," William muttered as Evon walked through the rectangular white portal, disappearing through to the other side.


    "He does not know grace," the large and plump rank two porter said. He had a cheerful smile and a frying pan on his back, which appeared to be his weapon. "I am Mantou Da," he said, reaching out for a handshake.


    "William Blackwood," William replied cordially, returning his handshake.


    Mantou''s face appeared impressed when shaking William''s hand. "You also work in a restaurant, do you not?" he asked.


    "I do," William replied. He felt the smoothed over callouses on Mantou''s hands as well, the mark of a dish scrubber. William had similar ones on his hands. "I like you. Let''s stick together in this dungeon, alright," he suddenly said. From the bottom of his heart and as a fellow restaurant grunt worker, his gut sensation told him that he could trust this plump young man in front of him. He was a simple person, but not in a bad sense. William could already sense that he had a strong sense of grounded morality just from their brief interaction. Sometimes, he just knew.


    "Of course, William, my new friend," Mantou replied with a bit of an accent like the kind from the cold northeastern countries beyond the Hallei Mountains.


    It was nice to find someone whose personality was reliable like Mantou''s, William thought. Something already far too rare in this world. "Let''s catch up with the rest of them," he said, noticing that most of the raid party members had already gone on ahead. Behind him, Evon Mudd''s bodyguards and escort were leaving as well.


    "That''s right, best not to be late," Mantou replied.


    Mantou went through the gate first, disappearing after taking two steps through. Then it was William''s turn. He always wondered what it would be like to go through a portal like this. I guess I''ll find out now, he thought.


    Stepping through the white portal, he felt as if he had simply walked through a doorway of air that separated the night air that he left behind from the human world with the cold, damp air of the dungeon.


    The moment that William''s body completely made its way through and his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he realized that something was wrong.


    All of the raid party members were clustered behind Horast, who held up an electric powered lantern. Several other people lit their own lanterns as well.


    "Where is this?" the annoying woman from earlier said.


    Horast raised his hand as if to ask them all to stop. "I don''t know, but this isn''t an intermediate dungeon," he said quietly. "I''ve never seen something like this before."

 Chapter 23 - The Irregular Gate 2

    Chapter 23 - The Irregular Gate 2


    "What''s wrong?" the judgemental female warrior asked.


    Horast did not reply immediately, instead choosing to run his fingers along the inscriptions on the walls of the dungeon. The dungeon was dark, damp, and an uncomfortable tinny cold air hung like glue against the raid party''s skin.


    "This is not like any other dungeon I''ve seen in all my years of dungeon raiding," Horast said with a strain in his voice. He appeared to be making a difficult decision. "Let''s turn back."


    "Already?" another mercenary said, completely shocked. "What the hell do you mean, turn back? I rented this equipment and got ready for days for this raid and you want us to leave after two seconds in the dungeon? Are you crazy, old man?"


    Horast shot a glare at the mercenary, his eyes hardened even though a red flush showed on his face. "I may be tipsy, but I''m not stupid. My gut is telling me that there is something wrong with this dungeon, and unless we know any more, I declare that this raid is aborted under my authority as raid party commander!"


    A few eyes now looked back at the portal that brought them through, but suddenly they realized that the color of the portal had slowly changed. Instead of white like before, the portal now gave off a slight red aura, and that red was spreading.


    "What''s happening to the gate?" one of the mercenaries asked. He moved towards the gate and tried to go through it, but to his dismay it appeared like his hand had come across an invisible barrier. "Huh? I can''t seem to go through!"


    "Tch," Evon Mudd sneered. "Then why don''t we just finish this stupid intermediate dungeon and get to the exit on the other side? Why are we wasting time being scared of some small changes? I thought that you lot were professionals."


    A red gate? William racked his brain, trying to think if there was any other situation where something like this had occurred, but he couldn''t recall any.


    Suddenly, at that moment, a shockwave shot through the dungeon, sending ripples through the very air. The hairs on William''s arms began to rise. That shockwave felt oddly similar to the one that caused the lockdown. Right as the shockwave passed through, the lanterns held by several of the raid party members instantly went out, plunging the room into darkness.


    "Another EMP pulse? What the hell?"


    William conjured his flaming orb, as several of the other mages did the same. Horast fumbled through his bag and took out a flashlight, fumbling to put in the battery as the flashlight sputtered on. "I knew there was something wrong with this dungeon, damn it," he cursed.


    "Maybe we should head back," an unsure voice said. "T-this might be like the big dungeon outbreak from last week again."


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    "We can''t," growled a rogue with a scar across his face, standing next to the portal. "The portal''s completely blocked. The only way we get back to our world is through the other exit."


    Something was definitely wrong here. William commanded his flaming orb around, illuminating the area around him. If only he had his light ability now, he thought.


    He took out his phone from his pocket and tried to turn it on. Suddenly, something felt strange. That sensation of mana swirling through his body had returned once more, and miraculously it had made a connection again with the phone, which began to shine once again with a brilliant white light, illuminating the room well.


    "Is that light just your phone?" a party member asked, completely taken aback by the brightness of the light coming from William''s phone.


    "Yeah," he replied. Strange that it worked again. But why? Maybe it only worked in areas dense with otherworld energy like this dungeon, or... in the presence of a monster wtih significant otherworld energy. That was his working theory at the moment.


    Either way, the power had returned, and he couldn''t stop the stupid grin from spreading across his face once more. His power had returned! Not that weak, useless flame ability, but that light that could probably make him a rank four awakener or higher!


    But what about the weapon? He reached towards the light, and instantly he could tell that the shard of light was there once more. He could draw it when he needed it. Knowing that, he decided not to. If he pulled out a strange ability like this, there would be no end to the amount of questions he''d get from everyone else, and right now he simply didn''t need to bother with that at the moment.


    Evon Mudd looked at him contemptuously. "What kind of old model is that, rank one? Did your parents buy that for you ten years ago or something? I haven''t even seen a phone that has a flashlight using its screen in years." He laughed. "That''s sad, really."


    William, feeling far more confident now that his power had returned, decided to respond. "No one knows what happens on the other side of the gate," he said. "Don''t be surprised if you find yourself on the news tomorrow, missing."


    "Is that a threat?" Evon said angrily, raising his hand to summon a rock.


    William simply shrugged and moved forward, using the light from his phone to illuminate the side of the raid party.


    "He does not know manners," Mantou said, catching up to William. "I don''t like him."


    "Me neither, Mantou," William replied. "But let''s focus on what''s ahead of us for now. I have a bad feeling about this dungeon. EMP effects are supposed to only happen for the worst of dungeon breaks, and this dungeon hasn''t even broken open yet. We''re in uncharted territory now."