Chapter Fourteen: The Final Hour
The eastern wing of the school was a ghost town, a maze of empty lockers and silent classrooms. The scythe felt powerful and strangely light in Minwoo's hands, its cursed blade humming with a low, menacing energy. The Pendant of Restoration around Hyejin's neck pulsed with a faint green light, a quiet reassurance that their efforts had paid off. They were no longer just two students. They were hunters.
Just as they were about to move toward the school's central courtyard, a new, far more jarring system message appeared. It wasn't just in their vision; it was a global alert, its brilliant red text screaming a sense of impending doom to all who could see it.
The Final Countdown
[Global System Alert: One hour until the tutorial concludes.]
[All active Gates will become unstable after this time.]
[Failure to exit an active Gate may result in a severe penalty.]
[The Tower of Beginning will activate its first phase.]
[Final rewards will be calculated and distributed upon completion.]
Panic filled the school's hallways. The low hum of frightened chatter from the gymnasium turned into a cacophony of screams and desperate scrambling. Minwoo, however, felt a cold sense of calm settle over him. This was the final countdown. His knowledge was now more crucial than ever.
"An hour," he said, his voice flat. "The first phase is about to begin."
He looked at Hyejin. Her face was pale, but her eyes held a flicker of the same resolve that he felt. The old rules of their world were gone forever. Now, there were only new rules, and he was the only one who knew them.
A new thought occurred to him. With this final alert, the system would likely be more transparent about their abilities. He opened his status window again, and sure enough, his skills now had more details.
Skill Information
[Active Skill: Echo of Light]
* Description: A skill bestowed upon the Nameless One by a divine power. It temporarily imbues a weapon with light, dealing immense damage.
* MP Cost: Half of your total MP per strike.
* Cooldown: 24 hours.
[Passive Skill: Sword Mastery (F)]
* Description: An innate talent for wielding blades. Grants a permanent increase to attack speed and damage when using swords or scythes.
* MP Cost: None.
* Cooldown: None.
His suspicions were confirmed. The Echo of Light was not a familiar power, but a foreign one. Its cost was immense, and its cooldown made it a last-resort, once-per-day weapon. He would have to be careful with its use. He then looked at Hyejin's skill.
[Active Skill: Seed of Life (F)]
* Description: Grants a minor healing effect to a target.
* MP Cost: 5 MP.
* Cooldown: 10 seconds.
Her skill was a lifeline, a constant source of support in a long fight. With her new pendant and her increased Intelligence, she could keep him in the fight far longer than he could survive on his own.
"We have to go," Minwoo said, his voice urgent. "There are no Gates higher than D-rank in the tutorial. We have an hour left. We need to find one last Gate."
Hyejin nodded, her new-found confidence shining through. "Where?"
Minwoo looked at the library, its tall, imposing entrance a few yards away. He remembered it from his past life. A D-rank Gate had opened there, and the monsters had been dangerous but slow. The rewards had been worth the risk. It was their last chance to get an edge before the real chaos began.
"The library," he said, turning toward the building. "It's our last chance for a reward before the world changes again."
The red clock in his vision was already ticking down, counting the precious seconds they had left to prepare. [Time Remaining: 00:59:15]. They sprinted toward the library, their footsteps echoing through the empty halls, the weight of their new responsibility a heavy but welcome burden.