Chapter Nineteen: The System's New Game
The murmurs of his classmates faded behind him as Minwoo left the classroom. He didn't care about their whispers, their fear, or their judgment. The only thing that mattered was survival, and the first rule of survival was preparation.
The school's halls were eerily silent, the morning light filtering through the windows and illuminating dust motes that danced in the stagnant air. It smelled of old chalk and polished wood, a nostalgic scent that now felt like a relic from a lost world. He moved with a grim purpose, his feet taking him to the school's canteen. It was, as he expected, completely deserted. The aroma of stale food and cleaning supplies hung in the air, a final vestige of a world that no longer existed. He went straight to the back, to the massive storage pantry. The System had given him a tool he never had in his old life: an inventory. He didn't need a backpack or a bag; he just needed a thought.
With a mental command, he began to clear the shelves. Boxes of instant noodles, bags of chips, bottles of water—they vanished one by one, their weightless forms now stored in his private inventory. He left some of the supplies behind; he wasn't a monster, just a pragmatist. He knew the others would need something to survive on, at least for a while.
As he was about to turn away from the pantry, a new message flashed in his vision, not just for him, but for everyone. It was a golden, shimmering message that appeared in the air of the school, visible to all. The message's text was grand and theatrical, like a game master announcing the start of a new round.
[Global System Alert: New Quest Activated]
[System Mission: The First Leader]
He heard the faint groans and frantic screams of the students who saw the new alert. He ignored them. The System was a game master, a cruel deity that fed on chaos. This was just the next stage. He knew what to expect.
A second, more detailed message, a cold block of text on a shimmering blue background, appeared in his vision and in the air of the entire school.
[GLOBAL QUEST: THE CAPTAIN'S GAME]
OBJECTIVE: Find the Class Captain.
The System has chosen one student from every Class to be the Class Captain of that class. Their identity is a secret known only to themself. Your objective is to discover who they are before time runs out.
REWARDS:
* For the Hunter: The first person to successfully identify the Class Captain will be rewarded with a [Skill Card: Divine Sense (Rank D)]. This skill will let you perceive hidden powers and auras, making you a master of secrets.
* For the Class Captain: If you can hide your identity for 72 hours, the System will grant you the permanent Class Captain Title and a passive 2x EXP buff for the next seven days.
THE RULES:
* The Class Captain's title can be stolen. If a hunter kills the captain, they will be granted the title.
* The Class Captain can willingly give up their title to another student.
PENALTIES:
* For the Failed: If you do not identify the Class Captain within the time limit, the System will randomly and permanently reduce one of your stats by 5 points.
* For the Discovered: If the Class Captain is found before the time limit, they will lose the title, their level will be reduced by 2, and all their buffs will be removed.
TIME LIMIT: 72 hours.
Minwoo's mind went to work, a whirlwind of calculations. The System was forcing them to turn on each other. It was a race against the clock, a game of psychological warfare. He watched as his classmates, who a moment ago had been groaning in pain, now looked at each other with suspicion. This wasn't about monsters or Gates; this was about human nature. He had survived the tutorial with a single partner, but now he was in a battle royale.
"The System is a clever one," Minwoo muttered to himself, a grim smile on his face. "It's using greed to force them to become stronger. It's a hunting game. And the reward is too great to ignore."
He knew that the [Skill Card: Divine Sense (Rank D)] was a rare and powerful prize. It was a support skill that could identify an enemy's weakness, or in this case, a hidden strength. A cold, hard voice from his past life spoke in his mind, "I recall this well. This was when hell started. Only a few came out alive because of this chain quest. The real game has just begun."
He looked at the empty hallway, then back toward the classroom, where the whispers and paranoia were already beginning to spread. The hunt had begun, and he was ready for it. Now all he had to do was find out who the Class Captain was, before everyone else did.