The classroom was suffocating.
Dozens of students huddled together, trembling, whispering, breaking down. Some cried quietly, others screamed, and a few clutched their heads in denial.
Panic was spreading like wildfire.
A girl whimpered. "W-We can't just stay here forever…"
Another voice snapped back, cracking under fear. "Shut up! If we just wait, someone will save us!"
The pounding of goblin fists against the doors and windows gnawed at their nerves.
It was only a matter of time before everything collapsed.
---
Lucian stood near the front of the class, posture straight, expression calm. To the others, he was a steady pillar—a natural leader. But inside, his thoughts were sharper, colder.
Staying locked in here is suicide. They'll break down before the goblins even get to us.
---
"Listen, everyone…" His voice was calm, reassuring, dripping with warmth. "I know this is terrifying. I know we want to hide. But hiding won't save us. The quest is clear—we need to fight. If we don't, we'll never awaken, and then…" He paused, letting the weight of his words hang. "…we'll be powerless forever."
The class shuddered. He had struck their deepest fear.
"But… we can still fight."
A murmur spread through the room. Fear. Doubt. But also… hope.
---
Marcus crossed his arms. "You mean… fight them? With what? Chairs and rulers?"
Lucian glanced at his friend, smiling faintly. "Exactly. Crude weapons are still weapons. And numbers are our advantage. A single goblin may be stronger than one of us… but against twenty? Thirty? It will fall."
He turned back to the class, tone patient yet firm. "If we work together—if we stay united—we can do this. And once we succeed, each of us will awaken. That means power. That means survival."
---
Lucian's words were honey-coated steel: gentle, encouraging, but leaving no room for refusal.
He scanned the room, carefully reading faces. The weak ones will cling to my words. The strong ones will want to test themselves. Either way… they'll move as I want them to.
---
Minutes later, desks had been overturned into makeshift barricades, chair legs torn off for clubs, sharp metal edges wrapped in cloth to form crude spears.
Lucian directed them silently, with the grace of a practiced conductor. He didn't bark orders—he "suggested," smiling, nodding, assuring. And they obeyed.
When the first goblin smashed through a window, it screeched, lunging into the room.
"Now!" Lucian's voice rang out.
The students swarmed the creature, screaming, slamming chairs and poles against it. The goblin shrieked in fury, clawing, but under the weight of so many it was battered to the ground. A sharp desk leg pierced its chest.
The monster went still.
---
A blue notification blinked in front of everyone:
> [Quest Progress: 1/10 Goblins slain.]
---
For the first time, the classroom wasn't filled with despair—but with stunned silence.
They had done it.
They had killed a monster.
Lucian allowed himself a small smile. His voice was soft, almost kind.
"See? Together, we can do this. Together, we can survive."
Inside, however, his thoughts curled darker.
Now they'll follow me. Not because they trust me… but because they believe they need me.
---
The slaughter continued. With Lucian's quiet guidance, the students cornered and killed goblins one by one. Every strike was messy, every kill brutal, but with numbers and strategy, they succeeded.
By the time the tenth goblin fell, their bodies were splattered with blood, their arms shaking—but their eyes burned with a new fire.
And then it came.
> [Quest Complete.]
[Reward: Beginner's Gift, Awakening, Status Unlocked.]
One by one, students gasped as glowing blue panels appeared before them.
They had awakened.
The class—once trembling and powerless—now looked at their shining status windows with awe.
And through it all, Lucian stood at the center, smiling gently, like a benevolent leader guiding his people.
Just as planned.