Julian Cross sat in the storeroom, the stale air pressing against his lungs. His once brown eyes now glowed gold in the dimness.
I guess it's time to go out.
He didn't want to linger with the corpse of the crawler any longer. His gaze fixed on the doorknob that taunted him from across the room. His fingers brushed the metal once more—hesitant, trembling.
Suddenly:
> [Time Instinct Activated.]
The vision came instantly.
The door opening.
Dozens of monsters surging inside, roaring. Claws raking across his chest, tearing him apart piece by piece. Death—brutal, merciless.
Julian staggered back, his daggers clattering against the floor. His breath turned ragged. "Right. So that's a no on opening doors," he muttered.
The silence pressed in again. He picked up his phone, clutching it like a lifeline. No signal. No power. Nothing. He pressed the buttons until his thumb ached. Still nothing.
Julian let his head fall back against the wall and laughed hollowly. "Of course. Cliché. This stuff always happens."
The sound was wrong in the silence, but it kept him from sinking too deep. His eyes wandered to the crawler's corpse—the twin daggers glinting faintly in the dark.
"Well, at least I'm not alone. I've got you for company, ugly."
His grin faltered. Reality pressed harder. Outside, muffled screams and roars carried through the city.
Julian tightened his grip on his weapons.
Fine. If I can't move yet, I'll wait. Time… time's on my side. I just have to wait.
---
Third Person POV
Meanwhile, Class 5B was drowning in panic.
The walls shook with goblin pounding, every scream outside feeding the terror within. Students huddled, sobbing, shouting, breaking down.
"T-this isn't real, right?"
"Mom… please help…"
"All of you shut up—SHUT THE FUCK UP!"
Unlike Lucian's class, there was no steady hand here—only fear spiraling into despair.
Their quest was simple:
> [Quest: Save 5 students.]
[Reward: Beginner's Gift, Awakening, Status Unlocked.]
Yet instead of action, despair only deepened.
"We're going to die here…" a girl sobbed.
"Shut up! Someone will save us!" another snapped, his voice cracking.
Chaos reigned—until a desperate cry cut through it all.
"HELP!! Help us! Please!!"
Heads turned. Outside the door, bloodied students stumbled into view, running with terror etched on their faces. Three goblins snarled after them, closing the gap with savage claws.
The pleading eyes of the survivors met the frozen gazes of the classroom. But no one moved. Pity, guilt, fear—they all looked away. To open the door was to risk them all.
The begging turned to screams. "Please, save us!!"
Still, no one stepped forward.
Then, the door burst open.
A girl with flowing white hair and piercing blue eyes stepped out—Clara Winters.
Her face was as cold as ever, her eyes sharp and unflinching. Without hesitation, she hurled a chair into a goblin, knocking it back with a screech. Swiftly, she shoved the desperate students inside and slammed the door shut behind her.
The room froze. All eyes fell on her.
Emily Carter, her brown hair falling over tense shoulders, clenched her jaw. Clara again…
Whispers spread.
"She saved them…"
"She's amazing!"
"She's so calm—how does she do that?"
The rescued students clung to her, weeping with gratitude. "Thank you! We thought we were dead!"
Clara's gaze didn't waver. "Don't thank me. I didn't do it for you. It was part of the quest. That's all."
Her words cut like frost. She turned away, dismissing their awe, their gratitude, their desperate attempts to draw near.
Emily's nails dug into her palms. Her smile stayed polite, but her thoughts burned. They look at her like she's some hero… but she's not. She doesn't even care. Why does she get their respect so easily…?
Across the room, Olivia Hale stood quietly. Dark green hair framed her shoulders, twilight-colored eyes steady. She wasn't jealous, nor awestruck. She simply observed, as though dissecting Clara's every move.
That day, the balance of the class shifted. Awe gravitated to Clara, jealousy simmered within Emily, and calm watchfulness settled over Olivia.
But Clara herself? She dismissed it all with one uncaring glance.
To her, they were nothing more than cowards.
---