The two groups—Lucian's carefully selected team and the rest of Class 5B—finally converged in the cafeteria.
To their surprise, a lone student stood at the far end of the large, abandoned room. Julian Cross stood calmly, his golden eyes casually scanning their direction.
For a brief moment, the air seemed to freeze as everyone processed the unexpected reunion.
To be honest, nobody really expected Julian to be alive.
Before the apocalypse, he hadn't stood out. Just another face in the crowd—average, unremarkable, forgettable.
Reactions varied. Some looked at him with suspicion, others with pity, and a few with mild curiosity.
Lucian, however, was different. His golden eyes flickered sharply as he activated {scan}, silently analyzing Julian's status.
But the result was… blocked.
[Scan Denied. Access Unauthorized.]
[Error: Target description unavailable.]
Julian felt a foreign force pressing against him. His body stiffened instinctively. His gaze shifted deliberately toward the source of this power.
He knew it was Lucian.
Lucian's expression remained composed, but his eyes betrayed a subtle, guarded concern.
It was the same for Julian—cautious, calculating, and waiting.
Still, they both spoke casually.
"Good to see you're alive, Julian," Lucian said smoothly, as if they were old acquaintances catching up after a long day.
"Same to you," Julian replied, his voice calm, measured.
Without missing a beat, he fabricated a story.
"I must've forgotten my bag here," he explained casually, as if it were the most mundane thing in the world.
"Came back to grab it, and… well, the whole apocalypse thing started right when I got the quest to prepare and collect food. Thought I'd get some supplies while I was at it."
His lie was so well-constructed, so seamless, that not even the most suspicious eyes—those of the girls or Lucian—doubted it.
Emily Carter barely glanced at him, dismissing him as insignificant.
Whatever, she thought. No reason to waste energy.
Clara Winters remained cold, indifferent, her gaze uninterested—as if he weren't even worth acknowledging.
Olivia Hale observed carefully, her expression unreadable. Her twilight-colored eyes followed every small movement of Julian, silently cataloging.
Soon, they settled.
The remaining supplies were gathered and distributed evenly among the students.
A few voices started to rise in complaint.
"Why does Julian get more food than the rest of us?" one student accused, his tone hostile.
Julian shrugged, his voice neutral.
"I arrived first," he stated plainly.
"Besides, I'm not part of your group."
The others were not pleased.
A few stepped forward, trying to forcibly take some of his portion.
Before things could escalate, a cold blade was suddenly pressed against the throat of one aggressive student.
Silence froze the atmosphere.
Then—
A mechanical, emotionless voice echoed.
[Congratulations,
Challengers of Earth.
More than 7% of humankind has somehow survived the first phase of Stage 1.
For the second phase, you have been granted…]
[Next phase uploading… Next phase in action.]
[Quest for the Next Phase has been given…]
[Objective: Survive one week in the apocalypse.]
[Reward: Depends on individual contribution.]
A chill ran through everyone present.
The words hung in the air, heavier than any monster's growl.
The next phase was simple.
Survive.
But would they be able to do it properly?
Or would the system's cruel design crush them, one by one, into nothingness?