Outside the classroom, the chilling screams of students being tortured and devoured by monsters echoed endlessly.
The dreadful noise pierced through the walls, breaking into the classroom and shattering the tense silence.
Standing at the door, Rowan trembled uncontrollably. Cold sweat trickled down his forehead, and his legs turned weak and nimble, nearly giving out beneath him.
The other students were just as terrified, their faces pale and their bodies stiff with fear.
Of course, the only exception was Desmond. At that very moment, his mind was racing with strategies, carefully planning how to ensure not only the survival of the frightened students but also their future growth.
Once his thoughts were settled, he cleared his throat and called for their attention. It came easily since the entire classroom was deathly silent.
The seven students he had rescued, along with Rowan, instantly turned their eyes toward him.
"The most time we can remain safe inside this classroom is ten minutes, no more, before monsters start storming in," he began firmly.
No one responded. They were still too shaken, their silence born out of sheer terror.
"You are only alive because you picked a card. If you hadn't, you would have ended up like the others who turned into monsters.
But do not fool yourselves. Simply picking a card does not guarantee survival. In fact, even killing monsters doesn't ensure you'll make it out alive.
You should already know this if you bothered to study the briefing.
There are countless factors that determine your daily survival and your long-term fate.
Fortunately for all of you, I studied the list thoroughly, and the skill tied to my fate card contributes greatly.
If you follow me, your chances of survival will be far greater than if you wander off alone."
Desmond's voice was calm and steady, almost gentle, yet every word carried a natural authority. His tone flowed with an aura of superiority and casual confidence, compelling the others to listen with full attention.
He spoke for some time, even weaving lies about his fate card, before reaching the crucial part of his speech.
"To begin, I want every one of you to open your survival log. You can access it by saying or simply thinking the word 'log' or 'survival log,'" he instructed.
Some of the students exchanged puzzled glances, unsure of what he meant, but they obeyed anyway.
"Wow…" gasps of astonishment escaped their lips as the glowing panels appeared before them.
"Study your survival logs carefully. Every detail you need for survival is written there," Desmond added. At the same time, he opened his own log.
[ Player: Desmond Blackridge ]
[ Age: 18 ]
[ Level 0 (EXP: 85/100) ]
[ Rank: Noob ]
[ Health: 100% ]
[ MP: 400/500 ]
[ Fate Type: Class ]
[ Class: Blood Monarch ]
[ Titles: N/A ]
[ Stats ]
Strength: 10
Agility: 10
Vitality: 10
Intelligence: 10
Free Points: 0
[ Attributes ]
Physical Attack: 25
Magical Attack: 25
Physical Defense: 5%
Magical Defense: 5%
[ Skills ]
Blood Bond Lv 1, Crimson Recovery Lv 1, Blood Fist Lv 1, Blood Swipe Lv 1, Blood Storage
[ Inventory ] EMPTY
Aside from the horrified screams beyond the walls, the classroom was now filled with the murmuring of students as they studied their survival logs with growing awe and nervousness.
Rowan, still near the door, carefully examined his own.
His fate turned out to be a class—Skycaller. It was a summoning-type class that allowed him to call forth only flying beasts. His eyes flickered with realization as he spotted the skill that had summoned the radiant white bird earlier.
[ Skills ]
[ Guardian Bird Call Lv 1 ]
When in dire danger, a random flying-type beast is automatically summoned to rescue you.
[ Activation ] 100 MP
[ Single Bird Summon Lv 1 ]
Summons a single flying-type beast ranging from Level 1 to Level 10.
[ Activation ] 100 MP
[ Cooldown ] 30 seconds
[ Flock Summon Lv 1 ]
Summons a flock of flying-type beasts ranging from Level 1 to Level 5.
[ Activation ] 500 MP
[ Cooldown ] 60 seconds
As Rowan absorbed the details, a connection with his skills seemed to awaken within him, the knowledge flowing into his mind naturally.
A minute later, several of the students had already finished reading through their survival logs.
Among them, only one had unlocked a relic fate, while the rest had been assigned talents.
The relic holder was a timid boy with glasses that sat crookedly on his nose. With shaky hands, he equipped his relic, and in an instant, a simple-looking bow materialized in his grip.
"What the…" the student beside him exclaimed, stumbling two steps back in shock.
The others turned their attention to the boy, their expressions filled with surprise and disbelief. The weapon had appeared out of thin air, and it raised countless questions in their minds.
"You only got a bow? Where are the arrows?" the nearest student asked curiously.
"Umm… the areo— I mean, the arrows… they, uh… they just… show up," the boy stammered nervously, fumbling with the bowstring.
His words earned frowns and skeptical looks. Was that really possible?
"You can show them how it works, John," Desmond prompted with a calm smile.
"Umm… okay."
John steadied his trembling hands, drew the string back, and before their eyes, a sharp, glowing arrow formed out of nothing.
The doubters fell silent, their expressions shifting from disbelief to amazement. John held the string for a moment but did not release the arrow. When he eased the draw, the arrow vanished as suddenly as it had appeared.
John raised his gaze toward Desmond, his eyes reflecting both shyness and intimidation.
Desmond met his look with a reassuring smile. Not because he was truly friendly, but because he knew exactly how formidable this boy would become in the future.
Well, this time he'll be on my side. Nothing to worry about, Desmond thought with ease.
He quickly redirected the group's attention back to himself, asking each student to reveal their fates one after the other. None resisted. One by one, their fates were laid bare before him.
Aside from John, the rest had talents—three were warriors, two were magic users, and one a support type.
After learning this, Desmond's lips curled into a satisfied smile.
But his expression quickly faltered when the walls shook, and monsters stormed the classroom.
Goblins leapt through shattered windows, their shrieks filling the air, while zombies slammed against the door and battered the remaining panes.
The monsters had already discovered them.