Alys POV
The wind felt wrong.
Cold— but not natural.
Like the air itself was watching us.
Nobody moved for a few seconds after the system announced those words.
Level One.
It echoed in my head again and again.
Jay was the first to break the silence.
"Oh hell no," she snapped, spinning around. "You're telling me all THAT was only level one?!"
Her voice bounced through the empty campus.
No answer came.
Of course not.
Kiefer rubbed his forehead slowly. "I had a feeling."
Jay stared at him in disbelief. "You had a WHAT?"
"A feeling."
"And you decided not to share that?"
"You would've yelled."
"I AM yelling!"
"Exactly."
For the first time since leaving the university—
someone laughed.
A small laugh.
Zien.
Ace looked at him with slight surprise.
"You laughing during a possible apocalypse is concerning."
Zien shrugged weakly. "If I don't laugh, I might scream."
"Fair point."
But even with the jokes—
fear still sat heavily in all of us.
Because the campus was empty.
Too empty.
No guards.
No students.
No noise.
Nothing.
Even the sky looked strange— grayish blue, like a storm was waiting just beyond the horizon.
Drake stepped forward slowly, eyes scanning the buildings.
"Something happened while we were inside."
Thyme crossed his arms. "How long were we even trapped there?"
Nobody answered.
Because none of us knew.
Kenning suddenly looked toward the main gate.
"...did you guys hear that?"
Silence.
Then—
a distant scream.
Everyone froze.
Not close.
Far away.
But real.
Jay's expression hardened instantly. "Okay. That's definitely not good."
Gorya grabbed Thyme's sleeve slightly. "Tell me that's not another game."
"It probably is."
"That's not comforting."
"It wasn't meant to be."
A loud crash suddenly echoed from outside the campus walls.
Then another.
And another.
Like buildings collapsing somewhere far away.
The ground trembled beneath us.
Alys POV
Fear crawled up my spine.
Drake noticed immediately.
Without saying anything— he moved closer beside me.
His hand brushed mine.
Not dramatic.
Not obvious.
But enough.
Enough to steady me.
"What do we do?" I whispered.
Drake looked ahead.
"We move."
"Where?"
"Anywhere with answers."
Jay scoffed softly. "Great plan. Very inspirational."
Kiefer smirked faintly. "You got a better one?"
"Actually no."
"Then let's go."
We began walking toward the gates carefully.
Every step felt heavier than before.
Like outside the university—
the real nightmare was waiting.
Jay POV
The gates were open.
Wide open.
Which already felt suspicious.
Hell University never left anything open.
Especially exits.
As we walked through the entrance—
my stomach dropped.
Cars abandoned on roads.
Broken glass everywhere.
Traffic lights blinking red endlessly.
Shops destroyed.
Smoke rising in the distance.
The city looked…
dead.
"What the actual hell happened here?" Kenning muttered.
Nobody had an answer.
Then—
movement.
Fast.
A figure stumbled out from between two cars.
A girl.
Blood on her arm.
Terrified expression.
She saw us and immediately screamed—
"RUN!"
Before we could react—
something grabbed her from behind.
A creature.
Human— but not.
Its body twisted unnaturally.
Dark veins covered its skin.
Its eyes completely black.
And its mouth—
God.
Too wide.
Way too wide.
Gorya gasped.
The thing snapped the girl's neck instantly.
Alys covered her mouth.
Zien went pale.
But Ace—
Ace stepped forward.
The creature turned toward us slowly.
Then smiled.
Nope.
Absolutely not.
Jay instincts activated.
"OH HELL NO."
The creature lunged.
Ace moved first.
Fast.
Faster than human.
He slammed the creature into a car hard enough to dent the metal.
The thing screeched violently.
Kiefer immediately joined him, grabbing a broken pipe from the ground and smashing it against the creature's skull.
It barely reacted.
"...why is it still moving?" Jay whispered.
Drake's expression darkened.
"Because it's not human anymore."
The creature attacked again—
this time toward me.
I dodged instantly.
"RUDE."
I kicked it backward while Kiefer grabbed my arm and pulled me away.
"Focus."
"I AM focused!"
"Less talking."
"I talk when stressed!"
"We know."
The creature suddenly shrieked loudly—
and from far away—
more shrieks answered.
Everyone froze.
"...you've got to be kidding me," Thyme muttered.
Drake looked toward the streets.
"They're coming."
And then—
they appeared.
One after another.
Dozens.
Running through the streets unnaturally fast.
Black eyes.
Twisted limbs.
Hungry expressions.
Alys whispered—
"Drake..."
His voice stayed calm.
"We run."
Nobody argued.
Zien POV
We sprinted through the streets.
The sounds behind us kept getting closer.
Too close.
I nearly slipped while jumping over fallen debris before Ace caught my wrist immediately.
"Careful."
"I noticed."
He didn't let go.
Not even while running.
My heart was beating so hard I could barely think.
"What ARE those things?!"
"No idea," Jay shouted ahead.
"But they're ugly as hell!"
"This isn't the time!"
"It absolutely is!"
One of the creatures leaped from a rooftop suddenly.
Kavin reacted instantly.
He grabbed a metal rod from the ground and struck it midair.
The creature crashed violently into a wall.
Kenning stared.
"...remind me never to annoy you."
"Too late."
Another creature rushed toward Gorya—
but Thyme slammed it down brutally.
His expression turned cold instantly.
Dangerous.
Leader mode.
"You touch her again and I'll rip your head off."
Even the creature seemed scared for a second.
Honestly understandable.
Alys POV
We reached a huge intersection before Drake suddenly stopped.
"Wait."
Everyone halted.
"What now?" Jay asked breathlessly.
Drake looked upward slowly.
My stomach dropped immediately.
Rooftops.
Filled with creatures.
Watching us.
Not attacking.
Watching.
Like they were waiting for something.
Ace noticed too.
"...that's bad."
"Why aren't they attacking?" Zien whispered.
Then—
a voice echoed across the street.
Human.
Calm.
"Because I told them not to."
Everyone turned instantly.
A boy stood on top of a wrecked bus.
Tall.
Dark clothes.
Silver earrings.
Cold eyes.
Around our age.
But something about him felt…
wrong.
Not like the creatures.
Worse.
The creatures moved away from him obediently.
Jay frowned. "Oh great. Hot villain energy."
Kiefer looked unimpressed. "Focus."
The stranger jumped down casually.
No fear.
No hesitation.
He looked directly at us.
Especially Drake.
"...interesting."
Drake's eyes narrowed.
"You know us."
The boy smiled faintly.
"I know what you are."
Silence.
Alys POV
What we are?
What did that mean?
Thyme stepped forward slightly. "Start explaining before I lose patience."
The stranger ignored him completely.
Instead—
he looked at me.
Then Drake.
Then smiled again.
"So the Supreme Student finally escaped."
My chest tightened.
Drake's expression darkened instantly.
"You worked for the system."
Not a question.
A statement.
The boy laughed softly.
"Worked for it?"
He tilted his head.
"No."
Something about his smile felt terrifying.
"I survived it."
Silence hit again.
Jay crossed her arms. "Okay mystery boy, dramatic speeches later. Explanation now."
The stranger looked around the ruined city.
"Hell University wasn't a game."
His gaze returned to us.
"It was preparation."
Cold dread spread through my body.
"Preparation for what?" Zien asked quietly.
The boy's smile disappeared completely.
"For this world."
The creatures around us growled softly.
"As you can see— humanity lost."
Nobody spoke.
Because suddenly—
everything made horrifying sense.
The survival games.
The brutality.
The psychological torture.
The rankings.
The combat.
The manipulation.
Hell University wasn't punishing students.
It was creating survivors.
Drake POV
I already suspected it.
But hearing it confirmed—
felt worse.
The stranger looked at all of us carefully.
"You're the highest surviving players from Level One."
Jay blinked.
"...highest surviving?"
"Most students died."
Silence.
Gorya looked sick immediately.
Kenning clenched his fists.
Alys stared downward quietly.
Even Thyme looked disturbed.
The stranger continued calmly.
"The system chose people capable of surviving the collapse."
"And the rest?" Ace asked coldly.
"They became food."
Nobody breathed.
A loud crash echoed nearby again.
The stranger glanced toward the sound.
"They're getting closer."
Jay frowned. "Who?"
The boy looked back at us.
"The real monsters."
Then—
the ground shook violently.
Not lightly.
Violently.
Buildings trembled.
Windows shattered.
And from the end of the street—
something appeared.
Huge.
Towering over cars.
A creature far larger than the others.
Its body looked stitched together from multiple humans.
Its arms dragged across the road.
Its mouth split open unnaturally wide as it roared.
Alys grabbed my arm instantly.
The stranger sighed.
"...and there goes our peaceful conversation."
Jay stared in horror.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!"
"Level Two," the stranger answered calmly.
The giant creature charged.
Fast.
Way too fast for its size.
"RUN!" Drake shouted.
Everyone scattered instantly.
The monster slammed into the street behind us, destroying concrete.
Dust exploded everywhere.
Kiefer grabbed Jay before debris could hit her.
Ace pulled Zien behind a flipped car.
Thyme shielded Gorya with his body.
Kavin dragged Kenning out of danger.
The roar shook the entire street again.
I looked back once—
and realized something terrifying.
The creature wasn't attacking randomly.
It was targeting us specifically.
The stranger shouted from above a car—
"Because you're marked now!"
Jay yelled back while running—
"I HATE THIS SYSTEM!"
Honestly?
Same.
Alys POV
We barely escaped into an underground parking structure.
Everyone breathing hard.
The entrance partially collapsed behind us after the monster crashed outside.
For a moment—
silence returned.
Heavy breathing echoed around the dark parking lot.
Then Jay pointed aggressively at the stranger.
"You."
He blinked.
"Me."
"Explain EVERYTHING before I throw you at the monster."
Kiefer sighed softly. "Violence isn't always the answer."
Jay looked at him.
"It literally survives everything else."
"...fair."
The stranger leaned against a car casually.
"My name is Lucien."
Nobody trusted him immediately.
Reasonable.
Lucien looked at Drake.
"The system called you Supreme Student, right?"
Drake stayed silent.
Lucien smirked slightly. "Thought so."
Zien frowned. "Can someone explain what Supreme Student even means?"
Silence.
Then Drake finally spoke.
"...the highest-ranked player Hell University ever created."
Everyone looked at him.
Even Jay seemed surprised.
"You never told us that."
"There wasn't time."
"There was definitely time."
Lucien interrupted.
"And now Level Two begins."
Kenning crossed his arms. "Meaning?"
Lucien's eyes darkened slightly.
"The system doesn't end with the university."
He pointed upward.
"The entire world is part of the game now."
Alys felt cold all over.
No escape.
No normal life waiting outside.
Nothing.
The nightmare had only grown bigger.
Gorya whispered softly—
"...how do we stop it?"
Lucien looked at all of us carefully.
Then smiled faintly.
"You don't stop the system."
Pause.
"You survive it."
And somewhere above us—
the monsters screamed again.