Alys pov
The metal door slammed shut behind us.
For the first time since escaping Hell University—
the monsters' screams sounded far away.
Not gone.
Never gone.
But distant enough for us to breathe.
The underground shelter was massive.
Far bigger than expected.
Old subway tunnels connected to abandoned maintenance stations.
Generators hummed loudly in the background.
Dim yellow lights flickered overhead.
People moved around quietly— survivors carrying supplies, treating injuries, guarding entrances.
Everyone looked tired.
Not physically.
Mentally.
Like hope itself had become exhausting.
Lucien walked ahead without hesitation.
So this place trusted him.
Or feared him.
Honestly hard to tell.
Jay looked around slowly.
"...okay this is officially giving dystopian movie energy."
Kiefer glanced at her.
"You still making jokes?"
"If I stop joking, I start panicking."
"Fair."
Zien sat down heavily against a wall.
Ace immediately crouched beside him.
"You injured?"
"I'm fine."
"You limping says otherwise."
Zien sighed dramatically.
"I miss normal problems."
"What counts as normal now?"
"Exams. Gossip. People cheating in relationships. Not... mutant cannibal creatures."
Jay pointed at him instantly.
"EXACTLY."
For a second—
a few survivors nearby actually laughed.
Small.
Weak.
But real.
And somehow— that mattered.
Drake POV
The shelter leader arrived minutes later.
A man around his late twenties.
Tall. Broad shoulders. Cold expression.
His gaze scanned all of us carefully.
Especially me.
Lucien crossed his arms.
"These are the Level One survivors."
Murmurs spread across the room instantly.
People stared at us differently after that.
Not fear.
Something else.
Recognition.
The man stepped closer.
"So they're finally here."
Jay frowned.
"...why does everyone keep talking like we're some package delivery?"
The man ignored her.
"My name is Ryu."
Kavin narrowed his eyes slightly.
"You know about Hell University."
Ryu nodded once.
"Everyone here does."
That answer made silence spread again.
Alys looked confused.
"Wait... people knew about it?"
"Not exactly," Ryu replied. "Rumors existed. Students disappearing. Secret rankings. Underground broadcasts."
Jay blinked.
"...broadcasts?"
Lucien answered calmly.
"The rich treated Hell University like entertainment."
Disgust spread through the room instantly.
Gorya looked horrified.
"You mean people watched us suffer?"
Lucien didn't soften the truth.
"Millions did."
Thyme's expression darkened dangerously.
"...if humanity survives this, I'm killing them myself."
Honestly understandable.
Kenning leaned against the wall quietly.
"So the system was public?"
"No," Ryu said. "Hidden. But powerful people knew."
Ace finally spoke.
"And now?"
Ryu looked upward slowly.
"Now the system controls everything."
Jay POV
I officially hated humanity.
Like genuinely.
You're telling me people WATCHED Hell University?!
For entertainment?!
Nah.
The apocalypse suddenly made emotional sense.
Kiefer handed me a water bottle quietly.
"You thinking too loudly again."
"I'm judging civilization."
"You do that daily."
"True."
A survivor suddenly ran into the station.
Breathing hard.
"Scouts returned!"
Everyone turned immediately.
Three injured survivors stumbled inside.
Blood everywhere.
One collapsed instantly.
People rushed toward them.
Ryu grabbed the remaining scout sharply.
"What happened?"
The scout looked terrified.
"...another district fell."
Silence.
"We saw thousands."
My stomach dropped.
"Thousands of what?"
The scout's voice shook.
"Creatures."
The entire station became tense instantly.
One of the survivors whispered softly—
"They're moving again..."
Ryu cursed under his breath.
Lucien looked annoyed more than surprised.
Drake stepped forward.
"Moving where?"
The scout swallowed hard.
"...here."
Amazing.
Fantastic.
Love that for us.
Zien POV
The station exploded into movement immediately.
People grabbing weapons.
Barricading entrances.
Children being moved deeper underground.
Panic spread fast.
Ace stood beside me silently while watching everything.
Then quietly—
"This place won't hold forever."
I looked at him.
"You already knew that?"
"Look around."
He wasn't wrong.
The shelter looked stable— but exhausted.
Like it had survived barely.
And barely surviving never lasted long in this world.
Alys walked toward us slowly.
"You okay?"
I nodded.
Then immediately ruined it.
"...I think I saw someone get eaten today and my brain still hasn't processed it."
Alys looked pale.
"Same."
Jay suddenly appeared beside us.
"Good news everyone."
"There is absolutely no way good news follows that tone," I replied.
"Correct."
She pointed behind her.
Lucien and Ryu were arguing.
Aggressively.
Interesting.
We moved closer quietly.
Ryu looked furious.
"You can't seriously suggest that!"
Lucien stayed calm.
"It's the only option."
"We'll lose half the station!"
"Better half than everyone."
Alys frowned.
"...what are they talking about?"
Then Ryu noticed us.
His jaw tightened slightly.
Lucien answered before he could.
"The creatures are hunting you specifically."
Silence.
Jay blinked slowly.
"...come again?"
"The higher-ranked survivors emit stronger signals."
Kiefer's expression hardened instantly.
"Meaning?"
Lucien looked directly at us.
"The system wants elite survivors alive."
"Why?" Gorya asked quietly.
Ryu answered this time.
"Because Level Two hasn't officially started yet."
Cold silence spread instantly.
Not started?
Then what the hell was THIS?!
Kenning stared sharply.
"What happens when it starts?"
Nobody answered immediately.
Which already felt terrifying enough.
Then Lucien finally said—
"The Hunters arrive."
Alys POV
The room suddenly felt colder.
"The Hunters?" I repeated softly.
Even Lucien's expression became serious.
"They aren't like the creatures outside."
"Then what are they?" Kavin asked.
Lucien looked at all of us carefully.
"They're intelligent."
No one spoke.
Drake's jaw tightened slightly.
Ryu crossed his arms.
"They were top-ranked survivors once."
That made my stomach twist horribly.
"You mean humans?"
"Not anymore."
Jay rubbed her forehead aggressively.
"So let me summarize this nightmare."
She started counting on her fingers.
"We escaped fake hell school."
Another finger.
"The world ended."
Another.
"Mutant creatures everywhere."
Another.
"And now superpowered murder survivors are coming after us?"
Lucien nodded once.
"Basically."
Jay stared blankly.
"...I want a refund on life."
For the first time—
Drake almost smiled.
Almost.
Then alarms suddenly blared through the station.
Loud. Violent. Urgent.
Everyone froze.
A voice echoed through the speakers.
"Outer Gate breached."
People immediately panicked.
Ryu swore sharply.
"So soon?"
The station shook violently.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Then—
a scream echoed from one of the tunnels.
Not from fear.
Pain.
Real pain.
Ace looked toward the dark hallway instantly.
"...they're inside."
The lights flickered violently.
Then shut off completely.
Darkness swallowed everything.
Alys POV
People screamed instantly.
Children crying.
Footsteps everywhere.
Panic.
My breathing became uneven.
Then—
warm fingers grabbed my hand.
Drake.
"I'm here."
Just those two words—
and somehow I could breathe again.
Emergency red lights slowly turned on.
Dim.
Disturbing.
The tunnel ahead looked drenched in red shadows.
Then—
footsteps echoed.
Slow.
Calm.
Not like the creatures.
Human footsteps.
One.
Two.
Three figures emerged from the darkness.
Tall black coats.
White masks.
Blood splattered across them.
Everyone froze instantly.
Even Lucien looked tense.
One of the masked figures tilted their head slowly.
Then spoke calmly—
"Well."
A female voice.
Soft.
Dangerous.
"The Supreme survivors are prettier than expected."
Jay whispered beside me—
"...I already hate her."
The woman removed her mask slowly.
Young.
Beautiful.
Terrifying eyes.
She smiled slightly.
"You may call me Seraphine."
Another figure stepped beside her.
Male. Tall. Silver hair.
Cold expression.
"And we're here," he said quietly, "to begin Level Two."
The third Hunter lifted his weapon slowly.
A massive blade stained with blood.
Around us—
the survivors backed away in fear.
Because these weren't monsters.
They were worse.
They were human enough to enjoy this.
Seraphine looked directly at Drake first.
Then Ace.
Then Kiefer.
Recognition flashed in her eyes.
"Oh..."
Her smile widened.
"This is going to be fun."
Jay immediately moved closer to Kiefer.
Zien beside Ace.
Gorya beside Thyme.
Kenning beside Kavin.
And me—
beside Drake.
Instinctively.
Like our bodies already understood danger before our minds did.
Seraphine noticed.
"Aw."
Fake sympathy filled her voice.
"The couples survived together."
Thyme looked seconds away from killing someone.
Seraphine smiled wider.
"I wonder how long that lasts."
Then—
without warning—
the silver-haired Hunter disappeared.
Fast.
Too fast.
One second there—
next second—
blood splattered across the wall behind us.
A survivor collapsed instantly.
Dead.
Screams erupted everywhere.
And the Hunter smiled.
"Let's play."