The seven students stared at the Galaxy Bracelet on Mirabella's wrist, then down at their own, identical metallic bands.
"Senior, what is Galaxy Fall?" Grace finally asked, her voice a mix of awe and confusion.
Mirabella walked toward Grace and held up her own wrist. "This is the Galaxy Bracelet. You tap it, and you leave this world for the game world."
The students, recognizing the source of the band on their wrists, were stunned. They had thought it was just a strange accessory that appeared after the sky turned red.
"What's on the other side?" Grace asked, looking up at Mirabella, her youthful, determined gaze searching for assurance.
"Death," Mirabella answered without inflection, the single word hanging heavy in the blood-scented air.
A collective gasp swept through the group. "Then what's the difference from our world?" Grace challenged, her brows furrowed.
Mirabella allowed a sliver of her experience to show. "There's one crucial difference. If you survive the Beginner Zone, you unlock your spirit energy and your rank. You kill, you fight, you complete missions, and you become a powerhouse—someone who can easily kill everything out there." She gestured toward the horror beyond the door.
"You mean... you went in and came out? That's how you killed those things?" a guy asked, his voice cracking with hope.
Mirabella nodded. "Think of it as a brutal role-playing game. If you die in there, you die for real here."
The students exchanged anxious glances. For them, death was already a palpable, immediate threat. The game offered a chance at power, a way to fight back, a glimmer of control.
"Can you help us in Galaxy Fall?" another girl whispered, clutching her skirt.
Mirabella's expression hardened. "Sorry, I can't. Even if I wanted to, I can't. I won't be placed in the beginner round with you." She turned toward the door.
"I can't stay in one place. I need to keep killing to get stronger." She paused, adding a final, vital warning. "Don't trust anyone in there. Not even humans."
"Why is that?" Grace's voice stopped her, ringing with conviction.
Mirabella sighed, turning back, forcing herself to address Grace's naive idealism. "I know you want to help people, but that will get you killed. No matter what, always believe and trust only yourself. Galaxy Fall is filled with countless things—treasures, power... and betrayal. No one is trusted."
Grace stepped forward, her conviction solidifying in her stance. "I don't understand, Senior. We are all humans. Shouldn't we be helping one another to survive this? What's the point of killing each other when the real enemy is out there?" She took a deep breath, meeting Mirabella's cold gaze with genuine fire.
"I'm sorry, but I can't just sit still and watch my fellow humans die when I can help. If you save one person, that person can later become a backbone for humanity. Don't you know the saying? 'If you kill one enemy, you are a killer. If you kill ten; you are a soldier. If you kill millions you are a commander. But if you save one life, you are a god.' Haven't you heard of it?"
Mirabella stood frozen. The words struck her like a physical blow. She remembered the betrayal that led to her death, the calculated cruelty of her former allies. But then, she remembered the five who died because she prioritized the fragment. And then, the selfless sacrifice of Bella.
Selfless compassion. It was a concept Mirabella the Spectral had scorned, yet it was the one thing that seemed to distinguish the truly good from the opportunists.
She took a slow, deep breath, her focus shifting from pure self-interest to a grudging acceptance of a different path.
"That's okay, you do what you need to do... Just be careful," she said, her tone softening marginally. She opened the door and stepped back into the bloody hallway, Cupcake already settling on her shoulder.
Grace watched her go, a flicker of disappointment and resolution warring in her eyes, before she firmly closed the door.
"What should we do now?" the guy asked, anxiety returning.
"Should we follow her?"
"No. We must stick together," Grace commanded, her voice firm. She looked at the red sky and the carnage outside. "It's been hours, and no help is coming. The city, maybe the whole world, is facing this. We have to get into Galaxy Fall and get stronger."
"My family?" a girl whispered, tears welling up.
"Let's just hope they made it into the game," Grace replied, offering a shaky comfort. "We will meet them soon. If we meet in Galaxy Fall, let's promise to remain friends."
She raised her wrist and, with determination replacing fear, tapped the button on her bracelet.
A bright light enveloped her, and Grace vanished. The six remaining students exchanged a final, wordless look, then, one by one, tapped their bracelets, disappearing into the white light. The classroom was empty.
__
BAM!
Mirabella wrenched her dagger from the head of a massive Ogre-like monster. She stood in the school cafeteria, a mountain of slain monsters rising behind her.
"Is Master still thinking about her words?" Cupcake asked, landing lightly on a nearby chair.
"I hate to admit it, but Grace has a point," Mirabella conceded, walking over to the vending machine, only to find it shattered and covered in blood.
"Such bad luck," she muttered, sitting down at a table.
She picked up Cupcake and looked into her pure white eyes. "Hey, Cupcake. Did we do the right thing, not helping those five humans back in the game? Should we have helped them, even though they didn't know us?"
Cupcake cuddled into her. "Master did what she thought was right then. Besides, you weren't strong enough—"
"—Don't. I had Damage Multiplier. I wanted the Fragment," Mirabella interrupted, staring at her own reflection in the table. "If I had saved them, they might have given me the fragment, right?"
"I don't know, Master. You humans are unpredictable. But I agree with that child, Grace. The risk of betrayal is high, but the potential reward of an ally is higher when the enemies are powerful."
Mirabella considered this, stroking Cupcake's soft fur. It wasn't about self-sacrifice, but about strategic investment. A strong ally was better than a dead body.
"So, we start helping humans?" she asked, a hint of irony in her tone.
"What else can we do? We help the good ones. If they later try to kill or harm us, we kill them. That won't be on us," Cupcake reasoned, echoing Mirabella's own ruthless pragmatism.
A slow smile touched Mirabella's lips. A path that balanced survival with a small, manageable amount of conscience.
"Okay... We should help the good people." She chuckled. "But it should also be good if we mind our business most of the time."
"Correct. We shouldn't jump into every fight like some fools. We should observe, know the reason, and only if it aligns with our interests... we can help," Cupcake finalized, summarizing their new, calculated approach to morality.
"Thanks. What would I have done without you." Mirabella hugged the fluffy cat tightly. "But first, we hunt. We still need to eat and get stronger."
GRAAAAAAA!!!
BOOOOOM!!
Their conversation was violently interrupted. A colossal, venomous cobra, its body thick as a barrel and its eyes glowing with malevolent malice, burst through the reinforced cafeteria window, scattering glass and debris.
"A Lv20 Boss...?" Mirabella was stunned by the sudden encounter.
Without hesitation, she created a Arrow and sent it flying.
BAM!!!
The projectile struck the cobra's head with blinding force, and the colossal snake instantly dropped to the ground, dead. The difference in her power was astronomical.
"Okay, Cupcake, let's harvest the fragment. After that, we visit the marketplace." She tapped her bracelet, and the massive snake's corpse glowed, transforming into a purple card which she quickly absorbed.
__
An hour later, Mirabella walked out of the school gate, the Metal Dagger held loosely in her hand. Her clothes were splattered with gore, and Cupcake, in his larger, imposing battle form, walked beside her. The school was quiet now, a graveyard of monster and human alike.
She brought up her profile one last time, a cold sense of satisfaction replacing her earlier frustration.
{Name: Mirabella Sunny.}
{Game Nickname: Spectral.}
{Level: Lv25. (100/100,000 Exp).}
{Age: 22.}
{Physical Attack: 590.}
{Agility: 504.}
{Defense: 510,220.}
{Health: 125,600.}
{Magic Attack: 590.}
{Spirit energy: 30,000/30,000.}
{Kills: 835.}
{Boss killed: 10.}
{World Boss Killed: 1.}
{Neutral Reputation Gained: 20.}
"Five hundred thousand defense points gained in one hour on Earth, thanks to the Overlord Blessing."
She removed her profile and looked up at the ominous red sky over the devastated world.
"I killed every single monster and three bosses in the school," she declared, her energy spreading, sensing no more threats nearby.
"Time to visit New York City."
She started walking toward the city's ruined skyline.
"Maybe it's a good thing Galaxy Fall kicked me out."
The temporary setback had transformed her into an undisputed juggernaut on Earth. She was ready.