A single day of rest.
That was all they got.
After the intense first level, their bodies were tired, but their minds never truly relaxed. Somewhere deep inside, each of them knew—Level 2 would not be like before.
And they were right.
The next morning, all the teams gathered once again at the massive entrance of a new zone. The atmosphere felt heavier this time. No one was laughing. No one was showing off.
Even the strongest students looked serious.
Then a voice echoed across the area.
"Congratulations. You have passed Level 1."
Everyone looked up.
"That… was the easy part."
A chill ran through the crowd.
"This is Level 2."
A pause.
Then—
"You will now be sent into a high-risk zone. A forest filled with high-ranking ghosts."
Murmurs spread instantly.
"Time limit: Three days."
"Objective: Survive… and eliminate as many ghosts as possible."
"Top-performing teams will advance."
The voice turned colder.
"And listen carefully… in this level—"
A pause.
"You can die."
Silence.
Complete silence.
"This level will decide whether you… deserve to live as a Ghost Killer."
The eight of them stood together.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then Felix stepped forward, taking a deep breath.
"We've come this far… we're not backing down now."
Daniel nodded.
"Yeah. We'll show them what Nightfall Kingdom is made of."
One by one, they all agreed.
"Sir… we'll make you proud."
Mrs. Stone, standing nearby, gave a small but meaningful smile… and walked away without a word.
Before entering, Mary quietly pulled Daniel aside.
Her eyes were filled with concern.
"Daniel… you're still injured."
Daniel looked at her, surprised.
"I'm fine."
"No, you're not," she said softly. "You don't have to push yourself so hard. We're all here for you."
There was a pause.
Then she added, in a lower voice—
"And… I know you're hiding something."
Daniel froze for a second.
"But it's okay," Mary continued. "Tell me when you're ready. I'll wait."
Daniel smiled gently.
"You don't need to worry about me."
He stepped closer… and hugged her.
"We have to win this."
Mary closed her eyes for a moment… then nodded.
From a distance, the others noticed—but this time, no teasing.
The tension was too real.
Soon, all teams stood in front of nine separate gates leading into the forest.
"Rules for Level 2," the voice continued.
"No fighting between teams."
"Any team that initiates combat… will be disqualified."
"Focus on survival."
"Focus on ghosts."
"And… good luck."
The gates slowly opened.
One by one—
Everyone stepped inside.
The moment they entered… something felt wrong.
This wasn't a normal forest.
The trees were unnaturally tall.
The air was heavy.
No birds.
No insects.
No sound.
It felt… dead.
Lucy whispered, "This place… feels abandoned."
"No," David said quietly. "It feels worse than abandoned."
Everyone stayed alert.
Weapons ready.
Eyes scanning every direction.
As they moved deeper, David suddenly slowed down.
"What happened?" Zoya asked.
David looked around carefully.
"…Someone's here."
Everyone stopped.
"What do you mean?" Noah asked.
"I don't know… but it feels like someone is watching us."
David focused.
He tried to use his ability—mind reading.
He looked toward a distant tree.
There.
A shadow.
Someone was standing behind it.
David concentrated harder…
But—
Nothing.
No thoughts.
No presence.
Just… emptiness.
His eyes widened slightly.
"That's… not normal."
But he said nothing.
Not yet.
A few minutes later—
They all felt it.
A presence.
Heavy.
Cold.
"Ghost," Lily whispered.
"High rank," Felix added.
They spread out instantly.
"Let's finish it quickly."
But the ghost didn't attack.
It stayed hidden.
Watching.
Waiting.
"Why isn't it attacking?" Lucy asked.
Before anyone could answer—
A loud scream-like sound echoed.
Everyone covered their ears.
"WHAT WAS THAT?!"
And then—
BOOM.
A sudden impact.
All eight of them were thrown to the ground.
"What the—?!"
Daniel got up first.
And then he saw it.
Not one ghost.
Not two.
More than ten.
Surrounding them.
"Group of ghosts…" Felix muttered.
"This isn't normal," Zoya said.
"Forget normal," Daniel said firmly.
"Formation!"
Everyone immediately got into position.
This wasn't their first fight.
But this…
This was different.
The ghosts attacked all at once.
Fast.
Aggressive.
Coordinated.
"Left side!" Lucy shouted.
"Behind you!" Noah warned.
Weapons clashed.
Powers activated.
One by one—
They started taking them down.
But it wasn't easy.
Daniel blocked an attack—but another ghost hit him from the side.
Mary instantly jumped in.
"I've got you!"
David and Zoya worked together perfectly.
Lily and Noah covered the rear.
Felix controlled the center.
Their teamwork… was strong.
Very strong.
After a long, exhausting fight—
The last ghost fell.
Silence returned.
Everyone was breathing heavily.
Injured.
Tired.
But alive.
Lucy wiped her forehead.
"That was too much…"
Felix looked around.
"…Yeah."
Zoya narrowed her eyes.
"Ghosts don't attack like that."
"They don't coordinate," David added quietly.
Daniel clenched his fist.
"This feels… planned."
A cold feeling spread among them.
Suddenly—
A voice echoed through the forest.
"Attention all teams."
Everyone froze.
"This is the host."
"There is an emergency update."
A pause.
Then—
"One team… is missing."
Silence.
"What…?" Lily whispered.
"The Yellow Team has lost all contact."
"No signals."
"No trace."
"They have… disappeared."
Everyone looked at each other.
Fear.
Real fear.
This wasn't just a test anymore.
Something was very, very wrong.
Daniel slowly looked into the dark forest ahead.
His voice dropped to a whisper—
"…This isn't a normal mission anymore."