I was staring out the window when it started.
Not that anything had happened yet.
Students moved across the courtyard in scattered groups—laughing, chatting, rushing to class. A normal day. Too normal… to the point it felt wrong.
Or maybe I was just overthinking again.
Four hundred years ago, none of this would've looked normal.
Back then, the world ran on electricity.
Now—
Everything ran on mana.
Which is great. Very advanced. Very efficient.
Also slightly concerning… when you think about how everything depends on invisible energy.
"Hina."
I didn't respond.
"Hina."
A pen tapped against my notebook.
I glanced to the side. Riya was leaning toward me, eyebrows raised. "Are you even here right now?"
"I am."
"You've been staring outside for five minutes."
"I was thinking."
"You always say that when you're not listening."
"That's because I usually am thinking."
She squinted. "…Did you finish the assignment?"
"I finished it yesterday."
"…Of course you did."
She dropped back into her chair dramatically. "One day, I'm going to see you panic like a normal person."
Bold of her to assume I don't panic. I just keep it internal.
---
From behind us—
"Oi. If you're done, pass it here."
I glanced back.
Do Haejin.
Leaning slightly in his chair, posture relaxed but eyes sharp—like he was paying attention to everything without looking like it.
"I'm not passing it," I said.
He exhaled lightly. "Cold."
"You should've done it yourself."
"I was busy."
"With what?"
"…Not doing it."
Riya laughed under her breath.
---
At the front, the teacher continued explaining mana circuits, chalk moving steadily across the board.
Mana wasn't just energy.
It had rules. Flow. Structure.
That's what changed the world after Valen Ares proved its existence—no, not existence… its use.
Everyone had mana.
But not everyone could use it the same way.
Some used it externally—forming fire, water, tools.
Others used it internally—strengthening their bodies, pushing past human limits.
That's why academies like this existed.
Not just to teach—
But to control it.
---
"If you spent half the time studying instead of talking," a calm voice said from the front, "you wouldn't need to copy."
Mina didn't look back as she spoke.
Haejin clicked his tongue. "I wasn't asking you."
"I wasn't answering you."
And there it is. Daily argument.
Where do they even get the energy to argue every morning?
---
A quiet chuckle came from the side near the window.
Kairo.
He didn't say anything else.
He rarely did.
That one is either incredibly smart… or incredibly suspicious.
---
Everything was normal.
Too normal.
---
The lights flickered.
Just once.
Quick.
Almost unnoticeable.
---
I stilled.
…Okay.
Yeah… that's definitely weird.
That shouldn't happen.
Right?
…I'm not imagining this, am I?
Mana systems were designed to be stable.
That was the whole point.
---
"Did you see that?" Riya muttered.
"Probably a fluctuation," Haejin said.
"Mana doesn't just fluctuate randomly."
"Then don't ask me."
---
The lights flickered again.
Longer this time.
A few students looked up.
Even the teacher paused—just for a second—before continuing.
---
My fingers brushed against my wrist.
The bracelet.
A thin, dark band wrapped around it. Fine cracks lined its surface, and deep inside them, a faint violet glow pulsed.
I don't remember when I started wearing it.
No one has ever asked.
It's just… always been there.
---
Tick.
---
My breath caught.
Slowly, I looked down.
The bracelet was still.
Silent.
---
…Then it pulsed.
Once.
The bracelet felt warm.
No. That's not normal.
It's never done that before… right?
…Yeah. That was new.
---
Outside the window—
Something moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
I leaned forward slightly, narrowing my eyes.
For a split second, it looked like something was crawling along the outer wall.
Low.
Unnatural.
Then it was gone.
I blinked hard.
What… was that?
My hands felt colder than before.
"Sit properly," the teacher said sharply.
I leaned back.
But the feeling didn't leave.
---
Probably nothing.
Definitely nothing.
Maybe I imagined it.
Yeah. That makes more sense.
Unless it's exactly what I think it is… in which case we're in trouble.
---
"Okay, now that's weird," Riya said. "My phone just lagged."
"Phones don't lag," someone muttered.
"It just did!"
---
Mine vibrated.
At the same time—
Everyone else's did too.
A sharp, synchronized buzz filled the room.
"…Did we all just get something?" Arun's voice came, already uneasy.
"Relax," someone started—
Then stopped.
---
Every screen turned black.
---
A crack of violet light spread across them.
Not on the surface.
Inside.
---
Apps began disappearing.
Messages.
Calls.
Everything.
Gone.
---
No one spoke.
---
[Installing…]
---
My chest tightened.
Yeah. That's definitely not normal.
---
Tick.
---
The bracelet pulsed again.
Stronger.
---
[SURVIVAL PROTOCOL INSTALLED]
---
Silence fell.
Heavy.
Wrong.
---
Then—
A scream from outside.
Sharp.
Cut off too quickly.
---
This time, no one tried to explain it.
---
[Welcome to Survival Class]
---
Panic broke instantly.
"What is this?!"
"Is this real?!"
"Sir—say something!"
---
The teacher didn't move.
"Stay calm. I'll inform the administration—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
His hand was shaking.
Then… he walked out.
---
Something slammed against the window.
---
Everyone turned.
---
For a single second—
We saw it.
---
A creature clinging to the wall.
Its limbs bent at unnatural angles, gripping the surface like a spider.
Its eyes—
Locked onto us.
---
Someone screamed.
The glass cracked.
---
Tick.
---
The world shifted.
---
For a brief moment—
Everything changed.
---
The same classroom—
But destroyed.
Blood across the floor.
Students running.
Falling.
Screaming.
Dead.
---
Then it was gone.
---
I gripped my desk, breath uneven.
No one else reacted.
---
Only me.
---
Slowly—
I looked at my wrist.
The bracelet was glowing now.
Brighter than ever.
---
A message appeared.
---
[Kill 3 Crawlers to Level Up]
---
But mine—
There was something else.
Faint.
Almost unnoticeable beneath it.
---
[Do NOT kill the Crawlers.]
---
My breath caught.
Why is mine different?
…That's not a good sign.
---
We're definitely not surviving this easily.
---
Something is wrong with this system.
---
And somehow—
I'm the only one who knows.