Outside the classroom, the world was falling apart. Chaos exploded like wildfire—news reports flooded every screen, and social media buzzed with wild theories. Some claimed it was the end of the world, others believed it was a test from the gods. But none of it changed reality.
Survival was now the only thing that mattered.
In the middle of the madness, Mario and a group of students managed to seize one of the school buses. Ms. Jasmine, their English teacher, sat tensely at the front, her knuckles white around the steering wheel. The rest of the students squeezed into the seats, barely speaking. The bus was hot, cramped, and smelled like sweat and panic—but nobody cared. They were alive, and that was enough.
"Ms. Jasmine... I think Zane is still inside the classroom," a quiet girl said from the back. She wasn't part of any group—never picked sides, never joined in the bullying. But now, her voice shook with something else: fear... and guilt.
Ms. Jasmine didn't turn. She stared straight ahead, her jaw tight.
Mario scoffed. "Are you stupid or something?"
The girl flinched.
"If you're so worried," Mario continued, sneering, "why don't you go back and save him yourself?"
"He's not a baby. If he was left behind, then he only has himself to blame," Jasmine said coldly. She then drove off with high speed.
They couldn't afford to wait. A single F-Rank elite Gemini had wiped out nearly half the school in minutes. If it spotted them, it was over. Everyone knew it.
The girl opened her mouth as if to speak again but said nothing. Her lips trembled. In the end, she just looked away.
Inside the ruined classroom, Zane bled.
His back slid against the wall as he tried to stay upright, smearing blood along the cracked white paint and broken tiles. Glass crunched beneath him. Smoke drifted in from a hole in the hallway, filling the air with the sharp scent of burning metal and scorched plastic.
"You really are something," the Whisperkin hissed, its voice like wind slipping through a grave. It moved like a shadow, slow and deliberate. "Out of all the worlds I've burned, I've never seen anything quite as pathetic as you. Your own people left you behind. Like garbage."
Zane didn't flinch. He was too tired for fear.
"What does it matter? You're going to kill me anyway," he said, his voice low and cracked. Blood dripped from his temple, tracing a slow path down his cheek.
The Whisperkin tilted its head, intrigued. Its glowing eyes narrowed. "Hmm… interesting. You're scared, but not of me. I can smell it."
It crouched closer, sniffing the air like a predator.
"What is it you fear, human?" it whispered. "Tell me, and I'll grant you one wish before I take your life."
Across the globe, panic tightened its grip. Blake Walker—Zane's father and the brilliant leader of the United Security Federation (USF)—knew what had to be done.
While the world's armies struggled to adapt, he moved fast. Under his command, emergency meetings were held, and defensive fortresses began to rise—massive bunkers armed with nuclear weaponry and layered security grids.
But even protection had a price.
Blake proposed a new system—zones, ranked from the most valuable to the least. It was cold, brutal… and necessary.
Zone SS+: Reserved for world leaders. Presidents, prime ministers—those needed to maintain order and lead humanity through the storm. The main SS+ bunker would be located in the United States.
Zone S: Scientists, top-tier engineers, and elite doctors. People who could rebuild civilization when it was over.
Zone A to E: Skilled workers, soldiers, and ordinary citizens with something to offer.
Zone F: The truth no one said out loud. It wasn't a real zone. It meant you were on your own—walking prey for the Gemini. A death sentence wrapped in silence.
And while the world scrambled to build walls, one boy bled alone behind a classroom door.
Zane coughed hard, blood spilling from the corner of his lips and dripping down his chin. Each breath burned, shallow and sharp, like broken glass scraping his lungs.
The Whisperkin loomed nearby, its shadowy form flickering in the dim light like a dying flame. It moved without sound, its smoky tendrils dancing in the air.
"What do you fear?" it asked again, but this time its voice was softer—calmer. Like it genuinely wanted to know.
Zane barely lifted his head. His eyelids were heavy, vision blurry. But his voice, though hoarse, came out steady.
"I'm afraid… my dad will abandon my little sister."
The Whisperkin tilted its head, pausing for a moment.
Zane's breathing grew more ragged, his chest rising and falling in uneven waves. "He left me behind without a second thought. He won't look back. But Ariel… she's just a kid."
His fingers dug into the cracked, blood-soaked floor. Nails scraped against the stone, leaving marks.
"She's all I have left," he said, his voice breaking just a little. "I just want to know if she's okay."
The room fell into an eerie silence. No wind. No sound. Only the faint hum of darkness swirling around them.
The Whisperkin's glowing eyes narrowed like dying stars. Then it slowly lowered itself beside Zane.
"You don't fear death," it said, almost impressed. "You fear what it leaves behind."
It leaned in closer, its cold presence chilling the air.
"Very well. A deal is a deal."
Zane blinked. "What…?"
"I will send you to the place your heart longs for," it said, placing a shadowy hand over his chest. "You get one look. After that, you return here—to die by my hand. And if you show the slightest resistance… your sister will die along with you."
Zane's heart froze.
Before he could speak, a pulse of dark energy surged through his body. For one brief second, the pain vanished. His body floated weightlessly, surrounded by swirling shadows.
Then....everything went dark.
A blast of black light tore through a quiet military zone.
Zane crashed onto solid ground with a thud, groaning as he rolled over. Cold concrete scraped his arms. His body ached all over. His clothes were torn, soaked in blood. But none of that mattered.
Alarms wailed.
Soldiers spun around, weapons raised, their voices barking through the noise.
"Where did he come from?!"
"Don't move!"
Zane barely heard them. His eyes were locked on the massive steel gate just ahead. Letters painted in bold red:
ZONE SS+
He stared at it, heart pounding. His breathing hitched as he realized where he was.
He was the second son of the Walker family—Blake Walker's son. His father had six children. Five boys. One girl.
High above, behind layers of bulletproof glass, a tall man stood.
Blake Walker.
Standing beside him was a little girl with golden hair tied in loose braids. Her face peeked over Blake's arm, eyes wide with wonder.
"...Ariel," Zane whispered, his throat tightening.
She was safe.
His brothers stood behind Blake, whispering among themselves, confused by the sudden appearance of the bloodied boy outside their gate.
But Blake wasn't confused.
He was staring right at him.
For the first time in years, father and son locked eyes. No words. No emotions. Just a storm of things left unsaid.
Zane didn't wave. Didn't smile. He just stood there—bloody, broken… but alive.
A faint whisper brushed past his ear like wind blowing through an open grave:
"One look. That is all."
Darkness slammed into him again.
He crashed to the ground, landing where the Whisperkin had stood moments before.
Zane groaned, but then smiled faintly. "Thank you."
The Whisperkin chuckled, its smoky body swaying. "You're about to die, and you're thanking me? Strange one."
It leaned in close, voice low and rumbling. "Before I kill you, let me tell you something interesting."
Zane didn't speak. He just watched in silence. For a creature that was supposedly F-rank, it had learned human speech in mere minutes. That was terrifying.
"I haven't sensed anyone strong enough to put up any resistance on this planet," the Whisperkin said. "So, how long do you think it'll take me to wipe out all twelve billion humans?"
Zane flinched.
"Three days," it answered with a grin. "That's all it would take. Your sister will be one of them."
Zane's mind raced.
'Three days? That lines up with the tutorial ending… Something's off. What the hell is this really about?'
Then the Whisperkin added, "My brothers are coming. And they'll bring stronger ones—creatures that can destroy this planet in an hour."
Zane's heart sank.
"But I have taken a liking to you," the Whisperkin said, its grin widening. "So I'll make you an offer."
Zane looked up, desperate. "I'll do anything."
The Whisperkin raised a hand. "Don't be so quick to agree. I'm going to send you to someone… someone who will train you. If you survive it, you'll gain the strength to protect your planet."
Zane clenched his jaw. "Then send me."
The Whisperkin chuckled again. "Bold. But before you go, just know this—he has trained eighteen trillion before you."
It leaned closer, whispering the final truth.
"Only five survived."
Zane didn't even flinch.
The Whisperkin's smile stretched wider. "Interesting."
With a snap of its fingers, a swirling portal ripped open in the air.
Without hesitation, Zane stepped into it.
[SYSTEM NOTICE – GLOBAL BROADCAST]
TUTORIAL PHASE – TIME REMAINING: 63:47:08
OBJECTIVE: Survive. Adapt. Evolve.
Current Planetary Evaluation: RANK F (Extreme Risk)
Global Clearance Rate: 0.7%
Awakened Individuals Detected: 0
Highest Known Combatant: Omega Rank
World Guardian: [UNASSIGNED]
Hero Candidates: [UNDER REVIEW]
Potential for Apex Evolution: < 0.01%
Hope Index: 1.2%