Chapter 11 – A Team of Students
The scenes were like hell — fire rose from the ground as large clouds of smoke filled the city skyline. Nobody could hear anything over the sound of buildings crumbling one after another. The screeches of monsters grew louder, as if they were perturbed themselves by this disaster.
However, even then, nothing seemed to come to a halt; the sounds of gunshots and monsters kept intensifying, making sure to remind Jack and everyone else that the creatures weren't affected at all.
"It seems they're going for the simplest plan… scorched earth," Jack muttered as he leaned against the building's rails. "It's quite amusing that they reached such a conclusion so quickly and decisively."
"You'd be surprised at how many harsh measures people are ready to take in order to survive," Liliana replied in an almost sarcastic tone. It didn't surprise her that this was happening — it was simply part of the nature of all creatures when they faced a hopeless situation.
They wouldn't care about the consequences as long as they could survive or solve the problem before it consumed them. The same could be said for this nation. Faced with this completely unknown and destructive force, they didn't even allow time for other possible solutions.
That was what they lacked, after all — time. Each passing second, the monsters consumed and killed, destroying the entire nation as if it were an ember of fire in a field of corn. Nothing could stop such a force in a non-destructive way.
"W-What if they hit us?! What if they think we are monsters too?!" one person yelled loudly, their face paling. The rest looked up instinctively, staring at the passing aircraft. Almost immediately, a sense of deep dread filled their hearts.
Each jet passing overhead made their hearts race and their faces sweat. Each one could send a missile that would end their lives. Each one could truly be their end while they were stuck up there, waiting for fate to decide.
"Hm, it seems we'll be moving way sooner than I expected," Jack said as he stared up too. "Alex, Luna — pick up your stuff. We're leaving now."
He turned around to start moving. There was no time to waste; these military jets were possibly aware that the school was filled with monsters, and they could target it at any time.
"Hey! Wait!" one of the students yelled. "Take us with you! We'll die if we stay here!"
"..." Jack stopped and looked back at the boy, intimidating him with a single look. "No," he finally said.
"H-Huh? You're going to leave us here to die?!"
"That's none of my business. The most I can do for you is clear the path as we exit this building. The rest is on you."
"..."
Jack's words were cold and harsh, almost like a knife cutting through the air. The crowd felt as if their hearts were going to leap out of their chests at that moment. Their only hope of surviving didn't want to help them.
"Y-You're cruel!" one girl yelled, tears in her eyes. "Do you not have any good in your heart? We have no one to save us!"
"You do," Jack replied. "You. Save your own life. You have the tool for that — you're just far too afraid to use it."
'The last thing I want hindering me is a group of fearful, weak people. They'll get me killed with them,' he mused. Jack knew what he was doing was morally questionable, but he frankly didn't care.
For him, morals fell the moment this city and this world turned into an inferno. What good does being a hero do you? Perhaps a few thankful nods — and that's it. Jack was no hero, and he loathed heroes.
"Hehe~ I already like you, Jack," Liliana laughed, almost in a sadistic manner. She liked how decisive and smart Jack was. He didn't let his logic be hindered by things like morals and good. In a world that was changing rapidly, morals would be the demise of people.
Alex and Luna looked at each other before they nodded and picked up their bags. They had managed to grab them as they escaped earlier.
Opening the gates, Jack looked down and then started descending. His sword was already unsheathed. Behind him, Alex and Luna followed closely, looking rather nervous.
"Stay close and use the opportunities I give you to kill monsters. Don't hesitate — unless you want to die," he ordered.
As they walked onto the fifth floor, they saw several Undead roaming idly. Upon seeing them, the monsters rushed hungrily, ready to eat them.
Jack moved first, dashing forward as he swung his sword. The Song of Night cut through the air with ease, slicing a monster's head as if it were nothing.
[You have killed a level 1 Undead.]
[...]
Ignoring the notifications, Jack switched to the second target, and with a swift move, he sliced its legs off, making it fall to the ground. The last one attacked quickly, trying to grab him — only for Jack to stab it in the chest and push it down to the ground with sheer force.
"Go ahead. Finish them," he said coldly.
The two, who had watched Jack move, were completely in awe. He was able to take down all three in almost no time and with ease. His speed was also surprising — far beyond what it had been before.
However, his words snapped them out of their daze as they quickly rushed toward him.
"Here, use this." Jack pulled an iron bar and threw it to Alex. "Stab the head."
"Gulp..." The boy gulped nervously as he stared at the legless monster. Even though he knew this thing was no longer human, he still felt sick imagining himself killing it. His hands shook as he gripped the iron bar tightly.
'I'm going to kill… something,' he thought. 'Someone…'
The idea was so foreign, he couldn't even process it.
"You either kill it now, or you'll die. There's no third option," Jack added calmly, noticing the hesitation. "Make your choice — or let her kill and go back to the others."
Those words worked like a wake-up call for Alex, who snapped out of it and finally shook his head.
"Ok, ok… I'll do it…" he muttered as he took a deep breath. Then, he finally aimed the iron bar at the monster's head. "I'm sorry…"
Swish
Thrusting down, the bar pierced through the monster's head, killing it on the spot. Alex felt the softness of the brain matter and the crunch of the bones reverberate through his body, making him feel nauseous.
"I'm sorry…" he muttered again in a shaky voice. That was when…
[You have unlocked the Divine Records' Blessing.]
[You have killed…]
"Wha— This…" Alex muttered in a daze, reading the floating box.
"Are you seeing it?" Jack asked.
"Y-Yes! Is this the special ability you were talking about?" the boy asked.
"Yes. You've awakened now. You'll be able to get stronger from killing these things," Jack explained. "You'll also get skills and weapons from them."
Then, he turned to Luna, who was watching silently, before he handed her the iron bar. "Go ahead. Your turn."
Luna stared at him with her beautiful eyes before she nodded and grabbed the rod, aiming it at the pinned monster. The creature was still trying to resist, but its attempts were futile.
However, unlike Alex, Luna didn't hesitate — a second later, she delivered a deadly blow to the monster's head, killing it on the spot.
Then, just like Alex, she received a similar notification. Staring at it silently, a flash of awe appeared in her eyes.
"Interesting…" she muttered. "I wonder why we get such a thing from killing monsters."
"Who knows…?" Jack replied casually.
"Hehe~ little liar," Liliana chuckled amusedly, which earned her a glare from Jack.
"Anyway, now that you two have awakened, you can access your status menu. Just think of the word status, and it should appear."
The two followed the order, and their long sheets appeared before their eyes. Their gasps of awe echoed in the hall.
"Woah! This looks exactly like a game menu!" Alex exclaimed.
"No, it doesn't just look like one…" Luna muttered. "It is one…"