Two months had passed.
Two months of nothing but farming monsters, clearing streets, mapping territory, rescuing the occasional survivor, and slowly expanding their safe zones around the school.
It had become routine.
Dangerous.
But routine.
That night, James lay on the floor of the classroom they used as a base and opened his system panel.
He checked his Random Summon skill.
[Cooldown: 1 Month Remaining]
"…Still that long, huh."
He sighed and closed the window.
Sleep didn't come back.
So at 2:00 AM, James stood up quietly and left the room.
The school halls were silent.
He walked outside, breathing in the cold air, thinking.
Then—
step
A faint noise behind him.
James turned.
He saw a group of silhouettes walking toward him.
"…Eumie?"
Eumie smiled awkwardly. Behind her were her five friends.
"We couldn't sleep," Eumie said.
James scratched his head. "Do you guys want to walk around with me?"
They all nodded.
"Sure."
They left the school together.
The streets were empty. Moonlight painted the ruined city in silver.
As they walked, James spoke casually.
"I don't think I asked your names properly before."
They introduced themselves one by one.
"Eumie."
"Herro."
"Clark."
"Mhae."
"Alex."
"Ashley."
James nodded.
"Are you guys getting used to this world now? The monsters, the system, the runes…"
None of them answered.
Their silence was heavy.
James looked at them.
"…Do you want to hunt?"
All six of them looked up at him at once.
Hope.
Fear.
Excitement.
James quickly added, "But first, I need to test and train you."
He opened his inventory and pulled out a wooden sword.
He tossed it toward them.
"Who's first?"
Clark stepped forward bravely.
Ten seconds later—
"I surrender!"
Clark dropped the sword and backed away, sweating.
James nodded. "Good decision."
Next was Herro.
Herro rushed forward confidently.
James lightly tapped his shoulder with the wooden sword.
Herro fell to the ground instantly.
"…Too reckless."
Then Alex stepped forward.
Alex didn't speak.
He rushed James.
But this time—
Alex activated a skill.
James saw a faint glow around Alex's blade.
When their swords collided—
CRACK!
Both wooden swords shattered.
James blinked in surprise.
"…Where did you get that skill?"
Alex scratched his head. "I don't know. It just appeared after I killed a monster last week."
James nodded slowly.
"You just need polishing. You're actually good enough to hunt."
Alex's eyes widened.
Then James turned to the girls.
"Your turn."
But Eumie, Mhae, and Ashley didn't move.
Before James could ask why—
DING!
A loud system sound echoed.
Not just for them.
But for everyone.
The sound rang in the air itself.
In the sky.
In their minds.
Every single human.
Every single player.
Around the entire world.
System windows forcefully opened in front of them.
Words appeared.
> [World Announcement]
[Early Awakening Detected]
[The Nine Tailed Fox has awakened prematurely. Due to early awakening, its power has regressed]
[Current State: Three Tailed Fox]
Silence filled the street.
James' eyes widened.
"What…?"
Around the world—
People panicked.
Hunters froze mid-fight.
Survivors cried.
Players stared at the sky in confusion.
No one understood.
But everyone felt it.
Something enormous had just awakened.
And the world…
Plunged into chaos.