Tari was certain he was going to die.
Today.
Right now.
Because no one sweats like this and survives.
His fingers trembled against the wooden desk, leaving faint wet marks behind. Sweat ran down his neck, soaked his collar, and slid along his spine in slow, disgusting trails. His shirt clung to his skin like a second body.
It felt like he had been running for hours.
But he hadn't moved.
Not once.
Around him, the classroom was normal.
Too normal.
The ceiling fan creaked lazily above, barely turning, barely helping. Thirty-two students sat in their chairs. Some whispered. Some laughed. Some slept.
None of them were drowning.
None of them were boiling alive.
Tari swallowed.
His throat was dry.
Why am I the only one?
His heart beat faster.
He wiped his forehead again.
Still sweating.
Still burning.
Still wrong.
"Tari."
He froze.
Professor Bamidele stood at the front of the class, tall and thin, his gray beard sharp against his dark skin. His cold eyes stared directly at him.
"Yes, sir," Tari said quickly.
"Are you listening?"
A few students snickered.
Tari nodded.
"Yes, sir."
"Then tell us," the professor said calmly, "why scientists believe Earth is approaching extinction."
Silence filled Tari's head.
He knew the answer.
He had heard it.
But the heat was eating his thoughts.
"I…"
His voice failed.
More laughter.
He lowered his head.
"I don't know, sir."
The professor sighed in disappointment.
"This," he said, turning to the class, "is an example of wasted opportunity."
The words hit harder than a slap.
"Earth is dying," the professor continued. "Storms are stronger. Heat waves are longer. Fertility rates are collapsing. Humanity is producing fewer children every year. Entire ecosystems have vanished."
He paused.
"The world," he said quietly, "is on its last leg."
No one laughed.
Because everyone knew it was true.
Outside the window, the sky was pale and sick.
It hadn't been truly blue since Tari was a child.
Food was expensive.
Water was limited.
The rich lived in cooled towers.
The poor endured the heat.
Tari endured the heat.
He clenched his fists.
He hated this world.
A world where he was born at the bottom.
A world where effort meant nothing.
A world where he would die poor.
Another drop of sweat fell.
Then
Everything stopped.
The fan stopped.
The professor stopped.
The whispers stopped.
The world stopped.
Tari's heart pounded.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
The heat vanished.
Instantly.
Replaced by something colder.
Something deeper.
The air felt heavy.
Ancient.
Watching.
Waiting.
Then—
BOOOOM.
The entire building shook violently.
Students screamed.
Desks rattled.
Glass cracked.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
"What was that?!"
"Earthquake?!"
"We don't have earthquakes!"
The shaking grew worse.
Tari grabbed his desk to stay upright.
Fear filled his chest.
Then
A voice spoke.
It came from everywhere.
From nowhere.
From inside him.
Cold.
Emotionless.
[THE ESSENCE RECORD HAS ARRIVED.]
Everyone froze.
Some cried.
Some prayed.
Some stared in silence.
Tari couldn't breathe.
[PURPOSE: FUEL THE GROWTH OF ALL LIFE.]
[PURPOSE: INTRODUCE MANA.]
[PURPOSE: GUIDE EVOLUTION.]
The building trembled harder.
Walls cracked.
Students screamed louder.
[PREPARE.]
Then
Silence.
Complete silence.
The shaking stopped.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Not even the air moved.
Time felt broken.
Then
Something entered him.
Tari gasped.
Energy flowed into his body.
Cold.
Sharp.
Powerful.
It moved through his veins like liquid lightning.
Pain followed.
His muscles tightened.
His heart raced.
His vision blurred.
"What… is happening…"
A blue light appeared in front of him.
Floating.
Glowing.
Impossible.
NAME: Tari
STATUS: Alive
LEVEL: 0
CLASS: None
MANA: 0
PATHWAY: Evaluting
His hands shook.
This isn't real.
This isn't possible.
Around him, more blue windows appeared.
Students panicked.
"What is this?!"
"I can see something!"
"What's happening?!"
Then
Someone screamed.
A horrible scream.
Tari turned.
Kunle was on the floor.
His body twisted.
His bones cracked loudly.
His mouth stretched open unnaturally wide.
His eyes turned black.
His skin turned gray.
"What's wrong with him?!"
Kunle stopped moving.
For a moment
Silence.
Then
He stood up.
Slowly.
Wrongly.
His head tilted.
His mouth hung open.
Black saliva dripped down his chin.
His eyes were empty.
Dead.
He looked at the nearest student.
A girl.
She stared at him.
Confused.
"Kunle?"
He attacked.
His teeth sank into her neck.
Blood sprayed everywhere.
She screamed.
The class exploded into chaos.
Kunle tore into her flesh like an animal.
He wasn't human anymore.
He was a monster.
More students fell.
More bodies twisted.
More windows flickered.
More monsters rose.
Screaming.
Crying.
Begging.
Dying.
Tari couldn't move.
His body was frozen.
His mind refused to accept reality.
This isn't real.
This can't be real.
Then—
A zombie looked at him.
Its black eyes locked onto his.
It was Musa.
His only friend.
Musa lunged.
Tari fell backward.
Pain exploded in his head.
The monster landed on him.
Its rotten breath filled his nose.
Its teeth opened wide.
This is it.
This is how I die.
Poor.
Weak.
Forgotten.
Tears filled his eyes.
Then
A new window appeared.
WARNING
YOU ARE IN DANGER
AWAKEN POWER?
YES / NO
His heart pounded.
He didn't hesitate.
YES.
Pain exploded inside him.
His body burned.
His nerves screamed.
His muscles tightened.
The zombie froze.
Confused.
Tari pushed it away.
He stood.
Breathing hard.
Alive.
Another window appeared.
SKILL UNLOCKED
Survival Instinct — Level 1
Your body reacts faster to danger.
Around him
Death ruled.
The rich died.
The strong died.
The popular died.
Everyone died the same.
Equal.
For the first time in his life
Status meant nothing.
Only survival.
A girl grabbed his arm.
"Help me…"
Her leg was bitten.
Blood poured out.
Her eyes begged him.
He froze.
If he helped her
He might die.
If he left
She would die.
His chest hurt.
He didn't want to leave her.
He didn't want to die.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
He ran.
Behind him
She screamed.
He didn't look back.
Tears fell from his eyes.
His heart broke.
But he was alive.
And in this new world—
That was all that mattered.
Behind everything
The Essence Record watched.
[THE STRONG WILL RISE.]
[THE WEAK WILL PERISH.]
The Essence record murmured
And Tari
The poorest boy in the room
Had just taken his first step.
Into hell.