The rest of the morning was a torture test of patience.
Seraphina didn't speak to me again, but her presence was a constant pressure. Every time I moved, I felt her attention snap to me. She was like a turret on standby mode, ready to fire at the slightest provocation.
I kept my head down. I took notes I didn't need. I acted the part of the struggling student perfectly.
By the time the lunch bell was about to ring, I was mentally exhausted. Keeping up a facade against an elite Investigator burned more calories than actual combat.
Just get to lunch, I told myself. Get to the cafeteria, blend into the crowd, and disappear.
I watched the clock on the wall. The digital numbers ticked over.
11:59.
12:00.
The bell didn't ring.
Instead, a siren blasted through the school PA system.
WAAAAA-OOOOOO. WAAAAA-OOOOOO.
It wasn't the fire alarm. It was deeper, more guttural. A sound that vibrated in your teeth.
The lights in the classroom flickered and died. For a moment, we were plunged into darkness. Then, red emergency lights bathed the room in the color of fresh blood.
The holographic chalkboard turned static red. Huge, jagged letters punched across the screen:
[WARNING: DUNGEON BREAK DETECTED.]20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyHCqHjrdzY
[LOCAL SPACE LOCKED.]20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYK8G755eAi
[INITIATING TUTORIAL PROTOCOL.]
Screams erupted from the front row. Students jumped up, knocking over desks.
"A Break? Here?"20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfZYWSsZ8we
"My HP is too low! I can't fight!"20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXoUqThaVCR
"Open the door! Let us out!"
Someone ran to the sliding door and slammed their hand on the panel. "It's jammed! It won't open!"
I sat perfectly still. I looked at the window.
Outside, the view of the rainy street was gone. The noodle shop, the traffic, the other buildings—all replaced by a swirling gray mist. The glass of the window was gone, too, replaced by an invisible barrier that rippled like water.
We weren't in District 9 anymore. The school had been pulled into an Instance—a pocket dimension created by the System for a "special event."
And I knew exactly whose fault this was.
I slowly turned my head to look at Seraphina.
She wasn't panicking. She was standing up, smoothing out her skirt. A faint blue light was gathering around her hands—Admin Code.
She looked at the chaos around us—the screaming students, the red lights, the shifting reality—with a look of mild annoyance.
Then she looked at me. And for the first time, she smiled. It wasn't a nice smile. It was the smile of a cat that just found a new toy.
"Well," she said, her voice cutting through the screams. "It seems the anomaly has decided to show itself. Stay close, classmate. I’d hate for my prime suspect to die in the first round."
I looked at the chalkboard as the text changed again.
[OBJECTIVE: SURVIVE.]20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKSPiWYMXiu
[WAVE 1 STARTING IN: 30 SECONDS.]
I cracked my knuckles under the desk.
The Investigator wanted to see a show? Fine.
But if any monsters came for me, they weren't going to find a victim. They were going to find an appetite.
"Don't worry about me," I said, letting a bit of my true voice slip out—cold and metallic. "I'm a fast learner."
ns216.73.216.10da2
and then Add to home screen.