November 1, 2020
"Reporting from NAO, we need backup IMMEDIATELY! The Smiling Reaper has revealed himself!" an enforcer yelled into his radio as he slowly approached the Smiling Reaper, keeping his gun pointed at him.
Over ten police cars had arrived at the scene, and two helicopters hovered above, spotlights focused on a man wearing a black suit and a mask. He was standing at the edge of the Silver Bridge of Flinch, known to have the highest population of saltwater crocodiles. This bridge connects Lilika Island and Mindanao, with deep waters swirling beneath the city islands.
The Smiling Reaper—masked with the design of a grinning skeleton and hollow, dark eyes—laughed at the agents and enforcers who had come to capture and imprison him.
"Idiots! Did you really think all of this could stop me?" he shouted.
"We will begin firing if you don't surrender NOW!!" a voice blared through a helicopter loudspeaker.
"PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE FUCKING AIR, YOU DIPSHIT!" the police and agents surrounding him repeated over and over.
The Smiling Reaper ignored their threats and authority. He pulled a pistol from one of his suit pockets and pointed it at his own head.
"Aren't I better off dead?" he said gently, provoking the enraged officers and agents.
But there was no reply. The crowd continued their threats. The Smiling Reaper smiled behind his mask—and pulled the trigger.
The world is a cruel place, and unfair… That's why the only way to counter it is to be just as cruel, he thought as his vision began to fade.
In a sudden hush, he collapsed falling off the bridge, his blood splattering across the surface, and then he plunged into the waters below. The enforcers and agents rushed to the edge, hoping to catch sight of his body.
As he fell, his mask detached. A 7.18-meter saltwater crocodile lunged out of the water and swallowed his body whole.
His mask sank as the crocodile retreated, disappearing into the deep with the meal of its life.
Four years later, at Ka-agahan Academy
A student named Kian walked in front of the school gates, yawning as he gripped his bag. He could hear murmurs and conversations from the students around him as he entered the school building.
As he reached the stairs, he muttered to himself, "Life around here isn't that bad, actually… Though to be honest, I don't enjoy it either. I mean, I'm drowning in problems too."
When he reached the fourth floor, he walked down the hallway and glanced at the view below, continuing his reflection. "Hm. I wonder what would happen if I returned…"
Suddenly, a student tapped him on the shoulder. He turned and saw his friend, Enman.
"Yo, bro, I just reached 88% on Geotrical Dash! And I bet you're wondering which level—it's one of the hardest ones. It's 'I No Spy.'"
This game, Geotrical Dash, has been popular in our class for a while, Kian thought. My classmates compete to see who can get the highest score on certain levels—especially the insane ones that look impossible. The tough it's mostly just popular among the boys.
"You think? That's crazy. Let me tell you—I reached 92% on that level. Heh, get on my level. You're still just a fingernail compared to me," Kian replied confidently.
"Bro, that's not even far from mine!? And there's no way—that's impossible! You must be bluffing!" Enman shouted.
"Haha, you think I'm bluffing?" Kian pulled out his phone and showed him the score.
"IMPOSSIBLE!!" Enman shouted again.
Just then, the school bell rang, cutting their conversation short.
"Shit—we're late," Enman said.
"Don't worry. Teacher Harnet is always late," Kian replied.
They entered their classroom and went to their respective seats.
Kian sat in his usual spot at the back row by the window. He sighed as he sat down—just as their teacher arrived.
"Sorry for being late, class," Advisor Harnet said, exhausted and carrying a stack of books.
She placed them on her desk and sat down, catching her breath.
"You're always late, teach!" a student called out.
"Sorry, class. I've just been overworking these past few days," she replied.
"But you're always overworked, teach! Why not take a break?" another student said.
"Shut up, Tono. You're just saying that so there'll be no lecture today. And because of that, I'm giving everyone a quiz after this lecture!" she snapped.
Kian glanced at Tono. Tono—one of the geniuses in the class, also the joker and a bit of a bully. He makes fun of people, but not too much.
"TONO, THIS IS YOUR FAULT!" Sherl, the former student council vice president, shouted.
Hm. Interesting, isn't it? This school is like a hierarchy. The system is based on chess brilliancy: the highest are the Brilliants, followed by the Greats, then the Best. Below them are the Excellents and Goods, and beneath those—Inaccuracies, Mistakes, and Blunders. I'm in the Excellents… but looking down at those below me, I realize how badly they're struggling.
Time passed. The school bell rang, and everyone started packing up for their next class.
"Also, before you all leave—there will be a class event just so you know—"
But before the teacher could finish, the classroom television turned on by itself.
> [EMERGENCY BROADCAST SYSTEM — FINAL TRANSMISSION]
"This is the Emergency Broadcast System. Please stand by for an urgent message from the Federal Emergency Management Agency."
"What the fuck is this?" Tono exclaimed.
"…This is not a drill.
This is not a simulation."
"Multiple nuclear strikes have occurred. Luzon, Visayas, and countless others have gone dark."
"Additional warheads are inbound. We have confirmed targets across every continent. There is no safe zone. There is no response."
"Stay calm, everyone," Teacher Harnet said, though she was visibly shaken.
Everyone tried to process what was happening. Some students began to panic.
"Government continuity has failed. All command systems are silent. All lines are dead."
"If you are hearing this… you are among the last."
"So I guess my research was right… Everything is ending now. Shit… I should've known," Kian thought.
"There is no more help.
There will be no recovery.
There will be no tomorrow."
"Take shelter if you can—but understand no structure will stand against what comes."
"Hold your loved ones. Say what must be said. Do not spend your final moments in fear."
"WHAT THE FUCK IS THE MEANING OF THIS!? THIS MUST BE A PRANK!!" Krist shouted—Kath's twin sister, one of the most popular students in class.
"We were caught off guard. We were not given time. We didn't choose this."
"To the children of Mindanao… we are sorry.
We are so sorry."
Krist dropped to her knees, sobbing. "Mother, please help me…"
Kath walked up behind her and held her hand. Krist hugged her tightly. Though they were twins, Kath was always the more mature one.
"This station will now fall silent.
May whatever comes next… be kinder than we were."
A long tone echoed. Static filled the screen—and then silence.
Students rushed out of their classrooms, crying and panicking. Teachers tried their best to calm them, but it was hopeless. A timed execution loomed.
Kian's classmates cried for their lives, running out in tears.
Meanwhile, Kian remained calm. He opened the classroom window and stared up at the sky.
"Everyone is panicking. What a shame…" he muttered.
Not everyone knows this, but I'm actually the Smiling Reaper—one of the most wanted criminals in history. Everyone thought I died after shooting myself and being swallowed by a saltwater crocodile.
But that wasn't the case. The bullet entered just above my right eyebrow and exited behind my left ear.
With calculated precision, the trajectory followed a shallow path between the skull and brain tissue, missing major vessels and vital areas.
And that saltwater crocodile? Well…
Silver Bridge of Flinch—one of the most populated saltwater crocodile areas—was located at Lilika Island here in Mindanao. I chose that location purposely to end my criminal career.
After I shot myself, I was still conscious and took one last breath, knowing I was about to be swallowed.
Inside the crocodile, I held my breath steadily, avoiding hyperventilation. I stayed still for about a minute—any longer and I would've succumbed to acid burns, blood loss, or asphyxiation.
Then, I pulled out my knife and began stabbing my way out of the stomach. The crocodile's stomach lining is tough—but not armored.
I fired my gun through its throat, forcing it to vomit me out.
It was extremely difficult, and my chances of survival were nearly zero… but hey, I made it.
When I got spat out, I ended up in an isolated part of Lilika Island. But I managed to traverse my way back to civilization, having finally resigned from being the Smiling Reaper.
And of course, "Kian" is just an alias. My real name is Xiandre Valkyrie.
As the nuclear sirens blared, people screamed. Some gave up all hope—
And then everything turned white.
As everyone's vision returned to normal, they found themselves inside an immensely large castle. Though Ka-agahan Academy had over five thousand students, all who were present seemed to fit easily within the expansive space.
Everyone was confused—including Kian, although he appeared far calmer than anyone else.
"What is the meaning of this? Where am I? Is this some kind of an Another world? Is this even possible? Wait… if this is another world, does that mean the scientific theories about dimensions beyond our own are true?" Kian thought to himself, quickly piecing things together.
He looked around and noticed something else. "This is odd… there are only thirty of us here from our class. And the rest…"
He began counting quietly. "One, two, three… if I'm right, there are only thirty students from each class. It looks like only one class from each brilliancy level is here: one from Brilliants, one from Greats, one from best, one from Excellents, one from Goods, one from Inaccuracies, one from Mistakes, and one from Blunders."
"Each class has thirty students, which means there are 240 of us here in total." Kian concluded with a sharp eye.
"EVERYONE, may I have your attention, please!" a voice called out.
A young woman stepped forward. "I am Princess Millie, and if you're all wondering how you were brought here—it's because… you all died," she announced.
"What the fuck do you mean, 'died'?! I can't accept this!" Hoko, a student from Class Good, blurted out.
"She's right! What are you talking about?!" added Hikari from Class Great.
"Oh? Why ask such questions?" Princess Millie said with a chilling smile. "I thought you all already knew how you died. Hehe."
Everyone went silent knowing she is correct.
"Why did this have to happen?!" a girl from Class Inaccuracies screamed breaking the silence, falling to her knees in tears. "I just wanted to live normally…"
"Shut up! We're all in the same boat!" a student from Class Greats yelled.
"Keep your cool, bro. Don't provoke them, you're just going to cause trouble," retorted the Class President of Inaccuracies.
"And you're just an inaccuracy. I'm a great. Know your place," the student from Class Great replied with arrogance.
The Class President of Inaccuracies—Kobe—snapped. He rushed forward and threw a swift punch at the Greats student, hitting him hard in the face and knocking him to the ground. As the student lay stunned, Kobe grabbed him by the necktie.
"Remember—we're not in Ka-agahan Academy anymore."
He raised his fist for another blow, but a hand grabbed his shoulder.
Kobe turned and saw Glenn, the Class President of Greats.
"Sorry for my classmate's behavior," Glenn said calmly, his serious gaze locked on Kobe. "But if you continue, we won't hesitate to retaliate."
Kobe glared at him, then slowly let go of the student—Arel—and backed off.
"Retaliate? Are you trying to scare me?" Kobe asked.
"Oh please," Glenn said. "As if I'd try that. I'm simply being mature enough to stop a fight between the president of Inaccuracy and a lowly student of Great."
Kobe said nothing, keeping his pride intact as he walked back to his class.
"Thank you, Glenn…" Arel murmured.
"Don't thank me. You're a disgrace to this class," Glenn replied coldly and walked away.
"Are you all finished? Fufu~" Princess Millie said with a cheerful yet unsettling smile.
"Apologies for the disturbance, Your Highness," Glenn said, bowing slightly. "One of my classmates caused trouble. I sincerely apologize."
"Fufu~ what an elegant response. But even if you hadn't apologized, I would've forgiven you anyway," Princess Millie said with a sweet smile.
"Thank you, Princess," Glenn replied.
"Now, allow me to explain," Princess Millie continued. "I, along with Goddess Fillia, summoned you all here to become the next Holy Soldiers of this world. The last group… failed, and turned into devils. But I hope none of you will repeat their mistakes."
"Holy Soldiers?" someone questioned. "What even is that?"
"They are warriors summoned to defeat the Eldritch God of Profanity," Princess Millie explained.
"Wait—defeat gods? We're just normal humans," said a student from Class Best.
"I thought someone might say that," Princess Millie replied. "But each of you holds power over one of the Seven Elements of the Heavens."
"What kind of elements?" Sherl asked.
"They are Fire, Water, Air, Earth, Lightning, Controller, and Dark," the Princess replied. "Each element corresponds to your class."
"Wait—but there are eight classes here," said Hikaru, the President of Class Brilliants, speaking with confidence and poise.
"Fufu~ you're a quick thinker, aren't you?" Princess Millie replied with a sly smile.
"It's Hikaru! Oh my god!!" "He's so cool!!" "He's so handsome!!" "He's the most popular guy in school!!" "Did you hear the rumors? They say he has a… fat and big d—" "Wait, like how big?" "Maybe like 25 centimeters?!" "Oh my goshhh…"
The students swooned and gossiped over Hikaru, who held the third-highest reputation at school.
"Twenty-five centimeters is ten inches… what the fuck? Is that even possible?" Princess Millie thought to herself, blushing slightly. She quickly suppressed the expression and resumed her composed demeanor.
Kian noticed. He sighed internally. "The Princess is good at hiding her emotions… but to me, she's just another open book."
"Anyway," Princess Millie continued. "The eighth class does not hold just one of the Seven Elements. Instead, they are the Heroes—and they possess all the elements."
She smiled confidently. "Now then… shall we begin the test to determine which element your class holds—and which of you belong to the Heroes' Class?"
"So this will be our next life—a life of fantasy," Kian thought to himself. "Now this… this might finally entertain me, just like back then—when I was still… the Smiling Reaper."