The angel's smile lingered in the sky.
People were whispering now.
"Representative?" "Leader?" "What does that mean?"
Ark's heart was still pounding.
Beside him stood John.
And the man in the black suit.
The man looked completely calm.
Not confused. Not afraid. Not surprised.
He looked… prepared.
Ark noticed that first.
Then the man spoke.
"I suppose formal introductions are necessary."
His voice was smooth.
Controlled.
"My name is Gob Adsnoc."
Ark frowned.
The name felt unfamiliar.
Strange.
Like it didn't belong to this world.
John tilted his head slightly.
"Gob Adsnoc… interesting name."
The man smiled.
Before Ark could question him—
The angel's voice echoed again.
"It appears the system has completed its selection."
A massive system window slowly materialized in the sky.
Not instantly.
Slowly.
As if it wanted everyone to read it together.
[Earth's Representative Selected: Gob Adsnoc]
The air shifted.
People gasped.
Ark's body stiffened.
He turned his head slowly.
The man in the suit—
Still smiling.
Still standing calmly.
Ark's throat felt dry.
"You…"
Gob adjusted his sleeve slightly.
"I suppose this complicates things."
Before Ark could grab him—
Gob grabbed John and run.
John get surprised.
"Wait—"
And Gob sprinted off.
He was fast, almost as fast as James.
Of course Ark couldn't catch up to him, he just dumped all his points into mana.
"John?!"
He spun around desperately.
"Gob?!"
Just endless grass and terrified humans.
Ark's breathing grew uneven.
This wasn't random.
This was deliberate.
---
Far across the field, James stared at the floating words.
"Gob Adsnoc…"
He repeated it slowly.
Then again.
If the system chose him…
Then he mattered.
The system didn't make sentimental choices.
It made functional ones.
James turned to Martis and Sampon.
"Find Ark and the others. Now."
They vanished instantly.
James exhaled slowly.
He turned back to the six teenagers behind him.
Eumie was staring at the sky.
Mhae looked pale.
Clark was pretending to stay composed.
James stepped in front of them slightly.
"Stay close. No matter what."
Above, the angel continued speaking.
"The next zone shall be known as… the Pangaea Zone."
The name rolled across the field.
Some people repeated it quietly.
Pangaea.
"From this point onward," the angel said calmly, "things will begin properly."
A pause.
The angel seemed to enjoy the silence.
"You have been playing survival."
"Now you will begin evolution."
Murmurs spread.
The angel continued.
"All humans who perished in the Tutorial Zone will be resurrected upon entry into Pangaea."
Gasps erupted.
Hope flickered in thousands of eyes.
But the angel lifted a finger.
"They will return at Level 1."
Hope twisted into tension.
Everything earned.
Reset.
"This," the angel said softly, "is where the true beginning starts."
He smiled.
Not kindly.
Not cruelly.
Just knowingly.
"And I shall be watching."
The laugh that followed wasn't loud.
But it carried.
It felt like someone enjoying a show.
James' hands slowly clenched.
His nails dug into his palms.
"Damn it…"
Moments later—
Martis and Sampon reappeared.
With Ark.
James immediately looked behind them.
"Where's John?"
Ark swallowed.
"There was a man in a black suit. He introduced himself as Gob Adsnoc."
James' eyes sharpened.
"The system confirmed it."
Ark nodded slowly.
"And then… they vanished."
James' thoughts raced.
Why John?
Out of everyone.
Why John Delgo?
He was dangerous.
Unstable.
But useful.
Was that it?
Before James could continue—
He noticed something.
"…Where are Martis and Sampon?"
Ark blinked.
They had been standing there seconds ago.
Now—
Gone.
No summoning circle. No sound. No warning.
James' chest tightened.
This wasn't coincidence.
The angel was still in the sky.
Watching.
Smiling.
And suddenly—
This didn't feel like a tutorial anymore.