The steel doors of the Science Lab creaked wide open, revealing a shimmering vortex of emerald light that hummed with a low, resonant vibration. At the top of the doorway, a crimson ten-second countdown began ticking down relentlessly: 10... 09... 08...
Chaos erupted instantly in the crowded hallway as hundreds of desperate students surged forward at once.
Seeing his chance for petty revenge, the humiliated bully leader sneered. Instead of running for safety, he threw his heavy weight directly into Jeesuk's path, trying to shove and block him long enough for the portal timer to run out.
"If I'm not going, you aren't either, President!" the leader hissed, grabbing at Jeesuk's clothes.
Jeesuk struggled against the sudden blockade, but the thick, surging crowd made it almost impossible to shake him off.
"Hey! Get your hands off him!" Joel roared from a few paces ahead, turning back into the crowd to try and reach his friend, but the sea of panicked bodies shoved him toward the portal threshold.
05... 04...
Seeing Jeesuk trapped near the back, Yoorie's breath hitched. Deep inside her chest, that terrifying, boundless ocean of Level 999 magic surged, ready to burst free. But a wave of panic hit her just as quickly. No, no... if I unleash it here, I might hurt someone. I might hurt Jeesuk.
Terrified of her own destructive force, Yoorie pushed the power back down into the dark. She wouldn't risk using magic in this tightly packed mob. Relying purely on her natural speed and determination, she plunged into the sea of panicked students. She wove desperately through the surging bodies, slipped right past the leader's blind side, and grabbed Jeesuk tightly by the wrist.
"Come on!" she yelled over the deafening noise.
With a desperate, frantic pull, she yanked Jeesuk free from the bully leader's grip. Hand in hand, they sprinted the last few meters and dove straight into the emerald light, tumbling into the portal just as their friends—Joel, Kyna, Liyana, Minnie, Kiana, and Leo—screamed their names.
Behind them, the bully leader scrambled to catch up, his eyes widening in horror as he reached out a desperate hand—
00:00.
The portal snapped shut with a deafening thunderclap. The boundary hardened into a solid wall of force, violently repelling the leader and everyone else who was too late. Inside the vortex, the last thing Jeesuk saw before the light swallowed them was the terrifying realization on the gang leader's face as he was left behind in the dark, monster-infested hallway.
Inside, the blinding flash dissolved into a vast, breathtaking spectacle.
They stood at the edge of a colossal woodland that looked straight out of an ethereal fairy tale. Towering trees with glowing violet bark stretched into a dense canopy, shedding sparkling spores into the mist. Luminescent moss carpeted the ground, pulsing softly as if the earth itself were breathing.
"Whoa, Rep! Yoorie!" Joel gasped, rushing over the second the light cleared and practically tackling Jeesuk in relief. He slammed a hand on Jeesuk's shoulder, his heart pounding. "Dude, I thought you were cooked back there! That coward almost dragged you down with him!"
"Are you guys insane?!" Kyna burst out, running up alongside Liyana and Minnie. She immediately wrapped her arms around Yoorie to support her as Yoorie caught her breath. "You ran straight back into that mob?!"
"That was terrifying, but... seriously cool," Liyana admitted, exhaling a heavy sigh of relief as her hand finally loosened on her dagger. "You moved so fast, Yoorie. I didn't even see you slip past that guy."
"Don't scare us like that ever again," Minnie whispered, her voice trembling slightly as she held Yoorie's hands. "If the portal had closed a second earlier..."
"I'm fine, really," Yoorie said softly, offering a quiet, reassuring smile. Her heart was still hammering against her ribs—partly from the run, but mostly from how close she had come to slipping up with her magic. "I just... I couldn't leave him back there."
Before anyone could say more, a translucent violet interface materialized in midair, accompanied by a smooth, synthesized voice that echoed directly inside everyone's minds.
[ Welcome to Stage Two: The Ethereal Woods. ]
[ Objective: Hunt local beasts to collect Core Shards before the timer expires. ]
[ Current Participant Count: 379 ]
A collective gasp rippled through the gathered crowd.
"Three hundred and seventy-nine?!" a student near the front shouted, his voice cracking with panic. "That's impossible! There are five high schools in this city alone—each sent at least two hundred students! There should be over a thousand of us!"
"So... half of the students couldn't make it in? Or... did they die during the first level?" a girl asked, her hands trembling violently.
Jeesuk stared at the digital counter, his jaw set firm. "Many definitely fell during the initial wave," he said grimly. "Though I didn't expect the total survival count to be this low. The cutoff time at the end trapped anyone who hesitated outside... including our 'friend' back at the lab door."
"What about the kids who couldn't make it in?" Yoorie trailed off, her stomach twisting into a cold knot. A lump formed in her throat as she thought of those left behind. "Did the system..."
"We can't dwell on what happened outside right now," Jeesuk said softly, turning to her with gentle, genuine gratitude in his eyes. "We need to stay sharp, watch each other's backs, and work together to hunt these monsters in time."
"Hah! Look who's talking," a bitter voice sneered from nearby.
Fedrik—one of the gang members who had managed to slip through the portal without their leader—stepped out from the crowd. Still sore from his gang's embarrassing defeat in the hallway, he glared at Yoorie, who was standing quietly with her friends.
"You two barely made it in because your little girl had to play hero," Fedrik mocked, trying to stir up trouble to mask his own terror. "Look at her, she can barely catch her breath after one little sprint. How is dead weight like her supposed to fight monsters when the real chaos starts?"
Yoorie shrank back slightly under his harsh gaze, her fingers tightening around her wand hidden in her jacket pocket. She hated confrontation, and the reminder of how easily her magic could go wrong made her feel so small.
"Say that again, you trash!" Joel barked, instantly stepping up with his fist raised, his jaw clenched in anger.
Before Joel or anyone else could escalate, Jeesuk shifted instantly, placing himself squarely between Fedrik and Yoorie. His shadow fell over Fedrik, his dark eyes brimming with a protective, unbreakable resolve.
"I will protect her," Jeesuk declared, his voice firm and absolute. He turned his gaze to the surrounding crowd, his voice ringing with authority. "Everyone keep your weapons drawn and maintain a defensive perimeter."
Having seen Jeesuk's skill earlier, no one backed Fedrik up. The surrounding students naturally fell in behind Jeesuk, looking to him as their anchor in this terrifying world.
Yoorie watched Jeesuk's broad back, a deep, warm swell of emotion washing over her fear. Seeing him step up so fearlessly to protect her touched her more than words could say.
Beside her, Minnie and Kiana took positions on her right, while Liyana drew her dagger and stood beside Kyna on her left. Leo stepped up directly in front with his weapon drawn, forming a tight defensive star alongside Joel.
Within seconds, her friends had built a warm, protective ring around her.
Yoorie looked at their determined, anxious faces. They were scared too, yet they were standing ground to keep her safe. A quiet, gentle resolve bloomed inside her heart.
I'm so afraid of hurting anyone with my power... she thought, looking at her tremble-free hands. ...but if dangerous monsters attack them, I'll protect them from the shadows. I'll make sure none of my friends get hurt.
Above the woods, the system's vocal chime rang out once more, unfeeling and absolute.
[ Stage Two begins now. ]
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