"Agh… what the hell…"
My head kept ringing as I tried to wake up.
"…ghh…"
Voices.
Faint at first.
"G-guys… he's waking up!"
"Tch… finally."
My eyes slowly opened.
The first thing I saw—
Lia Heartly.
Her hands glowed softly as she healed my wounds.
I blinked, my vision clearing.
A white room.
Endless.
Empty.
I turned my head slightly.
Irina was walking toward me.
Nia stood a bit further away, talking to Leon and Liam.
"…How the hell did you guys survive a B-rank Void-Born?" Leon's voice carried over. "That doesn't make any sense."
Nia stiffened.
"W-well…"
Her eyes flickered toward me.
Nervous.
Irina cut in immediately.
"We just got lucky."
Leon frowned.
"Even with luck—"
"Enough," Liam interrupted calmly. "Let's focus on what to do next."
Lia hesitated before speaking softly.
"U-um… did Carl really not survive…?"
A brief silence.
Irina exhaled.
"…Yeah. He got eliminated."
—
I pushed myself up, ignoring the dull pain in my head.
Nia walked over.
"After you passed out, the door opened. We carried you here."
She glanced around.
"It seems like this is where all the remaining teams gather."
I followed her gaze.
Dozens of cadets filled the room.
Some sat silently, staring at nothing.
Some clutched their wounds.
And some…
Were crying.
Even if this was a VR trial—
The pain…
The fear…
It all felt too real.
For most of them—
This was their first time experiencing something like this.
—
Liam spoke again.
"I suggest we form a temporary truce and work together."
Leon nodded.
"Not a bad idea, considering the situation."
I exhaled.
"…Yeah. First we should—"
—
BUZZZZZZZZZZZ—!!
A deafening red alarm erupted throughout the room.
Everyone froze.
The white space flickered—
Then—
Something appeared.
At the center of the room.
—
A creature.
Grotesque.
Its arms were blades—long, jagged, dripping with dark residue.
Its mouth stretched unnaturally wide, filled with rows of sharp, uneven teeth.
Its head hung low.
Eyes closed.
Motionless.
"…What the hell is that…?" someone whispered.
Then—
A voice.
It echoed directly inside our heads.
Cheerful.
Distorted.
"Good morning, CHILDREN!"
Confusion spread instantly.
"Who the hell is this?!"
"Haha! I'm sure you're all curious about who I am—"
A pause.
"—but we'll save that for later~"
My breath caught.
Fragments of memory surfaced.
Earth.
The novel.
The VR dungeon trial.
Chrono's death.
The massacre.
What happened here…?
The voice continued, playful.
"That thing in the center of the room…"
What led to the deaths of multiple cadets…?
"…is my special project~"
My heartbeat spiked.
No…
"A lovely mix of a flying-type Void-Born…"
What led to Chrono's death…?
"…with a few personal mutations of my own."
My pupils shrank.
That thing—
My gaze locked onto the creature.
"MEET PROJECT NIGHTMARE"
—
That thing… is Nightmare
A whisper escaped my lips.
"…No way…"
The voice chuckled again.
"Now then~"
Its tone brightened.
"This is how the game is going to work."
A pause.
"I'll be releasing it in… ten minutes."
The room went silent.
"All you have to do…"
A soft laugh.
"…is escape this room and not die."
Another pause.
"Simple, right?"
Then—
The tone shifted.
Colder.
Heavier.
"And when I say die…"
A low chuckle echoed.
"I mean it."
"Your pods in the real world…"
A final pause.
"…will explode."
Gasps filled the room.
Someone screamed.
Others froze.
Some fell to their knees.
Panic spread like wildfire.
At the center—
The creature remained still.
For now.
____
Meanwhile—inside the real world.
"What the fuck, Dyrus?!"
Professor Clara's voice cut through the control room.
"I-I don't know!"
Dyrus' hands moved frantically across the console, trying to regain control.
In front of them—
A massive screen displayed the dungeon feed.
Dozens of cadets.
Injured.
Panicking.
And at the center—
That creature.
Professor Nox narrowed his eyes.
"How is there a S-rank Void-Born inside a dungeon calibrated for E+?"
His voice was cold.
Controlled.
"Something went wrong."
"Wrong?!" Clara snapped. "This isn't 'wrong'—this is a disaster!"
Dyrus swallowed hard, sweat dripping down his face.
"The system… it's not responding—this doesn't make any sense…"
His fingers froze.
The screen flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
Everything went black.
—
And a single word appeared.
OVERRIDE
—
Silence filled the room.
"…What the hell…" Clara whispered.
Dyrus' eyes widened.
"I-I've lost access…"
His voice trembled.
"I can't control anything."
Nox stepped forward slightly.
"…Explain."
"This isn't a system error," Dyrus said, shaking his head. "Someone… someone has taken control."
Clara's expression hardened.
"Is there any way to get the students out?"
Dyrus hesitated.
Then—
"No."
A pause.
"The system isn't responding, and we can't manually disconnect the pods."
His voice dropped.
"If we force it…"
He didn't finish.
He didn't need to.
Clara clenched her fists.
"…Then they die."
Silence.
Heavy.
Crushing.
Nox turned toward the exit.
"Inform the Headmistress."
His tone left no room for argument.
"We're no longer dealing with a malfunction."
A brief pause
His eyes flicked back to the screen.
To the word still glowing.
OVERRIDE.
—
"This is an attack."