Daniel stood against the wall as he watched the students quietly huddled together on the other side of the closed space.
He was the high school biology teacher and had been in a class when the apocalypse descended. He felt his body become noticeably stronger, and an interface from a system flashed before his vision. Just as he was checking the messages, the classroom erupted into chaos, as students suddenly transformed into twisted creatures that could only be seen in a horror movie.
He had run out together with the few students who still retained their sanity in hopes of finding shelter away from whatever nightmare had decided to visit them.
And what a great mistake that had been.
The situation outside was even worse than what he had witnessed in the class. Cries filled the corridors; fearful shouts resounded from within classrooms. Hundreds of figures moved in different directions, a greater portion of them being what he now accepted to be zombies.
He watched as they hurled themselves on students and teachers alike. He watched as they tore into flesh and drank blood, a crazy glint flashing in their eyes. He watched as they roared in pleasure with blood filling their wretched mouths. He watched as students fell and pleaded for their peers and teachers to save them. He watched as those who were begged for help ran for their own lives, without a care for whoever fell around them. And he was among this group.
Seeing that there was no path to survival, some students suddenly manifested magical powers that could only be seen in a fantasy world, before fighting the horde of creatures and trying to save themselves.
Only then did Daniel realize to check his system once again while running for his life. And what he saw brought a ray of hope in the darkness around him. He had awakened with an Epic class, one that Daniel—even without any knowledge of novels and fantasy stories—knew was powerful, formidably so.
He joined hands together with his students, and with his and Logan's help—a student in the class he had been teaching, one notorious for bullying—they formed a path back to the class room they came from while killing more and more of these zombies the system marked as Common. Then Logan had used his powers to construct a thick earthen wall that sealed the entrance of the class shut.
Only then were they able to secure some breathing space.
Now, a few hours into the apocalypse, Daniel had not been able to stop his thoughts from wandering. He was strong, and from what he noticed in the situation, they were cut off from the outside. He had tried using his phone, but there was no signal. Perhaps there was some interference from the system; he wasn't sure. Not to mention he had literally watched his phone battery fall like a leaking hourglass until it switched off.
A tall, bulky boy suddenly walked toward him, pulling him out of his thoughts.
"Did you see that global message?" Logan had a grave expression on his face. Despite the number of zombies he had killed, he was only a Level 4 Rare awakened. Sure, many of the students with them were already past Level 7, but they all only had a Common class. Logan was certain he was stronger than anyone of them despite being of a lower level.
And that was despite them continuously going out of their way to kill more zombies even after coming back to their new safe space. Luckily, the majority of the undead were of the Common class, allowing them to face and kill them in large numbers.
He and his teacher were even able to kill Common zombies several levels above them due to their class difference, allowing them to grind faster; otherwise, their levels would be even lower, and that included the students with Common classes. After all, they often reaped rewards from their rampage.
Daniel nodded, his eyes narrowed.
"What do we do?" Logan asked, as he gazed at the text floating above his teacher's head.
[ LV 3 ??? EPIC ]
Now that he had read the system message, he understood that the class of the man before him was stronger than his own. So, like any other bully, he quietly submitted and asked for his decision, despite the fact they had been butting heads just a bit over an hour ago.
Daniel didn't answer. He silently looked at the students resting a short distance away, his eyes lingering on the girls and the single female teacher. He swallowed subconsciously, as his eyes traced the contours of their bodies, a lecherous glint flashing within their depths.
'Not now, Daniel. You have to let their fear fester more. Only then will I act.' He smiled evilly in his head.
...
Scenes like those played out in several locations within the campus.
In a class not far from where Daniel was, a group of students stood, their clothes torn and blood smeared across their bodies. This group was led by one of the twin school belles, the head girl and president of the student council, Elena. A bright green text quietly floated above her head.
[ LV 5 ??? EPIC ]
Elena and Alice have always been known as the school gems. Both shone beautifully and academically, until Kael appeared and took Alice's spot as the best student of middle school. Yet Elena had kept her position without any competition for three consecutive years. Now, as a final-year high school student, she found herself thrown into an apocalypse, with death surrounding her on all sides. Still, despite the situation, Elena did not despair. Nor did she fall to her fear. After all, not only did she have an Epic class, she was one of the only two individuals in the whole campus—and among the few in the whole world—with a Talent.
.....
Nathan battled within his mind for a long time until his eyes fell onto his status once again. Gritting his teeth, he made his decision. He walked toward the others in the hall. They were on the first floor of the girls' dorm, within the great hall used to house assemblies and meetings.
Many students had flocked here after the apocalypse, their numbers almost reaching thirty. They had pulled together their powers and blocked the hall entrance with various abilities—ice walls, a thick wall of thorns, and many more. They had sought refuge within this quiet space and had made sure not to make much noise so as not to draw attention to themselves.
But after reading the system's global message, Nathan knew their approach was wrong. So he had drawn the others' attention and shared his thoughts, something he could do easily because of his reputation. After all, though it was not stated, he was known to be the most good-looking male student in school, and as a junior in high school, he had a lot of admirers.
Yet despite his reputation, none of the students listened to him. Even the girls who would flock toward him couldn't meet his gaze. He could tell from their expressions that they knew he was right. Yet not many could face their fear. They still clung to the thought of help coming from outside. After all, many children of government officials attended this campus, the most notable being Elena and Nathan himself.
But Nathan realized that thought was wrong. Only a few of them had surpassed Level 5, and that too in the heat of the moment of their escape. Even the few were only of the Common class. Nathan himself was only Level 1, though he was an Epic class holder. The few zombies he had killed along the way had not been enough to raise his level due to his high EXP demand, something he understood clearly now, once again due to the system message.
Seeing that no one else shared his thoughts, Nathan had been struggling for a while to leave on his own. Now, he had made peace with his choice.
'If I should die, then I will die trying.'
He moved toward the heavily sealed entrance, drawing a lot of eyes. People whispered as they watched his actions, fearful that he would draw attention to them or do something to the entrance they had sealed.
Nathan soon noticed some movement, turning his head to watch a girl approach him, with three boys following behind her like bodyguards. And it happened to be three of the highest-leveled present.
'Iris...' he muttered in his head.
If it wasn't because of the presence of Elena and Alice, the girl before him—who also happened to be his classmate—would have certainly won the school's number one beauty position. And unlike Elena, who was cold, and Alice, who always wore a deadpan expression, Iris was seductive and more outgoing.
"Nathan, do you really plan to leave?"
Nathan quietly raised his guard against the girl before him. After all, despite being sure she was among the few who had not killed any zombie, Iris had already reached Level 2. Not to mention that she was the only other Epic class holder within the hall aside from him.
"Yes..." he muttered after a while, his eyes showing his resolve.
Iris tilted her head to the side cutely. Despite her somewhat worn appearance, she was still so seductively attractive—especially her white shirt that had been tied up, revealing her flat and pale tummy and her enchanting belly button.
"And how do you plan to leave?"
"I have my ways," he said before adding, "...don't worry. I won't tamper with the door."
"Oh!" Iris raised an eyebrow in surprise before quietly standing to the side, the boys beside her mirroring her actions.
Feeling uncomfortable under her stare, Nathan decided to quickly leave. He reached the door and used one of his class skills, one with great potential but a 2-minute cooldown. His shadow suddenly moved before quietly slipping through the small gap below the sealed door.
Gasps resounded within the hall, and even Iris' eyes widened at the strange display. But Nathan didn't linger and quietly whispered under his breath.
"Shadow Step!"
.....
More groups of students and teachers hid in classes, in the storeroom within the school's canteen, the boys' dorm, and aside from the ones hidden within the hall, none of the groups surpassed twenty in number. In a school that boasted a population of over 900—a great feat in this backwater city—it was nothing short of pitiful.
Many lives had been lost on the campus, and this was just one tiny dot on the large surface of the planet.
The world was in mayhem.
If one zoomed out of the school, out of the city, and even further out until they could observe the blue planet with a great eye, what they would see was ruin. Flames rose into the skies. Buildings lay crumbled. Cars filled the streets, deserted. And blood marked every surface.
Again, the world was in shambles.
*****
AN: Please, vote power stones.