One boy collapsed to the ground, muttering in broken sentences: "Not real... it’s not real... it’s just a dream..."
Another shouted angrily, "Who’s doing this?! Which one of you set this up?! I’ll sue your entire family!"
The ship’s crew rushed up from the lower deck, confusion etched on their faces as they too stumbled with invisible screens hovering in front of them. This wasn’t limited to the students. It was for everyone in the world of upcoming chaos.
Ling Yu stayed unnervingly calm despite the chaos erging around them as her eyes focused.
She stared at the glowing blue screen with a solemn expression. Her heartbeat thudded, but not from shock, rather, from the cruel familiarity of it.
This was exactly how it had begun in her previous life.
The System Window.
’It’s finally starting...’ She thought as she stared at the window blankly.
When she was working hard every single day, Ling Yu had to question her sanity again and again.
What if all the betrayal, pain, her rebirth... everything was fake?
She would’ve lost the aning of life, completely destroying herself.
Even staring at the status window that provided her so much assistance, Ling Yu was ashad of herself for having such doubts. But she was thankful that she didn’t give up.
Her past self had scread with the others, trembling as she tried to make sense of it. But this ti, she only exhaled slowly, her lips curling in bitter resignation.
"...So it begins earlier than expected. The tiline really has shifted."
She skimd the lines of text carefully that stated, "Survive the Initial Raid," as the countdown ticked rcilessly, each second striking like a war drum.
There was no ti to waste or prepare; if they wanted to live, they would need to attack first and prove themselves.
And unlike her past life, this ti... they were not on land.
’I wonder if Song managed to evacuate along with the two of them as I told him to...’ Even in the midst of an upcoming life-death war, Ling Yu couldn’t help but think of those people. It all now relied on Song to ensure their safety, and she really didn’t wish to lose any of them.
The air shifted as the sea that was once calm even a few minutes ago stirred uneasily. The waves rose in odd swells, not from wind but from sothing lurking beneath.
A girl scread and pointed. "L-look! Over there!"
Far ahead, the water’s surface bulged, trembling as if so enormous creature swam just beneath. Fountains of foam erupted, spreading outward in rings.
Before anyone could process, another phenonon unfolded.
Above them.
The sky itself tore apart.
The blue canvas split open like fabric shredded by invisible claws, revealing a yawning void rimd with violet lightning. Slowly, it expanded into a jagged oval until it resembled a colossal doorway, hovering directly over the ship.
The entire deck fell into stunned silence, mouths agape.
"...What the hell..."
"No way... this... this isn’t real..."
But the growing hum in the air, the crackle of static, the sharp scent of ozone, it was all too real.
A new line of text flickered on the system screen.
[Warning: Hostile Entities Approaching]
[Prepare to fight, fellow strears.]
[For your survival and death chances upon fighting and gaining it.]
[Monster Type: Reef Gnashers]
Ling Yu’s pupils contracted.
Her worst fear was confird.
Humans were not ant to fight in the water. They were slower, clumsier, weaker. The sea was an alien battlefield, one that tilted every advantage toward the monsters.
And "Reef Gnashers"... she knew the na. The system itself supplied the description in their minds, like a force-fed tutorial.
[Monster: Reef Gnashers]
Appearance: Dog-sized fish with jagged coral teeth swarm in packs.Abilities:Gnash Bite: Rapid chomps that shred armor durability.Blood Frenzy: Go berserk if they sll blood.Weakness: Fragile bodies, easily skewered with spears.Drops: Gnashing Teeth (crafting basic sawblades), Coral Scale.
The text lingered for a mont before fading, leaving only horrified silence in its wake.
One boy laughed shakily, clutching his stomach. "Th-this has to be a joke. Like a VR event... right? Dog-sized fish with coral teeth? Who even cos up with this garbage?"
His forced laugh died when the first splash resounded.
SPLOOSH!
The Gnashers attacked in packs, their teeth gnashing, their bodies thrashing in perfect rhythm. They surged upward, attempting to breach the deck with sudden leaps. Several crashed against the railing, splintering wood as the students scread and scattered.
Water sprayed high into the air as a sleek, dog-sized shape burst upward, its scales glistening under the sunlight. Rows of jagged, coral-encrusted teeth snapped hungrily, clacking like grinding stones. Its eyes glowed faintly red, locking onto the nearest human.
The boy froze as the fish lunged over him, opening its huge mouth to bare its knife-sized teeth.
Its teeth clamped onto his arm without any warning.
CRUNCH!
He scread, thrashing as blood sprayed across the deck.
The others shrieked in horror.
Dozens of shadows circled beneath the ship. More splashes made the monsters go crazy as they leapt, gnashing with razor coral teeth, their bodies writhing as they thudded onto the deck, flopping just long enough to sink teeth into shrieking victims before dragging them back toward the edge.
The deck beca chaotic. Blood and screams echoed as the students sprinted, so tripping, so pushing others down in panic. The crew tried to intervene, wielding mop handles, knives, anything they could grab, but the monsters ca in swarms.
Ling Yu’s expression hardened.
So it had begun.
Her mind spun like steel gears. She couldn’t save everyone; too many would die here, just like before. But she had prepared. Her body, her stamina, her training... all leading to this mont.
Ling Yu’s body shifted into motion before her mind could even fully process. Her System window flared, overlaying the deck with tactical data: enemy count, attack speed, potential drop yield, and suggested counterasures.
Though she didn’t need any of them, despite being low-class, she still was a veteran hunter in her past life.
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