The crowd was frozen.
So dropped their caras.
Others stood like statues... unsure if they were watching a demonstration... or the start of a war.
Fantasy-like powers.
Right in front of their eyes.
Ren stepped forward.
"These are the skills we’ve gained inside the World Tree."
Her gaze swept past the frozen soldiers, straight into the flashing caras.
"We noticed it on our way here... our output’s cut. What you just saw?"
She clicked her tongue.
"That was only thirty percent."
Seulgi’s diamond arms cracked, slowly reverted back to flesh.
"If we were at full power?" she glanced at the politicians. "You wouldn’t even be able to blink."
Zeke crossed his arms, unimpressed.
"So if you’re thinking of testing us again... be prepared to suffer the consequences."
Rayyaan cracked his neck, eyes still locked on the retreating politicians.
"Let’s hope they heard that loud and clear."
He said it in a low tone. Almost like a warning... no.
A threat.
"Continue."
Then Zeke spoke—
"In five years..." he said flatly. "All we managed was clearing one zone boss... just one!"
His gaze swept the room.
"Out of the thirty-seven left in the scout unit... only eleven of us walked out alive."
Zeke stepped forward, his voice steady, cold.
"And that—clearing that one zone boss—was what allowed us to return. To co back here."
He paused.
Letting the words sink in.
"But if we were able to co back... what’s stopping sothing else from crossing over?"
He pointed upward. Or maybe forward. Or sowhere beyond.
"If so other creature—hell, if anything from there makes it through... this place, our world... it won’t survive."
"Right now... we’re vulnerable. All of us."
Murmurs started again.
People are shifting.
"But..."
He clenched his fist.
"If at least 30% of the current population awakened their skills...
We might have a chance. A way to protect our ho."
Silence.
Then gasps.
This wasn’t just a press conference anymore.
This was a declaration.
A warning.
After the press conference, they didn’t wait for applause... or waste ti.
The eleven remaining elites dispersed across the Earth, each carrying the weight of survival...
And the responsibility that ca with it.
They weren’t just survivors anymore.
They beca ntors.
From dense urban places to mountain camps, they trained volunteers in everything.
Hand to hand combat, knife fighting, gun control, survival tactics.
How to hunt and scavenge in the wild.
And between drills, they’d whisper truths about the World Tree.
The deaths of their comrades, the appearance of the monsters they encountered, the price they have to pay for revealing knowledge outsiders aren’t supposed to know.
Years passed.
The curriculum evolved.
From desperate improvisation to structured training.
The goal?
To prepare them all.
Setting up four large Training Facilities all across the World.
North Citadel - Arica
East Stronghold - Russia
West Vault - Europe
South Fortress - Asia
The day ca.
Fifty thousand brave souls, volunteers from every nation stood at the Firewall.
The eleven walked among them, quiet and focused.
No fanfare. No grand speeches.
Just a shared nod.
Then they entered.
The Earth itself seed to tremble. A deep, resonating hum, like sothing buried beneath the surface... laughing.
Its roots stirred, at the tip of the tree’s entrance, a blinding light flared, followed by a number.
50,011
Soone mumbled, "That’s everyone... all of them made it in."
There were cheers. Tears. As if Earth had taken its first step into the unknown.
People stared in awe. Caras rolled. The World watched.
Then the number dropped.
Then—
49,998
The drop was small.
So thought it was a glitch.
Then—
47,777
The cheers stopped.
A cold breeze ran through the crowd, though there was no wind.
"Wait, what’s going on?" a woman clutched her chest, breath shaky.
44,404
"No... no no noo—" a man dropped to his knees, staring at the number."
40,013
Gasps. Whispers. Silence.
All at once.
39,999
"Is it a countdown?" soone said.
37,521
"Are they dying? Soone else whispered.
29,794
"Stop this! Pull them out! Can’t we pull them out!?"
No answer.
And then it stopped—
10,000
No movent.
Just silence
It was louder than screams.
A child in the crowd asked, "Mom... does that an the rest are gone?"
She couldn’t answer.
Because no one could.
Not yet.
Not anymore.
A collective shiver ran through those watching.
Pride beca dread.
Months passed.
So returned—limping, missing limbs, haunted by what they saw. Others stayed behind, exploring the tree’s impossible world.
The docuntaries that followed were raw. Gritty. Survivors staring into the cara, voice trembling, describing what they faced in the Individual Trial.
So viewers wept. So turned off their screens in horror. Others stared in awe.
But everyone understood one thing.
This was no re expedition.
This is war.
[Year 2082 : The Current Era - Earth - Present]
Sound of a desk being slapped.
"And that’s the whole summary of what happened during the first generations of Seekers.
Any questions?".
A student raised his hand.
"What is it, Daiki Inoue?"
Daiki smirked and pointed at Ahrie, who was clearly dozing off mid-lecture.
The professor’s gaze sharpened.
He raised his hand, forming a "C" with his fingers, and quietly uttered.
"[mory Static]."
He walked toward Ahrie and placed his palm gently on the boy’s back.
Daiki tried to hold in his laughter.
Ahrie’s eyes shot open—but his body wouldn’t move.
Two seconds of blank blinking.
"Alright, class. Head to the combat field. Your final assessnt will be held there."
Chairs scraped. Students stood. The room shifted into a mix of nerves and chatter.
Daiki strolled over to Ahrie, chuckling.
"You fucking asshole," Ahrie muttered as Daiki helped him up and walked him out of the room.
Professor Kaien stayed behind, looking at his hand.
His knuckles were tight.
His fingers twitching.
That dull pain again.
It was getting worse.
Outside, the two boys walked toward the field.
"So," Daiki asked, "what’d you lose this ti?"
"Wait—lem check," Ahrie replied.
Daiki let go.
Two seconds later, Ahrie tipped sideways and hit the ground.
"Hehe—seems like my body forgot how to balance again," Ahrie said.
"Geez... Prof. Kaien’s skill is busted," Daiki said as he helped him up again.
"Right? Forgetting a basic life skill for five minutes... That’s brutal."
"What if it made you forget how to breathe?" ca a voice behind them.
Both flinched.
"Holy—Naoya, don’t sneak up like that," Daiki said.
Naoya smirked and helped support Ahrie too.
The three of them continued walking, but as they neared the training grounds, sothing felt off...
The air was heavier.
The chatter faded.
And when they reached the gate, they stopped.
Dozens of students were already lined up on the field.
Only—they didn’t recognize a single one.
Just rows of strangers in the sa academy-issued gear, standing in eerie silence, eyes forward.
Ahrie squinted.
"...Where are we?...these guys... they’re not from our class."
Daiki glanced around. "Are they from other Training Facilities?"
Before anyone could answer,
A sudden static burst from the speakers made everyone tense before the announcent ca.
"Final Assessnt: Comncing. Observe caution."
Daiki’s grin vanished.
Ahrie blinked.
Naoya’s jaw clenched.
This wasn’t a re class test.
This was sothing else.
And none of them were ready.
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