"What the hell was that?! System notification? Players? Tutorial? What is this—some kind of prank?" one of the bullies behind Mario asked, panic evident in his voice.
The classroom had gone completely still. Everyone stared at each other. A strange tension hung in the air, like something big was about to happen—something that couldn't be ignored.
Mario scoffed, brushing the dust off his uniform like it was no big deal.
"Relax. It's probably just a stupid announcement or some kind of.... I don't know. But hey, the higher-ups will take care of it. You think we'd get dragged into something serious? Come on."
He turned back to Zane, who was still on the floor, blood dripping from the corner of his lip.
'I have a feeling everything I've planned till now is about to go downhill and fast. A voice this unnervingly loud and clear couldn't possibly be a prank.'
"You," Mario snarled, pointing down at him. "Don't think this is over just because some robot voice made an announcement. After I'm done with you—"
Ding!
A glowing light flickered in front of Mario's face, cutting his words short.
Then another. And another.
One by one, holographic screens burst into the air all around the classroom. Shimmering panels floated above everyone's heads, filled with glowing text. It looked like something straight out of a futuristic video game.
A soft chime echoed again—this time right in front of Zane.
His eyes widened as his own personal screen blinked to life.
'What the hell is going on? Calm down, Zane. For now, lets just observe. Now lets see if I can decipher its contents.'
[PLAYER STATUS]
Welcome, Player Zane Walker.
Tutorial Phase: Activated.
User name: [Should be selected within 24 hours]
Title: [Data Unavailable]
Class: [Locked]
Abilities: Pending
Rank: Omega [Nay (Unawakened Player)]
Skills: Initializing...
Tutorial Objective
A system-wide error has delayed the awakening of your ability tree.
As compensation, your tutorial rewards will be tripled.
Survive for the next 14 days using any method:
Hide
Run
Fight
Bonus Objective:
Defeat a single Gemini Beast (creatures from fractured dimensions) to earn a rare reward.
[SYSTEM TIMER: TUTORIAL COUNTDOWN INITIATED]
Time Remaining: 13 days 23 hours 58 minutes
Every second counts.
Every choice matters.
Tutorial Survival Begins Now.
The weak will fall.
The strong will rise.
Let the new era make or break you.
Good luck, Player.
To access your personal system at any time, speak these words:
"Open Status"
Zane blinked at the glowing screen in front of him. His fingers twitched. The air around him felt like it was charged with something unnatural. The moment felt surreal, like he had fallen into someone else's dream.
"What the... hell is this?" one of the students whispered.
"This has to be a joke?" another muttered, trying to swipe the screen away with trembling fingers. It didn't vanish.
Zane slowly stood up, ignoring the pain still throbbing through his jaw and shoulders. His eyes stayed locked on the glowing panel. Unlike the others, he wasn't panicking, he never had. Fear was something he had never felt, for reasons he would soon discover.
His eyes scanned the chaos, but his heartbeat stayed steady.
'If "Open Status" brings up information, then "Close Status" should shut it down, right?' he thought.
"Close Status," Zane said quietly.
The glowing blue hologram vanished from in front of him. Around the room, heads turned in surprise.
"Whoa! It actually disappeared!" Mario said, blinking rapidly like he couldn't believe it.
"How'd you do that, Zane?" he asked again, clearly impressed.
Zane didn't answer. He didn't need to. 'If you paid attention in class, you'd know "close" is the opposite of "open", dumbass. That aside, the information said something about Gemini beasts, does it mean we are going to have to face them? That is such an unplesant thought.'
Mario frowned. "This bastard… I asked a simple question and he's just straight out ignoring me."
He took a step forward, ready to confront Zane—when suddenly, a loud crash shook the building. Dust rained down from the ceiling. Everyone froze.
A Gemini burst through the wall like a nightmare made real. It stood tall and grotesque—slender, faceless, its limbs stretched like shadows in the flickering light. A horrible whisper filled the room, like dozens of voices muttering at once.
'I guess my plan crumbling apart is the least of my problems.'
Outside, they could hear screaming and panic.
Mario stumbled backward, pale with fear. The system window popped up again on everyone's screen.
[System Notification]
Congratulations, you have encountered your first Gemini.
Type: Whisperkin
Rank: Elite
Stats:
Strength: F
Intelligence: F
Speed: F
Agility: F
Final Rank: Whisperkin rank F
Abilities:
1. Fear Sense: It cannot see but senses fear and movement with terrifying accuracy.
2. Spatial Distortion: Creates random portals to disorient targets.
3. Death Roar: Emits a terrifying scream that paralyzes the weak-willed.
Weakness:
Soft Heartskin: A small, exposed patch over the heart. Piercing it results in instant death—but it's protected by shifting ribs.
[System Notice: Gemini Classification – Monster Ranks]
Normal – Mutated lifeforms. Basic threat.
Monster – Dangerous in numbers. Low intelligence.
Beast – Larger, brutal.
Savage Beast – Aggressive, may have elemental powers.
Elite – Smarter, tactical. May lead others. Can dominate all Ranked Geminis below its rank no matter their numbers or abilities.
Fiend – Cursed or magical.
Nightmare – Rare and deadly.
Demon – Apex of all Geminis. Pure destruction. Nearly unkillable. Dominates all Races of Geminis No matter their numbers or abilities.
"You've gotta be shitting me," Mario muttered. "What's there to congratulate. The bastard is just three ranks below a Demon, whatever that means. How the fuck are we supposed to kill it?!"
"This was supposed to be just a normal day at a normal school…"
Zane looked at the monster with an expressionless face. Surprisingly, he did not fear it. It was like looking at domestic animal. This was his first time he was seeing this creature yet it was like he'd seen them countless times.
Before anyone could react, the Whisperkin struck.
One breath. One movement. One heartbeat. That was all it took.
Eight of their classmates dropped in a shower of blood—cut down like paper by a blur of motion none of them even saw coming.
The two friends by the side of the window lay in their own pool of blood, the tendons in their necks ripped apart.
A girl lay motionless close to the whiteboard. Her left side missing a chunk of flesh. She stared blankly at the ceiling.
A boy face was burried deep in the concrete, another girl's head was twisted backwrds. The other three were in a much terrible state as it was difficult to tell from the shattered body parts.
Screams exploded from every corner as panic took over. People ran.
Mario shoved Zane hard in the stomach.
Zane stumbled back, slamming into a desk. The others bolted out the door.
"Lock the damn door and be quick about it." Mario yelled.
"No, Zane's still in there." The red haired girl said.
"Out of my way, you idiot."
Mario shoved her aside and locked the door.
Their cowardice was clear—they'd left him behind, hoping the monster would focus on him and buy them time to escape.
But strangely, Zane didn't feel threatened. He just stared at the monster with a blank expression.
'Idiots,' he thought, staring at the faceless monster then at the lifeless bodies. 'That thing killed eight people in one second. How much time do you think I can buy you?'
The Whisperkin turned its head—if you could even call that strange, twitching thing a head. Its body shifted with jerky, unnatural movements, like a puppet with its strings cut. Cold air like that of winter wrapped around the room. Zane felt it crawling across his skin—an ancient kind of wrong, like death itself had entered the room.
It took one slow, deliberate step forward.
And then the whispers began.
At first, they were soft—barely there. But they grew louder, clawing into his ears like bugs made of sound. Voices—too many to count—echoed inside his head. Men. Women. Children. Some laughed, others cried. All of them whispered lies.
"You're already dead."
"They left you behind."
"Your sister is next."
"And there is nothing you can do about it."
Zane clenched his jaw and covered his ears, though that did little to help the situation. His head throbbed like it might split open. His knees wobbled—not from fear, but from the pressure building all around him. It felt like the walls were closing in, crushing him with the weight of invisible voices.
'Breathe. Stay calm. Focus.'
The Whisperkin stopped moving. Its faceless gaze locked onto him, its limbs twitching with eerie excitement. It didn't have eyes, but it could feel him. It was sensing his heartbeat… his presence…
Then—
It roared.
A sound like a thousand tortured souls screaming all at once tore through the school. The floor trembled. Desks flew like paper. Windows shattered in a blast of force. Zane blocked his face with both arms to prevent the debris from hitting him. A desk flew and collided with his crossed arms, sending him stumbling backwads.
'I'm glad I was hit by a plastic desk instead of a metal one, otherwise, it wouldn't have ended with just a throbbing pain in my arms.'
[System Notification]
The Whisperkin has used the skill: Death Roar.
Zane's vision went white. His ears rang like church bells. His body froze for a second too long—but a second was all it needed.
The Whisperkin lunged.
Zane threw himself to the side on instinct alone. A black claw slammed into the spot he had just stood, punching through the floor like it was made of clay. The impact split one side of the building nearly in half. He rolled across the floor, breathing heavily and scrambled behind a flipped table.
'It's blind. It can't see me… but it can feel me. It senses fear… and movement.'
Zane stopped breathing.
Every muscle in his body tensed. He didn't move. Not a twitch.
The creature moved slowly now, each step tapping the floor like claws clicking on tile. It was listening—searching. Playing with him.
Zane's hand found a broken chair leg. The wood had splintered into a rough, sharp edge from the chaos earlier.
He gripped it tightly.
Then he looked.
Right in the middle of the creature's chest, there was something different. A pulsing patch of soft skin—small and hidden behind shifting, bony ribs. Its heart.
'One chance. That's all I get. If I screw up, well, I'll leave that to the future Zane.'
The Whisperkin drew closer, crawling now. Slow, deliberate, savoring the silence. Zane's pulse thundered in his ears, even still, he stayed calm. Waited.
He distracted the creature by throwing a notebook he found beside him across the room. The Whisperkin tilted its head toward the sound where the notebook fell.
Then—Zane moved.
He sprang forward, pushing his body beyond its limits.
'Damn it, I knew I should've exercised at least once in my life.'
The Whisperkin reacted too late. It slashed wildly, missing by inches. Mostly because Zane wasn't breathing, and distracted its sense.
Zane ducked under its arm, twisted with all his strength, and drove the chair leg straight into the soft spot.
But life wasn't that easy.
The chair leg snapped.
Wood splinters scattered like dust.
Zane stared in shock.
"What the…? That was supposed to be its weak spot."
He didn't have time to react. The Whisperkin grabbed him by the throat, lifting him like he weighed nothing.
'I think, I need to see the management of the system.'
"A human who has no fear," it said, its voice echoing inside his head.
"Interesting, unbelievable even. But surely you didn't believe you could harm me with a piece of wood, did you?"
'Infiltrating the Tutorial without drawing attention is a nasty experience as always.'
'It... it can speak? But it only has F-rank intelligence…? Nothing about this freak is F-rank.'
Zane's body dangled helplessly. The pressure on his neck grew tighter. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't move. His vision blurred.
In that moment, he didn't think of escape. He didn't think of fighting back. He didn't even think of how the plan he'd spent so much on was crumbling to dust.
He just thought of one person.
His sister. That was just how much she meant to him, everything he'd been doing was for her anyways. The thought of his sister facing a Gemini on her own terrified him more than the Whisperkin in front of him.
'Please… let me see her again.'
But then—somewhere in the room—something buzzed.
A phone, his phone. He didn't even know it was out of his pocket.
The Whisperkin's head twitched. The sound of the ringtone drew its attention.
It snarled, then hurled Zane against the wall like a ragdoll. He crashed with a loud thud, the air knocked from his lungs as he coughed blood.
The creature turned and dashed toward the sound.
'The only person who could call me at this time is Ariel. As always, my sister is my Angel.'
Zane coughed violently, every breath like fire in his chest. But he moved.
Slowly and painfully.
He crawled across the floor, every inch a struggle toward the door—but when he reached for the handle…
Locked.
From the outside.
He leaned against the door, blood dripping down his forehead.
"You've got to be kidding me. I forgot they locked it. If I survive this, I'll pay them all a visit and thank them for showing such generosity."