Suddenly, everyone became interested in learning how to open their system windows.
Well…
Everyone except the girls.
They all turned toward Theo with pleading expressions.
Theo stared at them.
Then he chuckled nervously.
He already knew he couldn't handle teaching that many people.
"Alright, alright! I'll help!"
The moment Theo stepped forward, the girls finally decided to join in.
After some time, everyone had learned how to open their system windows.
The students began chatting among themselves.
Aqua watched them for a moment.
Then he turned toward Theo, Valt, Clay, and Abu.
"Come with me."
The four of them followed Aqua as he led them toward the kitchen.
The light from their system windows illuminated the dark store as they walked.
Theo looked at Aqua.
"Aqua? Is something wrong?"
Once they reached the kitchen, Aqua turned around.
"Listen…"
The others looked at him.
"The world has changed."
Aqua paused.
"Or rather… Never mind."
His expression became serious.
"From now on, all of you listen to me. And only me."
Valt frowned.
"Huh? Why?"
Aqua looked at him.
"Just trust me, okay?"
The others exchanged confused glances.
"The monsters will be asleep during the night," Aqua continued.
"Well… most of them will be, at least."
An awkward silence followed.
Then Clay finally broke it.
"So…"
He looked around.
"What do we do now? We can't stay here forever. There's only so much food and water in this place."
Aqua immediately shook his head.
"We won't be staying here for long."
The others looked at him.
"We only need to wait until midnight. Once the monsters fall asleep, we'll move."
Aqua paused.
"There's also something important you need to know."
Everyone became more attentive.
"You guys remember the Tutorial World, right?"
The dream.
They all nodded.
"Well…"
Aqua crossed his arms.
"This is a level too."
Everyone stared at him.
"But it's different from the Tutorial World."
Abu frowned.
"Different how?"
Aqua took a breath.
"This level has four stages."
"Stages?" Abu asked, confused.
"Yes."
Aqua nodded.
"We are currently in Stage One."
He paused.
"Giganticore."
The others remained silent.
"The next stage will be different."
Aqua's expression became serious.
"And a little harder."
Theo frowned.
"Then how do we complete the stages?"
"That is what I was getting to."
Aqua continued.
"To complete each stage, we need to find extremely bright, glowing orbs called Selection Orbs."
Everyone listened carefully.
"They are located inside shrines."
Aqua paused.
"We need to take the orbs from the shrines and keep them safe until we gather all of them and—"
"Aqua!"
A voice interrupted him.
Everyone turned around.
Ace stood at the entrance to the kitchen.
"The others found someone hiding near the back door."
A grin appeared on Aqua's face.
But it disappeared almost immediately.
He returned to his usual playful expression.
"Oh, nice!"
He turned toward the others.
"Let's go see them."
On the way there, Aqua suddenly stopped at the kitchen counter.
He picked up a knife.
Then he hid it behind his back.
The others didn't notice.
When they reached the back of the store, they saw an old man.
He had a large, bushy moustache and a thick beard.
Theo stepped forward.
"Hi—"
Before he could finish, Aqua grabbed him and pulled him back.
Then Aqua stepped toward the old man.
The knife in his hand began glowing black.
Aqua's eyes glowed beneath his hair.
He smiled.
"What up, old man?"
The old man took a step backward.
Aqua's smile widened.
"It's finally good to see you after such a long time."
The old man slowly raised his hands.
"Whoa, whoa… Calm down, child."
He stared at Aqua nervously.
"I don't even know you."
Theo looked at Aqua.
"Are you crazy?!"
Aqua ignored him.
He leaned toward the old man's ear.
The black knife remained pointed at him.
"Do something I don't like…"
Aqua whispered.
"And your head will be my dinner."
The old man's face went pale.
Aqua slowly pulled back.
Then he patted the old man's shoulder.
Immediately, his playful expression returned.
"Sorry, guys."
He smiled.
"I just had to make sure he wasn't planning to use us for his own benefit."
Valt crossed his arms.
"You still didn't have to say that while holding a knife."
Aqua immediately waved his hand.
"Forget about that."
He suddenly looked toward the others.
"More importantly…"
He paused.
"Is anyone else hungry?"
Everyone froze.
Then their stomachs growled.
Clay grinned slightly in the background.
Theo walked over and grabbed Aqua by the shoulder.
"When do we find the Selection Orbs?"
Aqua smirked.
"Midnight."
Suddenly—
BANG!
Everyone jumped.
A loud banging sound echoed through the store.
The shutters shook violently.
Then a woman's voice cried out from the other side.
"HELP!"
Theo immediately moved toward the shutters.
But Aqua quickly grabbed his hand.
At the same time, Aqua raised his other hand.
Everyone stopped.
"Stay quiet."
Theo stared at him in confusion.
"What?"
Aqua slowly walked toward the shutter.
He stopped in front of it.
Then he slightly turned his head toward the others.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"The game…"
Aqua looked toward the shaking shutters.
"Has started."