THUD. THUD. THUD.
Euris jolted awake.
For a split second, his mind was blank—heavy, foggy, like he hadn't slept at all. Then reality slammed back into place.
"The draft—!"
He rolled straight out of bed, hitting the floor with a dull thump.
"—I'm gonna be late!"
He scrambled up, half-tripping over his own feet as he dragged himself upright. His body felt off—sluggish, weak, like something was missing.
Before he could process it—
THUD.THUD.THUD.
The knocking came again.
Harder this time.
More impatient.
"Yeah, yeah—I'm coming!" he shouted, grabbing the first set of clothes he could find and throwing them on as fast as possible.
His fingers fumbled with the buttons. His head still felt heavy, like it was packed with cotton.
Something wasn't right.
But he didn't have time to think about it.
He rushed out of his room, nearly slipping as he sprinted down the hallway, and yanked the front door open.
A man stood there.
Tall—around six feet—with a rigid posture and the unmistakable presence of military discipline. His uniform was clean, pressed, and completely unwrinkled, like he hadn't moved a muscle since putting it on.
His expression didn't change when Euris opened the door.
"Heh, cadet," the man said flatly. "What took so long?"
Euris opened his mouth to respond, but the man cut him off.
"Grab your things and get on the bus. Two minutes."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Or we dock your allowance."
The words were delivered casually, but there was no mistaking the weight behind them.
Euris swallowed.
"…Right."
The man stepped aside just enough to gesture toward the street.
"Hurry."
Euris didn't argue.
He turned and ran.
Back through the house, straight to where he thought he left his things—
—but didn't stop long enough to check.
His mind was racing, focused on one thing:
Don't be late.
He grabbed what he assumed was everything important and bolted back outside, nearly tripping over the doorstep as he sprinted toward the bus.
It was already waiting.
Engine running.
Door open.
Other students were inside—some talking, some quiet, some staring blankly ahead.
Euris didn't look at any of them.
He just ran up the steps, muttered a quick, "Sorry," to the driver, and scanned the rows for an empty seat.
There.
Near the back.
He dropped into it, breathing hard.
A second later, the doors hissed shut.
The bus started moving.
"…Made it…"
Euris leaned back, letting out a long breath.
His chest rose and fell as the tension slowly drained out of him.
At least he wasn't late.
At least he made it.
"…Man…"
He rubbed his face, trying to wake himself up properly.
Why did he feel so exhausted?
It wasn't just normal tiredness. It was deeper. Like something inside him was drained dry.
Then—
A screen appeared.
"Warning: Low battery."
"If a power source is not found, HP will decrease by 1 per hour."
"…What?"
Euris froze.
"…What the hell does that mean?"
A few nearby students glanced at him, but he ignored them.
Instead, he focused.
"…Status window."
The screen responded instantly.
[STATUS WINDOW]
Tier: 0 — HumanLevel: 1
Core Stats:
HP: 10 / 10STR (Strength): 5SPD (Speed): 5INT (Processing Power): 10ENG (Energy Capacity): 1 / 5 (WARNING: LOW POWER)HUM (Humanity): 100
"…Okay…"
Euris stared at it, his brow furrowing.
"…Energy…"
He tapped the ENG stat lightly.
"Is that like… stamina or something?"
He thought back to last night.
"…All I had was a granola bar…"
His eyes widened slightly.
"…Wait."
"Converting mass into energy…"
The message from before echoed in his head.
"…So food equals energy?"
A slow grin started to form.
"…That's actually not that bad."
He leaned back slightly, a bit more relaxed now.
"If all I need is food, then I'm fine. I packed—"
He stopped.
His hand moved down.
Checked beside his seat.
Then under it.
Then back to his lap.
"…Where's my bag?"
The grin disappeared instantly.
His heart sank.
"No… no, no, no…"
He leaned forward, looking around more frantically now.
Under the seat.
Behind him.
Across the aisle.
Nothing.
"…You've gotta be kidding me…"
His mind raced back to earlier.
Running.
Rushing.
Not thinking.
"…I didn't grab it…"
He slumped back into his seat, dragging a hand down his face.
"…God damn it."
For a moment, he just sat there.
Silent.
Trying not to panic.
It's fine.
The ride won't be that long.
I'll be fine.
Then the air changed.
At first, it was subtle.
A faint hiss.
Barely noticeable.
Then—
A thin, purple mist began to seep from small vents along the sides of the bus.
"…What…?"
Euris straightened slightly.
The mist spread slowly, curling through the air like smoke.
Thickening.
Darkening.
"Warning: Airborne toxin detected."
"Toxin entering lungs and bloodstream."
"Loss of consciousness imminent."
"…Wait—what?"
Euris' eyes widened.
"…Gas?!"
Around him, students began to react.
Some coughed.
Others looked around in confusion.
A few didn't react at all—just sitting there like they expected this.
"…You've gotta be—"
Euris immediately held his breath.
Instinct.
His hand came up to cover his mouth, his body tensing as he tried to resist.
Don't breathe it in.
Don't—
His chest tightened.
Burned.
His vision wavered.
"…Ngh—!"
His lungs screamed for air.
His body shook as the pressure built.
He couldn't hold it.
Not for long.
He gasped.
The moment he inhaled, the gas rushed in.
Cold.
Heavy.
Wrong.
"…No—!"
His limbs started to go numb.
Fast.
Too fast.
His fingers twitched weakly as his strength drained out of him.
"Warning: HP decreasing."
"HP: 9 / 10"
"If an energy source is not acquired, a life-threatening condition may occur."
"…What… is… this…"
His voice barely came out.
Slurred.
Weak.
"HP: 8 / 10"
His vision blurred.
The world tilted.
"HP: 7 / 10"
His body slumped sideways in the seat.
He couldn't feel his arms anymore.
"HP: 6 / 10"
His thoughts slowed.
Everything felt distant.
Like he was sinking underwater.
"HP: 5 / 10"
The last thing Euris saw was the faint glow of the system window hovering in front of him.
Cold.
Unfeeling.
Counting down.
Then everything went black.