"We… finally made it out."
After burying Tony no one spoke. Even the wind felt quieter.
Fortunately, the rest of the journey was relatively safe, aside from encountering a few Rank-0 creatures here and there, until the team finally reached their destination.
"Looks like we don't need to clear this place,"
Michael stepped forward, eyes scanning everything before he spoke.
the bloodstains and zombie corpses were scattered around.
He stepped forward and knocked on the door of the mechanical engineering building.
"Who are you people?"
Before Michael could even reach the door, it opened, and four people stepped out.
Three men and a young woman stepped forward, her purple hair catching the breaths, and sharp dark eyes.
"I'm Michael Santos, and these are my friends. We're a group of survivors from the library."
Seeing their hostile stance and raised weapons, Michael stepped forward and introduced himself, trying to ease the tension.
"The library? Do you think we're idiots? The path to the library is blocked by hordes of zombies."
"If you're going to lie, at least make it believable." A muscular dark-skinned young man exploded in anger at Michael's words.
"That's enough, Eddie. I apologize for my friend's rudeness, but he has a point."
" Can you tell us how you got here from the library?" It was clear that the girl was the leader. As soon as she spoke, the young man named Eddie lowered his head and calmed down.
"Let me handle this." Sean stepped forward after noticing the impatience on his teammates' faces.
"Nice to meet you, Miss Selina. I'm Sean Maximus. I believe some of you here already know me"
"So, you also know I'm not a liar. I assure you that you'll get your answers, but first, lower your weapons and let us rest for a bit."
"The journey from the library to here wasn't easy at all." As Sean spoke, he clenched his fists, his veins bulging, while a wild glint flashed in his eyes.
"Of course. How rude of me, I should've invited you in first."
" Please, come inside." Selina placed her hand over her mouth in mock surprise, though her gaze remained calm and unaffected.
"Looks like your charm doesn't work on her," Michael joked as they entered the building.
"Clean… too clean," Michael said quietly.
Michael commented as he looked around the spotless interior.
"Go ahead, you can rest here." It was clear Selina didn't trust them, as she led them to an isolated room near the entrance.
As soon as they entered, Liam sat in the corner like a statue, while Jean and Yu-Min began cleaning and polishing their weapons.
"Michael, how strong are they?" Sean whispered quietly, afraid of being overheard.
"The girl named Selina is the strongest. She's around level five and focuses on intelligence." Michael replied loudly enough for everyone in the room to hear.
"Don't underestimate her," Jean said briefly, without looking up from his short sword.
"Oh, Mr. Michael, can I help you with something?" When Michael stepped out of the room, Selina greeted him with a charming smile.
"Tsk… looks like we're already being watched," Michael thought, though a faint smile appeared on his face.
"I was actually looking for you, Miss Selina. Sean told me you had some questions, so I thought I'd answer them while the others rest."
Selina raised an eyebrow slightly, surprised by how cooperative he was.
"Alright then, thank you for your cooperation. First, are there any other survivors in the library? And how did you make it here?"
"That is simple, we crossed the park. And yes, there are other survivors there." Michael shrugged casually.
Selina's expression froze in pure shock.
"How?" Her voice sharpened.
"Don't lie to me."
Michael frowned slightly at her reaction. "I have no reason to lie. And I never said it was easy. We lost people along the way."
Selina took a deep breath before explaining,
"No, you don't understand. ate the night, there is a scary monsters come out of that park. There's no way you could've passed through them."
"We had had someone skilled in scouting, so we avoided most of them."
"Still, we encountered three of those creatures… and we killed them." Michael rubbed his forehead before continuing,
"But there was something strange about that park…"
He then explained the "safe zone" they had encountered at the beginning of their journey.
"Michael, come with me. Quickly." After hearing everything, Selina grabbed his hand and rushed toward the rooftop.
"What the hell is that…"
When Michael reached the rooftop and looked toward the library.
A massive black stone gate with a strange blue liquid floating in its center, towering above everything as if it does not belong to this world.
[Trial Gate]
[A gate leading to different dimensional spaces created by the world's consciousness to help its inhabitants evolve and learn suitable paths for growth, where opportunities and dangers intertwine.]
"I understand now…" As the information appeared in his mind, many of his questions were finally answered.
"Selina, do you have any buses here?"
"We didn't come this far just to stay trapped here"
Realizing what the gate meant and remembering Selina's words about the creatures leaving the forest at night, Michael understood that they had to leave the university as soon as possible.
"We're already working on getting the buses running."
"You can stay with us tonight, and tomorrow we'll help you bring the rest of your group here."
Michael was slightly surprised, then shook his head with a faint smile.
He had foolishly thought they were the only ones capable of fixing the buses.
"Looks like things were going pretty well here at the beginning," Michael muttered as he returned downstairs.
What surprised him most was the number of survivors. There were nearly thirty people.
"Oh, Michael, you're back. Did it go well?" Sean asked as Michael returned.
Michael quickly explained everything about the gate and what he had figured out.
"So you're saying the gate has something like a safe zone around it?" Sean asked, surprised.
"I think so. That works in our favor. It'll make moving the others much easier." Michael nodded before explaining his plan.
"Hey guys, Miss Selina invited you to dinner. And… I'm sorry about earlier. My name is Eddie Solarin. Nice to meet you." Eddie bowed his head slightly.
His apology seemed somewhat sincere.
The group followed him to the cafeteria, where all the survivors were quietly eating.
The oppressive atmosphere was everywhere, especially with the distant howls and strange hissing sounds coming from outside as night fell.
"Thanks for the meal."
After eating, the group returned to their room to rest.
"Michael, Liam hasn't moved since Tony died." Sean whispered.
he hasn't moved… hasn't eaten… nothing
"There's nothing we can do. It's hard… just give him time." Michael sighed, lowering his head slightly.
"I think we should give him those chests. Maybe it'll help a little," Sean suggested, pointing at the two boxes Michael had obtained.
"That's too much. I'll give him one." Michael shook his head, pulled out a metal chest, and tossed it toward Liam.
It hit him lightly, but he didn't react.
"Hey Liam, aren't you going to open it? Or are you afraid your luck is terrible?" Sean shout, trying to lighten the mood.
"…Thanks." his voice barely came out, tears filling his eyes, before opening the chest.
{Skill Book: Poison Resistance}
A passive skill that grants resistance and adaptation to toxins.
[Quality: Very rare]
[Mana Cost: N/A]
"Yeah, that suits a tank like you. Learn it," they all agreed, and Liam immediately absorbed the skill.
"And now for the second chest." Michael pulled it out and opened it.
[Class Scroll: Slayer]
Slayers are ruthless individuals who take pleasure in killing and tormenting their enemies. Falling into their hands is worse than death. They rely on speed and overwhelming strength.
[Per Level: +3 Agility, +2 Strength, +1 Intelligence]
[Quality: Very rare]
[Requirement: Level 10]
"…What kind of class is this?" Michael gasped as he read its disturbing description.