---
Jesse led Helen through several rooms, until a faint tremor caught her attention.
When they finally arrived, Helen froze in place—an entire classroom had been torn asunder.
Ryan was kneeling, lifting the broken structure overhead, then leaping, landing, and lifting again in a rhythmic motion that shook the ground.
Aaron lay flat on his back, hoisting the remains of the classroom above him before launching it skyward with a kick and a push.
Aiden stacked books in front of him, using them as channels to launch streams of fire—some linear, others twisting into unpredictable shapes.
Linus, meanwhile, maintained his transformation—his body enlarged and coated in metal, straining to sustain the form as long as possible.
Jesse: "Helen... You might not believe it, but you've been asleep for half a month."
Helen: "What!?"
Jesse: "Yeah… Well, anyway, if you want, you can just sit here and rest while they finish training."
Helen nodded, dazed.
Helen: "Alright… I'll just sit for a while."
Jesse: "Great! I'll be heading off. Oh, the next room has supplies and almond water. If you get hungry, help yourself."
As Jesse turned to leave, she paused and looked back.
Jesse: "Oh, I almost forgot! Since you've been out for so long, Ryan prepared this for you."
She tossed Helen a bottle of almond water.
Time passed. The group finally finished training. Ryan, cheerful, rushed to Helen's side.
Ryan: "Helen! You're finally awake—I was starting to think you'd sleep forever!"
Helen: "Hey! No way that would happen!"
Ryan smiled and gently touched the cast on Helen's arm.
Helen: "Wait… Who did this?"
Ryan's face fell, the brightness in his eyes dimming.
Ryan: "Well… You know. It was Sacium, of course. I have to be honest—he might not be the most studious or disciplined… but when it comes to raw knowledge, he's unmatched in this group."
Helen knew. That was one of the reasons she fell for him, wasn't it?
Ryan: "But he only learns what interests him. Sometimes he gives up halfway. I used to laugh at that. Now… I still want to laugh with him, but… too much has happened."
Helen: "So how did he… fix my arm?"
Ryan took a deep breath.
Ryan: "We tried to stop him at first. We were afraid he might kill you. But after hearing what he said… we had no choice but to let him proceed—though we kept our weapons trained on him, just in case."
Ryan: "First, we were stunned when he grabbed your shattered arm by the unbroken bone… and yanked it into place. He adjusted the shoulder with just enough force to realign it—without worsening the damage."
Ryan: "Then… the impossible happened. He walked up to a tree, snapped it in half with his bare hands, and made two splints to secure your arm."
Helen's eyes widened. Her grip on the bottle tightened. The almond water's warmth couldn't ease the chill rising in her chest.
Still Sacium… Even when distant, he's always there when she needs him.
Helen: "He broke a tree… with what?"
Ryan: "His hand."
Helen couldn't speak. Her heart thudded against her ribs.
Ryan: "It's absurd—beyond absurd. Just like this reality, huh?"
Ryan led Helen to the group's supply room. The rest were resting, recovering from their training.
Jesse walked over to report on the group's stats.
Jesse: "Not bad, Ryan. Your group's strength is rising fast."
---
Ryan
HP: 7628 / 7628
Stats:
Strength: 1000
Endurance: 1500
Speed: 120 km/h
IQ: 101
---
Aaron
HP: 4000 / 4000
Stats:
Strength: 1500
Endurance: 1000
Speed: 30 km/h
IQ: 95
---
Aiden
HP: 2500 / 2500
Stats:
Flame Temp: 700°C
Endurance: 300
Speed: 20 km/h (normal), 100 km/h (flame-boosted)
IQ: 97
---
Linus
HP: 300 – 10,000 (variable)
Stats:
Strength: 10
Endurance: 20 – 10,000
IQ: 90
---
Ryan smiled. Their progress was undeniable. But at the same time… he could feel it—the monsters were evolving too.
Charlie lay nearby, watching the group. He turned his head, and spotted something strange beneath the table—a glowing "!" symbol.
Curious, he reached out and touched it.
In a flash—
The world shifted.
They opened their eyes again to a new place.
A place of sterile dread—
Pale white walls tinged yellow by time, flickering red lights scanning every surface. Torn medical diagrams hung on cracked tiles. Corridors stretched endlessly into the dark.
The air was thick with disinfectant... and something rotten.
—Level '!'—
---