Chapter 69

this is a fictional story by realTensai

“Alvis!”

Upon hearing his name, Alvis turned around to face the familiar voice.

“Sekki,… Dane.”

The two guys came rushing to him after seeing him in the crowd.

“Good, you’re fine,” Sekki said, the subtle hint of a smile on his grim face. However, it vanished immediately. “We were in class when we heard the announcement. What the hell is going on?”

He looked at the barrier and then at the hologram, his eyes trembling more and more with every second that passed.

“… This is insane. T-This can’t be true. Right?”

“I think we are really under attack.”

Alvis didn’t sugarcoat his words and told him the truth. Sekki just shook his head, yet Alvis stayed firm. He himself had to bite his tongue so he wouldn’t lose his composure.

“In what kind of crazy shit did we get into..”

Dane mumbled these bitter words to himself. His clenched fists were shaking, proof enough that even he wasn’t unfazed.

“If the things this guy said are true, then that means… there will only be one survivor?”

A heavy silence followed upon Sekki’s words and their faces darkened as they all understood what that meant. Alvis couldn’t even open his mouth, his brain unable to come up with a comfortable lie.

Shit!

“Everyone listen!”

A roar-like voice spread across the entire school grounds, reaching everyone just like the announcement by the Priest had. However, just by hearing this voice, Alvis could let out a satisfied sigh.

About time.

As that voice attracted everyone’s gaze, the leaders of this school stepped forward. There were five teachers in total and among them was the owner of that voice, the principal himself, Mr. Woltzer. Their presence alone was enough to quieten the uneasy crowd. However, it was by seeing Mr. Woltzer, his mighty physique, and unyielding amber eyes, that the students could breathe easy.

“I know various things are going through your heads right now after hearing this announcement,” Mr. Woltzer started, addressing the crowd. One look at the people’s faces was enough to know that he had hit the nail on the head. “However, I will have to make one thing clear from the start.”

He stared at the despair-filled eyes of his students.

“This announcement wasn’t a joke. We are currently under attack by the Devil Cult.”

Alvis’ body winced upon hearing those words. He clicked his tongue and immediately looked around to see the crowd’s reaction. All these students who were still in the denial phase were now confronted with the brutal reality.

“N-No, no, nooooo!”

An avalanche of unhinged shouts set in motion, making every hair of Alvis stand up. It felt as if the ground itself shook, despair spreading like an infection. Even if they didn’t want to, their brains had already connected the dots. It was Mr. Woltzer’s words that forced them to realize that this truly was a survival game with only one winner.

“Calm down again.”

Another roar-like shout by Mr. Woltzer drowned the cries of the students and made them listen again. This brief silence was all Mr. Woltzer needed.

“Just because we are under attack doesn’t mean we have to lose our calm. Just because we are under attack doesn’t mean we have to obey them!”

Alvis’ eyes widened as he heard those words. He wasn’t the only one. All the other students just stared at Mr. Woltzer in surprise. However, his firm eyes showed he wasn’t joking around. He was completely serious.

“No, we will oppose the Devil Cult and won’t take part in their insane game,” he continued, raising his voice. “We will stand firm and together, together, we will win against the Devil Cult.”

Alvis’ heart started racing, adrenaline rushing through his body. He wanted to say the same words, he wanted to believe in them, yet without a plan they were just empty dreams.

But why is it that my hand is shaking right now?

One look at Mr. Woltzer was enough to know he wasn’t just idealistic. It was his resolve that stirred up the entire crowd.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

“The people outside the barrier will find out about this in a short time. They probably are already searching for ways to save us. The World Race Organization, our leaders, will assemble the best mages and scientists to get us out of here. They will use every means possible to help us.”

So this is his plan.

“Until then, all we have to do is to endure. We have to hold on and no matter what, we can’t give in to the Devil Cult’s demand. Let’s show these terrorists that they have chosen the wrong prey.” He raised his fist triumphantly. “Let’s destroy the Devil Cult’s plan!”

A burning blaze spread through Alvis’ body, tingling every hair of his, vibrating his insides and forcing his mouth open.

“YEEEEESSSSS!”

Everyone in the crowd let out a colossal shout, raising their fists just like Mr. Woltzer. His speech had been enough to shift the energy within his students and raise everyone’s morale. Just like the despair had spread, the euphoria and hope also spread, healing everyone from the illness called desperation.

Mr. Woltzer is incredible.

Alvis could only gulp after seeing such a performance. However, even though it had also made his heart beat faster, his brain was still unsure. Mr. Woltzer’s plan made sense, yet Alvis knew it wasn’t that simple. He had already fought the Devil Cult and, through these battles, realized they weren’t a foe one could beat simply by relying on logic. A plan like Mr. Woltzer’s was bound to fail.

It’s just a matter of how long they will believe in him.

Right now, every student was convinced, so no matter what, they wouldn’t take part in the Devil Cult’s game. However, how about in a week? Or even a month? What would happen if there was no help in sight after this time and they were still trapped? Would they still don’t follow the Devil Cult’s demand?

Alvis gritted his teeth as he envisioned the worst possible future.

I can’t let it come this far.

“If we want to win against the Devil Cult, we will all have to work together,” Mr. Woltzer said, continuing his speech. “It doesn’t matter what race you are, right now, we are all in the same boat. There is no time for racism and arguments now more so than ever.”

It was an important point he made there. The student council just had a meeting because of this issue and it wasn’t like it would suddenly vanish because of the Devil Cult. No, racism will most likely increase. However, that was why Mr. Woltzer paid even more attention to it. If they were to fight among each other, it would only play into the Devil Cult’s game.

Maybe this is why this level is called War Of Races.

“Everyone should go to their homeroom teacher now and meet there. I will inform them about how we will proceed.”

Mr. Woltzer finished his announcement, and they all did as he commanded.

“Let’s go, Alvis, I know where Ms. Myth is.”

However, before Alvis followed Sekki, he turned around to face the student council members. The three first years had been trembling until now, but Mr. Woltzer’s speech gave them strength again. Their bodies were stiff, yet their fists were clenched.

“Don’t worry, everything will be alright.”

Alvis flashed a confident smile, making his students light up.

“Yes!” They bowed and then turned around to look for their class. “Take care of yourself, boss.”

Alvis sighed.

“You too.”

Now Alvis faced the remaining student council members. As he looked at Chao, he noticed his hollow eyes.

Has he already given up?

“Don’t tell me I need to cheer you up too, Chao?”

Alvis’ sarcastic tone made Chao wake up from his daze. He rolled his eyes and let out a chuckle. He took a deep breath in and out and matched Alvis’ gaze.

“Even in a situation like this, you can joke around, huh?”

They both grinned.

“Make sure to keep that attitude of yours,” Chao said before he departed.

“Same goes for you.”

Good.

“Lia, Maya, let’s go.”

They just nodded and went along with Alvis, Sekki, and Dane. Alvis glanced back at Lia, yet even though he noticed how her hand trembled, he didn’t say anything to her.

Now isn’t the time yet.

As they walked past the other students, Alvis also observed their mood. Most of them seemed to be in a state of confusion rather than desperation.

This is all thanks to Mr. Woltzer.

“We are there.”

After walking for a bit, they arrived at where their class gathered. Alvis couldn’t see Ms. Myth, though after stretching his neck a bit, he saw her talking to another teacher. He focused back on his classmates and deciphered their moods.

The moment Lia arrived, the girls flocked to her, all of them nervously jumping around. Lia faked a smile and took on her role as the class representative. She told them everything would be alright and calmed them down.

The boys, however, were eerily silent. Their downcast faces showed they had realized the extent of this situation and what it really meant to be in a survival game. Having heard Mr. Woltzer’s speech was the only thing that kept them from despairing.

Yet there was one student whose confident smile wouldn’t vanish even in this situation.

Gilsymbato.

“Fuhahaha~ at last something interesting happened,” he said, ignoring everyone’s mood. “I wonder who will die first?”

“Gilsymbato! You bastard!”

Tristan exploded and jumped at Gilsymbato. However, his friends Joel, Ness, and Thomas immediately grabbed him holding him back.

“Do you even know what you are talking about?!” Tristan said, still trying to get to him. “This is the fucking Devil Cult we are talking about. This ain’t a joke!”

“Fuhahaha~ the Devil Cult sure got some fun games, don’t you think? Though I guess a weakling like you can’t even comprehend this amusement. After all, you most likely won’t even survive till the fun part.”

“I will fucking kill you!”

Tristan shoved his friends to the ground and leaped at Gilsymbato. However, Gilsymbato just raised his hand and Alvis’ entire body started shaking.

He will kill him!

Alvis urged mana into his palms, yet before he could stop Tristan from running into his sure death, someone else did. A gust of wind pushed Tristan back as Kris interfered. His blue eyes were wide open and his face even lacked his usual smile.

“This isn’t the time to fight, Tristan,” Kris said, his voice serious.

“But-”

“You know how Gilsymbato is. There is no point in arguing with him. This is exactly what the Devil Cult wants.”

Tristan clicked his tongue, understanding that Kris was right. He just clenched his fist and backed off.

“Thank you, Tristan.”

Kris smiled weakly and let out a sigh of relief. He didn’t even address Gilsymbato and walked away, too.

Most impressive, Kris.

Not only did he react faster than Alvis, he also deescalated the situation in a way that Alvis could have never done. It was because his popularity was only topped by Lia and his power level 1910 that he was able to do that.

Someone like him will have a hard time during this game.

Alvis’ face grew grim, as he already could see which challenges would await them. Good-hearted people like Lia and Kris would undoubtedly have the hardest time in this survival game. For them, it would be akin to Alvis’ Trial of Insanity.

After all, the nature of this game would expose the ugliest side of everyone.