Chapter 73

this is a fictional story by realTensai

Alvis’ heart knocked against his ribcage as his brain had shown him the secret behind the tempting offer called teaming. He couldn’t even click his tongue as he saw how the incredible perks still deluded everyone else. As he looked around, even those who had been suspicious at first were now scratching their heads, wracking their brains about whom they should team up with.

“The Priest got them all dancing in his palm,” Lia said, not only seeing it but also sensing it.

“I think most of them haven’t even grasped how teaming works,” Alvis said, seeing more than a few confused faces. “All they got was that it seemed incredibly favorable.”

“This guy just dumped a whole lot of information on us to create this effect.”

“Okay, this is it for today,” the Priest said once again forcing everyone’s attention to him. “I think you still need to digest everything.”

Alvis couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. It’s finally over with this madman’s show.

“However, there is one last thing that I still have to say.”

His voice changed into a deeper darker tone and Alvis’ eyes just widened in horror, imagining what he was about to say.

“Do you really think some outsiders will save you?”

His cold words attacked everyone’s most vulnerable spot, making them forget how to breathe.

“I’m the Devil Cult’s Priest of Knowledge, Elric Zweistein, and I personally crafted this barrier and created this game. It would be utter foolishness to believe that there even exists someone who could break it,” he said with such conviction that it would be impossible not to believe him. One didn’t have to be an empath to realize that he wasn’t lying or at least believed in what he said. “That you will be saved is just a convenient lie your principal tells you to keep you in check. He doesn’t even believe it himself, hahaha. But you will soon realize that.”

The transmission cut off, and he vanished with those words.

Silence.

A silence so quiet Alvis could hear the other students’ hearts rampaging and their cold sweat dropping on the floor. His own heart threatened to shatter as the Priest addressed the one matter he had been worrying about the most.

I knew it!

He clenched his fist, as it was the only way to control his flaming mana right now. He had already battled against the Devil Cult, so he knew it was impossible that they just would be saved. Still, he had dared to entertain the thought that perhaps Mr. Woltzer’s words were true. Yet this illusion just got brutally shattered.

And he wasn’t the only one. One look at the hollow eyes of the other students was enough to tell they felt the same.

No, it’s even more extreme for them.

Alvis already knew it wouldn’t be that easy, yet the others genuinely believed in Mr. Woltzer. The only reason they hadn’t been panicking until now was because of Mr. Woltzer. It was because they denied the very idea of taking part in this survival game they hadn’t turned insane yet. However, if killing others truly was the sole method of leaving this hell, they had no other choice than to adapt. This mindset slowly manifested within them.

Shit, shit, shit!

This was the worst-case scenario, and they had already reached it on the first day. Once the students started taking part in this game, there would be no way back. Yet there was no way to stop them from entertaining this thought now.

“Fuhahahahaha!”

However, in this situation, in which the future of the school was on the line, one person just laughed. His laugh reached every corner of the hall and only seemed to get louder. Alvis’ body turned on its own, yet it started shaking upon seeing his face.

No, please not him… don’t tell me he has gone insane.

All the other students shook their heads too, some even started crying. The person who was laughing like a madman was no other than their principal, Mr. Woltzer.

“What is wrong?! How can you laugh in a situation like this?” a student shouted, disregarding the fact he was talking to his principal. “Are you crazy?”

“No,” Mr. Woltzer answered, still chuckling. “I just think it’s funny how the Devil Cult tries to play with our psyche.”

His words stirred up even more confusion, yet Mr. Woltzer’s face regained his usual stoic and shattered everyone’s doubt about him having lost his mind.

“My students are stronger than that,” he said, his eyes displaying full conviction. “They won’t fall for the Devil Cult’s lies.”

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

His sharp, full eyes, his calm, confident tone, his rock-solid, never wavering presence, his hero-like aura — all of this just made it impossible not to trust him. And this man had placed all of his trust in his students. There was no way they could disappoint him.

Alvis’ heart moved, a sense of awe spreading through every pore of his, making him almost tear up. Other students even started crying as Mr. Woltzer’s words ignited something deep within them. It was something simple words couldn’t even start to explain.

Pure admiration.

“Everyone lent me your ears.”

A voice most beloved to Alvis caught everyone’s attention. It was no other than the student council president who used this chance. Her enchanting voice only added to the atmosphere Mr. Woltzer had created.

“Mr. Woltzer is right. We are stronger than that. Whose words do you trust more? The words of a terrorist who wants us to kill each other or those of our Principal who has never betrayed our trust before? The answer is obvious! We will trust in Mr. Woltzer the same way he trusts in us. Whether in good times or in bad times. Even if the road is rocky, even if we can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, even if we think all is lost, we will never follow the Devil Cult! We will never kill each other!”

“YEEEEEAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!”

Alvis could only gasp, as every hair of his stood up seeing this scene. The cafeteria shook as everyone rose up in euphoria.

“I-Incredible!”

Those two had just taken the students who were on the brink of desperation to an all-time high of morale. They had erased their doubts and filled their hearts with confidence. Even if the Priest would try his mind games again, they wouldn’t listen. Mr. Woltzer and Lia had done the impossible.

“These were some great words, Lia,” Mr. Woltzer said with a satisfied smile. He then turned around and faced everyone again. “The most important thing now is to not move hasty and to not form teams. It’s just a trap he wants to lure us into, so we take part in his game. I will make an announcement soon on how we as a school will proceed, but you here heard it first.”

Everyone nodded and agreed. They resumed eating their meals, yet the mood that had been suffocating just a few minutes early had now turned into an energetic mood filled with resilience and rebellion. Fear turned into controlled aggression towards the Devil Cult and desperation into confidence. As Alvis observed this, he once again realized the importance of Mr. Woltzer.

It was his promise that kept the students together and gave them hope. Without it, they would have already fallen victim to the Devil Cult. As long as Mr. Woltzer believed in it, they would believe in it too.

Still, this shouldn’t drag on for much longer.

With every passing day, the students would grow more impatient and it would be harder to convince them. Even Mr. Woltzer would be stuck in a corner if that were to happen.

——

Alvis and Lia had finished their meal and were on their way to Ms. Myth because it would soon be 20 o’clock and Alvis still had to inform her where he would sleep. On their way, they saw two familiar faces.

“Hey, Sekki, Dane.”

They turned around and faced them.

“Yo, Alvis, Lia,” Sekki responded with a soft smile. “Are you also on your way to Ms. Myth?”

“Yeah, let’s just go together.”

They all agreed.

“Do you know where you want to sleep tonight?” Sekki asked Alvis.

Alvis nodded. “Yeah, the classroom will do it for today.”

“If I would’ve more space, I would’ve let you sleep in my place, though it’s already occupied with Dane.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“How are you two even doing? I haven’t seen you at lunch?”

“We’re doing as well as one could do in a fucked up situation like this,” Dane responded, not sugarcoating his words.

“It’s tough. What can I say?” Sekki said, his face grim. “Especially this new rule. I’m not sure how I should feel about it.”

“For now, we should just ignore it,” Lia said, yet Sekki’s face only grew darker.

“Yeah, I know, but… if the worst comes to the worst, we four should form a team.”

Lia audibly gasped, but Alvis just closed his eyes.

“Wait, didn’t you hear Mr. Woltzer’s announcement? We can’t form teams!”

“Yes, I know. But it’s just for the worst-case scenario. If the situation were to escalate and people start killing each other, we have no other choice but to adapt.”

“B-But—”

“Sekki is right,” Dane said, his face not showing any hint of hesitation. “It’s the worst-case scenario we are talking about. What has to be done has to be done. I won’t let any of us die.”

He clenched his fist, his eyes filled with determination. Seeing that, Alvis’ heart moved. Even though Dane still kept his distance from Alvis after what had happened between them, he still seemed to care for him.

Lia couldn’t respond anymore. She kept opening her mouth, yet no words would escape her trembling lips. After giving such an emotional speech in the cafeteria, she couldn’t approve of their opinions, yet she also wasn’t so naive that she couldn’t understand their view. Thus her conflicting feelings.

“Sekki, I get your point,” Alvis said. Upon hearing that, Lia’s eyes widened in defeat, yet Alvis continued. “However, it’s still way too early to talk about this. If we trust Mr. Woltzer’s words, we will soon be out of here. Thinking about the worst-case scenario won’t do us any good.”

“But—” Sekki said before he stopped on his own. He shook his head and sighed. “I guess you’re right. It’s still the first day, yet I’m already imagining the worst. It’s just… it’s just too much.”

He couldn’t even put his feelings into words. Alvis just placed his hand on his shoulder and gave him a weak smile.

“We all feel the same. That’s why with have to stick together.”

Sekki somehow managed a weak smile, too. They soon met Ms. Myth and told her what she needed to know. Their ways parted as Alvis had to go to the classroom and Lia, Dane, and Sekki went to the dorms.

Now on his own, Alvis stepped through the school grounds, making his way to his destination. Yet he took his time, gathering his thoughts and creating a plan.

The reason Alvis wanted to sleep in the classroom today was so he could gauge the mood of his classmates after the first day of this insane game. By doing that, and taking their mental state as representative for the entire school, he could make projections for the future.

Another reason for his decision was so he could take his time to analyze his updated system and also all the rules of this game. Only if he understood the ins and outs could he create a plan.

I only have three respawns so I have to make the most out of every life.

However, suddenly two familiar people appeared in his sight. Alvis immediately stopped and concealed his presence, hoping they hadn’t noticed him yet. In a matter of seconds, his curiosity had taken over upon seeing this odd pairing.

What are they doing?

The curfew was only a few minutes away, yet it didn’t seem as if they would care. Also, no other student was near, so perhaps they were having a secret conversation. This would make the most sense. He couldn’t else explain what the two of them would be doing at a time like this at a place like this.

The two people were Kris and Gilsymbato.

Alvis hid behind a wall as he leaned in closer to listen to what they said.

“My, my, a most interesting offer you presented me with. But do you even understand what this means?”

“Yes,” Kris said, his face oddly serious. “I want you to team up with me, Gilsymbato.”