Chapter 20: First Phase

  [The tutorial phase has ended. Be ready, mortal. The first phase of the apocalypse is coming.]

  [The number of level 25 Awakeners has reached the threshold for the first phase.]

  [Those who have leveled up to 25 and attained 100% mastery in the first form of their ability will now have the option to rank up as mortals if they can survive the trials awaiting them in the Towers of Evolution.]

  [Lastly, be aware: the gods of the old world will gain more influence.]

  TREMBLE.

  The ground shook violently beneath me, a deep, guttural rumble reverberating through the walls. What the hell is going on now?

  I rushed out of my room, barely paying attention to the people around me as I sprinted toward the nearest window. My breath hitched at the sight unfolding before me.

  A monstrous tower, unlike anything I had ever seen, was emerging from the distant mountain. Its stone was an eerie gray, streaked with veins of glowing gold that pulsed like a heartbeat. Higher and higher it climbed, tearing through the sky as if defying the very heavens. Ancient runes lined its spiraling form, their patterns shifting like they were alive.

  Awe and dread churned in my stomach.

  The Tower of Evolution.

  The system said that those who reached level 25 could enter. How many in the dorm had made it that far? I knew the council members had to be close, but who else? One thing was certain—Will had to be at level 25. He was already strong before we killed Fenrir’s chosen, and with the EXP boost from that fight…

  I clenched my fists. I needed to get to the meeting room.

  As I sprinted through the hallways, people instinctively stepped aside, sensing the urgency in my movements. Some whispered as I passed, their voices a mixture of curiosity and apprehension. However, one person didn’t move. A lone figure remained in my path, forcing me to shift at the st second to avoid a collision.

  Except—I wasn’t fast enough.

  A solid force smmed into me, nearly knocking me off my feet. It felt like I had just crashed into a wall of steel. I barely had time to register the impact before I found myself staring into a pair of cold, calcuting eyes.

  A familiar sneer followed.

  “Look at that, the fake hero’s not so tough after all.”

  Recognition clicked instantly. Gale, coming from the guy's back. The arrogant bastard who had stormed the council meeting before, the one who had been stirring trouble since the beginning. His smirk was sharp, dripping with amusement.

  I forced my voice to stay even. “I don’t have time for this. Move.”

  “Oh?” Gale’s lips curled higher. “Did the hero forget how to speak? Try using words instead of barking, mutt.”

  He wanted a reaction. And as much as I wanted to drive my fist through his smug face, I knew better than to take the bait.

  I exhaled through my nose, keeping my temper in check. I wasn’t an idiot, Gale wasn’t alone. The guy next to him was one of the hunters he had recruited. I didn’t know much about him, but I did know that Gale had been gathering a group of combatants, building influence among the more aggressive Awakeners. And that made him annoying to deal with.

  “…What do you want?” I asked, my tone clipped.

  “From you? Not much,” he said, feigning nonchance. “Just remind that little president of yours who actually holds the power here. She’s been acting a little too bold tely, seems like she forgot her pce. Oh, and do remember…” He stepped in closer, his voice lowering just enough to be a threat. “Siding with that bitch means standing against me.”

  With that, he turned and walked away, his group following in his wake.

  I stood there, fingers twitching at my sides. How dumb was this guy?

  Yeah, he had a few hunters on his side, but did he really think he could challenge us? Even if we took out the hunters who weren't in the council, we would still annihite them.

  Every single person in the council was exceptionally powerful. Well… maybe I was the exception... For now.

  The only reason we weren’t taking direct action was because it would look bad. The dorm was already on the edge, one wrong move, and everything could spiral into chaos.

  I flexed my fingers, considering my options. Maybe I should bash his head in somewhere less crowded.

  …Nah. Not worth it.

  I sighed and shook my head. Forget it. I have more important things to do.

  I turned on my heel and continued toward the meeting room, pushing Gale’s bullshit to the back of my mind. For now, I needed to focus on the real problem, the Towers.

  …

  By the time I arrived, everyone was already there... except Will.

  He didn’t just...

  A sinking feeling settled in my gut. Cra’s expression was sharp, her usual cold composure tinged with something else, anger? Frustration? Whatever it was, it didn’t bode well.

  Her voice was steady, but there was an unmistakable edge to it. “I’m sure you’ve all heard the announcement. Changes are coming. How big? We don’t know. But we can assume they won’t be small.”

  I shifted uncomfortably. This was exactly the kind of talk I hated. But even I could see where this was heading. Everyone was focused on her words, fully aware of how serious the situation had become.

  “First, there are definitely going to be reckless hunters pushing themselves too hard to reach level 25 faster, ignoring every safety measure in the process. And I have a strong feeling Gale is going to make his move soon...” Her eyes darkened. “We may need to take real action before it’s too te.”

  Lucas, the vice president, exhaled sharply. “You’re still being too cautious. We need to act now. If we let Gale and his group gain more ground...”

  I hated voicing my opinion in these meetings, but I agreed with him. Especially after Gale had made his stance clear to me earlier. He was just another power-hungry brat who only cared about two things: control and self-preservation. And from experience, I knew that combination never led anywhere good.

  He was definitely going to stir up trouble soon, trying to seize power through intimidation or worse. The idiot didn’t even seem to realize how outmatched he was. But desperate men rarely made rational choices.

  “And do what?” Cra cut in. “Spark a civil war in the dorm?”

  A heavy silence filled the room. Lay frowned, arms crossed. “I get both sides. But if we let things fester, it’s only going to explode ter.”

  Cra sighed, rubbing her temples. “I know.” Her gaze flicked to Lucas. “For now, let’s focus on the more pressing matters.”

  Lucas didn’t look pleased with her response, but he didn’t push back. He knew better than to challenge her outright.

  “The second problem,” Cra continued, “is the influence these so-called gods might have on us. The only experience we’ve had with a god so far ended... poorly.” Her eyes briefly met mine and Lay’s.

  Fenrir.

  I tensed slightly. Just hearing her tone, I already knew where this was going.

  “While some of these gods may be different, I’m making this clear now: anything reted to them is to be considered a threat until proven otherwise.” Her voice was firm, allowing no room for argument.

  I frowned. That was a bit... extreme.

  Sure, I didn’t pn on kneeling before any deity, but outright antagonizing them? That seemed like a dangerous gamble. Even if only half of the myths we knew were real, we were talking about beings of immense power. Not to mention, we had no idea how many of them existed or what they even wanted.

  But I had a feeling I knew why Cra was taking such a hard stance.

  She hated unknown factors. She wanted to control every variable, and the gods were the ultimate wildcard. We didn’t know their true motives. We didn’t even know which pantheons were involved. Fenrir had been Norse, did that mean others from that mythology existed? What about Greek? Egyptian? Something else entirely?

  Lay gnced at me before speaking. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? I understand that some of these beings might be dangerous, but can we really judge all of them based on one bad encounter?”

  Wait… Am I included in this category? That... could be a problem, couldn’t it?

  “…Indeed,” Cra admitted, “but we’re completely blind here. We don’t know their power, their intelligence, or what they want.” She looked around the room. “Until we do, treating them as potential enemies is the safest course of action.”

  Lucas leaned back, arms crossed. His tone was softer this time. “How about we remain neutral for now? We don’t align with them, but we also don’t provoke them unnecessarily.”

  Cra hesitated. I could tell she didn’t like the idea of leaving things open-ended, but she wasn’t reckless either. After a pause, she nodded. “Fine. We’ll maintain neutrality... for now. But the moment they prove themselves a threat, we act.”

  Most of the discussion, as usual, had been between her and Lucas. I didn’t like getting involved in these things. Lay trusted Cra. Will only cared if something directly affected him. And the st member of our council? I don’t think I’ve ever even heard her speak.

  Honestly, you could say most of the members here were awkward in one way or another.

  I realized I had zoned out for part of the discussion, but in the end, the decision had been made: we would take a neutral stance on the gods. And to prepare for whatever might come, we would use the dorm’s library to research mythology as quickly as possible.

  I had a feeling we were going to need it.

  “Now for the st subject: evolution.” Cra’s gaze flicked toward Will’s empty seat, a clear look of irritation crossing her face.

  “Like you all expected, some adrenaline freak is already on his way to what we can assume is the nearest Evolution Tower.”

  Well, I can’t say I’m surprised. After all, we’re talking about Will. The thought made me smirk slightly.

  Cra continued, her voice steady but firm. “While the Towers are supposedly meant to make us stronger, they also bring a whole new set of concerns.”

  She paused, letting the weight of her words settle before speaking again.

  “First, I’m almost certain that the monsters outside will also be able to evolve. As you’ve all noticed, just like humans, they keep getting stronger by the day. This means we’ll have to be even more careful than before.”

  A murmur of agreement passed through the room. It was true, each passing day, the creatures roaming outside became tougher.

  “Second,” she continued, “from the way the voice presented the evolution process, it’s clear that this won’t be a free walk-through. If anything, I expect that many, if not most, of those who attempt to evolve will die trying.”

  Her words hung heavy in the air.

  “We need to ensure that anyone who pns to take on the trials is truly ready for it.”

  Ah, so that’s her pn. She’s going to control who gets to go and who doesn’t.

  No one objected to the idea. It made sense, this wasn’t a game. There was no “restart button” if someone rushed in unprepared. One mistake could mean death.

  “Lastly,” Cra said, leaning forward slightly, “while we haven’t encountered many humans apart from those we protect in the dorm, that will soon change. With our hunters heading to the Towers, we’ll inevitably run into other camps. And when that happens, we’ll have to decide where we stand.”

  Her expression darkened. “Make no mistake, this isn’t necessarily good news. There’s a reason we haven’t tried reaching out to any other groups. Humans can be just as dangerous, if not more dangerous, than the monsters. Especially in times like these.”

  At her words, the entire room fell into a serious silence.

  She was right. Up until now, survival had been our only focus. We hadn’t even considered the idea of other human factions. None of us had attempted contact, we lost all communication with the outside world the moment the apocalypse began.

  No WiFi, No phone calls Nothing.

  But if we started moving beyond our dorm’s territory… that would change. And not necessarily for the better.

  Would we have to fight them? Kill them?

  I had never really considered what it would feel like to kill another person. Monsters were one thing, but another human…

  No one spoke for a moment, each of us lost in thought.

  Eventually, the conversation resumed, but no concrete decisions were made. For now, we would take things slow. Not many people were even close to level 25 yet, so we still had time before the Trials became a real concern.

  I sighed internally. I wish I could skip these meetings.

  The information was useful, sure, but honestly? I could just ask Lay ter instead of sitting through all this.

  My mind drifted to Will. How’s it going for him out there? No doubt he’s having the time of his life.

  As for me?

  It’s time to train like crazy again.

  I couldn’t wait to see what the Tower of Evolution had in store for me, especially with the mysterious ??? reward I received after we killed the Wolf of Destruction.