Chapter 10: (Invasion Arc) Moments before the Disaster

The alarm blared next to Kil in his bedroom. He tapped the alarm to silence it, slowly opening his eyes and then closing them again before fully waking up.

Kil sat on the side of his bed, stretching his arms and body before standing up and grabbing his towel to head to the bathroom.

After freshening up, he got ready for school, putting on his school uniform and shoes, then grabbing his bag as he headed out.

As Kil neared the school gate, he spotted his two friends walking towards the gate as well.

Napoleon and George were engrossed in conversation until Napoleon glanced back and noticed Kil approaching.

Napoleon and George halted their steps, waiting for Kil to catch up.

"Hey, what's up?!" Kil greeted, raising his hand next to his face.

"Did you review for the physics quiz this third-period subject this morning?" George inquired as they walked.

"Nope, HAHAHA. I hope it gets canceled though, HAHAHA," Napoleon replied with a chuckle.

Kil wrapped his arms around his friends' shoulders, "We'll tackle that problem later, and I think Migs reviewed for that subject."

"Hope so," Napoleon replied.

The three of them walked towards the school and entered their classroom.

"Hey!" Miggy greeted them with a warm smile as he walked over.

"Yow, what's up!" George greeted him in return.

Kil headed straight to his desk, pulling his chair back to take a seat while the three friends conversed and settled into their seats around Kil's desk.

Napoleon and Miggy sat in front of Kil, while George sat beside him.

"Did you review for the physics quiz in the third period?" Miggy asked with a smile.

"No," the three of them answered simultaneously.

They exchanged glances and burst into laughter, sharing a moment of amusement.

"Hey, Migs, start reviewing now, bro. We still have time before the third period," Kil suggested.

Miggy playfully stuck out his tongue and made a devilish face, "Even if I start reviewing now, you can't copy from me unless you confess your feelings to her."

"Huh?!"

As the three of them chatted, George's expression turned serious.

'Any moment now, they will arrive. I must eliminate Kil immediately during the final judgment. I'm sorry, Kil, but this is my assigned mission. There's no room for friendship during the final judgment, so be prepared, Kil,' George thought to himself.

"Hey, why are you grinning like that, George?" Kil playfully punched George in the face, a gesture that was part of their close bond.

"Hey?! Why did you punch me, huh?! Come here, I'll punch you back," George retorted, with laughter following their friendly banter.

In Class-1, Aika rested her elbow on her desk, her palm against her face, her cheeks slightly flushed as if lost in thought.

Emma approached her, taking a seat in front of Aika. "Hey, it seems like something's bothering you. What's on your mind? You can share it with me."

Aika turned to Emma, "It's nothing important. I'm just contemplating which course to take in college."

'Though it's not at the forefront of my mind. It was Kil in my drea—no, it was a nightmare. I've been thinking about Kil a lot these days, almost like I'm stalking him. When I saw him in the canteen with his friends, I couldn't meet his gaze directly, and my heart was racing. And that nightmare last night, why was Kil is in my dream? I don't understand, but I think I'm in love.'

"KEHEHE," Aika shook her head, filled with romantic excitement, her face turning even redder than usual.

"Hey, what's gotten into you? You've been acting strange lately, Aika, you're wierd you know?" Emma remarked.

"Am I weird, you say, Emma? I'm not weird. I was just thinking about Ki—what course to take in colla—"

"Blah! Blah! Blah! I know what you're pondering, so don't lie to me. You've been thinking about Kil these past few days, right?"

"Hell no! Why would I think about him?" Aika's voice softened towards the end of her sentence, her face growing even redder.

"Okay, I won't pry into your love life anymore," Emma stood up. "If you like him, just wait for him to confess his feelings to you. Actually, I think he might confess to you soon."

Aika's eyes widened in shock, her face flushing even more as she leaned against the desk. Her heart raced faster.

'What? He's going to confess his feelings to me? W-wait, if he confesses today—what will I say to him? Should I reject him or accept his feelings so we can start dating? W-w-wait, t-this would be my first time having a boyfriend. Aahhhhhhhh!! I don't know what to do.'

Aika stomped her feet quickly on the floor in her romantic excitement.

After the first and second periods, the teacher dismissed the class, allowing them to take a break.

"Hey, Kil, let's grab a snack. I'm hungry," Miggy approached Kil, rubbing his stomach.

"Okay, let's go," Kil agreed.

The three friends exchanged glances, sharing knowing looks and smirks as if planning something mischievous.

Kil stood up from his chair, "Hey, why are you smirking? Let's go."

"Sure, as you wish," George replied.

As they made their way to the canteen, they spotted Aika and Emma exiting through the canteen's door, prompting another exchange of glances among the three friends.

They huddled closer together.

"Hey, the plan failed. What do we do now?" Miggy inquired.

"I have an idea in mind, just follow along, okay?" George suggested.

Kil glanced back at his friends, "Hey, what are you whispering about? Let's go." He raised his voice slightly, hoping to catch Aika's attention, with his hands casually tucked in his pockets to appear cool.

"Yes, yes, let's go," George replied to Kil, scratching his head.

As Kil and Aika passed each other, George made a mischievous smirk and pushed Kil towards Aika.

The unexpected push caused Aika and Kil to bump into each other again, resulting in them stumbling. Kil ended up on the bottom, while Aika was on top.

Aika's eyes widened, her face turning even redder. Kil was also blushing, their faces close to each other.

Emma covered her mouth in surprise and widened her eyes, while Kil's three friends laughed at the situation.

For almost 7 seconds, Aika and Kil remained in that position.

'Hey, w-w-what is happening? My heart is beating so fast. Why did this happen? Kil's face is so clear and handsome. I need to stand up immediately before others notice,' Aika thought, flustered.

'What is this nonsense? Why did I end up stumbling with Aika? Those three pranksters, they planned this, didn't they? You'll pay for this later, but it's also beautiful. A goddess above me. I can smell her perfume, so this is the scent of my crush, huh? I think I can die now,' Kil thought.

After 7 seconds, Aika stood up quickly, her face still flushed and her eyes darting around. She ran without thinking, heading straight to her classroom.

"Hey, what happened?" Emily asked, "Your face is so red. Are you feeling sick?"

Aika headed to her desk and rested her face on it. 'W-what is happening? Why did I run away from him? Will he hate me now? No, no. He's... He's so handsome. Why did I fall for an ordinary man? His grades are average too, but why?'

"Hey, Aika?" Emma entered the classroom and walked over to Aika. "Why did you suddenly run away?"

"Hey, Emma?" Aika lifted her head to look at Emma. "Do you think they'll think I'm weird now?"

"I don't think so. Who would say that to a beautiful girl like you?"

"Do you think Kil will hate me now?"

"Why would he hate you?" Emma sighed. "It's normal, you know? We're all teenagers here, and we all experience the same feelings. We all fall in love."

"I'm not in love, Emma. Who do you think I am? I'm the top student in this entire school, and I'm not in love with an average man."

"Fine, you're not in love."

"Hey! What do you think you're doing, huh?!" Kil faced the three with a menacing look, but they remained unfazed.

Miggy passed Kil, "It's okay now. You can copy from me later in the quiz," tapping Kil's shoulder.

Napoleon also passed by, "Good job, Kil. You're a man now."

Kil shifted his gaze to George with a hint of menace, "And you? You're the one who pushed me, right?"

George smiled, "You liked it too, didn't you?" tapping Kil's shoulder.

Kil and George shared a smile and laughed together, "Of course, it was heavenly. Her scent is like a paradise full of roses and sampaguita."

Afterward, they returned to their classroom, and their physics teacher entered, carrying a score recorder and a printed copy of the quiz.

"Okay, you may begin answering now."

Kil turned his gaze to Napoleon, who was sitting in the next row in front of Kil's seatmate, waiting for the answers.

Napoleon raised his answer sheet so that Kil could copy the answers. Kil memorized every answer for each question.

As Kil turned back to his own answer sheet to start writing, he worked quickly, causing his pen to slip from his hand.

When he bent down to pick it up, a tremendous pressure filled the classroom, and everything appeared gray to him. He felt immobilized, as if being pulled down by an unseen force.

'What is this pressure? This is the first time I've felt this. I can't move my body, and everything around me is gray. It's as if gravity is so strong that I can't move. What's happening? All my classmates are answering quietly. Am I the only one feeling this pressure?'

"Hey, Kil," a smooth voice echoed in Kil's mind. "Get away from that place now if you want to stay alive."

'Who are you? What are you talking about?'

"Get away from that place if you want to stay alive."

Then, in an instant, everything returned to normal as if nothing had occurred. Kil picked up his pen, turned his gaze back to the test paper and his answer sheet, and placed his hands on his forehead.

"What was that just now? The pressure, and not only that, the man... whose voice was that? I don't know anyone with that voice; it's very smooth. What's happening now? Something is wrong in this place."

In Class-1, they didn't have a teacher for the 3rd subject as their teacher was absent.

"Hey, Aika," Emily approached Aika and took a seat in front of her. "What would you do if the world fell apart?"

Aika pondered the question, recalling her nightmare from the previous night. She smiled sweetly, "If the world fell apart, I would want to be with people who care about me, who love me. I don't know if I would live or not in that scenario. At least if I die, I want to have made memories with those who care for me. I have no parents now; they are gone. But I have friends like you who are always there for me."

"Yeah, that's true, Aika. The four of us have no parents, but we have each other. Conrad Heylur, a man of his word and the most handsome in our circle of friends. Emily Scherburg, the most beautiful among us, and also the most intelligent of all, Aika Evergarden. And me, as your supportive friend," Emma added.

"I'm grateful to have friends like you," Aika became emotional suddenly.

"Don't cry, Aika, it's okay," Conrad comforted Aika.

Back in Kil's classroom, as they continued with their quiz, almost half of the time had passed. Kil found it challenging to focus due to the earlier experience. 'Something is wrong here. Why am I trembling in fear? I wasn't afraid of anything before, but now... It's like there's a hell in this place that I can't explain.'

On the other hand, George observed Kil closely, analyzing his every move.

'Does he know about it all? His behavior just now, it's like he's not trembling in the quiz. There's something strange about him. If he knew about it, then I shall eliminate him immediately.'

After 5 minutes, the school was filled with monsters attacking all the students. The students screamed in pain and fear, resulting in a tragic loss of many lives as the monsters appeared out of nowhere and took many lives.

The monsters are attacking people across the entire planet Earth.

In a world full of monsters, God created magic. In a world shrouded in darkness, God brought forth light. In a world where magic and enchantment are alive, this is a realm of fantasy. Humans were created by God to protect their homeland from intruders that may come in the future. However, in a situation like this, the mainland holds little importance to people. When faced with adversity, one's primary focus is on self-preservation.