The smell of blood and burnt paper lingered in the air. The once-lively campus now looked like a war zone — shattered glass, overturned desks, and crimson stains across the floor.
Lucas wiped the blood from his cheek with the back of his hand and checked the glowing blue screen again.
[ Name: Lucas Ryder ]
[ Level: 2 (60/150 EXP) ]
[ Rank: F ]
[ Job: Weapon Master ]
[ Strength: 9
Agility: 10
Stamina: 10
Mana: 12
Health: 10 ]
[ Skill: Weapon Resonance (Lv.1) ]
[ Title: --]
He smirked. "Still an F-rank… guess this system isn't impressed yet."
Footsteps echoed behind him. Lucas turned around to see a group of students entering the hallway — the survivors from other classrooms. Their faces were pale and terrified.
Among them was Ryan Cole, the college's basketball star — tall, muscular, and wearing a smug expression that barely hid the fear in his eyes. Behind him stood Clara Evans, the class representative — sharp-eyed and composed even now, a metal pipe gripped like a sword in her hands. She was the kind of girl everyone in college admired… and many secretly loved.
When they saw Lucas standing among goblin corpses, their expressions shifted from fear to suspicion.
"Wait… you're alive?" Ryan said, disbelief in his voice.
"Of course," Lucas replied casually, wiping blood off his glowing broomstick. "Had a little warm-up."
Ryan looked around at the bodies. "You killed all of them? With… that?"
Lucas grinned. "Yeah. The apocalypse is a great motivator."
"Isn't he acting strange?" one of the girls in their group murmured. Lucas pretended not to hear her.
Clara frowned, her eyes scanning the blue screen floating in front of her. "So, you've got a job already?"
"Weapon Master," Lucas said.
Ryan scoffed. "Weapon Master? Isn't that just some low-tier melee class? Sounds fancy, but it's probably weak."
Clara crossed her arms. "At least he's F-rank like the rest of us. We don't even know if this system thing is permanent. Don't get cocky."
Lucas's smile didn't fade. "You'll see soon enough."
Ryan stepped closer, his tone mocking. "You? The weird kid who sleeps through every lecture? You couldn't even pass basic math, and now you think you're some kind of hero?"
Laughter spread through the group. Lucas's fingers twitched, but he said nothing.
He looked out the window — the campus courtyard was littered with bodies, both human and monster. A blue crystal pulsed faintly in the crater left by the meteorite.
The others noticed it too. Clara spoke first. "That thing… it's glowing. Maybe it's a source of power."
Ryan grinned. "Then we claim it before anyone else does." He looked at Lucas. "You can tag along, I guess. Just stay out of the way."
Lucas tilted his head. "Sure," he said softly, though his tone carried a hidden edge.
As they descended the staircase, more blue screens flickered into existence around the students.
[ System Announcement ]
> Welcome to the New World.
Monsters, Dungeons, and Skills have now been integrated.
Survive, evolve, and rise in rank.
The strong shall rule. The weak shall perish.
Ryan clenched his fists. "So it's survival of the fittest, huh? Good. I've always been on top."
Lucas chuckled quietly. "Then I guess you'll love what happens next."
When they reached the courtyard, the ground trembled. From the shattered meteorite, a larger figure emerged — its skin darker, its eyes glowing red. It carried a jagged sword that shimmered faintly blue.
Clara's eyes widened. "That's not a normal goblin… its weapon is glowing!"
[ Monster Detected: Goblin Warrior (Lv.4) ]
[ Weapon Grade: white – common ]
Ryan's face twisted in fear. "white, That's common, isn't it?"
Lucas smiled, his broomstick glowing faintly again as Weapon Resonance activated.
He stepped forward while everyone else backed away.
"Lucas, what are you doing? It's a level-4 monster — you'll probably die," Tyla said.Tyla had always been the shy, quiet girl in class, but since she got a job she wasn't so timid anymore.
"Don't worry," he said calmly. "You guys can watch."
Ryan scoffed. "You're insane, Lucas. That thing will kill you!"
Lucas grinned, lowering his stance as his eyes locked onto the monster.
"Maybe. But if it doesn't… that sword's mine."