"Today has been a rewarding day."
A beautiful girl with a calm gaze like still water sat beside the window.
I thought this while looking at the ocean outside their underwater high-speed train.
The scenery passed by in a blur as the train moved through the railway protected by bluish transparent glass. Its corners were held by pale jade materials that emitted a faint light, circulating through the structure.
Today, her whole class was going on a short vacation to a five-star underwater restaurant near Aresvale City.
She was faintly excited about this—she'd never actually experienced going deep underwater in person.
Around her sat people in the same uniform. The air was beaming with excitement and chatter.
A soft voice with a hint of liveliness unique to youth whispered beside her.
"I heard there's going to be a severe storm in the coming days. I hope nothing goes wrong."
It was her friend, Asylia. Silky azure-white long hair and a beautiful fair face. Listening to her talk was very comfortable.
"Hmm."
She nodded at her words.
Still, she wasn't too worried about danger. The world had advanced so much that natural disasters were no longer acts of God.
She was just a little worried that because of the storm, they wouldn't be able to fully enjoy the experience at the underwater restaurant.
Or so she thought...
...
Reaching their destination, I was greeted by a wide hall with an exquisite design. Translucent screens hung in the air, showcasing rooms and ocean life.
Her teacher, who was leading the way, let them choose which room they wanted. He said he would pay for all their expenses with pride, which earned a chorus of praise from his students.
After getting the keycard and pressing her palm on the glowing energy fingerprint tablet, I wandered with the group and found ourselves on the lower floors.
Tap!
I tapped the glass playfully. Wherever I poked, the group of mesmerizing fish scattered a few inches away.
"It's so fun," I thought.
Then, looking back, I saw Asylia talking with a strange man.
I originally didn't want to disturb her, but his uniform drew my curiosity.
"Why have I never seen someone like him at our school?"
With faint suspicion, I took a seat beside her.
I observed him secretly.
Asylia said she didn't know him. So why was she talking to him like they were familiar?
I was confused. After a while, I found that this man had a strange vibe to him. But I didn't sense danger from him, so I didn't worry about it anymore.
While walking, I noticed someone who seemed uncomfortable, asking for directions to the public restroom.
Then—
A sudden blackout. The power was cut off.
I didn't know what exactly happened after that, but suddenly there was chaos all around, with a surge of guards rushing through.
I followed a group of fleeing people.
Then I stopped. I noticed they were heading toward their rooms, not toward the exit.
My ears also picked up a disturbing sound ahead.
I should have gone back to assess what to do.
But I saw the strange man again.
He was... practically begging for help, asking to be let in somewhere.
"So pitiful."
Staring at his lonely, desolate figure in the dim corridor, my heart softened.
I stopped him from continuing forward and decided I would help him get to safety.
"Two people working together is better than one, right?"
Then bad news came. My teacher—the one I'd placed my hopes on—couldn't even save himself.
Desperate.
I felt ashamed of myself. I'd said something I couldn't back up.
I thought he would criticize me for being a liar, but hearing him say he trusted me made me a little happy despite everything.
The situation still wasn't clear to me. Going toward the upper floor exit seemed dangerous, so I decided to head to my room first and think about what to do once we got there.
Along the way, we encountered some danger. I saw what was causing the riot.
It looked terrifying and disgusting.
It was the first time I'd seen creatures like that.
They had a weird way of attacking prey. I didn't think I'd be able to beat one on my own.
Fortunately, Kyle used what seemed to be a fourth-gen blue shard energy shield. Looking at his pained expression, it must have cost him a fortune.
Although it wasn't much, it managed to injure and hold off the creature.
We took the opportunity to reach my room.
Just as I stepped inside, another classmate of mine appeared, begging me to let him in.
I hesitated, weighing the risk. But thinking of the days we'd spent in the same class—although we barely talked, we were still considered acquaintances—I ultimately let him in.
"We got here together. He shouldn't turn into a monster... right?"
And then, "This is the last time."
I decided I wouldn't help anyone else after this. I could barely take care of myself. I didn't know what to do, honestly, let alone take care of others.
But I'd try my best.
Once inside, I headed toward my bag. I'd left it there earlier.
My other phone was there.
I tried calling my parents, only to find there was no signal.
"Nothing as well."
Although I'd already expected this, I was still disappointed.
Fortunately, I had another gadget that I'd bought last year while traveling to a place without signal.
The beautiful accessory on my wrist. I usually wore it wherever I went.
It was a very specific gadget, made purely for short-range communication in difficult environments.
I'd tested it once. It had an effective communication radius of half the city.
I hadn't expected to use it here.
Just as I was about to call Asylia, the strange guy stood up, saying he wanted to go to the bathroom.
I pointed him in the right direction.
Kyle complained to me about him, saying he was putting us in danger.
I didn't like Kyle...
He acted like he was thinking of everyone, but in truth, he only cared about himself.
I felt reassured about the strange man I'd saved. He shouldn't be a bad guy—even Asylia hadn't found him dangerous.
I'd known her for years, and she'd always had a keen eye for people around her. Instinct, maybe? I didn't know. But she rarely talked to bad people. At least not nicely.
But Lanel—my classmate we'd met before getting inside—I was unsure about him. But I'd already let him in. It was too late to regret it now.
However, I soon found out I was very wrong.
He turned into a monster.
Attacked us.
Kyle ran. Worse, he actually pushed me toward the danger!
I really, really hated Kyle now.
Fortunately, the strange guy was reliable.
And he didn't run away.
Transformed Lanel grazed my side, sending a burst of pain through me. I looked down and saw a bruise forming on my wrist.
Kyle had closed the door and escaped on his own, leaving us to our deaths.
I quickly came up with a plan and briefly explained it to him. He nodded, and we moved into action.
Some unexpected things happened, and I made a mistake.
Just when I thought those sharp claws would tear into me—
He appeared.
He saved me.
Looking at his back in front of me, a strange emotion I couldn't quite explain fluttered in my chest. The bottleneck that had held me back for so long quietly broke.
My mind became as clear as a lake. In that clarity, I learned how to transform my aether into elements. I'd mostly studied the ice element field and had just been waiting for this breakthrough to apply what I'd learned into reality.
He was struggling in front of me.
"It's okay. I'm here now."
In an instant, bright light bloomed in my hands.
It was the crystallization of my knowledge—an icy wave that targeted exactly where I wanted it to go.
Transformed Lanel froze. His regeneration stopped. His struggles ceased.
There was no more danger inside this room.
My classmate Lanel was dead. Kyle had run away. I was slightly injured, the pain still fresh on my arm.
But it was okay.
Because I had a...
She turned to look at him on the floor, and a smile slipped across her beautiful, fair face for the first time.