"Kai! What the hell are you doing?!"
"You trying to steal Brother Feng's kill?! Are you tired of living?!"
The gym was chaotic, but not blind.
Kai's actions—burning corpses—had not gone unnoticed.
No one was stupid.
The Kill Game had just descended, and although it came without warning, anyone with a brain could tell—the world had changed.
And in chaos… everyone dreams of becoming a warlord.
If someone suddenly acted differently—like Kai just had—those watching would immediately wonder: Did he discover some kind of secret? A cheat? A power-up?
Among them, Tian Hong, a guy who had always disliked Kai, was the first to speak out.
Other eyes followed, sharp and suspicious, turning to Kai like predators.
Even Yuan Feng, the so-called A-tier hero who had just finished his flashy Dragonflame Explosion, narrowed his eyes coldly.
"Why are you burning the corpses?" Yuan Feng demanded.
Kai, perfectly prepared, kept his cool.
Feigning hesitation, he reached into his pocket and pulled out five glowing crystal cores.
"I was just testing my talent," he said calmly. "After burning the bodies, I found these inside."
Yuan Feng grabbed the crystals, examining them for only a moment before they cracked in his hand—shattering like glass.
But his eyes betrayed him.
Excitement.
Many nearby noticed the shift in his expression and began wondering—what exactly were those crystals?
Then, without another word, Yuan Feng darted toward the remains of the white worm he had slain earlier.
He dug through the scorched carcass like a man possessed—only to come up empty-handed.
Nothing.
No crystal.
He looked back at Kai, brows furrowed. "Where exactly did you find these?"
"I… I'm not sure," Kai replied with a shrug. "After burning the bodies, they just sort of appeared…"
"Then burn this one too. The bug corpse."
Perfect.
Kai wanted to burn more bodies.
He nodded and cast his fireball toward the mangled white worm remains.
The flames devoured the rotting flesh instantly.
[DING! Corpse of Dimensional Worm incinerated. Spirit +0.1]
Not much… but every bit counted.
Yuan Feng's eyes widened.
"That fireball… What's your talent tier? Why does it burn so fast?"
Even his mighty Dragonflame Explosion hadn't completely vaporized the worm.
It had left behind a crispy husk.
But Kai's fire?
Nothing left. Not even bones.
Kai answered casually, "F-tier Fireball. Seems it only works on corpses. No damage to the living."
To prove it, he lazily tossed a fireball straight at Yuan Feng.
Yuan Feng's face turned ghost white—almost attacking in reflex.
But then… nothing.
The fireball phased through him like warm air. No pain. No burn. Not even a tickle.
He stared at the flames, waved his hand through them, and finally scowled.
"Your talent is seriously trash."
He turned his attention away, back toward the patch of scorched floor where the worm had been.
No crystal. No loot. Just ashes.
Then someone in the crowd asked, "Brother Feng, what are those crystal cores anyway?"
A moment ago, Yuan Feng had acted like their benevolent leader.
Now? He ignored the question.
Just then, another worm slithered into the gym.
Same species. Same grotesque body.
But Yuan Feng didn't move.
This time, he let it rampage.
Its antennae whipped out like blades—six students fell dead in seconds.
The gym spiraled into panic again.
But not everyone was clueless.
A few sharp-eyed students realized:
That monster was actually pretty weak.
In fact… maybe all of this was easier than it looked?
According to the system, the Kill Game began at 3 PM.
The first 9 hours, until midnight, were known as "starter grace period."
Only one type of dimensional creature would appear during this time:
The Dimensional Worm—a so-called "tutorial mob."
Their attacks were limited. Their defense weak.
Their only threat was long-range antenna strikes.
As long as your Speed stat was above 1.2, and you kept calm, dodging was easy.
In his past life, Kai remembered these 9 hours vividly—eventually, more people were fighting over monsters than monsters actually spawned.
But right now? No one had figured that out yet.
Panic still ruled.
Kai played along, pretending to tremble behind Yuan Feng like everyone else.
Except…
Swoosh!
A sudden gust of wind sliced through the air.
A green Wind Blade struck the worm.
It wasn't perfect—small, off-center—but it hit.
The worm hissed.
Then a second blade. Then a third.
The final strike pierced the worm's head.
It collapsed.
In the distance, Rain Lin, the graceful, ballet-trained honors student, froze as the system chime echoed:
[Enemy Defeated: Dimensional Worm. No EXP Gained.]
She blinked. "Wait, I… killed it?"
A D-tier talent.
She didn't expect much from herself.
Yet the monster went down like tissue paper.
This… is the apocalypse? This is easier than a mobile game…
Joy flickered in her eyes.
Until she noticed something strange.
"Wait… where's my EXP?"
The system had explained:
Level 0 to 1 required 10 EXP.
So killing monsters should grant experience, right?
But nothing.
No XP. No progress bar movement.
Then how the hell do we level up?
Confused, Rain glanced toward Yuan Feng.
He was already looking at her.
She had always been distant—a goddess among mortals.
Ballet dancer. Academic queen. Untouchable.
Now she was staring at him for answers.
Yuan Feng's vanity inflated like a balloon.
But instead of helping, he turned back toward Kai and barked:
"You. Go burn the rest of those corpses."
Kai smiled inside.
Gladly.
He went to work.
Six corpses.
Results?
Strength +0.3
Constitution +0.1
Speed +0.1
New Talent Acquired: Strength Boost (F-tier)
On the surface, Kai also collected six crystal cores.
Naturally, he handed them to Yuan Feng like a loyal minion.
Yuan Feng greedily grabbed the cores and muttered "Absorb."
Five of them shattered in his palm.
Then—chimes.
[DING! Level Up Achieved! Free Attribute Point +1]
[DING! Congratulations! Player Yuan Feng has become the first in the world to reach Level 1!]
[Bonus: All attributes +1]
[Would you like to trigger a Global Announcement? YES / NO]