The sky lit up for a split second then darkness swallowed everything again.
Everyone stopped what they were doing.
Zen's eyes locked onto the window.
What was that sound?
It came from the west side. He was sure of it.
Even Pawen, who usually looked like he couldn't care less, was standing by the broken window, staring toward the source.
Hako walked over and they exchange a look.
Without a word, Pawen nodded. He was listening.
"Fabasa's checking it out," he muttered, frowning. "But I don't hear anything else…"
As if on cue, Fabasa dropped down from the roof and looked over the room.
"It came from Rose Avenue," he said low, almost unreadable. "It's started."
Konan's face darkened, worried. "Rose Avenue? I know someone in K Class… That's their territory."
"K Class? Isn't that the top class?"
"What's going on? That explosion sounded real."
"Yeah, that was deafening."
More of their classmates gathered around, murmuring.
The crown-haired guy crossed his arms, brows furrowed.
"I heard rumors about something called Carnival Night," he said. "Didn't think it was actually real."
"Carnival Night?"
"Oh! I've seen something about that." Konan pulled out his phone, tapping through a few posts before reading aloud.
[First night of school, rival gangs invade the territories of new Sinilites. It's a warning, and a way to test or eliminate them early before they gain footing.]
Hako nodded grimly.
"It's a show of power, inserting their dominance. To crush the weak before they can bloom."
Kozen scoffed.
"What a cheap method."
Oh.
Zen had to agree. It was underhanded.
Still, tension filled the room like smoke. He found himself pulled in, stepping closer to the window to get a better look outside.
Something bigger was coming.
The night was awakening and they couldn't afford to slack off.
Zen muttered under his breath, "So that's why they're targeting K Class. Because they're… the strongest?"
Konan frowned, lips pressing into a line.
"Does that mean we don't have to worry?"
Zen furrowed his brow. He didn't have the answer. But Fabasa did.
"That's not how it works," Fabasa said flatly. "It's called Carnival Night for a reason."
He paced forward, his footsteps crunching lightly over debris.
"It doesn't matter if you're a small fry or a big fish. As long as they can weaken SINKE, it's a win for them. Pick off the young ones before they can grow teeth."
Fabasa hopped onto a broken window frame and turned, smiling faintly.
"So, if anyone's scared, go run back to your mother. Best if you never come back. Because here—" his voice dropped, "we bet our lives."
With that, he leapt down and vanished into the ruins below.
Silence settled like ash. Hako glanced at Zen, head tilted.
"Are you scared?" he asked, oddly light. "It's not too late to back out."
He turned to the rest of the group behind them.
"If you admit defeat, they'll probably leave you alone. But if you stay... fight like your life depends on it. Because it will."
Zen drew a breath.
Yes, there's no free meal in the world.
He knew that. He'd grown up knowing that.
He came here to forge his future, and that meant stepping into the unknown with no guarantee of survival. He'd already made his choice.
There was no going back.
Then a voice piped up, wobbly unsure.
"M-money… Do we get money if we stay?"
Zen stayed. What?
Wow. What a nutjob.
Hako grinned brightly. Too brightly.
"Of course... Not."
Then his smile dropped, voice sharpening.
"But if you bet your life... maybe. There's a small chance. If you win."
"But only when you win," he added coldly. "Not if you survive. So think carefully before you become the hunted."
Hako spun his staff once, casually, before walking away into the shadows.
"Our visitors must be close. I'll go greet them."
A few guys peeled off to follow him. They probably knew the drill.
Zen didn't move right away. His gaze shifted to Konan, who stood stiffly, clearly uneasy.
"Konan," he asked quietly. "Can you fight?"
Konan lowered his head, guilt flashing across his face. After a moment, he shook it.
"It's not my strength," he admitted. "But don't worry, I won't get in the way."
That's not very convincing, Zen thought. But right now, it didn't matter.
"Can you find out more about this Carnival Night?"
Konan blinked, surprised, then nodded slowly. "Yeah… but wouldn't it be faster to ask him?"
He tilted his head toward the corner of the room.
Zen followed his gaze and realized—
Yes, he could just ask Pawen. He's the Mammon guy!
But wait. Why is he still here?
Pawen sat by the window. For some reason, he'd set up his bed there.
Back straight, eyes closed like one of those cultivation monks in meditation.
Zen stared at him flatly and whispered to Konan.
"Do you think he'll answer my question?"
Konan glanced around, then offered weakly, "Or you could ask... Kozen?"
Zen looked at him blankly. No thanks.
Even he had to admit, Kozen was a different breed.
That guy had been in his corner doing a strict routine like his life depended on it.
Konan tried to defend, "He has to do a hundred push-ups, jumping..." He trailed off at the end.
Even when the explosion happened earlier, it hadn't fazed him.
So unbothered, Zen concluded.
Konan finally gave up. "Okay, what do you want to know?"
"How do these intruders invade the territories? Would they just attack from one direction or...?"
Konan parted his lips slightly. "Um... I-I can check it for you. Three minutes, hm?"
Zen didn't respond. His gaze slowly drifted outside the window.
"You know what..." he breathed. "I think I know the answer—"
Before he finished, Zen bolted forward, leaping cleanly out the window, flying past Pawen without missing a beat.
His body moved before his mind caught up.
Mid-air, he rotated, fist clenched, and landed a full-force overhand punch on a figure cloaked in the dark.
THUD!
Flesh slammed against his knuckles, a feeling of brutal satisfaction he hadn't had in days.
The body flew back several meters, skidding to stay upright.
Zen looked at the figure in black and flexed his knuckles.
"I thought only Sinilites could wear black," Zen smirked coldly. "But I guess rules are meant to be broken."