Apocalypse: becoming the hidden Ruler[English]

Just then, the roar of an engine shattered the calm. A black motorcycle came speeding down the road, kicking up a cloud of dust as it barreled toward the crowd like a beast on the prowl.

The rider, a man with a scar on his face and wearing a black leather jacket, was casually holding a cigarette as he tore through the playground.

The students instinctively jumped to the side, trying to avoid the impending collision. But instead of braking, the man slammed his foot onto the ground and leapt into the air, the bike still gripped firmly in his hand.

The bike flipped through the air, spinning like a toy before landing smoothly at the side of the road.

The man shrugged off the dust, coughing once before speaking. ”Hey there, everyone. I’m your special training instructor, Kieran.”

Their mouths went dry as they took in the sight. The motorcycle, which looked like it weighed several hundred pounds, was a toy in the man’s hands. He handled it with ease, as if it were nothing more than a bicycle.

The students, who had been casually chatting moments before, were now wide-eyed, their earlier cocky attitudes completely evaporated.

They had thought that the ten days of special training would be a waste of time. But now? Now they could see that their instructor was on an entirely different level. Their expectations had just shot up.

”I get your situation,” Kieran said, his voice casual but carrying a weight of authority. ”But this next round of training might be a bit intense. If you’ve got any physical conditions or you can’t handle strenuous exercise, step forward now.”

”Alright, no one has any issues,” Kieran continued, a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. ”It’s 8:30 AM. You’ll be running laps around this playground. You’ve got three and a half hours. The more laps you complete, the bigger the reward.”

At this, the group froze, confused.

”Wait... running laps?” A chubby kid whined. This training was so... basic. Running for hours? Seriously? He’d rather spend his time absorbing raw stones.

”Yep,” Kieran said, eyes twinkling. ”And not just today, but for the next five days. Laps every morning.” He casually hopped up onto a raised platform, leaning back with a grin. ”Have fun.”

”This is it?” someone asked, incredulity in their voice.

”The special training?” another muttered.

”Don’t like it? Well, you can leave,” Kieran said, waving a dismissive hand.

”Instructor Kieran, we invited you to help us awaken. Really just run laps? Isn’t that a bit lazy?” the chubby kid said, louder now.

”How I teach is up to me,” he said, his tone unbothered. ”If you’ve got a problem with that, feel free to report me or quit. I don’t care.”

The chubby kid’s face flushed with embarrassment, but he didn’t dare speak again.

”By the way,” Kieran added, a wicked grin spreading across his face, ”I almost forgot to mention—first place gets a Force-recovery Pill. The top five get Force-increasing Pills.”

At the mention of the Force-recovery pills, all the murmurs stopped. The students from wealthy families suddenly stood up straighter. Force-recovery pills. These were valuable, precious items, things you couldn’t just buy at the corner store.

Force-Recovery Pills, developed by Deep Space Pharmaceuticals, could quickly replenish large amounts of Force energy. Typically, only the military had access to them, but few awakened individuals and wealthy families can also get their hands on them as well.

”For a single dose, you’re looking at $500,000 on the black market,” Ryder muttered under his breath. The eyes of the students around him began to widen. Though many came from well-off families, Dune was still a small, border city, and $500,000 wasn’t exactly pocket change.

”The school applied for these. There’ll be one available each day for the next five days. Whoever wants to take it, just run the laps. Simple as that.”

He wasn’t just talking about Force-Recovery Pills either—there were also Force-Increasing Pills on the line. Though not as potent as the recovery pills, a single one was still worth around 50,000 dollars each.

While running laps didn’t seem like anything extraordinary, the reward was real. A few were still hesitating, but the majority had already moved to the track.

”Jesus, Cole, you’re shameless! You were just complaining, and now you’ve already knocked out half a lap!” someone yelled from behind.

”What? No, I just started running.”

”Wait up!” Another student shouted, sprinting after him.

As the students started running, Kieran casually plucked a blade of grass, pulled out his phone, and recorded a quick video to send to Mason.

”Kieran,” Mason’s voice came through, light with amusement. ”The Force-Recovery Pills were going to Theo, Cassia privately. Why set up a competition like this?”

”If I don’t make it a competition, none of these geniuses are dumb enough to run laps for me,” Kieran said with a smirk. ”But this makes them fight for it. No danger, just a chance to push their limits. It’s exactly what they need.”

”And as for the pills... in the end, only a few of them will actually get them.” Kieran’s gaze sharpened as he scanned the field. Theo! Cassia!

Thirty students were running hard on the 400-meter track now, their form similar in the early stages.

One hour later...

”Have you heard? The elite class is running laps around the playground.”

”No way. So-called ’special training’?”

”Yeah, almost an hour now.”

The students had gathered near the railings of the teaching building to watch the spectacle. ”Sure enough, Theo’s leading.”

At the front of the pack were Cassia and Theo. They weren’t speeding ahead, maintaining a steady pace that kept them just under ten meters ahead of the rest of the class.

”It’s like boiling a frog in warm water,” Kieran said, tossing the grass stem he had been chewing to the side.

Theo and Cassia were clearly exceptional. Their strategy was simple: conserve energy, force the others to fall back, and then when the time was right, they’d step it up and leave the competition behind.

Just as Kieran was thinking of ways to make a move and creating chaos, a loud, unexpected sound interrupted his train of thought.

Pffftttttttt—puff puff puff!

It was the unmistakable sound of air escaping rapidly, followed by a long, continuous hiss—like a balloon deflating.

A faint yellow smoke was rising from the crowd. And then...

”Jesus Christ, Cole! Are you even human?! Suffocate us all?!”

”Cough, cough, cough... I’m dying over here!”

”What the hell did you eat last night, shit?!”

It was Cole, looking positively relieved. ”Ah, finally! Got it all out!”

Fuck.

The carefully arranged formation of runners broke apart instantly, as if someone had tossed a stone into a calm lake. The chaos sent more than a dozen students scrambling, covering their noses, and quickly overtaking Cassia and Theo in the process.

”Well done,” Kieran muttered, a satisfied grin creeping onto his face.

Though Theo and Cassia were thankfully oblivious to the smell, they had no choice but to speed up in order to regain their position at the front. The ripple effect of the yellow smoke was pushing everyone to run harder.

But Kieran’s smile quickly faded. As the wind shifted, the smell of Cole’s “release” began drifting toward him. ”What the hell did that kid eat? shit!”

Meanwhile, the students on the railings of the teaching building were in tears, laughing.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Axel held his breath and surged forward, moving up into the lead pack.

A few minutes of mayhem later, the group began to settle back into a rhythm. Now, there were six students in the front, alongside Theo and Cassia. But the surprise for everyone was that Axel was among them!

Kieran glanced at his watch, his brow furrowing. One hour and thirty-three minutes left.

”This guy’s got some fight in him.”