Tip of the sword dragging against the rocks dyed with blood, the man alone carried the burden of thousands and walked with multiple emotions assaulting his mind. Regret, anguish, despair, rage, pain, were only a few of the many negative emotions he carried within his heart as he walked toward a place where he wished to release all these pent up feelings in the form of the ultimate emotion, wrath.

“Cough! Cough!”

Aki felt something flooding his mouth, he woke up with a start and coughed out the liquid which was obstructing his throat and making it impossible to breathe. He stood up and coughed until tears rolled down his cheeks. His face flushed and breathing rough, he glanced at his hands and his eyes widened in horror.

“B-Blood…”

Aki was a calm man who usually didn’t lose it even in the most brutal of situations, but when one is exposed to his own blood pouring out from his mouth, basic human instincts take over the conscious and it directs the actions that follow.

“Waaaaaaaaaah~~~!!!!”

Aki screamed at the top of his lungs as he tripped over something and fell on his back. He then proceeded to drag his rear in backward direction in search of a wall for psychological relief. After about thirty seconds of dragging his back touched a damp, cold and mushy surface.

Aki was terrified but he managed to gather the courage and turned his neck around and glanced behind him. What Aki saw was something akin to a wall present in dens or dungeons. Algae and moss like things crept all over the wall and gave it a slightly horrifying feel. However, it was just a wall smeared with an unknown kind of slime and algae, and Aki understood this. To his surprise, the walls were emitting a bizarre glow. There was no visible source of light, but he could see just fine. Not just the walls… The ceiling and ground glowed as well.

Inhaling sharply, he attempted calmed his mental state down. As soon as his breathing and mind calmed down, he felt an excruciating pain assault him from the lower section of his face. He brought his hand over to the region where the pain originated from and discovered that the corner of his mouth, more accurately, the lips on the bottom-left corner of his mouth were severed and left to bleed everywhere.

Aki understood why there was blood present in his throat and sighed in relief as his life wasn’t in immediate danger. He finally raised his head and looked in front of him, and the previous terror seemed nothing compared to the scene in front of him right now. He gulped nervously, his eyes trembling and his shoulders shivering.

“W-What… The… Hell!!!”

He screamed at the sight of all his classmates and class furniture lying on the ground. He hurriedly glanced around to figure out his location, but all he could see was the high ceiling and the other side where the same wall which he was leaning against, stood proud and without obstruction. The distance between the two walls was roughly fifteen meters. And the distance between the ground where his classmates lay and the high ceiling was approximately twenty meters.

Tables, chairs, bags, teacher’s podium, books, stationary, humans, all lay lifeless on the ground. The air had a scent of bitterness which made Aki cover his nose. He didn’t leave his position, afraid of what he would discover when approaching his classmates. Almost all of the people in front of him were his enemies and despised his existence, but Aki didn’t want them to be dead.

He just kept glancing around to figure out what his next step should be. He was calm now, and when Aki was calm, he was an intellectual and an adaptive person who could accept anything that came his way with an analyzing outlook. He was scared, afraid, terrified, and sad over his classmates’ potential demise, but he knew that if he fell into the pits of despair during such a complicated time, he wouldn’t be able to survive.

After about thirty minutes' worth of self-consoling, Aki finally decided to stand up and check for himself if the worst had come to pass. While stumbling and tripping over himself, he made it over to the other student’s location. One glance at them and he could tell that everybody from his class, including Chisa, his homeroom teacher were present here.

Twenty-five bodies lay in front of him. Aki decided to head over to the sole person he could trust to lead them in this situation. Dragging out her slim body from under some tables, he took a look at the places she was hurt and sighed in relief as she only had a few cuts and bruises. Her body was warm, Aki placed her body a few feet away from everyone and pushed his ear against her chest.

Ba-dump Ba-dump Ba-dump

Aki was delighted beyond words, tears in the form of small beads started rolling down his cheeks. He backed off and wiped his tears and calmed his breathing before approaching her again. Aki grabbed her thin and soft shoulder, only to shake them violently the next second. He tried his best to be gentle, but expectation and anticipation got the better of him.

“Wake up!”

Aki yelled in her ear, his shaking got wilder and his emotions started swirling yet again. He grabbed her cheeks and shook her again, and finally, after ten minutes, the subject of his desperate and unfulfilling efforts opened her eyes and coughed loudly.

“Cough! Cough!”

His happiness knew no bounds as he hugged her with everything he had. Her huge breasts pressed on his chest, but his teenage mind couldn’t even register the advantageous situation and kept hugging the woman, strengthening his grip.

“Y-You’re awake!!”

He screamed in her ear, she was visibly startled, but she too brought her arms around Aki and hugged him tightly before turning her head in all directions to view the situation.

“A-Aki? What the hell is happening? Where are we? Wha-”

Her eyes fell on the sight of her fellow humans laying on the ground, covered by different pieces of equipment, not showing any signs of movement.

“L-Listen to me!”

Aki withdrew his hands from her body and placed them on her cheeks. He forcibly made her look him in his eyes and spoke with a determined tone.

“Chisa… You need to calm down. You are our teacher! Please! Take deep breaths!”

Chisa gulped in fright, her grip on Aki’s waist stregthened. Aki pulled her head and placed it on his chest. He hugged her head and waited for her to regain her usual calmness. Aki could feel her trembling and gasping in his arms. He caressed her long and lustrous hair which didn’t lose their perfect form even in this situation.

She kept hyperventilating and crying. He could feel her tears on his blazer, but he didn’t refuse her and continued caressing her hair and back. After a few minutes, she stopped crying and separated from Aki’s embrace.

“A-Aki… W-What’s… Happening…?”

She glanced around in fright and asked Aki while still grabbing his hand with all her strength.

“I have no idea… I woke up around an hour ago… And we were here. There is no visible source of light, but the walls are glowing dimly… There could be an element like radium in them, but radium needs to absorb light before emitting it… I don’t know Chisa. That is why I woke you up.”

Aki was calm, but this calmness came from utter helplessness rather than confidence. He could meld into what the situation demanded, although he wasn’t proud of this, it helped him endure many will-breaking situations.

“S-So... W-What do we do?”

“I’ll go wake up some more classmates… Only the necessary ones… We’ll have to make a plan before waking up every one or it’ll be chaos.”

“Un!”

She nodded in affirmation. As she was about to release my hand, she gripped it strongly once again and said in a panic.

“H-H-Her! She’s okay, right!? Where is she!?”

Aki could only smile at Chisa’s panicked state. He pointed to a certain direction and said in a comforting voice.

“She’s there. I checked her before coming to you, she is alive. I love her, you know? If she happened to be dead, I’d probably have committed suicide by now.”

“Don’t say that! Well… Then again… Maybe you would… So, who are you going to wake up next?”

“I’ll go and do it while you compose yourself and prepare to lead the class.”

“O-Okay...”

Chisa curled into a ball to calm down. Aki headed in the same direction from where he came from and searched for a certain person, and after he found her, he proceeded to lift her petite and light body in a princess carry and placed her right beside Chisa.

Chisa showed an expression of understanding at Aki’s choice. He knelt beside her and repeated the things he did with Chisa a little while ago. She woke up relatively early and looked at Aki’s face through her glasses.

“Muranaka-kun… What is it? Why do you look so pale?”

Misaki had a clueless expression as she stared into Aki’s eyes. However, once she glanced around, she couldn’t stop herself from screaming on top of her lungs.

“Aaaaaaaaa~~~!!!!!!!”

Aki let show a painful expression but made sure not to release his grip from Misaki’s shoulders. Misaki instinctively jumped in Aki’s embrace. She began shuddering and shivering. Crying followed. Aki looked over in Chisa’s direction, and she replied with an affirmative nod before standing up and approaching their location.

“Hey… Arashiro-san… Look… It is our homeroom teacher, Shishidou-sensei.”

Aki said so and pulled Misaki’s head away from his chest and forced her to look at Chisa. Chisa was an extremely good teacher, and as such, she suppressed her fear and showed a kind and gentle smile towards Misaki. Her hands were trembling behind her back, but her smile remained unwavering.

“Arashiro-san… It will be fine.”

Chisa knelt on the ground and opened her arms wide, Misaki looked at Aki, and he nodded in affirmation. Misaki’s small body jumped from Aki to Chisa. She buried her head in Chisa’s huge chest and Chisa proceeded to caress Misaki in the same way Aki had done for her.

Aki stood up after entrusting Misaki to Chisa and walked over to a certain person and started slapping his cheeks. This surprised both of the ladies as they didn’t expect Aki to have any sort of relationship with this person.

“I didn’t know you had any friends except Khavare-kun…”

Chisa said so while caressing Misaki’s hair.

“Well… We aren’t exactly ‘friends’... At least he doesn’t hate me… He even brought me a medical kit once back in the first year… I was bleeding all over, and he patched me up. Most importantly, he is ‘necessary’.”

When Aki’s ‘acquaintance’ didn’t seem to wake up, Aki punched him square in the stomach, causing the subject to cough loudly and grab his tummy in pain.

“Ugh! What the hell Muranaka!?”

“Shut up, Tanikawa.”

Aki simply stood up and walked over to Chisa and Misaki, Misaki had somewhat calmed down after hearing about the situation from Chisa. He sat down on the cold and damp ground and crossed his legs. He placed his chin on his palm, and with his elbow on his thigh, began really thinking about the situation. Meanwhile, Tsun-chan went through the same circle of events that Aki went through, only to crawl and join Chisa’s consoling party.

“Wh...at is happening here? Muranaka… W-Why is your mouth looking like that…?”

“I have no idea. Here are the facts. From what I remember, we were in the classroom, and the principal had just left… And then black… Just. Black. Looking around, not only the students but all the equipment present in the class is here too, so we can cross off the kidnapping. Also, this place, this dungeon. I haven’t seen anything like this in any book, and believe me when I say that I know what I am talking about.”

“Isn’t there a possibility that we are in a foreign country?”

Misaki and Chisa had joined the discussion with a serious expression. Tsun-chan was busy calming himself down.

“Look at your phones. The signal is gone, but the offline clock should be accurate. The time it shows is 19:17 on September 24, and I can vividly remember the time being about 15:30 in the class. I woke up around 17:30. There is no way a class full of students could be kidnapped from one of the most prestigious schools in Japan, transported to another country, and dumped in this dungeon-like place in under two hours without anyone noticing.”

“So… What is our next step?”

Chisa asked with a worried voice.

“First. We need to wake up everyone and help them calm down. If people aren’t calm and composed, it’ll only lead to confusion and chaos. We are all smart people, I believe if someone can stay calm in this situation, then it is us. Second. We can breathe. There is a high possibility that air is entering this dungeon from somewhere. Even if it is a small hole in the wall, we need to find it or we’ll just use up all the resources and die of starvation. Third. We need to establish a leader and a definite hierarchy. Well… There is already an established hierarchy in our class, all we need is a leader. All of us know how the students in our class are, they will undoubtedly try to act as a leader and lead us to our deaths, and I can’t let that happen. We need an authoritative figure whom everyone will listen to… And that is where you come in, Shishidou-sensei.”

Chisa nervously nods and gulps down the saliva stuck in her throat.

“Tanikawa, I woke you up for a very specific reason. Uenohabaru and Mashima. I need you to manipulate them.”

“M-Me? M-M-Manipulate!!??”

Tsun-chan freaked out and gripped his knees even harder.

“Yes. Uenohabaru and Mashima, both have self-destructive personalities. Especially, Mashima. They’re both dangerous in their own ways, so do keep them in check. If not, then… Sensei and Arashiro-san are right here, I won’t mi-”

“I’ll do it. Just stop.”

Aki smiled at Tsun-chan’s surrender. Chisa and Misaki showed confused expressions before Misaki spoke up in her usual calm and composed tone.

“What do you want me to do?”

Aki was slightly startled at Misaki’s question.

“Are you willing to follow my instructions? That’ll just be like following my orders, are you okay with that?”

Misaki said in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Why wouldn’t I be? You’re smarter than me. And something tells me that only you can get us out of this situation.”

“Kukuku. Fine. I want you to keep a check on your friends. Manaha-san, Ayuzawa-san, and Ohori-san. Your group includes you four and those three, making you guys the most influential group in the class. The Hierarchy will begin with Shishidou-sensei at the top, with the Uenohabaru-Ayuzawa group just behind, and the rest of the class will follow. Clear?”

“What about you? What will you do?”

Chisa asked Aki with clear concern in her voice.

“I will go and pretend dead, please wake me up in the last with Vinayak just before me. Wake up everyone in a certain order so that the hierarchical cliques from our class remain intact. I will not participate in any further discussions as my influence will probably anger many and it could end in me being abandoned. Arashiro-san, you will be in charge of directions. Keep your senses on high alert and follow the trail of wind pressure to find the exit. Sensei, please be the moral pillar for the students, once they wake up, they will need someone to keep their psyche intact and someone to rely on, please be that person. Tanikawa, please keep the class from breaking down. You are popular and sophisticated. The class trusts you and you are the only one who can keep Uenohabaru and Mashima under control.”

All three of them replied with an affirmative nod and proceeded to stand up to wake their friends up.

“Wait. Before you guys do that, please keep in mind, we are in a dungeon and there are way too many variables, please do be cautious as we are completely in the dark about our surroundings. We have all our equipment from class, which includes a bit of food and water. Make sure to exploit them and increase our chances of survival. The rations will be managed by Sensei as she will be seen as an impartial third party. Arashiro-san, did you read that book I recommended to you just after this semester started?”

Misaki looked at Aki and said in a delighted voice.

“Yes, it was a very fascinating boo- Oh! I get it now. That book was about desperate survival and methods to increase survivability. Yes, I remember, I will handle the furniture and environmental resources like those plants and rocks.”

Aki was surprised at how well Misaki was taking this situation. And not just Misaki. Chisa and Tsun-chan were both starting to calm down and were getting a grasp on the situation as well.

“I believe in you. Now then, I am gonna take a nap. Wake five people at a time, and wait for them to calm down. Explain the situation to them and gain their cooperation. It doesn’t matter how long it takes, wake everyone up and provide them food for dinner. If food is low, at least give them water. Otherwise, we will not have the energy to escape.”

All three of them nodded and proceeded to wake up the other students while Aki silently went and slept in a corner. He was tired after all that thinking and speaking, and as such, he descended into the land of dreams, unaware of what happened around him afterward.

Immediately after Aki succumbed to the temptations of sleep, the first batch of students was provided with an external stimulus to wake them up, bringing the total count to eight. Each batch was woken up thirty minutes later than the previous one. The five students were assisted in calming down and accepting their situation. Some were quicker than others to regain their composure, and some of them caused a ruckus before eventually being suppressed by others.

At about 22:00 on September 24, Aki opened his eyes, and all he saw in front of him was the cold, damp and creepy wall that had previously freaked him out, making him realize that this wasn’t a dream but an unfortunate reality. Aki recalled what had happened before he went to sleep and remained in the same position, he focused on listening to the sounds around him, only to experience chills running down his spine when the ongoing conversation pierced his ears.

“Do we need to wake those two up?”

Ishikawa Nobu, a plump boy with a round belly and equally round face asked his friend, Hayashida Masahiko while pointing his thumb towards two bodies that lay lifeless on the cold and damp ground. Masahiko, his eyes red and cheeks damp, grinned and said while suppressing the delight in his voice.

“I don’t want to say this, but considering the situation, isn’t it better to not wake those two up?”

Masahiko used the grimmest voice he could muster to speak, but his true intent was laid bare for everyone to see. Almost all of the students in the class were aware of Hayashida Mashahiko’s nature and his motives, but none of them ever dared to offend him as he had the power and influence to bring down his opponent from the heavens to the ground.

“So what are we supposed to do? Leave them to die as we plunder the limited resources!? Do you know what you are saying!?”

Masahiko turned his head in Umi’s direction, only to smile calmly and reply.

“Don’t be like that, Ohori-san. Look at the situation, we are fighting for our survival here. Those two would just be dead-weights. They won’t contribute anything and just consume the sustenance, leaving less for the people who contribute more. I support the notion of leaving them here.”

He could offend anyone and everyone in the class, including Asahi and his trio, but the ones he couldn’t offend were the four girls, especially Akio. No matter how valiant, brave and vicious a man is, he can’t go against his long-time love, now could he?

Misaki couldn’t handle Masahiko’s bullshit, and as such, she released the shoulders of a fellow female classmate and rushed over to Umi’s side to support her and in defying Masahiko.

“Hayashida-kun, it is no secret that you hate Muranaka-kun and Khavare-kun. We all know that the incident today was organized by you. Leaving them to die would mean that you killed them, are you ready to bear that responsibility?”

No matter how he seemed on the surface, he was still a seventeen-year-old boy. Confronted with his wrongdoings and such heavy words made him swallow his saliva in nervousness.

“A-Arashiro-san!? What are you talking about!? You are the smartest and strongest among us! You should know that what I am saying makes sense!”

He yelled and bellowed. Masahiko tried to defend himself by throwing the ball over to Misaki. The fact of the matter was, Masahiko heavily underestimated Misaki, and believed that a little shouting and showing off the supposed male superiority would make her concede.

Strong… huh? I cried like a fucking baby on his chest, and he is calling me strong?

“Sensei is our leader, she should make the decision.”

After their initial discussion, Misaki was sure that Chisa wouldn’t betray Aki. And as such, she followed Aki’s orders and established Chisa on the top of the ladder, making her words absolute and irrefutable.

“You are correct, Arashiro-san. Sensei, please state your verdict.”

Masahiko was at cloud-nine right now… He believed that the teacher whom he had approached many times and had gained the trust of after facing many hardships would most definitely take his side and abandon her students.

“All students are equal to me. No student is above another. Stop bickering among yourselves! You all were crying and bawling just minutes ago, and now you want to leave your classmates to die!? The situation changes the man, as they say. You all are students, not even at the age to drink, and yet you talk among yourselves about abandoning your classmates and killing them!? I am truly disappointed…”

Masahiko was shocked, he had prepared himself for the infinitesimally small possibility that his plea might be rejected, but he didn’t expect Chisa to be this direct and insulting.

“S-Sensei… It isn’t like that… Please…”

Masahiko tried to make a comeback but words wouldn’t leave his mouth. He had a smart and scheming mind, but under such a situation, he was shut down and had to take a step back.

“Someone wake up Khavare-kun and Muranaka-kun.”

When Chisa ordered in a determined voice, the first two people to act were Akio and Orihime.

Akio left Nikki’s side in a flash and approached Aki’s body, ever since she awoke, her first thoughts were about Aki’s safety, and she only calmed down when Misaki told her that Aki was alive and breathing. After observing multiple rounds of people waking up, she knew that this situation would frighten and creep out even the bravest and strongest, and as such, she wanted to be there to console and comfort Aki when he would awaken to this bizarre situation.

Matsuda Orihime, leader of a group of girls who colluded with Masahiko’s group and were always against Aki. Her motives and intentions were similar to Masahiko, and as such, she got along with him quite well. Masahiko was a handsome young man who had the backing of the Hayashida automobiles, while Orihime was the little princess of newspapers and magazine publishing company established many generations ago. Her selling point was her voluptuous and un-high-school-like breasts, they were the same size as Chisa, but Chisa was their teacher whereas Orihime was their cheerful classmate, making her popularity in boys quite explosive.

Aki closed his eyes and continued to pretend-sleep, preparing himself to act out the role of the newly-awakened. He was unaware of the reason why the Ayuzawa Akio would personally come to wake him up, but he couldn’t care less in this situation. He was hungry and thirsty, and the wound on his lips hurt, he just wanted to grab something to eat and get out of this place where even the air tasted bitter.

“Muranaka-kun! Muranaka-kun! Wake up, Muranaka-kun!”

Come on! Come on! Don’t be dead darling! Don’t be dead! How am I gonna survive without you!?

Akio was desperate. Aki was her psychological pillar which kept her intact, and she was aware of Aki’s importance in her life. Even so, she never made an effort to separate herself from his influence, rather, she only fell deeper and deeper. Her past was scarred, her mind dark, she was an existence that was discarded and forgotten. Nobody around her acknowledged her abilities, her beauty, her passion, nor her desperate pleas for survival.

Akio lived every day as a loner and an outcast, both at home and in school. Family isn’t just blood and words, it is a feeling of warmth and security, but for Akio, her family was an unbreakable prison. Rich and famous have their problems, but what about those families whose existence ridicule the word ‘prestigious’? Akio was part of such a family where inter-familial trifles weren’t just limited to flying plates or gliding brooms, intense psychological warfare was common and people being assassinated was an everyday occurrence.

As Akio entered Mekangham Academy, she was ready to break. She had got into the school with the money of her so-called ‘family’, but her mind, heart, and body were already on the verge of collapse. Suicidal thoughts filled her mind as she was drawn to the dark side of the youth. The one who saved her from all of this was Aki. Akio was positive that if she is alive and well now, with so many friends and a comparatively healthy lifestyle, it was all because of that one fortunate and unexpected meeting with Aki.

Aki finally decided to open his eyes after two minutes of constant shaking, and when he did, all that came into his sight was a girl’s face, smeared with tears, her teary eyes reflecting his profile, his lips were wounded, dust and mud covering his cheeks and forehead, but this girl didn’t care about any of it. Her eyes didn’t express the common disgust or hatred that he was used to, but extreme worry and concern. He had only seen these kinds of eyes in a limited number of women, who all had some kind of deep connection to him. He wondered why Akio, the most popular girl in school, would make such a desperate and grim face in front of him.

“Ayu...zawa...san?”

His plan to act out the role was blown away, his eyes widened, and he subconsciously did what would later come to bite him in his arse. He grabbed the back of her head and pushed it against his chest, his other hand went around her waist and pulled her closer. Akio was surprised by Aki’s action, but her tears wouldn’t be able to stop in this situation, the dam has been destroyed, as they say.

“Uwaaaah~ Uwaaah!”

Akio’s hands grabbed Aki’s blazer and she cried her heart out while rubbing her forehead on his chest. When her face was hidden in his chest, only then Aki realized that he had messed up, he looked over and found that everybody in the class was staring daggers at him, especially the boys. He took a look at Chisa who was standing about seven meters away from him and urged her with his eyes to do something about it.

Chisa panicked a little before coughing and approaching Akio and Aki. She had somewhat predicted that something like this would happen, but the person in Aki’s embrace ended up surprising Chisa as she was expecting someone else to be in that position, however, she was prepared, she just had to replace Akio’s name in the place of that certain girl’s.

“Ara… It looks like Ayuzawa-san wasn’t done calming down. She held herself back before to console others. Looks like Muranaka-kun’s cruel state ended up causing her to face the weight of the situation once again, she is a girl after all.”

Chisa said so and smiled towards all the other students before relocating their attention in a very creative way.

“It looks like Khavare-kun is awake as well.”

Vinayak was Aki’s best friend, and he picked up on Chisa’s intent quickly. Even in a situation where he was genuinely unaware of what was happening around him, especially with Orihime’s ample assets pressing down on his arm, he prioritized his best friend and spoke in a loud voice.

“Sensei? What is happening here? Where are we? Why is everyone in such an unsuitable state?”

Vinayak was normally very optimistic and cheerful, so looking at him being all worried and shocked made Aki a little uncomfortable.

“Yes, I will explain the situation now. I have already told everyone the basics, but as we are all here now, let’s take it from the top.”

Aki was on the floor with Akio crying on his chest, Vinayak was close by with Orihime attending to him. The Asahi trio had gotten three chairs and was leisurely sitting, waiting for further explanation. Nikki, Umi, and Misaki had grouped up again and were walking towards Akio and Aki to join them in listening to their teacher talk. The Masahiko group and the rest of the girls in Orihime’s group had gathered together and had ugly expressions watching Orihime and Akio stick to the two outcasts.

And with this, Chisa began explaining the situation with a grim voice.