Chapter 52: Preparation (1) [CASTLE BONUS]
The auditorium came into view not long afterward.
Its main entrance remained guarded by several students, and the vehicles they had gathered earlier were still parked near the building.
The two people standing outside noticed Cain’s group approaching.
Their expressions immediately relaxed.
"You’re back!"
One of them quickly pulled the door open.
Cain entered first.
The interior of the auditorium was far busier than when they had left.
Survivors occupied different areas of the main hall. Several people were organizing food and bottled water near the stage, while others had pushed chairs and tables toward the walls to create more open space in the center.
Those capable of fighting were maintaining their weapons or resting after spending most of the day outside.
Doctor Owen sat near one side with several injured survivors.
Evelyne was beside him, pale green light gathered around her hands as she treated a shallow wound on a student’s arm.
Professor Holt noticed Cain first.
"You’re back earlier than I expected."
His eyes shifted toward the people behind Cain.
Then he stopped as he felt that something was different about Elara and Jack.
Professor Holt had already reached a high Level himself, so he could sense the faint pressure surrounding both of them even without understanding exactly what had changed.
His gaze settled on Elara.
"You advanced to 1st Echelon like Nathan?"
Everyone knew that the second person to advance was obviously Nathan based on the title.
Elara nodded.
"Yeah."
Several people nearby heard her answer.
The conversations inside the auditorium gradually quieted.
Then Jack walked through the entrance.
Professor Holt looked at him as well.
"You too?"
"Just recently." Jack replied with a smile.
The hall immediately became noisier.
People who had witnessed the World Announcements already knew that Glacial Sword Maiden and Iron Fist had entered the World Ranking.
However, most had not known that those names belonged to Elara and Jack.
Ron walked past them.
"Move aside. I need somewhere to sit before my legs decide they hate me."
Cain glanced at him.
"You’re exaggerating."
"Says the bastard whose body heals itself."
Ron ignored him and headed toward the nearest chair.
Cain did not immediately follow as his eyes moved around the auditorium.
Everyone was here.
’Good.’ He nodded.
"Professor Holt."
The professor looked toward him.
"Get everyone’s attention."
Holt studied Cain’s expression.
The casual smile Cain normally carried was gone.
He immediately understood that something important had happened outside.
Professor Holt raised his voice.
"Everyone, quiet down!"
The remaining conversations stopped.
Even those resting farther away looked toward the center of the auditorium.
Cain walked forward.
Elara and Nathan remained several steps behind him, while Jack found somewhere near Ron and sat down.
Evelyne finished treating the student in front of her before turning toward Cain.
Professor Ian and Irina approached from the other side of the hall.
Alex was there as well.
Cain waited until most people were paying attention before speaking.
"We’re changing the plan."
Several survivors exchanged confused looks.
Cain continued, "We’re leaving the university sooner than I originally intended."
The auditorium became quiet.
A student near the stage hesitantly raised his hand.
"How soon?"
"As soon as we’re prepared."
Cain looked around at the people gathered before him.
"I originally planned to stay here longer. We still have supplies to gather, and this university is one of the safer places we currently have."
His expression became more serious.
"But after what we encountered outside today, I don’t think staying here and slowly getting stronger is a good idea anymore."
Professor Holt frowned.
"What happened?"
Cain did not hide anything.
"We encountered a 2nd Echelon zombie."
For several seconds, nobody responded.
Most of them had heard the term 1st Echelon through the World Announcements.
Nathan had also advanced earlier, followed by Elara and Jack.
However, that was almost everything the people inside the auditorium knew about Echelons.
They understood that reaching the 1st Echelon meant breaking beyond the Unranked stage.
They did not know how large the difference actually was.
Much less what something at the 2nd Echelon represented.
One of the students finally asked, "How strong is a 2nd Echelon?"
Cain glanced toward Nathan before answering.
"Strong enough that you shouldn’t compare it to the zombies you’ve been killing around the university."
The uneasiness inside the auditorium immediately increased.
Cain continued.
"Today, we fought a few 1st Echelon zombies."
That drew even more attention.
Professor Holt’s expression changed.
"A few?"
"Yeah."
Cain nodded.
"The weakest ordinary 1st Echelon zombie we encountered was still far stronger than the high-Level Unranked zombies around campus."
He did not bother describing every battle.
They only needed to understand the difference.
"Elara, Nathan, and Jack are all at the 1st Echelon now, so you can probably already tell that advancing isn’t just another ordinary Level increase."
Cain continued, "A Mana Core forms after advancement. Their Mana becomes denser, their control improves, and their overall combat ability rises sharply."
He paused briefly.
"And the 2nd Echelon zombie we found is another stage above that."
The auditorium became noticeably quieter.
Only now did the meaning of Cain’s earlier words truly begin sinking in.
They had spent most of the apocalypse hiding within the university.
Many of them had struggled against ordinary zombies.
A few high-Level Unranked infected were already dangerous enough that most survivors preferred fighting in groups.
Yet creatures had already begun surpassing the Unranked stage entirely and something even stronger had appeared beyond them.
Professor Ian was the first to speak.
"How far away is it?"
"A few kilometers from the university."
This time, the reaction was immediate.
"What?"
"That close?"
"Does that mean it could come here?"
Several people began speaking at once.
Cain raised one hand.
"Quiet."
The voices gradually disappeared.
"I don’t know whether it would normally come here."
Cain looked toward the western side of the auditorium.
"But unfortunately, that isn’t the biggest problem anymore."
Ron glanced toward him.
He already knew what Cain was about to reveal.
Cain continued.
"The System gave me my 1st Echelon Advancement Mission."
Professor Holt listened carefully.
"To advance, I have to kill that specific 2nd Echelon zombie while I’m still Unranked."
Someone near the back immediately spoke.
"You have to kill something at the 2nd Echelon before you can even reach the 1st Echelon?"
"Exactly."
The student stared at him as if the requirement itself sounded unreasonable.
Another woman asked, "Can Elara and the others help you?"
"No." Cain immediately answered and continued, "I have to kill the designated target alone."
His gaze moved across the auditorium.
"Nobody can damage, distract, restrain, weaken, or interfere with the designated target."
A tense silence followed.
Even people who did not fully understand the difference between the Echelons could understand one thing.
Cain would be fighting something stronger than Nathan, Elara, and Jack’s current stage while remaining Unranked himself.
Professor Holt’s face became serious.
"What happens if you fail?"
Cain remained silent for a moment.
"The System gave me a time limit. If I don’t kill it before that time runs out, the zombie will permanently lock onto me."
Professor Holt frowned.
"Lock onto you?"
"It will know where I am somehow and distance won’t matter anymore. I could leave the city and it would still keep pursuing me."
Evelyne’s expression changed when she heard it.
"Until when?"
Cain looked toward her.
"Until one of us dies."