Chapter Five: A Chorus of Useless Gifts

After two stunned seconds, Han abandoned the contest and held the frame with his own gift. They freed the last student with nine seconds remaining. Su Mi inserted their key into the backup terminal. “Class Zero wins the resource war.” Applause began like scattered rain, then filled the stands. Every student who had shared a useless gift received points. For the first time, their names appeared on a victory list. “Did you touch me to steal my family's power?” Han asked amid the ruins. “Borrow. After ten minutes, not one second remains.” “Why save me?” “Your key belongs to you. So does your life. This academy keeps confusing them.”