Dimension Weaver: My Wife Is The Dragon Empress!

However, the reality was far worse. They found a completely broken group of people with no actual will to do anything except wait for their demise. They had no desire to fight or try to leave this place.

Talon could clearly see it in their eyes. He could see that dark, void look of someone who gave up on life and it alarmed him greatly.

'How are they this broken?' He asked himself only to realize the answer the next second without even hearing a word.

When Rim Kyung stepped into the gymnasium, the students immediately looked at him, way before Talon and Hyun-Jae even appeared in their vision. The moment they saw him, they all immediately cowered away and averted their eyes as if they were staring at the devil himself. It was clear that they feared him a lot and that fear wasn't baseless.

'He did something…' Talon knew it deep down and so did Hyun-Jae.

"What did you do to them, shorty?" Talon asked Rim Kyung with a cold tone. "I'm not shorty, bastard!" Rim Kyung glared at Talon hatefully. "I did nothing to them. They're simply a bunch of weaklings that couldn't handle this harsh world. All they can do is cry for their parents like toddlers and do nothing."

Rim Kyung's voice was loud enough to reach every student. He insulted them blatantly and yet none of them reacted negatively to it. Their faces simply darkened and they looked down, hiding themselves from him.

Talon watched the scene with squinted eyes before he nudged Hyun-Jae. The girl got closer to hear what he wanted to say to her in secret.

Rim Kyung looked at them with a frown. He was certain that they were planning something.

When Talon finished whispering to her, Hyun-Jae nodded her head and looked at Rim Kyung.

"We're taking control over this place." She said coldly. "You're incapable of leading these people. If you remain in power, they will die a wretched death."

"... What?" Rim Kyung looked at Hyun-Jae with widened eyes. His anger vanished for a second as he blinked in surprise. Then…

"Pfft, hahahahaha!" He exploded into laughter. A laugh filled with amusement, surprise, and a very deep hatred.

After laughing for a while, Rim Kyung adjusted his glasses before he replied. "Haha, ah, that was really funny of you, Miss Ran Hyun-Jae. Take control over this place? I think you misunderstood something. This place is mine. I helped these people survive and they willingly accepted me as their leader. They rely on me and they know that is their only way of survival."

Then, he looked back at all the students. "Isn't that correct, everyone?! Come on, speak!"

His yell intimidated the students and made them hesitantly nod their heads. No one uttered a single word the whole time.

"See? You're assuming things out of hatred toward me." "..." Hyun-Jae stared at the young man silently. She couldn't find the words to describe what she was seeing. Rim Kyung had completely taken control of the place using the fear factor for his own advantage.

People weren't scared of him, they were scared of what could happen if they didn't follow his orders. It was akin to a dictatorship on a very small and yet horrifying scale.

"Miss Hyun-Jae…" Go Young-Soon and the others stared at Hyun-Jae with complicated gazes.

Even the other students looked at Hyun-Jae with hope in their eyes. They all knew her and respected her deeply. Her presence in that place gave them a small beacon of hope that was growing ever-so-slowly.

"Please don't start any useless conflicts here, Miss Ran Hyun-Jae. You aren't the center of the world so you aren't entitled to lead every group of people you find." Rim Kyung smiled as he added.

"Is that so? Why shouldn't we see for ourselves then?" Hyun-Jae's lips parted slightly as she started walking forward in a slow manner.

Talon followed her casually as he gave Rim Kyung a smirky glance. The latter stepped away the moment Talon got closer.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you… Yet." Talon winked as he snickered.

'Fuck! You bastard!!' Rim Kyung cursed in his head. His body was now scared of Talon even if he wanted to pretend like he wasn't.

When the duo reached the heart of the gymnasium, they finally looked at everyone. Hyun-Jae's face was calm and so was Talon's. "Who of you wants to leave this place?" Hyun-Jae spoke loudly.

The students looked at each other in confusion mixed with hesitance and no one lifted his hand.

"Who of you wants to get reunited with their loved ones?"

Her words carried confidence all across the place, making the terrified students shudder. Everyone wanted to leave and see their loved ones. It was the thing they wanted the most at that moment.

"M-Me…"

Not long after, one person lifted their hand hesitantly. Everyone looked at their peer with surprise. Someone dared to speak even though Rim Kyung was there.

"Me too…"

"I want to leave too."

"I don't want to be left behind!"

Like a chain reaction, students started lifting their hands in the air. The numbers wholly rose from a dozen or so to hundreds of students. They all shared the same hopeful look on their faces. Hyun-Jae had injected their broken will with hope, again.

'By simply asking two questions… She had such a reaction. Wow…' Talon watched what was happening with surprise. He always knew how strong Hyun-Jae's impact on people was. However, he still somehow underestimated it.

Hyun-Jae wasn't simply popular amongst students, she was an icon. An unparalleled figure in their eyes.

"You all want that. But, how many of you are ready to actually stand up and work for that goal, hm?" Hyun-Jae asked again, changing the whole atmosphere of the room.

"How many of you would actually go out there and fight for your right to live with your loved ones?"

When those words came out of her mouth, everyone's hands started falling down. It was true, they were terrified of death. Fighting those monsters was the nightmare that they wanted to escape.

"You cowardly voted those three students to go out and fight for you while you hide here, afraid of doing anything while wishing for salvation. And you call yourselves human? You're worse than those things outside."

Hyun-Jae pointed her fingers at the students with a cold look filled with loathing. Her words were harsh and painful yet still true. All the students looked down in shame and embarrassment from what they did.

They knew that what they did was messed up and yet they still did it out of fear. They felt like scum.

"But, even then, I will still ask again, who of you want to actually have a fighting chance against those monsters? You can become someone capable of facing those things confidently and turning your fear into strength. An endless strength that takes over everything." "..."

"Me and my friend here killed tens of them ourselves and gained strength while doing that. Now, we don't fear Dimension Walkers at all. In fact, they're the ones who fear us." Hyun-Jae exclaimed as she tapped Talon's shoulder.

"They did?"

"Miss President is amazing… I couldn't even face one let alone that number."

Students started whispering and talking amongst each other. They were shocked by the number.

"Now, I'm standing here to tell you that we can help you become stronger. We can show you the way…"

Then, the girl extended her hand. "All you have to do is have the courage to do what it takes. It's all in your hands. For those who had enough of hiding here in fear of the inevitable, come with us and take your freedom."

Silence took over the place. All kinds of expressions colored the students' faces. The words resonated with them deeply.

"I want to! Please help me!!" Suddenly, a student sprang to their feet and yelled.

"Me too!!"

"I want to get stronger like you!" n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Help us, Miss President!!"

Students started standing up one after the other. They all shared the same sentiment. A deep longing for freedom and safety. The past few days were brutal and terrifying, an endless nightmare that has no bottom.

However, if there was still a light of hope in that dark abyss, then they wanted it. They wanted to find it and take it.

Hundreds of students stood up like an army. They cheered, yelled, and fired their excitement even more, like a fire catching into a forest, it only grew bigger and bigger by the moment.

"They all believe in you, Hyun-Jae. You did way better than I expected." Talon whispered to Hyun-Jae with a smile. However, the girl shook her head and looked at him. "No, I didn't do it. We did it."

Talon blinked in surprise before he started chuckling. "Yeah, we did it."

If they can truly raise these people into warriors, perhaps the goal of reaching the research center wasn't as far-fetched as Talon thought.

'Perhaps this is the perfect first step.' He thought to himself.

As they stared at the excited student body, they suddenly heard clapping from behind.

"Bravo, truly bravo! Amazing speech right there, Miss Ran Hyun-Jae. You aren't the student council president for nothing. You really fed them the best motivational nonsense that could be articulated." Rim Kyung stepped forward, parting a path with the huge number of students.

"Courage? Will? Desire to get stronger? I have to say, I was almost convinced myself. After all, who doesn't want to listen to a very powerful and talented individual giving hope to weak, pathetic people that they also have a chance to become like them?" (A//N: Thanks to everyone who supports the book with power stones and golden tickets, you guys are the best:) )