Ep. 1 — Chapter 4: Long Awaited Official Release (3)
Soft rumblings could be felt beneath outr feet that gradually increased in intensity. The vibrations started to intensify, shaking violently as people started to run around in fear. People started to yell and chaos rose from the crowd.
"It's an earthquake!"
"Aaahh!!"
At that moment, the people had all started to run back to their cars, including Leon himself. He quickly moved before realising that I wasn't with him.
There, I stood, staring dazedly at the reddening night skies. Soon, everyone else froze and shared the same thought and expression as myself. We all stared, captivated by it. If that is what you'd call what we felt then.
A large screen appeared and had started descending from the skies. Red screen, blaring deafening sounds and flashing red lights. That was the source of the reddedning in the skies.
"What…is that?" I heard someone mumbling from the crowd and they began to whisper anongst themselves. Gasps also came from the crowd.
Something crossed my mind then, a familiar scene being played in my head in correspondence to the situation that was happening in fromt of my eyes. I shuddered, my eyes shaking as I had come to a conclusion.
I remembered when I first loaded the game, [World Ascension]. The loading process took a while, since it was a new game that was still in its early stages. But when it did, there was a cutscene, giving a premiere of the game.
The scene, however, ended with a large quote plastered across the screen.
「 That day, those who survives will forever cherish this final moments on their hearts. 」
And in that moment, the quote which most likely had no correlation with the current event, whatsoever, was now being repeated in my head. Like a broken record, it replayed, again and again.
The winds blew hard, seemingly to originate from the open hole in the sky above. I staggered back a bit but quickly regained my composure, still staring at the screen in the sky.
[Data transfer complete!]
As the words emerged, the red screen turned blue. It had fully descended from the clouds—a large cube hovering above the ground. A loud blaring horn was heard at that moment.
[Welcome, Players!]
[Earth—90534 status: Online!]
In that moment, a blue holographic screen appeared in front of me. I stepped back in surprise, bumping into Leon.
"What is…"
I turned around to find him with the same exact screen that I had. My thoughts that I had become crazy diminished then. Leon had a confused look, turning back and forth between me and his screen.
[Welcome, Player 100! Your account is already existing. Do you wish to load your saves?]
No, wait. This is…
I peeked at Leon's screen. Unlike mine, they didn't have any wordings. Perhaps, I was unable to peek at other people's screens.
[Loading your current save…]
However,
[Account load failed!]
[Creating a new account…]
Wait, what? My mouth fell open, completely distraught. The account I had worked somewhat hard on with decent saves was now being overwritten…dammit.
[Profile update complete! Accessing Profile…]
—
Rayes Kim ≪Lv. 1≫
Race: Human
Class: [Undecided]
Rank: F
Title: [None]
Attribute: [Lucky Number 100 (Lv. 1)]
Specialty: [None]
—
The screen turned into a 'Character Profile' setting, exactly the same as that of [World Ascension]'s. I tried to deny the situation, but everyone else seemed to be seeing it as well.
"A game…?" Leon muttered, still in a daze. "I'm not dreaming, am I?"
"What is this?"
"Crazy, I'm crazy, right?"
"Woah…"
…
Several different reactions emerged from the crowd. There were those who were at utter confusion, while others were intrigued by the situation.
As for me, I turned back to the screen. If this was really turning into [World Ascension], then, that means that the 'Tutorial' level would begin soon. The giant cube in the sky rotated, each side had the same exact message.
[Progress: 99%…]
Then, the bar became full and another loud noise came from the cube.
At that moment, yellow-ish golden coloured veil was placed over the sky, completely sealing off the exit. People's voices became louder as their whispers of uncertainty began to rise.
[Your attribute, 'Lucky Number 100' is responding to your situation!]
[A number of items has been added to your 'inventory'.]
[Exclusive item, 'Guide to Ascension' has been added to your 'inventory'.]
The ground started to shake even more, cracks started to form. Panicked gasps were heard as the people started to run around. Someone ran straight for the ledge, trying to parkour his way down.
In the next moment, crimson coloured liquid splattered in the air. For an instant, it felt as if the world quieted. Contents that belonged inside someone's body was now airborne, gliding through the air, accompanied by blood. It all happened so quickly that the victim wasn't able to let out a single noise.
His blood stained the golden veil.
[Starting the 'Tutorial'…]
—
Tutorial Level:
[Admission to the Game]
Requirements: Survive within the admitted zone. Contact with the veil will result in instant death. Gain points by killing monsters or other Players. Players must have 100 Points to qualify.
Time Limit: 6 Hours
Compensation: Entry to the 'Game', pending…
Upon Failure: Death
—
[Attribute, 'Lucky Number 100' is responding to the current situation.]
[Your profile has been updated!]
[Lost progress has been partially restored.]
The rumbling sensation beneath our feet intensified and the cracks deepened. Then, the entire overpass started to fall apart.
"Wh—?!"
Along with the loud rumbling, the ground exploded into pieces causing the entire bridge to collapse.
.
.
.
The gash on my arm had stopped bleeding. I leaned on the wall for a bit before using it as support to stand. I stared at the ruins of what used to be the overpass, now reduced to rubble. I doubt many people survived that.
Since the bridge collapsed, the zone had expanded. That was most likely the start of the Tutorial…
[5:46:22]
The timer on the cube continued to count down.
[Ability, 'Speedy Recovery Lv. 1' is in effect! Your body is 89% recovered.]
Considering the situation, it wouldn't matter if I participated in the event or not. Since my saves were partiaally restored, most of my Points were returned.
However, sitting around wasn't possible either.
Growling sounds came from under the rubbles. I quickly staggered on my feet, trying to keep my balance. Fortunately, 'Speedy Recovery' was doing a good job in stabilising my body.
Slowly, bodies raised from under the rubbles. One by one, and their numbers continued to increase. Some of them were missing parts of their bodies, while others were still intact, but crushed badly to the point of them being unrecognisable.
The sight alone made me gag, nevermind the smell.
"Help…me…"
Although they were slowly turning into mindless creatures, there were a number that was still barely concious. I bit my lips, clenching my fist and stared at them with a determined look.
Any second now…
—
Trigger Quest:
[For the Greater Good]
Requirements: Kill 0/12 'Mindless'. Running out of the zone will cancel the current quest.
Time Limit: —
Compensation: 20 Points, possible Attribute
Upon Failure: —
—
Without much thought, I stepped forward. They weren't hasty, but wasn't slow either. Instead, it was more of a prideful stride as I thought back to how I played the game. Even though most of my progress had been lost, the amount I regained was sufficient to qualify to enter the 'Game' with particular ease.
"I'm sorry, but try to keep blood off of me, okay?"
All of the near-death and soon-to-be 'Mindless' bared their teeth and lunged at me.
I quickly sidestepped and drew back my fist. The air started to accumulate around my hand and I struck the first Mindless dead-centre in the gut. Black blood were coughed out, soiling my clothes.
Before the second Mindless could approach, I spun around, raising my foot and slamming the soles of my shoe into the second guy's jaw. A loud crack was heard and the guy fell to the ground, leaving behind a crater.
Some of the skills I learned from playing the game in its early release was now proving to be affective. Though my levels weren't restored completely, a good amount of it was. For now, at least, I won't have to worry about the first few phases.
['Basic Martial Arts' has leveled up! Level 1 ≫ Level 2!]
Black blood trickled down my fist from the earlier punch. The remaining Mindless stepped back for a moment, likely surprised at my ability to fight. Luckily, none of them seem to be early testers of the game. Had that been the case, I might have died.
Although their hesitation lasted for only a brief moment, it allowed time for me to launch me next attack. Before they could react, I went in to kill a number of them at once.
One of them was able to deflect my attack with a scratch, which I evaded by the skin of my teeth. The slash left a mark on the wall behind me.
"Close…!"
Another one came from elsewhere. I yanked the hair of a nearby Mindless and pulled her down, the scratch grazing my already wounded arm, reopening the wound. "Son of a bitch…"
—
4/12 'Mindless' killed.
—
A puddle of black blood laid under my feet. Several bodies that were once human laid all around. I let go of the hair and her body plopped to the floor, straight into the puddle of blood.
The rest of them came at me all at once. It was a repeated process of evading and attack. Using the walls to my advantage as well, I bounced around, confusing the already mindless creatures. Unlike zombies, Mindless has the same durability as that of a human's. Their only advantage is their aggression and claws. The stronger that person was before turning into a Mindless, the more powerful they will be as one.
My breathing got heavy. I tried to calm down, staring down at the bodies. The two Mindless were missing an arm. They growled, saliva dripping from their mouths.
I went forward, slamming their heads together. The two groaned in pain, but I didn't stop there and comtinued to slam their heads against one another. One of them tried grabbing my foot, and even then, I did not stop.
The first one to fall was the one to my left. I dragged the other forward, burying its head into the other's. Blood soaked their faces, their eyes rolling up as they fell down. They no longer moved, only twitching slightly.
I stared down at my hands, now stained with black liquid. They were trembling. My eyes directed to the bodies of Mindless on the ground.
The bodies of…people. Were people.
It doesn't change the fact that they were alive, despite being no longer human. True, I needed to kill them.
But that doesn't change the fact that I've killed a living being.
[Achievement, 'True First Blood', has been acquired!]
[Achievement, 'Guilty Murderer for the Great Cause', has been acquired!]
Behind the lines of lifeless Mindless, the last one sat. Rather than sitting, it was standing. A very short Mindless.
I slowly walked up to it, my hands still trembling. The tingling sensation of the foreign liquid running down my knuckles made me shiver. The final Mindless continued to stand, its eyes on me, as if it was waiting for my arrival.
I clenched my fist and kept a determined gaze, trying to ignore the thoughts that made me self-concious about killing the Mindless. I did not expect it to work, and I slowly got hope.
But it was shut down instantly as I now stood above the final Mindless.
A boy stared up at me, baring his teeth with timy growls. He was small, almost half the size of my own body. 10 years old? 9 maybe? Whatever it is, he was young. Much too young for this cruel end.
And to complete the quest and fulfill its requirements, I must kill him.