Chapter 3 – Apocalypse is Enjoyable

A bright light appeared from his sword and shot toward the spider like a beam. It cut through the air, making a booming sound and disappeared into the distance.

The spider didn't even have a chance to scream before it was cut in half. Its body fell onto the ground, unmoving. A loud thud echoed in the air, indicating its death.

"W-What happened." The man's eyes widened in surprise as he looked back.

"What?!" The woman cried out in shock, "Did the monster explode or something?"

There was no explanation needed. When they saw the monster was cut in two, and Vale stood between them and the monster, they realized that he had saved them.

"Woah... Could it be, the monster was still alive earlier?" The man swallowed.

Vale nodded his head, "It was pretending to be dead so it could get you two off guard."

"Really? Oh my god, that's a scary monster. I thought my Super Fist killed it for sure." He paled a little.

The woman shivered, "That's such a close call." She sighed, "We would have died if not for this young man. Thank you."

They were both middle-aged and Vale looked young, so it wasn't wrong to call him a young man. He just nodded at them and sheathed his sword.

"We really are thankful. If not for you, we might have died. Name's Taylor. Once again, thanks for saving our ass. This is my wife, Jenny." The man introduced himself.

Vale shook their hands, "I'm Vale. Nice to meet you."

It was only 30 minutes after the apocalypse announcement. Finding people who could fight right away was nothing but a miracle.

The couple might also think that as they nodded to each other.

"Say, Vale. This situation is really dangerous, and I think it's better to group up instead of going solo." Taylor spoke up.

Jenny nodded her head in agreement, "That's right. I think the monsters will keep showing up until midnight. How about we move together until then and try to survive? Not to brag, but I think we also have quite a useful ability. I can control objects from far away and get a Telekinesis ability from that awakening."

"As for me, I got Enhanced Muscle! I feel like a super with this ability, don't you think so?"

Going as a group was definitely a good way to survive. Vale knew that but still refused.

"Sorry, but I think I will go alone. I need to... get some experience if I want to survive the apocalypse. I don't think this will be over at midnight." He politely refused, "Although, if we happen to run into each other again, let's not hesitate to help each other out."

With that said, he took his leave from the couple and moved forward on his own. They looked disappointed but didn't stop him.

After his display of cutting the spider in half, they probably felt they had no right to do that.

'I am glad they are understanding. And I hope that could be a lesson not to lower their guard.'

Vale by no means had a hero complex. However, he was a human with morals. Seeing people in danger, he couldn't stand by and do nothing.

If he was still normal, he would have gladly teamed up with them and talked about abilities or passion. But now, he was Vale Gilstar. No one could match him yet.

So, he went on his own and headed into an alleyway. He controlled his breathing and took out his sword again.

'Let's use this chance to awaken my Qi. First step, sensing.' Vale closed his eyes and focused.

Then, he felt it. Like a river flowing under the ground, there was a power that had been sleeping within him.

'Found it.' He opened his eyes and smiled lightly. 'Let's awaken Qi now.'

A bright light shined around him as he used his willpower to call that power. It responded by rushing up toward his body like a rocket.

Soon, his whole body was covered in a white light as if he was wearing a second skin.

[New Attribute has been awakened! Qi Awakening success!]

He could hear the voice in his head again. This time, it sounded happier as if it had done something right.

'Nice.' Vale spoke back mentally, 'This is easier practiced than said. I thought I would need a few days or a week to awaken it. But my ability to do everything the novel character could do helped me to awaken it faster.'

His novel character had awakened his Qi twice already. He had a grasp on how to awaken it easier than most people with no experience.

It was said that a new attribute was awakened. Curious, he peeked at his status board.

[Status Board]

Name: Vale Gilstar (Human)

Passion: Vale Gilstar

Level: 100

Attributes:

- Strength: 1000

- Agility: 500

- Intelligence: 700

- Qi: 5

It was a meager amount, but it was there. Increasing Qi was a process that couldn't be done instantly, unlike the other Attributes.

Vale didn't know whether it would increase if he leveled up. Heck, before that, he didn't even know whether he could level up or not.

There was another way to increase his Qi, but that would be left for the future.

"Let's be satisfied with this tiny amount of Qi for now. This is good enough to use [Meditation] and feel the presence around me."

The key to Qi was a breathing exercise. With the correct breathing, one could feel presence in their surroundings and sense danger from a distance.

This would prove useful in facing a monster.

Vale grinned, 'Now, let's head to a different area.'

Time Square would definitely be littered by corpses, so he'd like to avoid that area and head to a lesser populated area. There were also monsters that would allow him to test his skill and see his limits.

He didn't think he would die easily, but he couldn't be too confident and lose focus. That would only lead to his downfall.

"Always be careful."

With that in mind, Vale tightened his grip on his sword and walked out of the alleyway.

"Let's survive this apocalypse until midnight."

He didn't know how the world would be after that, but he would figure it out when the time came. For now, he would continue to survive and adapt to this new reality.