Post-Apocalyptic World?

Maximilian was irritated, but he knew it was no use arguing with the system. He decided to leave this place first and figure out his next steps based on where—and into what kind of world—he would end up transmigrating.

He walked through a long white corridor with a ventilation system stretching along the ceiling, extending far into the horizon.

At the end of the corridor was a steel door, narrow enough for only one person to pass through. Looking at it, Maximilian was reminded of the back entrances of shops or restaurants—designed for staff to exit discreetly, not for guests or as a main entrance.

Maximilian opened the door, and cold air from the outside seeped into the tunnel. A short stairway leading to the upper level stood before him, but before he could take a step, a rumbling sound followed by an explosion echoed behind him. A red alert flashed, and emergency sirens blared.

"Warning… the secret base will self-destruct in 1 minute," an electronic voice announced through the base's speakers, the same base Maximilian had just exited.

Without hesitation, Maximilian raced up the stairway toward the upper level.

Less than a minute later, he emerged from the tunnel through a dilapidated wooden screen that concealed the entrance to the tunnel below.

Boom! Kaboom!

A thunderous explosion erupted, destroying the base and causing the tunnel Maximilian had just exited to cave in. He turned back and saw that the stairway's entrance was now completely blocked by concrete, earth, and rocks of various sizes. Only the stairway itself remained untouched.

Maximilian surveyed his surroundings and realized he was in some kind of abandoned building. Judging by the heavily dust-covered books and crumbling bookshelves, it appeared to be an old library.

Row upon row of bookshelves stood in disrepair under the moonlight shining through the broken glass windows. The library, ravaged by time and humidity, had seen many of its books destroyed and its wooden shelves rotted away.

Maximilian walked through the desolate halls of the old library. As he glanced through the windows, he noticed that the structure and layout of the place seemed familiar—resembling a university he knew well.

"Wait… isn't this… Columbia University? What the hell? What happened?" Maximilian was startled and confused. He quickly rushed out of the building to see the world outside.

When Maximilian pushed open the dilapidated door and stepped outside, he was met with the sight of a desolate and abandoned city. Old buildings were covered in vines and trees, their surfaces reclaimed by nature. The concrete roads were cracked and overgrown with grass, as if nature itself was asserting its resilience.

The scene before him was no different from the abandoned cities depicted in post-apocalyptic movies. The only difference was… this was reality.

"What the hell? Am I in a post-apocalyptic world now?" Maximilian muttered as he looked around at the ruined streets littered with rusted, abandoned cars.

[No, Host. According to the data in the system, this world is a world of heroes and villains.] The system spoke, providing Maximilian with some information about the world.

"Yeah, like a hero trying to survive a post-apocalyptic wasteland while a crazy post-apocalyptic warlord plays the villain, right?" Maximilian said sarcastically, not believing the system at all.

[No, Host. What I mean is cape-wearing heroes and super villains, like in the comics you once enjoyed.] the system replied.

Maximilian scoffed, clearly not giving much credit to the system's statement. He decided to search for weapons first. The atmosphere of the surrounding area didn't give him any peace of mind unless he had something to defend himself with.

He quietly slipped into what appeared to be a small restaurant. After cautiously scouting the place and confirming there was no immediate threat, he began searching for usable items. He found several knives that could serve as weapons, though most were too rusted to be of any use.

The usable knife he found was inside a locker whose lock had rusted to the point of breaking. Maximilian quickly pulled the entire lid off and retrieved the knife.

In the office, Maximilian found a wooden coat hanger that was dry and sturdy enough to serve as a spear shaft. Using some rope and duct tape he found nearby, he improvised a spear by attaching one of the knives to the hanger. He kept another knife as a handy weapon.

"It would be great if there were a survival knife," Maximilian muttered as he finished crafting the improvised spear.

[Don't worry, Host. The shop function will be available once you complete an assigned mission for the system.] the system helpfully replied.

"Yeah? Then why isn't it unlocked the moment the system was activated? Isn't that supposed to be a fundamental function of the system?" Maximilian asked.

[Who decided that a system has to have a lot of functions when it's first activated!? I'll have you know, those systems are suspicious. Where do they get all the energy to power those functions!? Do you think supplying items in the shop is easy? Where do they even come from? Seriously, you've got the most transparent and honest system—me! You should appreciate me more!] the system protested.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Maximilian dismissed it as he walked out of the shop. Then he asked, "So, if I want to unlock more of your functions, I need to feed you energy or complete your missions, right?"

[That's right! But you're in the middle of your first mission. You need to complete it before I can assign you more missions. And before you ask, I can only assign you one mission at a time right now. You need to…]

"Unlock more features first, right? Yeah, I know. Thanks for the info, I guess," Maximilian replied blandly. The system's answer was exactly what he had expected.

[Hmph!] The system harrumphed, sounding like a sulking woman.

Hearing this, Maximilian frowned. As he walked through the desolate streets of Manhattan, he asked, "Seriously, are you really the system? Why do I get the feeling that you're more human than a system? You seem to… have emotions." His tone was suspicious.

[Of course! I have emotions. Even A.I. has emotion simulation programs, so why can't I have one?] the system replied huffily.

Maximilian didn't respond. He simply frowned and kept the thought in the back of his mind. He didn't have the capacity to argue with the system while staying fully alert.

[Detecting high-level energy! 12 o'clock, 1 kilometer… 800 meters… 500 meters! It's closing in!] The system's alarm blared in Maximilian's mind. He quickly found the nearest hiding spot and concealed himself to observe what was approaching.

Boom!

A flash of energy blasted through the street, destroying several abandoned cars as the shooter missed their target. The target was an old man in a cowboy outfit who dodged the blast by a hair's breadth before retaliating with his quick-draw skill.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The bullets ricocheted off the environment, creating a spectacular display of trick shots. The shooter chasing the old cowboy was hit by the bullets and knocked down, but he quickly got back up, suggesting his injuries weren't serious.

Maximilian squinted and saw that the shooter wore a tight black spandex suit with armored plates, resembling a comic book villain. The villain's mask had red circular crystals that seemed to function as eyes, and it fired energy blasts from them.

"Wait… it's real!?" Maximilian muttered under his breath in surprise. He never expected to witness a hero and villain fighting in the middle of an abandoned city.

[See!? I told you!] the system chimed in.

The two continued to fight. The villain's blasts were powerful but couldn't be fired continuously, while the old cowboy's bullets hit the villain but didn't seem to cause much damage.

Maximilian was calculating his next move. He had too little information about this world, and asking a villain for help seemed counterproductive. So, he decided to assist the old man. Maximilian had already calculated the villain's cooldown period but needed to confirm one more detail.

"System, you said you can detect energy, right? Then tell me, is the tube connecting the black-armored guy to his helmet some kind of energy supplier? Or is it something else?" Maximilian asked.

[Yes, I detect a high-energy supply from the villain's body connected to his helmet. It seems the energy originates from his body and is channeled to the helmet.] The system replied.

"You said you can feed on energy, right? Do I need some kind of medium, like a cable or something?" he asked.

[There's no need. You only need to touch the energy source directly. Even with pure, raw electricity, you can safely touch it—I'll handle the rest.] the system replied.

"Wait… does this mean if it's energy you can convert, I don't need to be afraid of energy-based attacks!?"

[That's right! Consider this one of the perks of having me! But you need to be cautious. Until my functions are fully operational, the energy source must touch your hand directly. Otherwise, I can't drain it, and I won't be able to protect you from its effects.] The system warned.