Scales of Judgment

The system's mechanical voice echoed across the stormy skies, repeating its announcement three times to ensure every player trapped in this nightmare heard it. Rain poured down in relentless sheets, turning streets into rivers and skies into a swirling gray haze. Yet, despite the chaotic weather, something felt off.

Players around the world stood still, staring at their screens in disbelief.

What just happened?

For three days, they had prepared for the promised horrors of this [DEEP-SEA TITANS] apocalypse. They expected giant monsters rising from the depths and coastal cities consumed by tidal waves. But instead? just rain. Endless, monotonous rain. No monsters, no waves, not even a single mutated fish. Just the constant drumming of water against rooftops and a growing sense that something was approaching.

Then, suddenly,

"Apocalypse source resolved. Primary resolver: Ethan ."

Silence.

Then, chaos.

Wait, what?

We didn't even get to fight anything!

Whispers spread quickly. This had to be the easiest apocalypse they had ever survived. But before the frustration could fully take over, another system-wide alert sounded:

"Due to the high difficulty of [DEEP-SEA TITANS], all non-participating players receive one Revival Token."

The world erupted.

A Revival Token—just for sitting through the rain? That had never happened before. Plague-class outbreaks and Disaster-class sieges usually ended with a simple "congratulations, you lived" at best. But this? This was something new.

It could only mean one thing.

This wasn't just another apocalypse.

This had been Catastrophe-class.

And someone had solved it.

The participant list flashed before every player's eyes:

[Primary Resolver: Ethan] 

[Support Participants: Wan'er, Wang Zi Chen, John, Lin Yiwan...] 

[Special Acknowledgment: Director Murong Xiner ]

Murong Xiner's name caused sharp intakes of breath—she was the bureau's strong-willed leader. But the others?

Who were these people?

And who was Ethan, who had somehow outperformed even the bureau's director?

On the rain-soaked docks of a coastal city, Deputy Director Lai Wenzhi of the Apocalypse Management Bureau froze mid-step, his boots sinking into the waterlogged planks. The system's words echoed in his mind.

Ethan.

The kid with the SSS-tier prophecy skill. The one they had kept hidden like a national treasure.

And now he had not only found the apocalypse source—he had solved a Catastrophe-class event?

A young agent beside him whistled. "Wow, Deputy Director Lai, this Ethan guy's a legend, huh?"

Lai Wenzhi's eye twitched.

"Deputy" Director.

He smacked the back of the agent's head hard enough to make him stumble. "Shut up and get back to work."

Somewhere over the turbulent Pacific, a helicopter battled against the storm's fury. Inside, Sparky and Munan sat in heavy silence, their faces shadowed.

They had been right there.

They could have joined Ethan's team.

Instead, they hesitated.

And now?

Now they had missed their chance to be part of the team that cracked a Catastrophe-class apocalypse.

"...We messed up," Sparky whispered, his voice barely audible over the roar of the rotor.

Munan didn't respond.

Regret felt like ash.

Back on the island at the center of the storm, Ethan exhaled sharply as the system's final notifications scrolled across his vision.

"[Terminus Shard] usage count refreshed."

A grin spread across his face.

"We did it."

Wang Zi Chen cheered, raising a fist in the air. "Ethan, you absolute madman!"

Even John, usually as expressive as a brick wall, managed a rare smile. Lin Yiwan's eyes sparkled—this was her first Catastrophe-class survival. Only Murong Xiner remained calm, though her gaze lingered on Ethan a moment too long.

This was his moment.

"Reward distributing."

"Support participants receive one A-tier reward draw."

"Primary resolver, Ethan, receives one S-tier reward draw."

An S-tier reward.

That confirmed it—this had indeed been Catastrophe-class.

Ethan looked down at the [Judgment Coin] at his feet.

The face-up side showed an angel.

A one-in-twenty chance.

He smirked, picking it up. Might as well keep it. It could be fun to trick someone into using it later.

Then, he initiated his reward draw.

His luck had always been peculiar. The last time he gambled, he traded "20 years of being single" for his SSS-tier [Eyes of the Doomed].

"Drawing S-tier reward..."

"Congratulations! Obtained S-tier skill: [Scales of Judgment]."

[Scales of Judgment] 

- A prophetic skill manifesting as floating scales. 

- Angel side leans towards success; demon side warns of failure.

Another prophecy skill.

Ethan's breath caught.

And S-tier meant it worked outside the game too.

The system's final message burned in his mind:

[Player: Ethan] 

[Achievements: Survived apocalypse, obtained key item [Judgment Coin], resolved apocalypse source pre-activation...] 

[Total Points: 750] 

[Rewards: [Judgment Coin (S-tier)], [Scales of Judgment (S-tier)]]

Ethan closed his eyes.

Somewhere, in the depths of the system's code, something stirred.

This was only the beginning.