'Why? Why is this happening to me?' All I felt before my vision went black was someone squeezing my neck. It... it was Alex. 'Wait, am I dying? No… no… no… no… NO!' It should have been that asshole Alex! I don't want to die, I don't want to die...'
Just as death came for me, a blue text appeared before my eyes. Slowly, they opened. All I could mutter was, "…Huh?"
"[SHE'S THE THIRD SURVIVOR, SO EVEN THOUGH YOU KILLED HER, THE REWARD FROM THE TITLE CAME INTO EFFECT. ANYWAY, IT'S TIME FOR THE 1ST CATACLYSM.]"
Just as she spoke, the ground suddenly tore apart as a gaseous blue substance seeped through the cracks. Alex looked around in alarm, locking eyes with Alice as they both shouted, "Miss Fairy, what's going on!?"
"[... I Would Have Killed You Two By Now If You Hadn't Piqued My Interest... The Blue Gas You See Is Mana, a third-class energy . It Is Being Injected Into Your World Through The Earth's Core. Just Because You Can See Mana Now Doesn't Mean You Always Will Unless Maybe A Mass Concentration Phenomenon Occurs. Anyway, Have A Nice Nap!]"
"What do y—" Alex couldn't finish before his body crumpled forward, going unconscious.
After an unknown amount of time, the boy-girl duo slowly awoke. Alex stood up, only to clutch his head as a migraine struck, forcing him back to his knees. His memories came flooding back, and he turned to his right. Kaori was already up, but as her eyes met his, she looked away in fear, rethinking her past choices.
Alice, on the other hand, had no headache. She stood immediately and looked up to where the fairy floated, silently observing them.
"[Alright, I'll Transfer Basic Information To Your Brain Now, Clench Your Teeth.]"
Alex and Alice fell onto their feet once again as large pieces of information flooded their brains.
WELCOME TO THE SYSTEM.
[PERSONAL INFORMATION]
[STATISTICS]
[STORAGE AND EQUIPMENT]
[SKILLS AND ABILITIES]
[DATABASE]
[OTHER]
Alice marveled at the ethereal screen, while Alex focused on 'Statistics'
[INSERT POWER SYSTEM] "
[DING] [COMPLETE]
"[Well, Have Fun Sorting The Information You Just Received, Cause I Don't Wanna Waste My Time Here, Bye Bye!]"
The fairy vanished, leaving the two alone.
[DING] [YOU HAVE RECEIVED AN INVITE FROM ALICE BLACKHEART INTO A SQUAD. ACCEPT?]
Alex raised a brow. "You want to partner with me? Why?"
Alice responded, "Who wouldn't want to partner with someone strong?"
Alex laughed. "Most would fear me. Is it because you think you're just as ruthless as me?"
"Yeah."
"…Uh." Alex was thrown off but accepted the request.
The streets of Kyoto were in chaos. Around the time Alex woke, the situation was dire.
"RUN!" someone shouted, sprinting like the wind. [Author's Note: Dude moves faster than Bolt when his life's on the line.]
His luck ran out. Pu-chi! A tentacle skewered through his back, ripping out his heart. He saw a grotesque, meatball-like creature sneering at him before darkness claimed him. Moments later, a sluggish zombie knelt by the corpse, consuming it with gruesome noises. A horde of zombies charged at the remaining humans who ran like the sky fell.
Ratatata!
Gunfire erupted, tearing through the zombies. Soldiers arrived with heavy-duty vehicles, offering a brief glimmer of hope. But the relief was short-lived as tentacles tore through the soldiers, plunging the civilians back into despair. Screams filled the air as the living were turned into cursed, aimless souls.
At The Campus,
The two walked back to the gymnasium, ignoring Kaori who kept to herself quietly in the corner. On their way, a prompt suddenly blocked both their visions
[DING] [SYSTEM REMINDER: YOU HAVE NOT AWAKENED YOUR CORE. THE LONGER YOU WAIT THE WEAKER ENHANCEMENTS YOU CAN RECEIVE AFTER THE AWAKENING DUE TO THE RAPIDLY DISSIPATING MANA IN THE ATMOSPHERE.]
It was right, the mana wasn't visible anymore.
Alex and Alice glanced at each other to make sure they received the same thing. They spoke simultaneously, 'Awaken core.'
[CHOOSE WISELY. OPTIONS CANNOT BE REVERSED. THE WAY TO CHANGE OR MERGE PATHS IS ONLY AVAILABLE AT THE CORE ASCENDENT STAGE
(UNLESS UNDER SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES)]
A large panel with four trees and many branches lay in their sight. At the root of each tree, a name would stand out.
[CIRCULATION] [MAGNUM ] [ENERGY ] [PURITY]
EVO POINTS: 1
"Explain each path "Alex, spoke loudly.
[At Stage 1, cultivators select a Core Type, which defines their progression and abilities.
Purity Core: Boosts energy quality and efficiency.
Circulation Core: Enhances energy flow, speed and regeneration.
Magnum Core: Focuses on raw destructive energy.
Energy Core: Balances power and control for versatility.]
"Which is best?" Alice asked.
Alex replied, "Didn't you read the system message? How should I know?" He sighed, deciding to gamble. 'Circulation I.'
[CHOSEN: Circulation I]
[RETRIEVING DATA.... COMPLETE]
A book appeared before him, titled Circulation I. Alex flipped through his before glancing at Alice's book. [Energy I]. "We can deal with this later we don't know whats going on inside."
CURRENT PLAYERS: 14,797,532,295
DEATHS: 89,378
TOTAL DEATHS: 89,440
GAME: TUTORIAL
CLEAR TIME: ONGOING
Note Of The Day
TITLE: SURVIVOR [SS]
PERK 1: ONE TIME REVIVAL
PERK 2: ONE-SECOND FUTURE SIGHT
PERK 3: SURVIVOR'S INSTINCT
[I'm very sorry that this chapter was short, my mind was distracted]