The voice echoed, loud and clear, resonating in the hearts of everyone.
Phase 1 has begun.
"Oh, oh…" Puck gasped, his face twisting into a mix of shock and disbelief.
'Out of everything... it had to be this?'
Even for him, this was a dreadful omen. Many worlds had fallen during the first phase of the apocalypse. Usually, there was some hope, some way to push through, whether by teamwork, sheer determination, or luck. But this…
'No one had ever cleared this phase before.'
The curse this phase bore was unlike any other, a relentless force no world could truly withstand. Even here, where restrictions weakened its power, it was still an insurmountable threat.
There was no chance of survival, not with the means they had.
Yet, despite knowing this, Puck's grin stretched wide across his face.
This was bad. Terribly bad. But it was also exactly what made this event so irresistible.
'This was the spectacle they craved.'
He raised his hands as if typing on an invisible keyboard, fingers dancing through the air. Instantly, the viewer count on his channel exploded.
'Yes, more, just a bit more. Even if they fail and I have to wait for the next chance to stream, it will all be worth it. I might be able to get ten, twenty times of what I invested.'
A barely contained giggle escaped him as he covered his mouth with small hands, hiding the gleeful snicker.
This was an opportunity he could never let slip.
Then, a notification appeared, cold and stark:
[The dead are crawling out of their graves. Survive the Curse of the Undead, or kill the one who started this.]
[Difficulty: SSS]
[Time Limit: 30 days.]
The sky shifted violently, the warm hues of evening orange drained away, replaced by an oppressive, unnatural gray. A heavy dread settled over everything, thick and suffocating.
Fear erupted like wildfire. People screamed. Some clutched their chests, overwhelmed by an unsettling feeling deep inside—the primal knowledge that something terrible was unfolding.
The dead were rising. From the earth, from their eternal rest, they clawed their way back.
"Good luck, dear participants," Puck's voice cut through the chaos, dripping with cruel amusement. "I'm expecting a good show. Don't disappoint me. Enjoy this phase, dear viewers~"
He produced a small blue orb seemingly from thin air. It shattered into countless tiny, insect-like creatures, swarming towards every participant below.
One drifted toward Raven, catching his curious eye. Studying it closely, he realized it wasn't a mere insect, it was a miniature camera, capturing every moment.
"So, all this is being broadcast… to someone. Or some ones."
But who watched? Raven didn't know. But just the thought sent a chill down his spine. If someone was watching this, which was clearly a horrific destruction, then what kind of person could it be?
Screams erupted from every corner, and just as suddenly, a new notification appeared:
[The first person to slay the dead has arrived.]
Puck cheered gleefully, his sadistic smile widening. "Great, great! More! Show me more! You're doing fantastic!"
He even began to swing around, dancing on the air as his views skyrocketed.
Raven remained still, not frozen by fear, but by the weight of it all sinking in. He looked around, considering the notification, the curse, and the eyes watching them all.
"Curse of the Undead... people are watching… we need to perform. What is this? Some kind of twisted television show?"
He felt unease gnawing at him. This wasn't just a battle for survival. It was a spectacle, an entertainment for unknown spectators.
How is this going to end?
The world he knew was slipping away, reshaping itself in the shadow of the unknown. Panic rippled like a dark wave. And in this moment, beneath the apocalypse's cold gaze...
Everyone was equal.
The tide was frozen. The course of this chaos would be carved by those who rose to the top.
For Raven, unknowingly, this catastrophe was an opening.
Before, he had nothing, no place in the world, no chance to rise.
But now...
A sickening crack sounded beneath him.
A skeletal hand burst through the cracked road. Raven jumped back instinctively, his heart pounding.
All the screams from before, they were all caused by this horror.
Till now, this phase remained unconquered and it devoured many more such planets like Earth. And the reason...
No one had passed this phase because the Curse of the Undead wasn't a simple summoning. It was a resurrection of every dead soul whose bones still lay intact, clawing out from their graves.
How many dead were buried beneath the earth?
Millions. Billions. Their bodies dissolved over centuries, yet even fragments remained which were more than enough to rise.
Could anyone truly survive this nightmare?
When they weren't just ordinary undeads?
More skeletal limbs tore through the earth. Rotting flesh hung from bones, dripping a foul, rancid stench that made Raven's stomach churn violently.
He fought back nausea, barely suppressing a gag.
Blerghh~
His eyes stayed locked on the grotesque figure. It moved oddly, staring in one direction.
Then it screamed at him, a low guttural grrrr. It was looking at a particular direction, as if receiving some kind of signal from somewhere.
And then suddenly its bones darkened, transforming into something like blackened steel.
Raven's breath caught in his throat. The creature radiated fury as it turned toward him and charged.
He barely had time to react, rolling away across the cracked asphalt.
"Shit!"
He cursed, heart racing. His clothes were smeared with dust and grime, but he ignored it, scrambling upright.
The undead lunged again, claws slashing toward his face. Raven dodged, narrowly avoiding the jagged fingers.
'It's fast... but...'
As it missed, he spun behind it and kicked hard at its skull.
Bang!
The sound rang out like metal striking metal but the undead was unharmed. It was Raven's leg that throbbed painfully.
'Why is it so damn hard?'
Despite no damage, his strike staggered the creature just enough. Raven seized the moment, and picked up his helmet that he had removed before picking up his bike.
'This undead's fast but not invincible.'
But how to kill something that's already dead?
There was no flesh to slice, no blood to spill.
His mind raced.
'I have to immobilize it.'
The undead rose, snarling fiercely, charging again.
Raven gripped his helmet tightly. As the monster neared, he smashed it down on its skull.
Bang! Crack!
The helmet shattered, but the creature faltered, collapsing to the ground.
Not wasting a second, Raven pounded the broken helmet onto its head repeatedly.
Bang! Crack! Bang!
But it didn't work. Instead, the helmet was cracked.
Confused but determined, he grabbed a large rock nearby and crushed the creature's skull with all his might.
At last, it stopped moving.
Raven noticed something dark and crystalline embedded in the shattered skull.
He picked it up curiously. And as he did,
A notification flashed:
[Congratulations, awakener. You have killed an ordinary undead.]
[You have received a star fragment.]
[Collect 99 more to gather a star.]
A small victory.
His first undead was slain.
---
Thanks for reading everyone.