I found both my phone and wallet in the drawer of my bedside table. As expected, they didn't look like the ones I had back at home, but they were usable.
When I unlocked my phone earlier, all it had were pre-installed apps. In my wallet, I had all the required IDs, but there was no money inside. I've also checked to see if there were any missing legal documents that I was meant to possess, and fortunately, everything legal pertaining to my identity and property has been taken care of.
Listen, I didn't want to risk any stupid problems arising in the future.
All I had to do now was find a job. I could apply to be a Chaser, as the National Chaser Examination was being held pretty soon, but I doubt I could even pass as a C-rank Chaser with my extreme lack of combat skills.
"Normal" jobs, on the contrary, were pretty rare in a world like this. The only ones I could remember from the original novel were doctors and engineers, but they only existed because they were the most useful to Chasers and the clearance of Abyssal Citadels. Doctors to take care of injured Chasers, and engineers to craft advanced weapons and technologies to assist them.
I previously worked in a small media company, so whatever qualifications I had would probably be deemed useless here. But I still had to try.
For the next week, I concentrated on getting any kind of position in whatever corporation I could apply to with what I had, which wasn't a lot. Though somehow, surprisingly, I was able to land an interview at a small tech company and get hired, even though I was still on an extremely tight budget.
So, for the first month of arriving here, I've lived my life in peace. That was until I got an alert.
[A month-old Abyssal Citadel near you needs to be cleared. Accept the offer?]
[Yes / No]
Huh. Wasn't this the Citadel that appeared the day I got here? It seemed like no one had been able to clear it. In the novel, a Citadel's Entities would continue to decline in number as time passed, but the ones that remain would grow stronger.
In any case, I wasn't a Chaser, let alone a strong one. Every time I went to work, I passed this Citadel, and it seemed much more powerful than other Citadels I'd seen. In short, there was no way I was going in there.
I pressed the 'No' button decisively. They couldn't force me to clear it; I would be fine.
Afterward, I hurried to change into comfortable clothes before leaving my room to run an errand. Yawning, I made my way to the elevator. A few others were waiting already, so I stood behind them.
"Hey, did you get an alert for the nearby Citadel?" one of them said quietly.
"Yeah. I'm still considering it. I mean, a Relic for around five hundred thousand coins? That's life-changing. And it'll be hella powerful," another one answered.
Then, unexpectedly, two messages popped up right behind the two men.
[View character information?]
[Yes / No]
Before I could process the alerts or click on either option, the elevator door opened, and they disappeared as the men walked forward. The three of us stepped in in silence.
Character information? This was the first time such messages appeared for me, even after a month of living here, so maybe they were only for characters explicitly mentioned in the novel? But as I looked at the two people next to me, I knew that couldn't be right.
Caelum didn't have a lot of allies, let alone people he could call friends. I didn't think these two Chasers in hoodies and sweatpants were anyone important enough to be put in the story, which only increased my confusion.
Whatever, I didn't have the energy to stress about this.
Before I knew it, we reached the ground floor, and I was the first to exit the building. Since the grocery store was pretty close, I figured I didn't need my car. Besides, it was nighttime, so it would most likely be a comfortable temperature outside.
As I made my way gradually closer to the Abyssal Citadel mentioned earlier, I admired the view and paid close attention, as I had only seen it briefly while on my way to work. I have to admit, Abyssal Citadels are architectural works of art, even if they look nothing like actual Citadels on Earth. To me, most of them resembled intricately designed churches in the real world, which would fit with the story's premise.
The building loomed large, stretching skyward with multiple stories. It was constructed from centuries-old, weathered stone, though it had only been there for a month. A dark, gothic design adorned its exterior; elaborate archways, pointed spires, and ornate buttresses. Ivy and moss clung to the stones, making it seem like it had been there since ancient times.
And at night, the building took on a darker, breathtaking quality. Its size and haunting silhouette almost intimidate those who dare to enter.
From the exterior alone, I could, to an extent, tell what laid within this particular Abyssal Citadel.
It was most likely home to one of the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
The Entities in 'Entranced in the Apocalypse' were all loosely based on figures present in the Bible. I remembered most details about the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, mostly because they were my favorite group of Entities. There was Zelos Bur – the embodiment of conquest, Ares Entment – the embodiment of war, Thanatos Matee – the embodiment of death, and Limos Pein – the embodiment of famine.
From the dark medieval exterior, many Chasers would assume that its Overseer was Thanatos – the embodiment of death. However, that would probably not be fully correct, as Abyssal Citadels have appeared more than once in the novel in an attempt to mislead Chasers. They would think that they were fighting against Thanatos, even though in reality, it would be an entirely other Entity, albeit an Entity from the same group.
Either way, those four didn't appear that often compared to other antagonists, but they were well-written and charming, in a way. It would be fun if I could meet them as a fan, but I'd get slaughtered the moment I step near them.
As I was walking past the Citadel, the ground beneath me abruptly started shaking. Startled, I tried to back off and return to my apartment building, but the ground was shaking quite violently, making it extremely difficult for me to move while standing.
A message came in front of me as I tried to keep my balance.
[An earthquake is happening near you: An Abyssal Citadel is growing larger.]
[Get to safety.]
Get to safety? Yeah, no shit! I looked down, and the ground beneath me began to fracture and split. If this earthquake was somehow linked to the Citadel, it was probably safer inside, right?
In a frantic rush, I looked around for an entrance into the Abyssal Citadel. The thought of seeking refuge there might have been impulsive, foolish, even, but my body reacted on pure instinct. The earthquake triggered my fight-or-flight response. With no time to second-guess myself, I ran toward a semi-transparent, draping curtain that was an entry point into the Citadel.
After a few seconds, I gradually felt the violent tremors subside. My heart raced, and I was left panting. Looking around, I realized I wasn't alone.
There were others inside, Chasers. They seemed alert and confused by my sudden entrance, some pulling out their weapons. But as they looked at my attire, pretty disheveled (but still good) appearance, and the expression on my face, they knew that I wasn't a threat and was, in fact, incapable of harming them in any way.
Inside the Citadel, as expected, was an arena. The room was dimly lit, with the sources of light concealed by rows of tall, grand, and ancient candelabras that lined the stone walls. At its center was an ornate sigil, the epicenter of the arena's power. Runes and markings embellish the walls, ceiling, and floor.
Although… there were no Entities. It seemed like they were already defeated by the Chasers. There were one, two… seven Chasers in this room.
I looked back, and the entrance I went through earlier was now replaced with a wall. Of course, it'd trap anyone who came inside. I was so fucked.
A man around my age approached me with a smile that seemed insincere. He opened his mouth, "Hey there. What's your name?"
A familiar message appeared for me right after.
[View character information?]
[Yes / No]
Uh, sure.
Without having to click yes, a new window appeared in front of me.
⁺‧₊˚ ཐི ⋆ ♱ ⋆ ཋྀ ˚₊‧⁺
Zhang Yifan | 29 | B-rank Chaser
Titles: —
Role: Background Character
Average stats Level: 6.7 (B-rank)
⁺‧₊˚ ཐི ⋆ ♱ ⋆ ཋྀ ˚₊‧⁺
I see. He wasn't a character ever explicitly mentioned in the novel; maybe Caelum had crossed paths with him before, but never bothered to ask for a name. Typical of him.
"Uh, mister?" Zhang Yifan stared at me as the tab disappeared.
"Oh, sorry. You can call me Azekiel. And you?" I smiled.
"Zhang Yifan, I'm the group's leader. It's nice to meet you." He looked at his allies, then back at me. "Why are you in here? You're not a Chaser, are you?"
I chuckled softly. "Ah, no. But the earthquake made me search for the nearest safe place, so I didn't have much of a choice, did I?"
Zhang Yifan sighed as if I were a burden. Asshole. "You got a weapon? If you want to survive, you have no choice but to follow us throughout the Citadel."
Did I look like I would be bringing a weapon? "Unfortunately not."
He reached into his pocket and handed me a dagger. "It's not much, but it's simple to use for someone like you."
"Thanks."
As he looked at his watch, I remembered the information presented in the character information window earlier. He was a B-rank Chaser. In an S-rank citadel. If the majority of Chasers here weren't A-rank, we were actually screwed.
"Oh, by the way," I casually started, "What rank are you guys?"
Zhang Yifan looked up from his watch, "I'm B-rank, the others here are all B or C-ranks."
I playfully laughed and cocked my head to the side as he blankly looked at me. Oh, he was serious.
"You guys do realize this is a–"
"If you don't have anything good to say, keep your mouth shut," his eyes narrowed. I couldn't help but grin.
Sensitive, are we? But I suppose I had no place to judge; my life depended on these people, and I had to trust them.
I looked away, "Alright."
"Our break is over, we have one stage left before meeting the Overseer. Try to stay alive," Zhang Yifan scoffed as he walked away towards the entrance of the next stage.
The entrance on the other side of the circular room opened before us. Inside the other room was the same exact arena as the previous one, with the only difference being the presence of three humanoid figures, standing at least seven feet tall with dark, shifting steel-like skin. I recognized them almost instantly.
They were Warbound Enforcers, underlings of Ares – the embodiment of war. Each Warbound Enforcer could materialize powerful weapons from their armored limbs like enormous battleaxes, spiked maces, or deadly spears. They could move with incredible speed and agility, allowing them to strike swiftly in the midst of chaos.
"Hey," I called out, and Zhang Yifan looked back at me. "They're fast, and they can create weapons using their limbs."
Caelum used hit-and-run tactics to defeat these Entities.
"Dodge," was my final warning to the Chasers as the Warbound Enforcers woke up and the door behind us slammed shut.
Then the room shattered into motion.
One of the Enforcers surged forward, a weapon already forming from its forearm; a jagged spear that extended mid-swing. The nearest Chaser barely managed to block with her sword, but the force of the blow launched her halfway across the room, armor scraping against the arena floor.
Another Enforcer pivoted toward another group. Its arm rippled, reshaping into a spiked flail mid-sprint, swinging it wide. A scream echoed as the weapon collided with one Chaser's leg, bone and blood flying in the air. He dropped, rolling across the tiles, wailing in pain.
The third one didn't even move fast. It walked, slow and deliberate, toward the center, as if daring someone to try and stop it.
"Split!" Zhang Yifan shouted. "Don't engage directly!"
The team tried to flank them. Two Chasers launched a special attack, fire and lightning-like, and the room lit up in flashes. But the Enforcers didn't stop. One burst through the flames, its body singed but unharmed, and slammed into one of them before they could react. There was a crunch. The Chaser's head hit the wall. They didn't get back up.
I ducked as a piece of stone flew past me, debris from the blast. My hands shook. This wasn't a trial fight. This wasn't a game; it was a massacre.
A second Chaser got impaled by a spear that erupted from the floor—from the floor—an extension of the Enforcer's arm that twisted beneath the ground before launching upward. A death trap. His body dangled like a puppet for half a second before the Enforcer tore the spear free.
Two dead already.
Zhang Yifan was holding his own weapon, barely. His halberd clashed against the Enforcer's blade arm, deflecting strikes and using its own momentum to keep him mobile. But even he was slipping. Every second wore him down.
I kept moving, ducking behind pillars, running along the edges, staying out of range. I wasn't a Chaser, I didn't even have a Relic. I wasn't supposed to be here.
A scream ripped through the room. One of the surviving Chasers was caught under one of the Enforcers. They tried to crawl back, but a mace-arm pinned her by the leg. Blood poured fast.
No one could reach them. Zhang Yifan was still fighting; the others were scattered or injured.
You can't help, dude. You're going to die. I told myself.
But I was already moving.
If I were going to die here, I might as well make sure someone better will come out alive.
My legs sprinted before my thoughts caught up. This fucking dagger wasn't going to do anything, so I grabbed a chunk of debris off the floor, maybe half a brick, and hurled it at the Enforcer's head.
It didn't do anything. But it didn't need to.
It looked at me, and I saw the girl's face twist in pain as she dragged herself backward, free, just barely. That was all that mattered.
The Enforcer's arm reformed into something new, a blade, long and thick, and swung.
I tried to dodge. Keyword tried.
Pain exploded across my stomach like fire. I didn't even see the blood at first, I just heard myself choke. My knees gave out, and I collapsed to the ground, clutching my stomach with both hands.
Crimson blood was pouring out onto the stone floor, my white hoodie permanently tainted. I looked around to see the desperate and hopeless faces of the remaining four Chasers, tears running down some of their cheeks.
This is it, I thought. I'm going to die, and it's barely been a month.
I coughed out even more blood and fuck, it was painful.
All of a sudden, I felt a presence behind me, before seeing them rush towards the remaining two Warbound Enforcers, taking them head-on.
My body no longer had the strength to even sit down, so I begrudgingly let myself fall onto the floor and lied there as I stared at the sole Chaser fighting.
His movements were rapid, exact, and calculated. Not to mention how deadly his attacks seemed. He slashed the leg of one and quickly moved onto the other before they could land any attack on him.
I watched this stranger in awe. He must be an A-rank Chaser or higher. But even then, it still took him a few minutes to defeat both Entities. He seemed pretty cool… and familiar.
The two lifeless Warbound Enforcers dropped onto the floor with a loud clang of metal. As blood continued seeping out of my stomach and mouth, I could feel my life draining out, and I didn't do anything about it.
The Chaser turned around, scanning the other Chasers before his gaze landed on me.
I could see him more clearly now, despite the tears making my vision hazy, and I ended up laughing, straining my injured muscles to an extreme extent, and causing myself more pain.
But by then, I knew my death wouldn't be in vain.
The protagonist finally arrived.