Back From the Apocalyptic Future

007 - The Countdown

After all, the incident in Russia happened only three days ago, and the leak of that information only occured recently. Prof. Irwan knows it’s not that easy to get that data. They could just still be trying to save the people there and counting the death toll.

  

“How did you get those numbers?” asks Prof. Irwan.

  

“The death toll will continue to increase in the coming months. Like you said, countries like them should be able to see the coming of meteorites. However, it seems like they were a bit too late to respond to it.”

  

Arifin gets up and takes his leave. But then, Professor Irwan says something that makes him stop for a moment right at the door.

  

“Yet you easily gave warning by telling the exact location, the date, and the timing? Even the sequence of events to follow it in other cities? Have you spotted the meteorites?”

  

Arifin just glances a bit to the back. But then he just leaves without saying anything. There’s no way he can tell him that he is coming back from the future.

  

After all, even after living life until the year of 2093, this meteor rain phenomena is still a mystery for him. No one has ever solved the mystery of where these small meteorites came from, and how they suddenly appeared and hit the earth.

  

As he heads to the parking area, the other students are still laughing and mocking him from afar. But he keeps walking away without showing any attention to them.

  

He takes the scooter and goes directly home. Right after he enters the room, he just drops his bag like he no longer has any ambition or determination to continue living. He stands right in front of the mirror, and looks at that picture of Andini.

  

It isn’t clear what sparked the love in him in the first place. But he still can’t accept the option to just ignore what will happen to her.

  

He then goes to bed, and has a seat there by rubbing his face with both hands. As soon as he opens his face and eyes, he notices a weird notification in his vision.

  

[ ! ]

[Wanna play a game?]

- Yes / No

  

“What the?”

  

He waves his hand, trying to make it disappear. But it keeps coming back. Even when he touches the option “no”, the notification is closed, but it keeps reappearing again.

  

“What is this?”

  

And so, he tries to pick the “yes” option. Suddenly, he notices something is vibrating under the bed. The pain on the scar in his neck at the back resurfaces again.

  

But now, there’s no blood coming out. Instead, a white plasma energy like a spirit leaks from it. Right after the pain subdues, he rushes to check under the bed. That’s where he finds back that mystical Kris.

  

“No way! How did it get there? Did it follow me to the past?”

  

He feels a bit eerie as he picks it back. However, he no longer hears any strange voice like the last time he picked that mystical Kris. Instead, another interface window occurs in his vision.

  

[Personal Stats]

- Physical Stats (!)

- Mental Stats (!)

- Technical Stats (!)

  

[ Daily Training Menu (!) ]

  

[ Quests (!) ]

  

[ Mission (!) ]

  

All those (!) symbols are blinking, like they are asking Arifin to touch them. And the first thing that he wants to know is the bottom option, the mission. He touches it, and it gives him another new interface.

  

[1st Mission ]

[ Prepare For the Catastrophe ]

968.986

  

That number keeps changing in each second like it is counting down for something. He takes out his phone and starts calculating it, and realizes that this is the countdown before the meteorites hit the city.

  

Now it really puts him into a great dilemma. If possible, he doesn’t want to go back living as an awakened warrior.

  

He even plans to avoid getting hit by the radical energy radiation during the meteor fall. Even if he is able to survive and to be awakened by it, the government will surely turn him into a slave-like soldier.

  

“There’s no way I’m going to enslave myself for them anymore!” he mumbles full of thoughts.

  

Yet, he is still growing awry, thinking about the safety of the people around him. He sits there on the bed for more than an hour, with one leg moving rigidly and impatiently as he considers about his options.

  

“It’s not about being a hero. What if the monsters come to my family when I’m too weak to protect them?”

  

And then, he glances back to the one portrait of Andini which is pasted on the mirror. And somehow, he also realizes something else.

  

He slowly averts his attention back to that mystical Kris. He begins to suspect that this may be the work of that strange dagger, which is trying to control him by manipulating his deepest feelings.

  

He knows that this dagger has that kind of unique characteristic. Just like how it made Zaw Min to show his true color by pulling out his inner desire and greed.

  

“What are you really?”

  

He expects that mysterious voice will talk to him again. But no, there’s no voice coming to his mind.

  

Instead, that strange interface resurfaces again in his vision showing the same information about his personal stats. He tries touching the (!) symbol on the “Physical Stat” section, wanting to know about his current condition.

  

[Physical Stats]

- Condition : 68 %

- Fitness Level : 61 %

  

- Acceleration : (?) / 20

- Agility : (?) / 20

- Balance : (?) / 20

- Jumping Reach : (?) / 20

- Pace : (?) / 20

- Stamina : (?) / 20

- Strength :  (?) / 20

  

He tries to understand the meaning of those values. But nothing comes to his mind. He then touches that (?) symbol on the “acceleration”, and that interface window shows him a new tab of notification.

  

[ ! ]

[The value hasn’t been calibrated yet. You need to increase your fitness level to above 95 % before the system analyzes your physical stats. Go to daily training menu to start your training]

  

He follows the instructions. But then, as soon as he sees the training menu set for him, his face looks so shocked.

  

Daily Cardio Training :

- Running : 0 / 10 Km

- Jumping Rope : 0 / 1,000 reps

  

Daily Aerobic Circuit :

- Jump Squats : 0 / 200 reps

- Walking Lunges : 0 / 300 reps

- Push-ups : 0 / 200 reps

- Sit-up : 0 / 100 reps

  

Note :

Meet the target before the night comes. Failure to meet this requirement will end with a penalty.

  

“What the? Are you trying to kill me?”

  

After all, it’s already so late in the afternoon. There’s no way he can meet all these targets before the dark.

  

He then just throws the Kris onto the bed with an unenthusiastic expression. He also throws his own body to lie down there and ignores that hellish training menu.

  

“Don't think you can enslave me. This is my life, and I will live it my way.”

  

He covers his eyes with his left arms, trying to forget all of his issues. And then, he falls asleep until the sun sets.

  

When the dark comes, a strong pulse occurs in his heart and wakes him up. And the first thing that catches his attention is the pain he feels from the scar on the back of his neck.

  

But it’s different now. There is no blood, but only a faint white plasma like an aura leaking from it.

  

It’s so faint and soft, but Arifin doesn’t notice it. He just feels so uncomfortable with some eerie feelings. He even gets goosebumps, while one notification from the system keeps trying to attract his attention.

  

[ Alert! ]

[You failed to clear your daily training menu. As a penalty, you have to keep vigil all night. Because the dwellers of the Bunian Realm will hunt you down until the sun rises. Stay awake, and stay alive!]

  

His face contorts as he reads the notification. “The dwellers of the Bunian Realm? What is this? Are you talking about ghosts now?”

  

And yes, one evil spirit suddenly infiltrates his room. He is aghast because of the surprise, jumping away in startled and then huddling in the corner of the room right on the bed.

  

“That stupid cursed kris! What kind of stupid game is it offering me?”