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2024-10-29 19:42:56It was dark.
Suffocating.
There wasn’t anything he could do, but to accept death as it was.
It was way less than a year, yet his death already came. Gruesome, unlike the peaceful deep sleep the doctor told about. Jed didn’t have that kind of luxury.
Instead, he was eaten alive by a monstrous frog-like alien. Swallowed like a damn drug from a dark corner in the street. He didn’t want it.
Trying to get air into his burning lungs, Jed could only gasp in horror at the end of his life. Choking on the alien’s innards, he felt a searing pain in his back. In the middle of his spine – excruciating.
Even so, there was nothing he could do.
[System activated.]
It was dark.
But, the white and blue letters framed by a bluish panel floated in front of his eyes. Did he not close his eyes already?
Shouldn’t it be dark, in this suffocating stomach of a monstrous frog-like alien?
Jed could no longer breathe.
And he’c cry if only he could…
But he’d die–
Ah, he knew it.
There was no way he’d accept death now. It was just too soon. He didn’t want to accept it. He didn’t want to die. At least, not now. Not when he barely started to live his life.
Still, he didn’t regret saving someone he met today. How strange. Where did this heroic act come from?
[Extraterrestrial core located.]
‘Huh?’
The floating blueish panel with those words came back. He didn’t know how, but he could see it clearly while in the frog-like alien’s stomach. Not only that, but he could also see something red as big as a basketball. An alien core, he thought.
[Consume extraterrestrial core to activate Ultimate Skill – Devour.]
‘Whaaaaat?’
Jed’s consciousness started to fade. He couldn’t breathe. The extraterrestrial frog’s innards were crushing him, drenching him with slimy liquid to digest him.
He had to get out of here.
[Consume extraterrestrial core to activate Ultimate Skill – Devour.]
‘Devour?’
Jed didn’t know why, but he felt the urge to do what the strange floating panel told him to. He didn’t even know what Devour was, but it sounded like a role-playing game’s dialogue.
If he did that, would he live another day?
Of course, no one could answer him.
Even so, a new determination burned inside Jed’s chest. He felt as if he had to do that.
Pushing the last bit of energy he had, Jed grabbed the Force’s issued knife from its holster and brought it up. With his three percent synergy force, Jed managed to bring the knife up and exposed the alien core.
The extraterrestrial frog’s inside tightened, its muscles crushed him in response. Jed didn’t stop there. He reached out while he could and wrenched the red alien core from its protective fibres.
He had to eat this?
[Consume extraterrestrial core to activate Ultimate Skill – Devour.]
If he could live another day…
Jed bought a piece of the red alien core to his mouth and swallowed. It tasted like swallowing a cloth that has wiped vomit. A taste he never wish to know.
[Ultimate Skill – Devour activated.]
The floating bluish panel came back like before, flashing through his consciousness and jerking him to the living world once again.
[You have devoured Quorg.]
[You have received rewards as follows.]
[Core +90]
[AGI +17]
[DEX +14]
[PER +9]
[STR +23]
[Active Skill – Grimjaw]
Strengthen jaws and sharpen teeth to deal damage for 1 minute.
CD: 1 hour
Core: -90
[Item – Frogsbane Coil]
A whip made from Quorg’s tongue. Able to extend reach to pull items or enemies closer.
___
With renewed strength, Jed brought his knife to slash through the monstrous frog-like alien with ease. “Aaargh!”
The alien monster screeched and writhed as its stomach was cut from the inside.
Jed didn’t stop until he made a clean cut wide enough for its stomach content spilled. Bursting open, he got out of the grotesque extraterrestrial creature. Digesting slime all over his body, drenching him in disgust.
When he fell on the training ground, the frog-like monster dropped dead on its back. Not even a second later, he gave up fighting to stay conscious.
Darkness once again surrounded him.
___
White ceiling.
White walls.
IV fluids connecting to his hands.
A very familiar scene in the back of Jed’s mind. He was once again admitted to a hospital.
“Mr. Hunter?”
The voice came from the doorway, where two men in black suits stood, asking for permission. One of them had thick round glasses, while the other had a deep frown on his face, whom Jed knew from the selection exam earlier yesterday.
Jed nodded, letting them inside his hospital room. “Captain Reed?”
The frowning man looked him in the eye, “How are you?”
It sounded less like a concerned question and more like an interrogation. Jed sighed, “As you can see, I’m not hurt. Just dizzy and very exhausted.”
Henry asked, “Do you remember what happened at the selection exam?”
Jed looked at his hands, collecting his memory. “I was with Ricky Mitchell when one of the alien monsters came to us. He froze and couldn’t move, so I tried to drag him away. But the monster quickly charged at us and its tongue grabbed me. I was eaten. Thankfully, I still got the knife to cut its stomach open.”
The frown deepened as Henry listened. “Strange. Mitchell said you kicked him and let yourself be grabbed by the alien. Do you want to be a hero that bad?”
Winced as he was caught half-lying, Jed told his reason. “My body moved on its own. I was scared of dying earlier, but I’d regret letting my friend get eaten while I can only witness.”
“How did you get out of the alien’s stomach?”
Jed tilted his head, “Like I said, I used the knife to slash it open from the inside.”
“A soldier with twenty percent synergy force had to shoot the alien five times to make the core visible. How did you do that with only three percent synergy force?”
Gulping, Jed thought of an excuse that wouldn’t raise suspicion. “I guess the inside is a bit softer, making it easier for me to slash its stomach open. Or maybe, my rushing adrenaline somehow made it possible to do that earlier.”
At the very last, Henry’s frown lessened. “But the selection exam didn’t happen earlier.”
“Huh?”
“It was one week ago.”
“What?!” Jed pushed himself up from the shock. “I was unconscious for a whole week?!”
“Yes.”
“B-b-but how was the exam? Did I pass?”
Henry curled an eyebrow. “After all of this, you still want to join the Force?”
Jed looked away, thinking by himself. He joined the selection exam just so that he could wear the EADF's cool combat suit. He wore it on the third exam. It felt good, like the best bullet proof armour there was. In fact, the fibres were also the smoothest kind of cloth he ever wore.
Even so, he had no reason to risk his already short life for it. Besides, he had many things he wanted to do before he died out of this ridiculous incurable illness he had no idea about.
The frown came back. Henry waited for his answer.
“Now that I think about it, I don’t really want to join.”
The man wearing thick glasses looked at Henry, trying to confirm something. When the frowning man nodded, he opened the leather case and took several papers. “Can you please read the terms and conditions for joining the EADF first? We will leave this to you here for consideration. You can ignore this paper if you don’t want to join us. However, if you changed your mind, just sign this and come to the appointment ceremony three days from now.”
Jed didn’t say anything as the papers were placed on the hospital’s bedside drawer. When they were done and about to leave, he stopped them. “Can I ask one more thing?”
Henry stared at him.
“Can you see it too? The floating panel, I mean.”
“What floating panel?”
Jed’s shoulders slumped.
It confirmed his guess. He shouldn’t ask Henry, because it’d only make him suspicious. “N-nothing. Maybe the nurse gave me too much drugs… ugh, I was diagnosed with Xenorespiratory Failure Syndrome three weeks ago. I only have one year left. I think…” Jed stared at his hands, noticing how nimble they were from years of working in front of a computer, “I think they gave me strong drugs when I was unconscious.”
“Ah,” the eyeglassed man chimed in, “I heard people with rare XFS suffer from hallucinations from time to time. I’m sorry to hear that, though.”
Jed nodded.
Meanwhile, Henry emotionlessly said, “If that’s all, we are leaving now.”
As they left, Jed sighed in relief. Although, that shouldn’t be how he felt, because now, he didn’t have any idea what happened to him. He was the only one who could see it. Nobody else. Not the nurse, not the doctor, and certainly not Henry and his companion.
Jed was the only one who saw it.
[---STATUS---]
HEALTH = 83/100
CORE = 98
___
AGI = 17
DEX = 14
END = 0
PER = 9
STR = 23
___
Active Skill:
Grimjaw – Strengthen jaws and sharpen teeth to deal damage for 1 minute.
CD: 1 hour
Core: -90
___
Item:
Frogsbane Coil – A whip made from Quorg’s tongue. Able to extend reach to pull items or enemies closer.
Effect – Paralyzed: Attacked enemies have a chance to become unable to move.
STR +8
___
But that was fine.
Whatever it was, Jed was still alive because of it. He only had one year left to live, he wouldn’t let anything shorten his already short life expectancy.
Now, what to do with his free time?
.
.
.
Bucket list of things I want to do before I die:
…
9. Get a pet
10. Wear the EADF’s cool combat suit X
11. Smoke a real cigarette
…
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Bucket List of the Apocalypse: Devour System 4. Cross-Offed Alien
After being discharged from the hospital, Jed decided to do something from his bucket list.It was a sunny Monday morning, and Jed was dressed in a pair of jogging pants and loose t-shirt. Shouldering a worn bag, he made his way to the train station. As usual, it was crowded during rush hour. Pressed against other people, he was thankful that it’d be the last time he did this.Jed arrived at his office at the last minute before the working hour started. Apex Marketing Solutions located in the middle of Silver Lake city’s economics area. Sharing a ten floor building with four other companies, the entrance always appeared busy no matter what time of day.Riding the elevator to his floor, Jed was greeted by the security. “You sure you want to dress like that after your one week absence from work, Mister… Hunter?”“I see nothing wrong with my clothes,” Jed shrugged, giving a wink to the two receptionist girls who stared at him in confusion. “Is the jerky boss here?”“Ugh,” the security hes
Bucket List of the Apocalypse: Devour System 5. Public Punishment
“Hmm?” Jed looked at his reflection through the mirror. It had been three days since he resigned from the office and small alien monsters attacked out of nowhere. It also had been three days since his strange hallucination said he’d receive a punishment. [Warning.] [You have failed to use Ultimate Skill – Devour.] [You will be punished.] “Talk about time,” Jed snickered, wondering what would happen now. [Punishment: Public humiliation witnessed by ten people.] “Public humiliation? Nah, that’s not my cup of tea.” Jed walked out of his sparkling clean bathroom. “Let’s see, what shall I do for today?” He moved to his desk, where he wrote the bucket list in his notebook. For the last three days, he had added more things he wanted to do, and crossed off some of them. ‘9. Get a pet 10. Wear the EADF's cool combat suit X 11. Smoke a real cigarette 12. Watch a life football match 13. Sky-diving 14. Clean my apartment 15. Play video games all day 16. Shop witho
Bucket List of the Apocalypse: Devour System 6. The Freak and the Mute
Jed arrived at the Earth Allied Defense Force’s Emmiton Province Base minutes after the appointment ceremony was held.“Dude! You’re late! I thought you didn’t make it!”A blond man with one mole under his left eye approached with a cheerful face. They bumped fists, and Jed instantly remembered who this person was.“Ricky Mitchell, nice to see you again.”“Are you okay? I heard you stayed in the hospital for a week? I’m so sorry about that. It was my fault. If not because of me, you wouldn’t get eaten by the monster–““It’s fine, Ricky.”“Are you sure?” Ricky shifted on his feet uncomfortably, “Because if not, I’ll give you half two thirds of my monthly payment to make up for the horror and injury you suffered for the rest of my life.”“That’s just too much.”“I agree.”Jed faltered at Ricky’s shamelessness.“I mean,” Ricky rubbed the back of his neck, grinning sheepishly. “I have five younger siblings who live below my minimum wage working in the Monster Disposal Unit. I just, ugh, I
Bucket List of the Apocalypse: Devour System 7. Monster Disposal Unit Heist
“What do you mean you’d piss and shit yourself in public if you don’t eat an alien core now?”Jed never thought he’d tell anyone about this traumatising and humiliating nightmare even for once. Let alone only one day after the merciless punishment happened.Sighing in disbelief himself, Jed grunted, “It is exactly what it sounds like. What more do you need me to explain?”“Dude? Like, seriously? Everything!” Ricky crossed his arms. “Of course you need to explain everything. Are you even aware of the words coming out of your mouth?”“… yes?”“You must be joking!”“I know it sounds crazy–““Now you get it!”“–but the punishment for failing to do that already traumatised me. I can’t go through that the second time.”Ricky looked at him as if he grew a second head. “What do you mean by the second time?”“Do you really need me to explain that?”“I want to see it.”“Dude!”“Sorry!” Ricky turned away and held his stomach, shoulders visibly shaking. “…”“Please stop laughing at me.”Ricky did
Bucket List of the Apocalypse: Devour System 8. Ultimate Skill – Devour!
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Bucket List of the Apocalypse: Devour System 9. Zero Gravity Dive
This was school. Every day, every hour of classes.Basic combat and advanced weapon training. Alien biology and technology. Tactics and strategies. Survival Skills. Communication and Coordination. Psychology. Standard Medical Training. Intelligence Analysis.Many things to learn.Jed worked as hard as anyone. All of them struggled for the first time in their lives. They better struggled here than against an alien monster.But the games – that was when the fun began.The Captainof the 9th Division, Henry Reed, introduced them to the game room in their second month. The arena was located in the northeast building of the base, far from where they lived. They walked to where the biggest diving pool Jed ever saw was built, about half of a football field. The floor was clear thick glass, so they could see what lay beneath the water.Jed was shaking with excitement. One more list he’d crossed off in his bucket list.“Let’s get you dressed first,” Captain Reed said, climbing down the stairs on
Bucket List of the Apocalypse: Devour System 10. Let Game Begins
Jed placed his feet on an uneven object as big as his previous office desk and pushed himself away. The impact made him dashed towards a red prism near the diving pool’s side.He didn’t know left or right, nor where up and down was. Before the game started, the way up was clear because the water was lighter due to the clear glass. However, once the game began on Captain Reed’s command, the clear glass was closed by a lid and everything became darker.The zero gravity environment in the diving pool also made everything feel the same. There was no pull towards the earth’s core, so one could easily forget where the way up was while being here.Nearing the red prism, Jed stretched his hands in front of him, bracing the impact to not make him face-plant against the hard object again. He saw one of the white cubes containing a gun headed there, so he’d get–“Not so fast, Jerky Jed!”Ryan Tanner appeared from behind the red prism and snatched the white cube away. It opened with a touch, show
Bucket List of the Apocalypse: Devour System 11. The Last One Standing
00:03:23That was the time left before Captain Reed stopped the game. Jed only had less than four minutes to hide as best as he could and arm himself with a Lightlock.He had fallen into Ricky’s trap like a fool. He underestimated the blond and unknowingly mocking him like their other teammates, that he didn’t consider any other possibility. When Ricky pulled that Lightlock out of nowhere and shot him dead in the chest, he felt so betrayed like an idiot. However, he felt relieved because it’d be a fair fight.00:02:07Time was ticking down and Jed’s win slowly seemed so unreal. Ducking behind a yellow prism, he hid from the living menace who strolled around like a predator.“Where are you, little fish snack?” Ryan looked around while singing a tune. “Come here, come here, Jerky Jed.”That was the second time Ryan Tanner called him that. Now, Jed wondered why he was a jerk here. As long as he re
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53. Unknown Potential
Ricky groaned as he slowly regained consciousness. The dim lighting of the infirmary comes into blurry focus. His body ached, a dull reminder of the events he vaguely remembered from the previous day.He sat up, wincing, and looked around the room. Several of his younger siblings were there, along with a few base personnel, all of whom seemed to be grinning at him.“Hey, sleeping beauty,” his brother Michael said, smirking, “Decided to join us again?”Ricky rubbed his eyes, confusion etched across his face. “What… what happened?”“You don’t remember?” his sister, Lily, asked, her eyes wide with excitement. “Your teammate said you took down two flying aliens. By yourself.”Rikcy blinked, his heart skipping a beat. “What? No, that can’t be right. I don’t even remember half of yesterday's attack.”“Believe it, bro,” Michael said, crossin
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52. The Sniper’s Prey
“…what the hell?”As he was busy trying to figure out the control panels, Jed almost missed the moment the humanoid alien and his Draquilonis were blasted from behind. Precisely, from the ground where the base was located behind the spaceship.Like lightning, the sniper took down the humanoid alien in one shot. Something Jed dreamed he was capable of doing, sadly, he couldn’t.Seeing as the humanoid alien was killed, he thought it was safe to land the spaceship now. The large viewport in front of him showed more city lights below. He had to turn the ship towards the west, where a desolated rocky plain with no building or civilian housing was located. Nothing was there, making it a safe place to land.Jed gritted his teeth as he pulled on the controller bracelets. The spaceship thrusters roared against the planet’s gravity as he tried to redirect the ship.However, he heard a sharp crack echoed through the alien spaces
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51. Alien Spaceship
[Active Skill – Molten Pierce]Jed grinned as he activated his skill.Molten Pierce took less than a second to form in his right hand. The jagged material of his Threxian Exosuit morphed into a drill with a fiery orange edge. He punched the alien’s chest with it, enhanced by a penetrating force that sent the alien through the metallic airlock.The slender humanoid alien was thrown out of the spaceship, but Jed was sure it’d still be alive. Moreover, with one Dracuilonis flew past the broken airlock to save its master. At least, this gave them enough time to do something about the nuclear bomb aboard in this ship.“Max–“Jed stopped himself, realising that he called the captain’s name. But, Max ignored him as he was busy trying to speak through his earpiece and connect to the base. “Control room, can you hear me?”He doubted it would work. The last thing Jed heard was that craz
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50. Dual Blades and Warhammer
Jed’s dual swords, Noxblades, glinted under the flickering lights of the narrow corridor. His breath came in measured intervals, each one syncing with the hum of the ship’s bio-engines. Standing across, a slender humanoid alien mirrored his stance, its own dual blades that came from its long limbs shimmering with an eerie, otherworldly glow. With a sudden movement, both of them lunged. Blades clashed against blades, sparks flying as they exchanged rapid, fluid strikes. Jed’s muscles burned as he parried and struck, his eyes locked onto the alien’s unblinking human-like gaze. The alien’s movements were almost dance-like, its agility matching Jed’s Hyperreflexia, a passive skill that granted him superhuman reaction times for dodging and countering attacks swiftly. Not stopping, Jed recalled the skills that came with these dual blades. ‘Crosscut!’[Active Skill – Crosscut][CD: 59 minutes 59 seconds][Core: -500]As if his arms were moving on their own, Jed gave a crisscrossing attack
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49. Stealth and Speed, He Said
Jed managed to find a small opening to the alien spaceship and cautiously stepped through the airlock.The spaceship was a massive, imposing vessel with an eerie otherworldly design. Its walls were composed of a dark, metallic material that seems to absorb light rather than reflect it. The corridor was lined with sharp, angular edges and adorned with pulsating crimson energy conduits that gave off a dim, menacing glow.The air was thick with mechanical hum, and the occasional flicker of blue and purple energy fields added to the foreboding atmosphere. It seemed that everything here felt almost organic in nature.“Alright, my awesome self, just stick to the plan.” Jed muttered to himself. “Find Max, get out. It’s all about stealth and speed. You got this.”He had less than five minutes to do that. Awesome, he said.Jed moved forward, his Sky Dominator boots didn’t make any echo as he thread inside, thanks to his n
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48. Sky Dominator
[Item – Frogsbane Coil was drawn.]Jed swung the dull pink whip, snapping his wrist to make the end curl around the tailless manta ray reptile. It screeched in anger, but Jed didn’t let go. He gave a thug on his Frogsbane Coil, making him and the manta ray reptile to jerk each other.He managed to get on its back despite the flying monster’s useless roar of shockwave and struggles. Once he got a good grip on the manta ray reptile, Jed drew his right arm and shot it quickly to its thin back.The flying monster roared and roared in pain, but Jed didn’t let go. He curled his fingers on the small core located in the middle of its chest and wrenched it out. The manta ray reptile gave a final roar and its struggle ended. It dropped dead from the sky, along with Jed who couldn’t stop grinning.“Well, there’s no better time to eat a snack than now, hmm?”And so he did.[Ultimate Skill – Devour was activated.]“Damn right!” Jed laughed as he was free falling from the sky. “I better get the bes
- Bucket List of the Apocalypse: Devour System
47. Headshot
“Do you think this is enough to defeat me?”The slender monster said as its cracked face reconstructed in a matter of seconds. Its twig-like hand reached out for Jed, the four fingers spread right in front of Jed’s face. From its narrow palm, a crack formed and opened, showing a small hole.Jed barely had time to react before the slender monster shot him dead in the head.[Active Skill – Fungal Shield][CD: 59 minutes 59 seconds][Core: -100]Bang!Agony exploded through his head, and he fell to the ground and screamed in pain. His vision went dark, and for a moment, he was sure he was dead.[Alert!][Alert!][Alert!][HP: 7/100]Through the haze of pain, Jed desperately tried to call for a skill in his repertoire.[Active Skill – Regenerative Spores][CD: 359 minutes 59 seconds][Core: -400]Miniscule spores were released from the small gaps
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46. Shadow Cloak
The air brushed fiercely all around Jed’s body as he tried to make sense of the monster’s strength. He had to do something before it greeted him in the sky and kicked him down to the earth.“Shadow Cloak!”[Item – Shadow Cloak was drawn.][You may activate its invisible feature at will.][However, attack initiation will deactivate its feature immediately.]A dark cloak shrouded around Jed’s body, and he disappeared into thin air.Invisible.“So I was right.” The semi-translucent humanoid monster remarked. Its slender face looked like a piece of chopped wood with a pair of slanted eyes and wide mouth, looking around it in wonder. “You absorb creatures to get their strength too. Just like me. I wonder if you can fly, too.”Jed couldn’t. It’d be cool if he could, though.The semi-translucent monster looked up at the sky, couldn’t
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45. Curious Monster
[Ultimate Skill – Devour was activated.]Boooom![You have devoured Velociphron.]Something fell from the sky. A tall humanoid figure with an ominous presence that sent Jed reeling.[You received rewards as follows.]He ignored the blue and white panel that only he could see. It told him the rewards he got from devouring the humanoid monster just now. How could he, when a more menacing creature dropped from the sky, like a bad omen for a curse after he ate another alien core.Jed cautiously observed the new alien.It stood taller than Velociphron, with a semi-translucent, shimmering skin that shifted colours every few seconds. It had elongated limbs and fluid movement, like a walking serpent as colourful as a disco ball.“What are you?” It asked curiously, staring at Jed with unblinking six eyes on its face.When he locked eyes with the colourful slender creature, he felt an eeri
