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2024-10-29 19:42:56“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 without looking at the price tags 17. Pick up skateboard again 18. Steal alien spaceship 19. Bath in natural hot spring 20. Visit the Eifall tower 21. Eat lots of macaroons 22. Lose my virginity with a girl I love 23. Grow my own fruit and vegetable garden 24. Go to a night carnival 25. Make someone remember me for my good deeds 26. Try diving 27. Ride an alien monster’ Looking at it, Jed nodded to himself, deciding what to do for today. The cigarette hunt must wait for a while, because he wanted to have more information about the dealer’s whereabouts first before he moved out. Instead, he’d go to the Hallmart with springs in his step, eager to shop for anything that caught his eyes without worryingly looking at the price tags like usual. However, when he got on the big elevator to reach his apartment lobby, an apocalyptic event happened without his consent. Paaaaarp! Thrrrrp! The loud sound of his shameful fart was followed quickly by leaks from his front and back ends. It wet his pants and caused a stinky foul smell that made the other eleven people gagged in disgust. Jed stared at the elevator floor in horror, realising that he just fart, piss, and shite himself into oblivion in the closed space of the elevator with eleven neighbours inside. [Punishment: Public humiliation witnessed by ten people has been completed.] When the elevator dinged open in the lobby, everyone inside rushed out with only one exception. Jed dropped to the elevator floor in utter humiliation, sitting on his own piss and shite like a helpless baby. The elevator doors closed again, bringing Jed and the last of his dignity upstairs. There was no way Jed could live in this apartment again for the rest of his short life. Where would he put his face? [Failure to use Ultimate Skill – Devour for the next 24 hours will result in punishment.] Fucking hell. Jed wasn’t hallucinating anymore. He was living in a nightmare. He was forever traumatised. There was only one place where he could live without having to show his face to anyone who witnessed the fall of Jed Hunter. The Earth Allied Defense Force. ___ “What do you mean the System has already been activated?” “It’s, ugh… exactly as it sounds, Captain.” “Speak clearly, soldier!” The soldier gulped, resisting the urge to flinch at the captain’s harsh tone. Everybody said the captain was an easy-going man who liked to treat his subordinates with rare snacks and sweets, but they were wrong. The captain was nothing but an irritable, pricking presence on her side since she joined the secret division. Either the captain has two different personalities, or he was just that good at pretending to be nice on the surface. “That is… ugh, I mean,” the soldier straightened her back and told the captain what she just read on her computer. “We have received the readings of the System’s arrival at this time. However, the signals said that it had already been activated several days ago.” “Then, why are you only telling me this now?” the Captain’s tone lowered, but the intensity heightened in return. “How did you miss something this big earlier?!” “I, ugh, w-we didn’t know it. I only figured it out now because the signals were unreadable three weeks ago, sir. In fact, we received it just an hour ago, and just now… it disappeared due to an unknown activation.” “We have to get it back.” The captain balled his fists. “Y-yes, sir.” “We have to get the System back no matter what. Because it is the last hope humanity ever has.” “But the alien’s main fleet will only reach Earth three hundred years away from now, sir. How can the System be our last chance?” The captain faltered. A grim look crossed his face. “This is above your rank, soldier.” Sensing that she asked for a confidential subject, the soldier nodded dutifully. “I understood, sir. I will not be asking for it anymore. I will only do as you are told.” The grim look disappeared from the captain’s face. “You learn fast. It seems I’m not wrong to pick you up myself, soldier.” “Sir.” “Tell you what, keep up the good work and I might promote you sooner than you thought.” “Sir, yes, sir.” “I suppose you understand that the System’s disappearance and unknown activation is to be kept a secret from anyone. Including the higher ups and Max. Especially Max. You don’t know what the strongest captain of the EADF is capable of when he loses his cool.” “Ugh,” the soldier grimaced, “It can get worse than what happened in Brookside Operation, sir?” “Oh, that’s just the tip of an iceberg.” The soldier froze, recalling the sheer raw power of Max Petrovich, the strongest man in the Earth Allied Defense Force. She couldn’t imagine how more powerful Max was if he activated the System. Alas, it was all but a dream. The System disappeared from their radar and an unknown person activated it first. What an unfortunate loss of opportunity.
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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!
“Hands up or I’ll shoot you.” Jed felt the muzzle of a gun was pressed against the back of his head. He froze on the spot and did as told. “Who are you?” The female voice was achingly familiar, but Jed couldn’t place a name nor a face on it. “This is no place for a cleaning service. I’ll give you one last chance to tell me your name.” Jed gulped at the threat. “My name’s Phillip Youngs and I’m here to clean. If you don’t believe me, then why did my key card work to get me here?” “I’m sorry for my rudeness.” The gun’s muzzle was no longer against his head, but Jed had this urge to duck right about now– “Oh? You can dodge well for a cleaning guy.” Jed cursed as he crouched to avoid the girl’s attack. However, when he turned around and looked up, he didn’t expect to find Ellie Hawkins to stare at him with murder in her eyes. “Why are you attacking me?” “Because you’re a fraud.” “N-no, I’m not. I told you, my name is Phillip–“ “Youngs is dead.” Ellie started with an emotionless t
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
Bucket List of the Apocalypse: Devour System 12. The Holy Search for A Chocolate Ice Cream
Jed never imagined that his hunt for a chocolate ice cream would lead him through the throng of people dancing in waste in a nightclub called Goddess’ Virtue. But here he was, spending his first off-day from the Force to cross one of his bucket lists.He heard a rumour in the dining hall about Smokey, the night club’s owner who trades on the black market. It was the only place he could think of concerning the rare chocolate ice cream that stopped being produced when the last factory was destroyed about three decades ago. Even though he knew the method to make it himself, to get cocoa as the main ingredient would be impossible.Alien monsters attacking one place after another in random outbursts caused the supply chain around the world to be restricted. Besides, the government and leading figures often disregard anything else besides eradicating the remaining alien monsters on Earth and strengthening the military force in preparation for another invasion in
Bucket List of the Apocalypse: Devour System 13. Win, Win, Chicken Dinner
After finding out who Max Petrovich was, Jed took a daring plan in mind. He went to the station and rode a bullet train heading straight to Brexton, a neighbouring city with an enormous alien monster rampaging wildly. All for the sake of meeting EADF’s strongest captain to deliver a ridiculous message and get his prized chocolate ice cream.Jed grinned, imagining how the legendary rare chocolate ice cream would taste in his mouth.However, due to the ongoing alien attack at the centre of the city, the bullet train stopped three stations before its actual destination. In fact, all train stations from there on stopped operating, as the protocol when alien monsters strike a city.“Do you need a ride, sir?”Jed turned to a taxi driver offering from the station’s exit. He nodded and got in the yellow car. “How close can you get me to the alien attacked area?”The driver looked worriedly from the rear view mirror, but his mouth couldn’t lie. “D
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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
- Bucket List of the Apocalypse: Devour System
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
- Bucket List of the Apocalypse: Devour System
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
- Bucket List of the Apocalypse: Devour System
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
- Bucket List of the Apocalypse: Devour System
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
