***********************
The dead body of a young man was lying the bed
"Father"
The girl ran to her father and tried to wake him up. She faced Sean and said
"I thought you said he went somewhere far to call someone that can save us"
The girl kept trying to wake her father and keiran was wondering why the girl haven't give up that
'can't she see the blood on her father's body?'
Wait! Sean went closer to the corpse and saw that there is no wound, no blood or anything that can prove that the man was killed.
'whose blood is the one outside?'
Sean told the girl that her father is dead and they need to get out of the house. Sean took with him a dagger, a kitchen knife and a map. Sean choose a place on the map; one of those that are not circled with red ink, he thinks the place must be at least safer than this house where two people already died
Sean and the girl hit the streets, their destination is a few kilometers away from the and they will have to trek it. After walking for a few minutes Sean stopped suddenly, he heard something that sounded like a monster's growl. Sean took out the dagger, he checked the dagger to see how sharp it is but rather, the information about the dagger appeared in his vision
[Name: Dagger]
[Type: Sharp Weapon]
[Rarity: Damaged]
[Attack: Weak]
[Attributes: None]
[Effect: None]
[Able to take as loot: Yes]
[Remark: Kept for a long time, you can try sharpening it]
Sean was surprised with how the attributes popped up in his face. He took the knife and stare at it
[Name: Kitchen Knife]
[Type: Cooking Equipment]
[Rarity: Damaged]
[Attack: Weak
[Attributes: None]
[Effects: None]
[Able to take as loot: Yes]
[Remark: Works best when slicing]
Sean stare at the map too, he thinks maybe the system might have some informations about the places
[Name: Map of Agra City]
[Type: Affairs]
[Rarity: Damaged]
[Attributes: None]
[Effects: None]
[Able to take as loot: No]
[Remark: Marked places are currently dominated by the devils, safety is not guaranteed in the unmarked places]
The system does help in clarifying his doubts but it doesn't make any changes to their safety. Sean does know one thing, in this city, you can't survive if you stay in one place. After walking for more minutes, keiran felt thirsty
"Hey girl, you know what we forget to bring from home?"
"Food and water, you were at rush and didn't remember"
"You're smart, I like that"
"One of the advantages of trying to survive in hell for months"
"What's your name and age?"
"My name, Nissa. Age, 9"
"You can fight?"
"No, but I can run, hide and kill"
"I love that"
"You haven't tell me your name and where we are going"
"My bas. My name is Sean and we are going to some place called benirr. I'm only following the map, I don't know where it is"
"Benirr, that is where dad and I am supposed to go tomorrow but we were attacked"
"I under…"
"Help…help…help"
Sean was interrupted by the scream of someone and the growl that follows it. Sean and the girl halted, they could hear running footsteps approaching them from behind. They looked back and the man who was running to them shouted
"Run, the devils are coming, Run"
******************
He is a damn gigolo. Trina is not surprised
"Why not just kill her?" She demands, not understanding the need to seduce a woman before lopping off her head.
He laughs, like she just asked the most stupid question on the planet. "Because your kind can't die! If I chop off your head, it'll grow back by tomorrow morning. But you can lose your powers, if you are no longer pure, which makes you vulnerable."
Trina lowers the wine. Do she make a joke about it being too late to be pure and risk him beheading her to prove a point, or do she play along and hope she never challenged to prove she is a pure priest
'You wake up. That's what you do' she closes her eyes and will herself out of this mess.
"They say if an ordinary man even kisses a pure priest, his man parts will fall off. I have a certain immunity to such a fate," he adds.
Are these wacky rules made up by the game developer? Because they don't make much sense. Have these people ever chopped off the head of an alleged pure priest to test their theory?
Opening her eyes, Trina is not surprised to see she hasn't been magically transported back home. She started eating again. She is guessing sleeping with the fine specimen of a man before her is off the table as well, though she'd rather not sleep with a man-whore in the first place
Unless he really knew what he was doing in bed, à la Christian Grey and unlike Trina
"The guards said you appeared last night," the Fox Lord says and leans forward, as if he doesn't want anyone to hear his words. "You were not there and suddenly you were. From whence came you?"
Trina sip her wine, once again at a loss as to how much she should say. The fox lord is waiting patiently, his friendly, open features encouraging her. He's not giving her the vibe she is used to, that she is about to be judged or made fun of.
"From another world, this place used to be the game I'm used to playing" she replied honestly. "I don't know how, I am supposed to play this game and then, I met myself in a forest, the game"
"Someone sent you here," he guesses.
"Yeah. How'd you know?"
"Let's just say you're not the first who's been sent." He's frowning, his eyes moving to stare at some point in the distance.
Is it possible the people of this world are aware of mine? How crazy would that be?
"My head hurts so bad." Trina said unable to entertain such a deep thought.
He's too distracted. "This world, is it magical?"
A glance around reminds Trina these people don't know what electricity is let alone the Internet. "You can say that."
He sits back, pensive.
Trina eats quietly, uncertain what's bothering him. The cheese is awesome, much better than the bread and wine. She is not a fan of jerky and quit after choking down one piece.
"What is your name, girl?" he asks finally.
"Trina."
"Trina." A flicker of surprise crosses his features. He shifts forward again. "You must not tell others of this magical world from whence you came or the person who sent you or even your name."
"Why not?"
"A pure priest, such as you are, is expected to have knowledge of the unknown and magic. But another world?" He shakes his head gravely. "You will be flogged or worse, put to death, for even mentioning it. And . . ." He pauses, as if not sure he should continue, before he does. "I'm going to track down the person who sent you. I don't need others getting in my way."
Ummm . . . yeah, right. No NPC can find the game developers because they aren't real.
Listening and growing more confused, Trina is surprised by the severity of his expression and the sudden way he's looking at her as if he wants to feed her to a fox man after all.
It hits her then that this man, the fox lord, is a warrior, one trained to lead men into battle and kill, even if his kingdom is at peace. It's not like he's a Starbucks barista or coworker at the library. He's armed with a sword and knife and friendly - but dangerous. If he wants to track the game developer down, she doubts it's to thank him or her for creating his world.
"That person, tell him or her to send me home," Trina replies finally.
"I shall," he said. "In the meantime, listen to me carefully. When asked, pure priests always say they are from the edge of the world. You and I know differently. No one else can know."
"I'm sorry." It seems like the right thing to say. "I didn't know. I won't say anything to anyone." Trina wants to ask him if he knows he's just a fictional character. By the look on his face, it's not a good time to point that out.
"And if you are asked by anyone, you are to tell them you were found on my side of the river. Do you understand?" His gaze is piercing, his face stony.
"I think so."
"You must know so. I will ensure you never return home if you admit the truth to anyone."
Things just got real a little too fast for her. She nodded and then found her voice. "I understand." Her heart is slamming into her chest, adrenaline racing through her as her instincts warn her of danger. It's hard to keep in mind that none of this is real when he looks like he's ready to stab her with a knife.
The intensity around him fades and the smile returns. "I have never found a new pure priest, I am eager to learn how well you use your powers"
"Yeah. My head is feeling better from the food. My appetite has fled. Me, too." It seems like the only safe answer and Trina starts to retreat into her shell, the way she does around anyone else in the real world. She knows the world of this game is dangerous. She is starting to think it's dangerous to her. "Um, do you know how I'm supposed to use my powers?" She ventures.
"My last priest would look at her hand. When there were things to share, she shared."
Trina glances down instinctively at her hands. To her surprise, there's something on her right palm, written sloppily in a maroon Sharpie.
"Can you see it?" She asks, holding out her palm to him.
"I cannot. What does it say?"
Maybe I am truly a pure priest. How weird would that be? Squinting, she studies the writing. It appears to be moving, scrolling like the ticker at the bottom of a news station. Beneath it is a digital clock marking days, hours, minutes, and seconds.
"There's some sort of countdown," She said, watching the seconds tick down. "What happens in about ten days?"
"The end of this game world" he replies.
"Is that good or bad?"
"It should be neither." He's rubbing his jaw, gaze growing distant. The tension is back in his frame, a sign I take as bad. "There is only one thing bound to happen"
"What is it?"
"The system of this game caught a virus and is going to shut down in ten days. You are one of our best players and we cannot afford to lose you".
Trina looked at the fox lord again to confirm if he is the one speaking "what are you saying?"
"I'm an NPC and this is what I'm programmed to tell you. You will be transmigrated from this game world to a virtual game called The Apocalypse System"
"I'm never gonna play that suicidal game"
"You just ain't got no choice, you will start the new game in 30 seconds"
A countdown appeared on Trina's palm and when it reached zero, bright light covered Trina, almost blinded her and when the lights are finally gone, words appeared in her vision
[Welcome to The Apocalypse System]
[Authenticating User ID...] [User Is confirmed: Trina, 15, orphaned, student, lives alone] [Authenticating Element...] [Welcome to the Apocalypse System] [Entering the Beginners Mission World...] [Story Mission: The people of Song City all knew about the coming of devil tribulation, they all prepared but the dragon army is stronger than their expectations. Most of the citizens migrated to a remote area and built a city. Unfortunately, the devil overlord sent batches of dragon army to the village. There are dragon's everywhere watching all powerful humans in the village and killing them. All civilians lived in fear in their house, it would only take a breath for a dragon to kill them all. Some of the rich ones used money to buy protection charms from the powerful people. The devil's intention is to take over the world [Lowest Ratings: Survive 10 days in either the village or Song City ] [To have higher ratings, kill more dragons and safe more people of Song City] [Not having the
****************** "Ruuuuuun, Ruuuuuun" The voice shouted again, Sean looked back to see why the man wants them to run. He saw something he don't know how to describe. Magma hands, burning eyes, breathing smoke, superb strength. He had read some novels that speaks about magma beings, most time they are the devils. Sean took to his heels, grabbing the girl along. The three of them ran as fast as they can but they can never outrun the devil who is already close to them. The man who screamed earlier ran closer to Sean and said "You see that building over there?" "There are lots of buildings here, which one are you talking about?" "The one that is broken down among them, we run into it and hid. We will devise a plan to kill the devil" "Kill the devil? I don't understand" "Run faster, he's catching up" Sean tried to run faster bit the little girl is holding him down, Sean carried the girl on his back and run into the building with all his might leaving a considerable length of dist
When Trina was reading the dagger's attribute, her eyes went blank, she looked like she is unconscious. Liu who have been calling her slapped her into consciousness, Trina have finished reading all the messages though " what's wrong with you?" "uhm, I was...I was trying to remember the way you cut the dragon earlier, you know I am wondering if this dagger cat do the same" "it can't, but it can stop and slow down a dragon"s fire. If you want to kill a dragon, take sword and the shield, I will teach when we get home" " home like your house?" " if you are bent on going to your cousin's, you can find the address yourself, just drop my dagger and the sword, you can go your way" "of course I'll go with you, I hope my cousin is safe" "the probability is low, those dragons and devils already destroyed 60 percent of the Song City ai there's just this village left" Trina put on a sad face to convince Liu that she is really here for her cousin "am not that cruel actually, even if y
****************************Sean thought about Bean's offer, he doesn't know whether he can trust him or not but he thinks in this apocalypse world it will be better for someone to be alone. More numbers will attract devils"No. I can't go with you to your hiding place, it will only attract devils, it's better we separate""If that's what you want"Bean went out of the building leaving Sean with the little girl's corpse. Sean buried the corpse under the broken bricks. When he was going out of the building he heard the sound of footsteps running to the building. He retreated back inside and hid in a corner holding his dagger and listen carefully to what the intruders were saying"Haha, see what we have here. It's an harmless lady"The voice of a man sounded with clear excitement accompanied by a cruel laugh The voice became clearer and the two people were coming closer to Sean.Sean hid behind the entrance door and pin himself to the wall, he is peeping through a hole in the door. He
**********************Ding!Sean was breathing heavily when he heard notification sound, he opened his status window[Acquired Skill: Sharp Weapon (Dagger) (Basic)Sean saw his first skill, he is not an harmless player anymoreSean was suprised about how he got the skill so he checked the other notifications[Stabbing: Inflict zero damage to the opponent][Striking: Inflict zero damage to the opponent][Continous Stabbing: Inflict Continous Damage of 10 per stab, Opponent is dead; You killed a devil][Striking: Inflict 10 damage to opponent][Hitting: Your opponent hit you, Inflict 5 damage to your HP. Causes bleeding…][Striking: Inflict 20 damage to the opponent][Punching: Inflict 5 damage to your HP][Continous Punching: Inflict 30 damage to your HP][Stabbing: Inflict 60 damage to opponent][Target is dead, You killed a human][To recover HP, you have to eat and rest][You killed two beings using dagger, Skill Earned][Sharp Weapon: Dagger ( Basic)]When Sean got out of the buil
Finally, Sean felt safe for the first time since he's been in this game. There is a place that they are in, Sean looked around and realised it has lots of dirt in it. After a little clearing work on the underground hideout, Sean felt tired. Lyla still had her guard up, listening carefully and inspecting their surroundings, after making sure that there was no intruder, she stopped and settled down. She stole glances at Sean and asked him"You did a great job out there, what were you doing before the devil came?""I… uhm…I was a wrestler""Wrestler? You don't look like one" Lyla looked at Sean all over again and confirmed that he just looked like a normal man. Except for his tough skin and a few bruises that he's got on his body which he got through labour, he's just a normal man."Yeah, I just started training and I never won a fight against my colleagues"In this underground hideout, there is only one bed and one sofa which clearly Lyla must have seen in the building before moving t
Sean was woken by the sound of movement in the room He opened his eyes to see Lyla eating some snacks at the opposite corner. She must have taken it from somewhere in this place, where she hid it. Sean closed his eyes again so he could rest his eyes a bit but the system appeared in his vision. He can see on the system that he has unread notifications. He doesn't know if he should read it now or later. Sean opened his eyes again, laying his haze on Lyla and Lyla stiffened up Food had a different value at the time of war Common snacks were expendable at normal times but at the time of war? They are a cause for fight! The same way she was almost robbed the previous night Sean have already known Lyla's intention after witnessing her suspiciousness around him "It's ok if you don't want to share, there are long days ahead got you took keep food for" Sean smiled at Lyla and Lyla let down her guard a bit. Sean lifted up his shirt and underneath it, there was a leather bag. This
Sean clicked on the unread messages and the messages appeared in his vision[Bounded Player earned a skill]Name: Basic knowledge of magic][Type: Skill book][Rarity: Basic][Attribute:None][Effects: None][can loot out of the mission: No][Remark: Magic book for beginners]Sean wondered what kind of player he is bound with and why this player loves magic equipment and skills.While sran is still thinking, a message popped in his vision [Hunger: While in the state of Hunger, Maxima Stamina is 30 percent lower than normal and is exhausted twice as fast. When Stamina is I sufficient, damage over time might occur to HP]After he gobbled down the canned food, that he Hunger Status was removed from the slot "There is hunger in the game too?" He thought quietlyOnce again he was amazed by the realism of this game Then suddenly, he frowned again. Thanks to the newly discovered hunger status, he will have to find a way to complete his mission faster or he might just have to search for fo