Derek inhaled sharply, getting off the mattress with a grunt. His injuries were already healed, but he was dirty and exhausted.

He ripped off the Null Thread Vest, or what was left of it and stepped into the shower, allowing the cold water to wash off the grime and molten liquid that stuck to his skin. After making sure he was properly clean from the disgusting and putrid looks of one who just escaped from hell, he stepped out, with a towel wrapped around his waist and whistling to himself.

He paused as he stepped out of the bathroom and took a second look at the mirror he had just bypassed.

" When did I become so tall and handsome...those abs..are mine? "

He said, pulling closer to the mirror.

The moment Derek flexed, admiring the glistening lines of his now-chiselled abs in the mirror like a proud gym bro discovering protein powder for the first time, the System chimed in with a dry, mechanical tone:

[System Notification]

New Achievement Unlocked: "Self Love Is the First Step"

+5 Charisma (Only in your mind)

+1 Ego Buff: Duration — Permanent

Derek rolled his eyes, pointing at the mirror with both hands like finger guns.

"Don't hate just 'cause I'm sexy now. I earned these abs. Blood, sweat, and literal molten acid, remember?"

Correction:

You screamed for thirty minutes straight and almost cried when your arm fell off.

Also, it was only 62% molten acid.

"Details," Derek muttered, striking a pose. "You should thank me. I'm basically your hottest host now."

[Statistically false.[

[There are currently a thousand people in the universe who are more handsome than the host. In the galaxy, you would rank 300+ for Facial Symmetry, # 345 for body proportions and #2 in "Most Likely to Die Before Breakfast."]

"Ouch. Low blow."

[Facts don't care about your feelings.]

He rubbed a towel through his hair and looked back at the mirror.

"I mean, come on. Look at this jawline. That's a jawline that says 'I'll save the world and flirt with your mom.'"

[Incorrect. It says: "I still owe rent and haven't done laundry in four days."]

Derek narrowed his eyes. "System, I swear, one day I'm gonna figure out how to mute you."

[You have not unlocked that feature.]

He grabbed clean clothes and tossed them on.

Derek raised his hands in defeat. "Okay, okay. You win. Can I at least get a compliment for, you know, surviving all that?"

The System paused for a moment.

You didn't completely fail.

Your face is no longer actively repelling people.

Also, congratulations on reaching Level 20: "Still Kinda Useless, But Hot."]

"…I'm going to start charging you rent for living in my brain."

[Then I expect plumbing and Wi-Fi. This place is emotionally unstable and smells like despair.]

Suddenly, the system screen started to glitch, and then it turned red.

[ Welcome to The Apocalypse ] A row of words in eerie font appeared shocking Derek, he sighed and then smiled.

Derek flipped the towel over his shoulder with a smirk and strolled out of the bathroom. "C'mon, partner. Let's go make me a legend."

[Correction: Let's go try not to die. Again.

Statistical Prediction of Survival in Next Encounter: 17%

But hey, at least you'll look good doing it.]

"…You're the worst hype man ever."

Derek flipped the towel over his shoulder, flashed himself one last smirk in the mirror, and strolled onto the balcony like he was stepping onto a runway. But the grin froze on his lips.

The skyline of Paleview City stretched out before him in gleaming silence. Neon-lit skyscrapers shimmered like polished blades under the moonlight, their glass surfaces mirroring the quiet pulse of the night. Drones drifted lazily in the sky like metal birds, weaving between towers, and from somewhere down below, the faint boom of music hinted at a party in full swing. It could've been any Saturday night. Too normal. Too peaceful.

And then, as if the world itself had just taken a breath, it all stopped.

The silence came first. Not the casual stillness of night, but a profound quiet, the kind that made the hair on the back of Derek's neck stand up. It spread across the city like an invisible tide, swallowing sound, drowning movement. Even the wind paused. Somewhere down below, he heard a single dog bark, then a sharp car alarm whine—and then the sky cracked.

He looked up and saw it.

A single, jagged tear opened across the heavens, stretching from one end of the skyline to the other like a scalpel wound in reality itself. A rip in the fabric of the world. Through it pulsed a dark, violet glow—rhythmic, slow, like the heartbeat of something colossal and alive. Shapes stirred behind the rift, massive and formless, like shadows that had never known light. The city beneath it didn't react right away.

But then, everything exploded into chaos.

The warning systems flared to life.

All across Paleview, billboards glitched into red, massive text scrolling faster than the human eye could follow. A high-pitched emergency tone blared from every speaker, every screen. Derek squinted as the flashes erupted across the building next door.

[ People of Planet #1556, your free period is over; it's time for the real test to begin ]

A voice boomed in everyone's mind, shocking people across the world.

" So the so-called Apocalypse is a test from higher entities? " Derek asked

[ This is just the First Phase, guide the people of your world to survive, this is your main mission from now on.]

Every major city. Every continent. Cities he'd only seen on maps or Instagram reels now reduced to bold, red warnings. This wasn't a localised outbreak. This was global. Continental. Worldwide.

"…No way," Derek muttered. He was not expecting the system to hand him a global leadership mission.

[No, it's a global conquest, there are all kinds of people in the world ]

Derek was about to speak, but a loud noise suddenly rang forth

It wasn't a roar—it was lower than that. Deeper. As if the Earth itself had growled. The vibrations struck his bones before they reached his ears. Windows quivered. The balcony railing trembled under his grip. Off in the distance, beyond the farthest skyscraper, a massive winged shadow tore through the clouds—something ancient, its wings beating with thunder, its trail streaked with crackling arcs of violet lightning.

It didn't look real.

Except it was.

"Holy shit... Is that a f—" Derek started, but his brain couldn't finish the sentence.

The entire horizon lit up in a flash of violet fire as another rift tore open—this one over the west end of the city. From within, something began to pour out. Not just monsters. These were entities. Too many arms. Too many eyes. Mouths that opened too wide and stayed that way, grinning with teeth that shimmered like glass shards.

Derek took three steps back.

His heart pounded against his ribs like it wanted out. He turned from the balcony, bolted into his apartment, and grabbed his clothes in a whirlwind blur of panic and profanity.

He pulled on his pants one leg at a time, but faster than any man should, and shoved his arms through the sleeves of his jacket. "Okay. Okay. Okay. This is fine. Totally fine. I'm still alive. I've fought worse."

He froze mid-zipper. "Wait. No, I haven't."

The apartment vibrated with another deep tremor. Out his window, he saw an entire building—twelve stories high—collapse into itself like a kicked-over sandcastle. Screams rose up like a wave, and then were cut off as the wind changed direction, pulling toward the rift.

"This is bad," Derek whispered. "Like... boss-fight-before-the-tutorial bad."

And still, deep in the back of his head, that dry, sarcastic voice chuckled. It wasn't loud, just there, like an annoying narrator in a movie you didn't ask to star in.

[You still think those abs are impressive]" it drawled, smug and smooth.

["Welcome to the apocalypse, Derek."]

"Cute speech," he muttered under his breath, "but unless you're handing me a tank, you can shut up."

This was it. The beginning of the end. The moment the world flipped upside down and asked one question:

Who's still standing when the sky breaks?

Derek Carter cracked his knuckles and smiled grimly.

"Let's find out."

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