I was almost home.
I was exhausted from running, but I couldn't stop. My breathing was erratic, my chest heaving, my throat parched. My feet ached, muscles trembled. But only one thought consumed my mind: my family. I had to reach them. The night was growing darker; the moon stared down at me like a bloodshot eye in the sky.
Monster Wave begins in 5 minutes!
The message appeared before my eyes. Not like a flickering hologram—but clear, jarring, chilling. It wasn't just an alert; it was fate itself counting down to something inevitable.
As I turned the corner of my street, I tried to calm myself. "Just around the bend, and I'm there," I whispered internally. My heart was pounding, but hope still lingered. "Just a little more..."
Monster Wave begins in 3 minutes!
2 minutes!
Time felt distorted. I was running, yet constantly checking how much time had passed, watching the countdown on my status screen. When my eyes locked onto a familiar sight, I saw it—the corner of my house.
"There it is..." I told myself.
And finally—I made it. A path that should've taken a bus ride, I had sprinted without pause. My legs trembled, knees ready to give out, but I felt a strange satisfaction. A sense of accomplishment… something I rarely tasted in real life.
Then another message popped up:
Congratulations!You have earned the title "Runner" for running non-stop for 1 hour!
Title: Runner — Agility +2
Despite the exhaustion, I smiled briefly.This system... it was strange, but fair.You reap what you sow.If only real life had been like that.If someone had noticed my effort, appreciated it—maybe just said "Well done."But that life was behind me now. What lay ahead was a new reality.This world was different. This system... was different.
Monster Wave begins in 1 minute!
The message pulled me back to the present. My heart raced again.Just a few steps to the door. My breath was shallow, but my instincts were sharp.
I reached the door.
The lights were off.Time froze.
Fear? Yes.But more than that, an immense void.
I rushed to open the door and stepped inside."Mom? Dad?" I called out. No response. I searched every corner. The beds were made, slippers in place. But no signs of life.
It was as if the house was a stage and the actors had been erased.
And in that moment... something within me collapsed.I dropped to my knees.My breath caught in my throat.Tears welled up and flowed before I could stop them.
When was the last time I cried like this?I couldn't remember.I had grown used to suppressing emotions.But now I couldn't hold them back.
I covered my face with my hands. My shoulders trembled.This loneliness...This uncertainty...And this overwhelming sense of loss.
But then...
MONSTER WAVE HAS BEGUN.
We wish you good luck.
The message appeared before my eyes. Cold, mechanical, and distant.But inside, it struck something deep.My heart clenched.
Success?What was this the beginning of?This wasn't success. It was the edge of disaster.
But there was no going back.
The night had begun.And I was no longer alone.
The ground shook.But it wasn't an earthquake.It was as if the earth was tearing itself apart from the surface, not beneath.Stones rattled in the streets, windows quivered in their frames. Fine dust fell from walls—the earth groaned.
Panic rose within me, but curiosity pushed harder than fear.With trembling hands, I walked toward the window.With every step, my heart beat faster.I pulled the curtain aside and looked outside.
And then I saw them.Words won't suffice, but I'll try.
In the middle of the street—something... tore open.It was like a crack in reality itself, as if an invisible hand had split the world in two.At the point where earth met sky, a shimmering, oval portal appeared, ringed in hues of violet and deep blue.An electric hum echoed—not natural, not mechanical, but like the resonance of another world.
And then... they emerged.
Half the height of a human, maybe slightly taller.Their skin came in shades of green—some like moss, others like rusted iron.Their texture was coarse, with patches of scaled and crusted skin.In their hands: rusted knives, jagged daggers, strange metal rods.Their teeth protruded, saliva dripping from their chins.And their eyes...
Those eyes.
They weren't empty.These were not mindless beasts.There was something in those eyes... rage? hunger? pleasure?But above all—conscious hatred.As if they'd been waiting for this moment. Not to destroy us, but to humiliate us.
The moment I locked eyes with one of them, time stood still.It turned its head and looked directly at me.Its pupils focused, sharp—as if it wasn't behind glass but standing right next to me.
The air froze in my lungs. My feet rooted to the floor.I couldn't tear my gaze away.My instincts screamed to run, but my body wouldn't respond.I could only stare.
Then, a message carved itself into my mind—not as a visual screen, but like a scar on reality itself:
FIRST MISSIONType: Survival
Difficulty: D
Objective: Stay alive until morning!
Failure: Death
My breath caught.A survival mission.Until morning.Just to see the dawn. But it wasn't that simple.The letter "D" made it seem easy—but what stood before me...This wasn't "D" rank. It was pure nightmare.
One thought echoed in my head:"The apocalypse has come."I had said that word so many times over the years. "Apocalyptic weather," "Exam apocalypse," "My mind is a mess."But its true meaning... was now standing before me.And words were no longer enough.
I wasn't a fighter.I avoided conflict.Violence? If I ever hurt someone, I'd have to face the consequences. Legal or not didn't matter. Causing harm always weighed on my conscience.
But now?
The system gave me legal rights.Kill—or be killed.
Taking a life and losing mine were now side by side.The thought sickened me.The fear burned like acid in my gut.
Still, I kept staring through the window.I should have looked away.But I'd watched too long… they had seen me too.
The first goblin looked up.Paused.Then another turned.And then a third.
Three goblins.Three pairs of eyes.Three kinds of hatred.
But one target: me.
Their gaze wasn't casual.It felt like they had known me for years.As if my very existence awakened something dark within them.
One curled its lip—showing yellow, jagged teeth.Another raised its blade and began walking toward the window.
Those eyes said one thing:
"Your hiding place won't save you."
And I understood.
This was my turning point.Running, hiding, praying—those were over.Now, I would either survive… or become one of this world's first victims.
And dawn was still hours away.
The goblins began running toward the open door.Their footsteps echoed on the pavement, each step bringing them closer to my home.
I cursed myself internally."Why didn't you shut the door, Riven?!"
I might pay the price for that mistake.
My mind began racing.Something sharp… anything to defend myself…
Like a panicked child, I rushed into the kitchen.Barely keeping my balance, I braced myself against the counter.And there they were.
A metal pot.And a long, cleaver-like kitchen knife.
Despite my fear, I grasped them both.They looked crude, but… they were my only hope.
At that moment, another system window appeared:
🛡️ Sturdy Iron Pot
Type: Defense
Grade: D
🗡️ Sturdy Long Cleaver
Type: Weapon
Grade: C
I didn't care about the grades.I took the pot in my left hand, the cleaver in my right.My body was trembling.I was surprised I could even stand.
And then—
CRASH!
Glass shattered.
A spear hurled from the yard pierced the front window.I turned my head—everything went dark for a second.The door had been broken in.Wood splintered, glass scattered.And in the dim yellow light, three figures emerged.
Three goblins.
They stood on the stone path, unmoving, staring directly at me.
But this wasn't just a stare—it was a judgment.
Mocking.Merciless.Their eyes carried the joy of watching a civilization crumble.