In a dark place, the air was freezing cold, dropping to nearly five degrees Celsius. The howling wind swept through, carrying sand with every gust.
On the ground, partly buried beneath the sand, lay a young man about nineteen years old, his eyes wide open as he stared at the sky.
The night was deep and silent, with the full moon shining high above.
"Where in the world am I," He growled loudly.
Zoning out for a moment, it became clear that he was still wearing a uniform obviously he is a student and not a deserter. He got up on his knees and looked around.
There were endless stretches of sand spreading out infinitely. A chill ran through him as he hugged himself tighter for warmth.
Just moments ago, he had been on the school rooftop, enjoying the refreshing cool air, when suddenly, a holographic panel appeared.
[The apocalypse has begun]
[Transferring the host to the survival world]
After that, he lost consciousness and found himself in this strange place.
"So cold… damn, is this a desert? How the heck is there a desert all of a sudden?" he muttered in frustration.
He was about to move when the familiar panel appeared before him.
[Welcome to the World Test. Where all players above 15-20 years of age were transferred globally, you will all have one mission]
[Defend your base, if not you die and will fail the mission. Don't worry you will not die but only be transferred back, also theirs a quit function if you want to leave feel free to do so]
[Quit: Yes or No]
Seeing the button, he was about to click "Yes," thinking this was just some kind of crazy game in his dream but after a moment, he hesitated.
Even if it was fantasy or a dream, it all felt too real. Still, he loved adventure and danger, so why not give it a try?
When he clicked "No," the system panel closed, only to light up once again.
[Good Choice]
[You are now currently in the 'Endless Desert' where resources is scarce and food was hard too find]
[Before that you will be given the options to choose the difficulty]
[Easy, Medium, Hard, Hell, and Impossible]
Seeing the list, he did not think twice as he clicked hell since impossible is impossible.
"This dream felt so real huh, if I clicked the yes option would I have really been kicked out?" Jeff uttered.
[You have chosen 'Hell Mode Difficulty'. Hell Mode is not designed for survival, it is designed to break you]
[Description: When a base commander selects Hell Mode, the World System registers their territory as a High-Stakes Survival Zone. Unlike lower tiers, this difficulty introduces smart monster behavior, enhanced aggression, and minimal downtime between waves]
[Beast Parameters: Monster type involved tier 1-3 beast, includes evolved traits and elemental mutations, armor plating with some psychic behavior]
[Boss-Class Threat: Guaranteed
Warning! at this difficulty Bosses may possess area denial, summoning, or structure-crushing abilities]
[The Spawn Interval is Every 15 seconds with No grace period and no rest. The longer you hold, the harder they hit. With a total of 30 Waves per day, as the first day passed attackers will be much stronger and aggressive]
[Rewards: 1,000 RP, Evolution Token (2), Tier 3 Monster Core, Legendary Blue Print and 10 Levels]
"Wow, this looks so advanced. Hmm, maybe I really should've chosen easy mode. Well, if I can't handle it, I can just leave the game," Jeff said, shrugging his shoulders.
[Because you have chosen 'Hell Mode' Resources points will be deducted over 90%]
[You have been given: 20 RP]
[Wave will start after 5 hours, around 6:00 AM. Be prepared for the upcoming disaster]
Then the system panel disappeared leaving him all alone in the cold desert shivering in cold.
"Hmm, let's see what I can buy with this Resources point"
With that he went to the shop in the system panel then he saw all of the items.
...
Shop
Weapon: Ak-47
Price: 30 RP
Food: Bread
Price: 10 RP
Weapon: Grenade
Price: 5 RP
Seed: Green Seed
Price: 5 RP
...
There are lots of weapons and tools in the system shop and what he saw the best is a Katana since he was fond in using swords.
...
Weapon: Katana
Price: 20 RP
He was about to click it when suddenly another panel glowed, but this time it's a different color. Its golden color and not in blue.
[System awakening...]
[Aria your AI had finally integrated to the host]
[Hello Host, I am Aria your AI assistant to help you as the best I can]
Jeff was about to click "Buy" when another panel suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
He pulled his hand back and looked at the overlay covering the shop panel.
"What are you? And why are you so different from the first one?" he asked.
[That is because I am created differently, the World System is the one you have seen. I am different I'm an AI assistant with lots of capabilities]
"Oh really, ok then" Jeff said as he was about to click buy.
But he was stopped by a voice of a robotic girl, It's none other than Aria.
[Host, please don't spend your RP so unwisely]
[After choosing Hell mode the difficulty to survive would be much harsher when the wave will start. Not only the heat but the cold of the night will also increased if you survive the wave]
[Having a weapon would be so unwise, since it cannot protect you at all times. I suggest you spend everything on Green Seed before buying any weapon]
"What? Are you tripping me Aria? A green seed you say, we are in the dessert where can I plant that?" Jeff responded.
He was confused as the system responded.
[Just trust me Host, buying a weapon that will break after a few swings. You will die and be swarmed by all beasts. Also, this green seed is not normal don't be deceived by its description]
[Seed: Green Seeds
Description: A green seed that can grow into a plant, it's very hard to grow one unless you know the proper way]
After contemplating for a bit, Jeff decided to trust the system as he bought all four seeds, with that he emptied all of his RP points.
"Alright then, I trust you this time system,"
[Thank you Host, now we need to find a proper base before everything will start. We should move as fast as possible]
Following the system's command, he traveled through the area, shivering from the cold. He couldn't help but marvel at how real this dream felt.
After walking for about thirty minutes, boredom began to set in until he reached higher ground. Looking down from the elevated terrain, he spotted something below.
[Broken Temple and Sun Flare Crystal are detected]
[You are in luck Host]
Hearing Aria's voice, he nodded and slowly made his way down toward the place. It was still a fair distance around 300 meters away.
Finally, after a few minutes, he arrived.