The aroma of instant ramen, a familiar comfort, usually filled Alex Mercer's tiny apartment. He was hunched over his chipped bowl, mindlessly scrolling through his phone, while Verwel, his scruffy terrier mix, snored softly at his feet. Another Tuesday evening, another predictable routine in a world that, for all its mundane annoyances, felt stable, predictable. The sky outside was a clear, unblemished blue, the city lights just beginning to twinkle as dusk approached. Life was ordinary, unremarkable, and utterly safe.
Then, the sky tore.
It wasn't a sound, not at first. It was a visual rupture, a silent, impossible tear in the fabric of reality itself. Jagged, unnatural cracks, like lightning frozen in mid-strike, spiderwebbed across the heavens, bleeding an oppressive, bruised grey. A chilling, formless dread, colder than any winter wind, swept through the city, bypassing walls, seeping into every living thing.
Alex felt it first as a sudden, crushing pressure in his chest, a wave of pure, existential terror that stole his breath. The ramen bowl clattered from his hands. Verwel scrambled to his feet, whimpering, his fur bristling. Then came the sound – a low, resonant hum that quickly escalated into a deafening, agonizing scream, not from the sky, but from the very ground beneath his feet, from the concrete, from the air. The apartment building groaned, twisted, and then, with a final, cataclysmic roar, it simply ceased to be. Alex felt himself flung through the air, a dizzying, terrifying tumble through dust and impossible force, before darkness claimed him.
He coughed, a cloud of dust and pulverized concrete stinging his lungs. His head throbbed, a dull ache that quickly sharpened into a blinding pain. He lay sprawled amidst the rubble of what used to be his apartment building, the familiar scent of ramen replaced by the acrid stench of ozone and decay. The sky above was no longer blue, but a swirling, oppressive canvas of bruised grey, punctuated by those jagged, unnatural cracks.
"Verwel?" he rasped, his voice hoarse. Panic clawed at his throat. His scruffy terrier mix, usually glued to his side, was nowhere in sight. "Verwel, where are you, boy?"
A low whimper answered him, barely audible over the distant, unsettling groans of collapsing structures. Alex pushed himself up, every muscle screaming in protest. His apartment, once a sanctuary, was now a skeletal ruin, twisted metal and shattered glass framing a gaping hole where the outer wall used to be.
He spotted Verwel, pinned beneath a fallen bookshelf, whimpering, his small body trembling. A jagged piece of rebar protruded dangerously close to the dog's head. Alex scrambled towards him, ignoring the fresh cuts blooming on his hands.
"Hold on, boy, I'm coming!" he yelled, straining to lift the heavy debris. It wouldn't budge. Desperation surged. He wasn't strong enough. He wasn't fast enough. He was just... Alex. An ordinary student. And his world was ending.
Just then, a guttural shriek echoed from the hallway. Alex froze, his blood turning to ice. A grotesque, multi-limbed creature, its flesh shimmering with the same grey energy that had devoured the city, scuttled into view. It was vaguely humanoid, but with too many eyes and twitching, razor-sharp appendages. It smelled of rot and something impossibly ancient.
[Threat Detected: Grey Abomination (Corrupted Human)]
[Level: 3]
[Danger: Extreme]
The blue screen flashed into existence before Alex's eyes, startling him so violently he almost fell. Its glowing text was stark, surreal, yet undeniably real.
"What the hell is this?" Alex whispered, his eyes darting between the horrifying creature and the impossible floating display. The Abomination lunged, its claws extended.
This is it, Alex thought, a cold dread washing over him. I'm going to die. Verwel's going to die.
[CRISIS DETECTED. HOST'S DESIRE: SURVIVAL. POWER.]
[SYSTEM AWAKENING INITIATED!]
Another flash, brighter this time, and the blue screen expanded. New information flooded his vision.
[Alex Mercer]
[Level: 1]
[Class: Unbound Survivor (Initial)]
[Strength: 5 (New!)]
[Dexterity: 6 (New!)]
[Constitution: 7 (New!)]
[Intelligence: 8]
[Wisdom: 7]
[Charisma: 4]
[Skills: Basic Analysis (Passive) - New!]
[Abilities: None (Yet)]
[Energy: 10/10]
A surge of raw, unfamiliar power coursed through Alex's veins. He felt a newfound strength in his limbs, a quickness in his reflexes. Without thinking, he lunged, grabbing a heavy, splintered wooden beam.
"Get away from him, you freak!" Alex roared, swinging the beam with a force he didn't know he possessed.
The Abomination shrieked, a high-pitched, unnatural sound as the beam connected with a sickening crunch. It stumbled back, one of its many eyes bursting into grey mist. Verwel, freed by the impact, scrambled out from under the bookshelf, his fur bristling, his eyes now glowing with an eerie, silver light. His teeth, usually small and slightly crooked, seemed longer, sharper.
[Companion: Verwel (Mutated)]
[Affinity: Shadow-Bound]
[Ababilities: Enhanced Senses, Shadow Claws]
"Verwel!" Alex breathed, astonished. His dog was... different. Stronger.
The Abomination recovered, twitching limbs regenerating with disturbing speed. It snarled, a sound of pure malice, and charged again.
"Okay, System," Alex muttered, tightening his grip on the beam, a grim determination hardening his features. "Let's see what else you can do."
The fight for survival had just begun, and Alex, an ordinary student thrust into an extraordinary nightmare, was ready to adapt.