A screen popped up in front of me. I just stared at it, confused, trying to make sense of what the hell was going on.
[Esper System Activated.]
[Main Quest: Survive the Monster Raid.]
→ Reward: Random Esper Ability Unlocked Upon Completion.
"What's this… Esper System?"
And what the hell does it mean by "Survive the Monster Raid"? That's… vague. Like, are we talking a game? A joke? A dream?
For a solid ten seconds, I convinced myself this was all just in my head.
Because it had to be, right?
Shooting stars don't grant wishes. That's just fairytale logic wrapped in cosmic bullshit. Everyone knows that.
Shooting stars are nothing but glowing streaks—meteoroids burning up in the atmosphere, leaving behind a trail of light before they vanish. That's it. Nothing magical. Nothing divine.
And there's no way the world is ending because of me.
So yeah, this has to be a dream.
They say there are five stages of grief, and it seemed that I was experiencing the first stage— denial.
Anger? That's been my main diet for years.
Depression? My best buddy. We sleep together.
I looked back at the floating screen in front of me and muttered, "So this thing wants me to survive a monster raid, and in return… it'll give me some random esper ability?"
Cool.
Insane. But cool.
I looked around—and the chaos had dialed up. Screaming, people stampeding, blood smears on the walls. Buildings cracked, cars flipped, smoke rising in the distance. Monsters were charging across the streets like unleashed demons. This was real. Realer than anything I'd ever lived through.
"Is this really an apocalypse?"
I always imagined the world would end differently. Like nukes. Or alien invasion. Or robots rising up.
Not monsters. And definitely not me stuck in the middle of it.
Anyway, I did what anyone with half a brain and a full bladder would do—I ran.
Didn't matter where. Didn't matter with who. I just bolted and merged into the crowd of strangers sprinting for their lives.
But of course… panic never comes alone.
Women in the group started screaming. Loud. Shrill. Like sirens attached to fear.
I ditched them instantly and veered into the group that had only men. I'm not trying to be sexist or anything, but come on—
"Monsters are chasing us! Why the hell would you scream like that?! You wanna die?!"
I mean, I get it. Fear and all. But maybe scream after we escape?
I focused back on running. Oddly enough, I was running fast. Faster than I remembered myself being capable of. My legs moved like machines. No cramps, no heavy breathing.
I didn't feel tired at all.
Is this what they call adrenaline rush?
This shit is fire!
The next moment, I tripped hard and fell down.
Some idiot—no, some poor bastard—was already dead on the road, and I tripped over his body.
I hit the ground, my face scraping the cold pavement.
"Of course. Of course I'd be the one to die in a stupid way."
I pushed myself up, but it was too late.
A shadow loomed over me. A figure stepped in front of me.
A monster.
It extended its hand to me.
"Are you okay?" it asked.
Wait—what?
I looked up.
It was not a monster.
A guy. A kid. Looked like a high school grad. Maybe eighteen.
He wasn't some beast. Just… human.
"Yeah… I'm okay," I muttered and took his hand.
He pulled me up and instantly turned, dragging me along like he was the Fluash or something.
I ran with him, confused as hell.
I couldn't help but think that this kid's parents raised him right. He risked his life and helped a total stranger.
"Who the hell does that?!" I thought. "Who risks their life for a stranger?"
Would I have done the same?
…No.
Not unless I knew the person. Not in a situation like this. Not when monsters are literally eating people alive in the street.
But this kid—he helped me. No hesitation. Just pulled me along like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"His friends must be the luckiest assholes alive."
"What are you doing?! Run faster!" he yelled at me.
I've been yelled at by a lot of people. Bosses. Seniors. Even juniors.
But this kid? He's probably seven or eight years younger than me.
Still… I couldn't get mad.
He wasn't being a jerk. He was genuinely worried. And he reminded me of someone.
He turned to look at me again, and his face—fuck, it was familiar.
He looked just like my best friend from high school.
"What are you staring at, dumbass?! Run faster!"
Same voice. Same tone.
Same foul mouth.
"Wait… wait… where the fuck am I?"
Although I have been glancing around, I never paid attention to my surroundings.
I glanced around again—really looked this time.
The buildings. The signs. The streetlights.
And then… I saw it.
A familiar landmark.
The fountain from my childhood city.
And in the distance—
My high school.
The place I hated the most.
The place I sacrificed everything in.
"Why the hell am I here…?"
Before I could figure it out, the monsters behind us roared—louder. One of them leaped over a car, jaws wide, claws flashing.
We bolted down the narrow alley between two buildings. The kid ducked under a bent sign, and I followed, heart punching my ribs. One of the beasts clipped the sign above me—steel bent like paper.
We burst out onto the main road. Glass shattered nearby as a creature dove from above, missing us by inches. It hit a parked car and flipped it.
I didn't look back.
We weaved through traffic wreckage, jumped over rubble, slid across slippery red sidewalks covered in blood.
The kid led the way, never stopping. I followed him like my life depended on it.
Because it did.
We turned a corner—and there it was.
The school gate.
He rushed through first.
I followed.
And then—everything stopped.
Literally.
People were still running, yeah—but once they crossed the gate, they just… slowed. Like some invisible weight had lifted. As though they no longer cared about their life at all.
The monsters chased right up to the line—and stopped.
Why?
A flying one dove straight at us from above, its wings slicing the air like knives.
I flinched.
But it never hit us.
BOOM!
It slammed into something invisible mid-air. Sparks flew. A grid of blue light flickered for half a second.
It was a dome.
An invisible dome was surrounding the school.
The monster's twitching body slid down the barrier and dropped outside the gate like a used tissue.
I turned to the kid. "H-How did you know…?"
"Ian."
He said my name.
I blinked. "Uh… how do you know my name?"
He gave me a look like I just insulted his mother.
"The fuck? I don't have time for your bullshit. Let's wait till the heroes arrive and clear the area."
Heroes?
Who's gonna come? Metal man? Or Supreme man? It would be nice if someone like Wandering woman or Dark widow comes.
No, wait. That's not important.
I once again glanced at the kid, looked real close. How does he know my name? He also looks similar to my best friend from high school.
"Wait… Lexi…? Is that you?!" I shouted.
"It's Lex, you shit!" he snapped, exactly like I remembered.
I stared at him. Then I stared at the building behind us.
My high school.
Lex was my best friend. He died four years ago. He tried to save a kid from drowning. He succeeded, but lost his life instead.
But he's standing here now.
Young. Alive.
And pissed.
But what's going on? How come he looks so young? And what is he even doing here?
Surely, he wouldn't have ended up in hell. He was a cool and selfless guy who always helped everyone.
Just then, I looked down and noticed I was wearing my high school uniform.
Immediately, I took out my phone and opened the camera app to see my young, handsome, sexy, cool, awesome, handsome face.
"What the fuck is going on?" I couldn't help but mutter.
Before I could spiral harder, rays of light fell from the sky.
Like divine spotlights.
Figures descended—humanoid, glowing.
The people who were screaming for help earlier began cheering out of joy.
"The heroes are here!"
"We are saved!"
No… seriously…
What the actual fuck is going on?