The night air was thick with tension. The crimson moonlight bled through the atmosphere like a wound across the heavens, and Kane's drones patrolled relentlessly, feeding back live footage of the chaos unfurling beyond the protective barrier of his island.
But Kane wasn't watching passively. He stood on the rocky shoreline, his assault rifle braced against his shoulder, eyes fixed on the first wave of mutated creatures staggering out of the ground.
Rotten, half-human forms stumbled toward the barrier. Their flesh was stretched tight across bone, eyes glowing faint red, jaws snapping hungrily at the scent of life.
"Alright," Kane muttered, checking his weapon. "Let's see how much experience you're worth."
The first volley was precise.Three sharp bursts. Three creatures dropped.
[ +20 Experience Gained ]
[ +15 Experience Gained ]
[ +25 Experience Gained ]
[ +15 Coins Acquired ]
[ +10 Coins Acquired ]
[ +20 Coins Acquired ]
The notifications rolled one after another, and Kane's system interface chimed with a new sound.
[ Level Up! ]
[ Current Level: 2 ]
[ 5 Attribute Points Available ]
Kane smirked, heart pounding. It had begun.
He pulled up his status window, the blue-white holographic text flickering before him:
[ Status ]
Name: Kane WylderLevel: 2Attributes:
Strength: 12
Agility: 13
Endurance: 14
Perception: 12
Intelligence: 13
Available Points: 5
For a moment, he thought carefully. In the coming days, he'd need stamina to keep moving, but also precision to guide drones and firepower. With a decisive thought, he split his points:
+2 Endurance
+2 Agility
+1 Intelligence
[ Attributes Updated. ]
Endurance: 16
Agility: 15
Intelligence: 14
A sharp breath escaped him as warmth spread through his muscles. His lungs felt stronger, his balance steadier, and even the fog of fatigue from sleepless nights lifted slightly.
"Feels… sharper," Kane muttered. "Alright. This is worth it."
But the system wasn't done.
[ New Group Feature Unlocked. ][ Would you like to add members into your group? All members will share 50% of experience earned by you or any other group member. ]
Kane didn't hesitate. Yes.
He thought of Reina first. Then Maya, Lena, Amara, Selene, Nadia, Ivy, and the children. Every single one of them was added.
[ Group Created. ][ All members will now share linked experience. ]
"Good," Kane muttered. "This way, they'll grow stronger even if they never fight."
As the interface cleared, another mutated creature lurched against the barrier. Kane's bullet cracked its skull, and a new notification flashed.
[ +20 Experience Gained ][ Group Members Received Shared Experience. ]
He couldn't help but smile grimly. "So they'll all level with me. That means Reina too."
Hours passed, and the night was a cycle of battle and observation. Mutated creatures rose, clawed, and died in a rhythm that was both terrifying and exhilarating. Every kill brought more coins, and with it, Kane unlocked deeper layers of the Store.
The catalog expanded like an endless archive of human achievement, only enhanced. There were survival kits, advanced drone schematics, medicines capable of healing injuries in minutes… and then, Kane scrolled into the Infrastructure category.
He froze.
One listing pulsed with golden text:
[ Item: Compact Nuclear Reactor (Safe Model) ][ Description: A fully stabilized nuclear fission reactor designed for maximum energy output. Equipped with advanced containment and shielding to eliminate radiation risk. Requires Uranium-235 or equivalent as fuel. ][ Cost: 30,000,000 Coins ]
Below it, another entry:
[ Uranium Fuel Rod (1kg Equivalent) ][ Cost: 14,000 Coins ]
Kane's jaw tightened.
"A nuclear reactor? On the island?"
The thought was insane—and yet, the system claimed it was safe, with radiation shielding perfected. No leaks, no danger. Pure, infinite energy as long as fuel was provided.
He rubbed his temple, staring at the price. Thirty million coins. And each kilogram of uranium at fourteen thousand coins.
"That's… not cheap," he muttered. "But if I can get one of these… I'll never need to worry about energy again. Drones, defenses, greenhouses, the fish farms, everything… powered forever."
But the weight of it pressed on him. It wasn't a toy. It was a reactor. And he'd need the coins of an empire to afford it.
The system chimed again:
[ System Note ][ All advanced equipment in the Store has been perfected to its peak potential. Flaws such as radiation leakage, instability, or meltdown risk have been completely eliminated. ][ Only the required fuel remains as a limiting factor. ]
Kane exhaled slowly. It was tempting—dangerously tempting.
"I can't afford this yet," he admitted. "But one day, I will. And when I do… this island will never go dark."
His gaze drifted back to the crimson moon, the drones circling above, and the corpses piling near the barrier. He had time—but not much.
The apocalypse had begun, and so had the race to stay ahead of it.
The night was heavy with silence, broken only by the rhythmic hum of the drones circling above the island. Their faint blue glows drifted across the sky like restless stars. Inside the main hall of the compound, Kane sat slouched in a chair, his eyes fixed on the faint red haze that still lingered over the distant horizon where the blood moon had cast its curse. His mind was sharp, his body aching from the earlier fights.
Then, the system chime rang out.
[Notification: Level Up Achieved! Group-wide XP distribution in effect!]
A cascade of shimmering light stirred each sleeping body awake. Gasps filled the air as everyone blinked, confused, watching faint blue holographic panels open in front of their eyes.
Selene clutched at her chest, wide-eyed. "Wh-what is this? Am I hallucinating?"
Nadia rubbed her eyes, still groggy, before her expression hardened. "No… it's real. This is… this is some kind of system. Like Kane described."
One by one, they stumbled into the hall, drawn by the glow and the sound of Kane's calm voice. Reina toddled out of her room in Maya's arms, blinking with sleepy confusion but giggling when she saw the glowing symbols dance in the air.
Kane leaned forward in his chair, his gaze sweeping across the group. His tone was steady, authoritative, the voice of someone who had already accepted the new world.
"This isn't a dream," he began. "The system has fully activated. What you're seeing now are your stats and the foundation of your survival from here on out. The apocalypse has begun. Cities are burning, people are dying, and creatures are rising from the ground… but here, we're protected. This island is shielded, for now. That gives us time—time others don't have."
Fear and awe rippled through the group. Amara bit her lip, staring at her interface with shaking hands. Ivy muttered, "It's like… a video game. But real."
Kane nodded. "Exactly. And unlike a game, your lives are on the line. These stats matter. Strength will increase your physical power. Dexterity will make you faster, more agile. Vitality increases endurance and resistance. Intelligence fuels skills and systems that require calculation or energy. Wisdom is about perception and mana control, and Charisma influences leadership, morale, even trades or negotiations."
He leaned back, letting that sink in. "Allocate your points carefully. Don't waste them. The system won't hold your hand."
The others slowly followed his advice, experimenting with their stat screens. Lena nervously raised her Strength by a few points. Maya boosted her Dexterity. Selene poured hers into Intelligence, muttering about needing clarity to plan. Nadia split between Intelligence and Vitality, already calculating how to last in dangerous environments. Ivy stubbornly chose Strength across the board, muttering she'd "rather hit harder than think harder."
Reina, too young to understand, just poked the glowing letters in front of her with her chubby fingers until Maya guided her hand and kept her safe from messing things up. Kane made a mental note to keep a closer eye on her system growth later.
Meanwhile, Kane pressed forward. He didn't stop at level one. His drones had been merciless throughout the night, sweeping the outskirts of the nearest villages, slaughtering mutated creatures and funneling the experience directly into him and, by extension, the group. Notifications flooded in.
[Level Up! You have reached Level 2.][Level Up! You have reached Level 3.][Level Up! You have reached Level 4.]
By the time the first faint blush of dawn threatened the horizon, Kane had pushed all the way to Level 5. His body felt denser, sharper, as though reality itself had accepted his new power.
The others hadn't caught up as quickly—most hovered around level 2 or 3, their growth slowed by lack of direct kills—but the group-wide XP sharing ensured they weren't left behind completely.
Kane exhaled slowly as the final notification appeared.
[Congratulations! You have reached Level 5.][Reward: +1 Skill Point earned.][Skill Store Access Expanded. New skills available for purchase or upgrades.]
A golden shimmer danced at the edge of his vision, accompanied by another deep system message.
[Notice: Skill points can be used to either unlock new abilities from the Store or to upgrade existing skills for greater efficiency. Choose wisely.]
He closed his eyes for a moment, processing. Skill points. This was the next step—the beginning of shaping his path in this apocalypse.
The group gathered closer, anxious and curious, waiting for him to explain. Kane glanced at them all, then back at the glowing panel before him.
The world outside was ending. Inside this island, something greater was beginning.
And with the Store unlocking more options than ever before, Kane knew they were standing at the threshold of power no human civilization had ever touched.