Kaito Tanaka stared blankly out the window, his thoughts drifting far from the history teacher's lecture on the Sengoku Era. The clear blue sky looked so ordinary, so boring. He was more focused on the online RPG he planned to play after school than on the battles of samurai long gone.
Crash!
Without warning, the entire school building shook violently. Books tumbled off shelves, the chalkboard fell with a loud crack, and the fluorescent lights overhead swayed wildly before shattering. Panicked screams filled the classroom.
"Earthquake! Get under the desks!" shouted their teacher, his voice nearly drowned out by the rumbling.
Kaito dove under his desk, heart pounding. This wasn't an ordinary earthquake. The vibrations felt… malevolent. From the window, an impossible sight unfolded. The sky was torn open, a massive rift of purple and black splitting the horizon. From within that wound, massive stone-like structures and writhing dark energy poured out, like monstrous roots clawing through the earth.
"In the sky… something's in the sky!" someone screamed.
Chaos erupted. Students bolted from the classroom in terror. Swept up in the panic, Kaito raced down the swaying stairwell. But when he reached the schoolyard, his breath caught in his throat.
The world he knew had already ended.
Buildings crumbled, fires raged across the city, and most terrifying of all—
AUUUGHH!
Green-skinned, bipedal creatures with gaunt frames and sharp claws emerged from the rubble. They looked exactly like the goblins from his games, but their snarls and the stench of blood rolling off their bodies were horrifyingly real. They pounced on anything that moved with a feral bloodlust.
"Run! Run, now!"
Kaito sprinted for the school gates, but one goblin blocked his path. Its bloodshot red eyes gleamed with savage hunger. The stench of rot and gore wafted from its body. Kaito stumbled and fell, frozen with fear. The goblin leapt, claws poised to tear open his throat.
Is this the end of me?
A blinding white beam of light suddenly struck from the heavens, vaporizing the goblin into ash. Kaito squinted against the brilliance. For a brief moment, the entire world fell silent. Then a gentle voice, impossibly clear, echoed in every human mind.
〈"Children of man. We have watched. Your civilization is too fragile to withstand 'The Rupture.' As our final mercy, we, the Angels, bestow upon every surviving soul a 'Unique Skill.' Use it wisely. Endure."〉
Warm light enveloped Kaito's body, flowing into every cell. A translucent blue holographic screen appeared before his eyes.
---
〈Global System Announcement〉
· Detected Human Population: 680,421,109
· Population Decrease: 91.5% from previous total
· Welcome to the new world. The rules have changed.
---
Kaito's mind reeled. Less than ten percent left? In a single hour, humanity had been nearly wiped out. His stomach churned. His family… were they included in that number?
---
〈User Location Detected: Server M-9 (The Rising Sun Ruins)〉
· Active Players in Server M-9: 60,124,771
· Server Status: HIGH DANGER. Multiple active Dungeons detected.
· Good luck, Player.
---
〈Player Status: Kaito Tanaka〉
· Level: 1
· Title: None
· HP: 100/100
· MP: 50/50
· Skills:
· [Copy Paste] [Unique] Lv. 01
---
〈Skill Details: Copy Paste [Unique] Lv. 01〉
· #Exclusive to Kaito Tanaka [Unique]
· #Evolves [Unique]
· Description: When activated, the user's eyes glow in a color corresponding to level (Current: Silver). Allows the user to attempt copying another player's unique skill.
· Mechanism:
1. Target: Focus on a target and activate the desire to copy.
2. Random Mission: The system generates a mission tied to the target's skill.
3. Time Limit: Mission must be completed within 7 days.
· Consequences:
· Failure: Skill enters 30-day cooldown.
· Success: User permanently gains the target's skill at one level lower. Cooldown resets.
· Restrictions:
· Cannot copy the same player twice.
· At Level 1, copied skill is randomized from the target's known pool.
---
Kaito sank into the rubble, staring at his status window. Around him, survivors were already testing their newfound powers—flames bursting from hands, superhuman strength tearing apart debris. Shouts of triumph mixed with cries of despair.
He glanced back at his own skill. [Copy Paste]. Compared to the others, it seemed… plain. Troublesome, even. Yet in this new reality, where each person had only one trump card…
"…Copying someone else's skill…" he muttered. A wild thought sparked in his mind.
In a world where strength was everything, the power to steal others' abilities could become the most terrifying weapon… or a curse that would make him a hunted target.
He clenched his fists. This wasn't a game anymore. This was life and death. And he had to learn the new rules fast.
Before he could process further, another system window flashed across everyone's vision.
---
〈Server M-9 Quest: Initial Purification〉
· Description: The Dungeon "Goblin Outpost" has activated nearby. Eliminate the threat to secure the zone.
· Objective: Defeat 50 Goblins.
· Target: Individual. Each player must meet their own quota.
· Reward: 500 EXP, 100 Angel Gold Coins.
· Failure Penalty: Any player who fails within 24 hours will be marked as "Non-Compliant." Consequences will follow.
· Time Limit: 23:59:59
---
Gasps of relief clashed with cries of dread. For those gifted with combat skills like [Fireball] or [Sword Mastery], the quest was brutal but possible. For Kaito with [Copy Paste], and others cursed with non-combat skills like [Herbalism] or [Appraisal], it was practically a death sentence.
"Fifty? Alone? That's insane!" shouted a boy whose body radiated a defensive aura, his [Barrier] skill shimmering faintly. Even so, his face was pale.
Frustration boiled over. Mr. Takeda, usually the calm history teacher, glared up at the sky where the angelic light lingered. His face was twisted with fury and betrayal.
"ANGELS!" he roared, voice hoarse. "You said you came to save us! THIS is your mercy?! Forcing us to slaughter these monsters? This isn't salvation, it's torture! We're not soldiers!"
His outburst struck a chord, voices murmuring agreement, anger and fear swelling in the crowd.
The heavenly glow did not fade. Instead, the presence grew colder, heavier. The same voice that once sounded gentle now resounded like cracking ice.
〈"Our gift is a chance. Not a guarantee."〉
Silence pressed on the survivors as the voice sharpened, each word sinking like a blade.
〈"We spared you from instant extinction. Now prove you are worthy of survival. The law of this world is 'Endure or Perish.' If you waste this blessing, if you choose to whine instead of fight…"〉
The tone dripped with disdain.
〈"…then you may as well die now. That will save the server's resources. You are nothing but useless trash squandering the 'Unique Skill' we granted you."〉
A dreadful stillness followed. More suffocating than the quake. More chilling than the goblins' screams. Mr. Takeda's face drained of color; his body trembled violently before he collapsed, whether from shock—or something far worse. Several screamed in horror.
The message was clear. No negotiations. No further mercy. They were gladiators thrown into an arena, with angels as merciless overseers.
Kaito bit his lip until it nearly bled. The angel's words cut deeper than any goblin claw. Around him, those with combat skills began forming groups, eyes gleaming with determination—or greed. Others, the powerless, looked utterly broken.
This isn't a test, Kaito realized. It's a culling.
He could rely on no one. His [Copy Paste] couldn't kill a single goblin. But maybe… someone else's power could.
He activated his skill. His eyes flared silver like molten metal. His gaze locked onto Kenji, a classmate across the yard, unleashing sparks of lightning at an approaching goblin. [Lightning Strike].
A window appeared before Kaito.
〈Use [Copy] on [Kenji]'s skill?〉
〈Yes / No〉
With hardened resolve, Kaito selected "Yes."
〈Copy Mission Generated!〉
· Target Skill: [Lightning Strike]
· Mission: [Use electric shock to kill 5 Goblins within 24 hours.]
· Failure: [Copy Paste] enters 30-day cooldown.
Kaito's fists tightened. For someone unarmed, the mission was nearly impossible. But the Angels' punishment was far worse. He had to think. He had to adapt.
His second life-or-death gamble had just begun.
And this time, there would be no angel to save him.