The world outside the barrier screamed.
The blue shimmer of the Safe Zone held back the horrors, but it couldn't block the sounds. Snarls, howls, the grinding of claws against invisible walls it was a cacophony that made Davis's skin crawl. Each scrape sent a chill down his spine, a reminder that one thin layer of glowing light was all that separated him from becoming another corpse on the street.
Mia curled up beside him, clutching her knees, her knife forgotten at her side. Her eyes were wide and glassy, staring at nothing. Davis recognized the look. Shock. He'd seen it in the mirror after he killed the zombie in his apartment.
He couldn't let himself freeze now.
The glowing chest from the quest reward had already given him his first real items. The Iron Dagger rested on his lap, the Minor Health Potion in his pocket, and the ration sat untouched. He wasn't hungry. His stomach was a knot of nerves.
Instead, his focus was on the screen hovering in front of him:
[Player Status]Name: Davis BrownLevel: 4Class: NoneHP: 240/240Strength: 10Dexterity: 8Endurance: 9Intelligence: 5Luck: 1Unused Points: 10
Ten points. Enough to change everything.
He hesitated. In games, he always dumped points into strength and endurance hit harder, survive longer. But this wasn't a game, and there was no guidebook. One mistake could kill him.
"What do I need most?" he muttered under his breath.
Mia stirred at his voice, glancing at him. "You're… talking to yourself."
"Sorry," he said. "Trying to figure this out."
She tilted her head. "The numbers?"
His eyes narrowed. "You can see them too?"
She nodded weakly. "Everyone can. I'm level two now." Her lips trembled. "But I don't… I don't understand. What happens if we die? Do we respawn?"
Davis swallowed hard. The memory of the man torn apart by the wolf-like monster flashed in his mind. The blood. The limp body. The silence afterward.
"No," he said quietly. "We don't come back."
Mia's face paled. She buried her head in her arms again.
Davis clenched his fist. This system, whatever it was, treated life like a game but the deaths were real. That meant he couldn't afford to waste his points.
Finally, he split them.
+5 Strength.+3 Endurance.+2 Dexterity.
[Attributes Updated.]Strength: 15Dexterity: 10Endurance: 12
Immediately, he felt different. His grip on the dagger tightened, and he could feel the solid weight of his muscles in a way he hadn't before. His breath came steadier, his chest less tight. It was subtle, but noticeable.
He flexed his hand. "Not bad."
Mia peeked at him. "You… got stronger?"
He nodded. "A little. That's how we survive. Leveling. Points. Skills, if we can unlock them."
Her brows furrowed. "Skills?"
Davis glanced at his screen again. A tab flickered at the corner: [Skills: None.] Empty, for now. But if the system followed game logic, skills would come with levels, items, or quests.
They'd need them.
Because outside the barrier, the monsters were multiplying.
Hours passed. The Safe Zone was crowded with survivors men and women, some bloodied, some armed, others shivering in corners. Children cried, their parents whispering comfort they didn't believe themselves.
The dome's glow painted everyone in shades of ghostly blue.
No one spoke loudly. No one dared. The night belonged to the monsters, and the air itself felt heavy with their presence.
Davis sat with his back against the cracked pavement, staring at the barrier. His thoughts spun like a storm.
The system wanted survival. Safe Zones were only temporary. What about tomorrow? The next night? What would happen when food ran out, when the zones shrank, when stronger monsters appeared?
The word from earlier echoed in his mind:
[Player.]
Why them? Why him? Why was he chosen?
Mia shifted closer, pulling him from his spiral. "Do you… think we'll be okay?" she whispered.
He looked at her. Her face was streaked with dirt and dried tears. She was trying to be brave, but her hands still shook.
Davis hesitated, then forced a steady voice. "As long as we fight, we'll be okay."
Her lips trembled, but she nodded.
A ripple of energy passed through the dome. Every survivor flinched. The barrier pulsed, then steadied again.
A new notification appeared.
[Nightfall Event: Survive until Dawn.][Duration: 8 Hours.][Warning: Monsters grow stronger at night.]
Davis's stomach dropped. "Of course," he muttered.
Outside, the howls grew louder. Shadows pressed against the barrier, shapes too twisted to name. One slammed against the dome hard enough to make it quiver.
Mia whimpered. A few survivors screamed.
The monsters didn't break through. Not yet. But the Safe Zone wasn't perfect it was a timer. The glowing numbers in the corner of Davis's vision confirmed it:
[7:59:58 remaining.]
Eight hours. That was all the protection they had.
The first attack came an hour later.
The dome flickered, and something pushed halfway through. A clawed arm, black and veined with glowing red lines, shoved into the barrier like it was liquid. People shrieked, scrambling back.
Davis didn't think. He lunged, dagger in hand, and slashed. The blade bit into the arm. Black ichor sprayed, sizzling where it hit the ground. The arm retracted with an inhuman screech.
[You have damaged Abyssal Beast - Level 6.][EXP +10.]
Davis's chest heaved. His hands shook. But he stood tall, holding the dagger between himself and the barrier.
The survivors stared at him. Some with relief. Others with envy.
Mia's eyes were wide. "You… fought it."
Davis forced a grim smile. "We'll all have to, sooner or later."
The hours dragged on. Attacks came in waves claws, jaws, twisted shadows slamming against the dome. Each time, the barrier held, but thinner, weaker. Each time, survivors screamed, cried, prayed.
Davis fought where he could, slashing at whatever managed to breach the barrier's edge. Each kill brought him more experience, more strength, but also more exhaustion.
By the fifth hour, his arms were heavy. His vision blurred. But his level had climbed again.
[Level Up! You are now Level 6.]
Unused Points: 5.
He shoved them into Strength and Endurance, forcing his body to keep going.
Mia stayed close, helping when she could passing him broken weapons scavenged from fallen survivors, stabbing at monsters that came too near. Fear still clung to her, but her eyes had hardened.
She was learning.
They all were.
Finally, after an eternity of screams and blood, the sky lightened.
A new notification flared before every survivor's eyes.
[Nightfall Survived.][Rewards Distributed.]
Another chest materialized before Davis. He opened it with trembling hands. Inside lay a pair of fingerless gloves, faintly glowing.
[Reinforced Gloves (Uncommon). Strength +2.]
He slipped them on. The leather molded to his hands perfectly, light but strong. He flexed his fingers, feeling the subtle boost of power.
Mia opened her chest nearby. Inside was a small pendant glowing faintly green.
[Amulet of Minor Protection. Endurance +2.]
She held it to her chest, tears filling her eyes again. "It's… warm."
Davis managed a tired smile. "Good. You'll need it."
Around them, other survivors wept, hugged, or collapsed from exhaustion. Some clutched weapons or items, others nothing but scraps.
The Safe Zone shimmered, its light dimming. The barrier faded until nothing remained but open air.
Gasps filled the crowd.
[Warning: Daytime Exploration Begins.][Safe Zones will reappear at Nightfall.][Survive. Grow. Conquer.]
The world beyond was still a nightmare ruins, monsters, shadows lurking in the distance. But the barrier was gone.
Daylight had come.
Davis rose to his feet, dagger in hand, eyes on the horizon.
The first Nightfall was over.
The real game had just begun.