Like any boring day I had grown accustomed to, men were walking to their jobs early in the morning, housewives were taking care of their children, and schoolchildren were in places of learning. Airports were sending their planes soaring into the skies, and hospitals were filling with patients easily treated thanks to modern medicine.
In the last century that humanity has lived through, and with its fruitful development in both technological and intellectual fields, many of the obstacles that caused its backwardness have been reduced to become what it is today. Governments and organizations had followed many exhausting steps to make their people accustomed to them—like smiling every morning or following a healthy diet and such.
Buildings had grown tall, and the population density had increased to the point of overcrowding, yet the positive outcome had been achieved: murder rates had dropped, and there were opportunities for all citizens in various professions. But everything changed on a day different from the usual routine.
A skeleton appeared out of nowhere, clad in an old forgotten king's coat, holding a magic staff with a jittering tip wrapped around a yajurite gemstone. All the citizens stared at the strange being as it struck its staff on the ground a few times, with each strike causing the floor to crack further and further.
A towering earthquake shook the area, causing buildings to collapse and streets to crumble, erasing all that humans had worked for. Some skeletal creatures and ghosts wearing battle armor and wielding solid iron swords emerged. The knights charged, swinging their swords and cutting down the terrified citizens.
The terrifying ghostly sounds mixed with the screams of weak humans. People rushed toward nearby shelters after hearing alarms and international warnings about the catastrophe they were experiencing.
"Alert… alert! We warn citizens of an unknown level-four danger. Please take shelter until this disaster passes," announced a voice through the distributed loudspeakers.
The shelters overflowed with panicked crowds pushing and shoving. All the values they had worked to build were thrown to the wind due to the unknown threat. Many people lost their lives at the hands of ghosts or even other humans just to survive.
They fought each other for space and food until a young man appeared out of nowhere, climbing onto a high platform. Strands of his blond hair moved as he stared at the terrified people with his glassy blue eyes.
"Everyone, please listen to me."
All the screaming stopped, and silence fell as they stared at the young man.
"As you know, the scale of the disaster we are immersed in and the problems we are currently facing… all I want from you is to unite as we did before. Hand in hand, brother to brother—"
"Don't fool us. We know you're as scared as we are and are trying to gain our sympathy to save yourself," interrupted one of the angry crowd, followed by others in anger.
"I am not lying. I truly want to help you. If you want to survive, unite with me and accept my help."
Silence spread for a moment, as people whispered among themselves, appointing a spokesperson for their agreed decision.
"Yes, we all agree on the method."
The young man smiled, clapped his hands, and let out an evil laugh that made everyone present shiver in fear.
Transparent squares appeared before their terrified eyes, filled with information about their powers and skills. Not everyone understood the transparent interface; most did nothing but stare at the man and bite their nails to pass the time.
"Now, the first test begins, humans."
Another window appeared in the transparent interface, this time forcing their eyes to stay in place. Screams and howls erupted louder and stronger than before. People collided with each other, running into metal walls, punching and slapping them to open a path, but to no avail.
[Notification: If the survivor does not achieve at least one kill within the next five minutes, the result will be poor.]
Everyone lunged at each other in brutal fights to the death. Even those who survived the test did not survive the other humans thirsting for life. This conflict continued until the number of living decreased and the dead increased.
The young man smiled as he sat atop the platform, staring at the crimson liquids scattered around and the tears falling from the frightened.
After five minutes ended, the survivors gathered in the middle of the hall, staring at each other, drenched in dried, dirty blood. Yet two of them felt suffocated, clutching their necks and chests in despair until they nearly lost their lives.
[Notification: First test completed. You have succeeded.]
A notice appeared confirming the survivors' success in this grim trial; some were regretful, others did nothing but stare at the scattered corpses around the hall.
All these actions were merely the beginning compared to the souls of the dead from this harsh punishment, which would become fuel for other worlds called Spirit Worlds.
Those selected to enter these worlds are called the Chosen, meaning those chosen by the system, as they have been named in recent years, seven years after the catastrophe began.
During those seven years, humans learned magic and trained for strength to form teams and organizations that fight the vengeful spirits attacking the living. Despite the powers humans gained, their efforts were futile.
The Chosen advanced from the back of the line to the front, transferred to the other worlds without their consent, forced by a system that delighted in their despair and futile attempts.
I felt something suffocating me even as I tried to sleep—a burning sensation inside and out, like salty seawater. I opened my eyes to see what had caused this, but it was not my small room with its exposure to the sun and winter, but a pitch-black void.
I fought sleep to regain myself, trying to move my limbs, which I managed to do. Some bubbles flowed from my mouth, rising upward, filling my lungs and bringing back that previous choking feeling. I felt as if I were on the edge of death, realizing my dire situation.
I lifted my head to see a faint, wavering light above. I pushed with my legs, exhausted and terrified, but I tried to keep going before my lungs filled completely with water I had been drowning in. I reached the top, throwing back my head as far as I could, feeling a warm breeze brush my face.
I opened my mouth wide, inhaling the air I had longed for under the dark waters, and looked around, coughing lightly from dizziness, seeing the hardened land in the distance. I paddled with all my strength toward the land, whose sands were just hardened ashes sticking together.
I knelt as I walked on the ash, expelling the water that had filled me. Several burps escaped from me, bringing a sense of relief as I lay back on the ash.
I stared at the black sky and the black circular moon surrounded by a shining white ring. Though it was night, the light illuminated the desert area I had landed in. I didn't understand at first where I had been transferred or if this was even real, until a system window appeared explaining everything.
[You have been selected, survivor, to be the Chosen.]
[The Spirit World welcomes you. Welcome to your first trial: "Breaking the Chains of Darkness."]
I felt sadness and despair as I finished reading these words, yet sadness would not help me, as I realized one thing:
"I never wished to be the Chosen, but today, I must survive in this world."