Another distant roar echoed through the building, even louder ta this time.
Mike muttered, "Yeah… and I don't think that sounded like a normal dog."
"But… how do you even know all this?" I asked them finally, this was the real question.
Everyone seemed too certain, too informed about what was going on making me confused about the situation even more.
Mike and Sarah exchanged a glance at my question and then Mike lifted his claw and pointed in front of him..
"In the air." He said as my heart skipped.
"What?" I asked as.
Sarah leaned closer and lowered her voice.
"Blue screens. System messages. Appeared in front of everyone when it started. Said something about evolution and mutation, ven something about… World Number."
World Number... my breath caught as the faint memory of pain.
Those floating lines, something about evolution. High Humans and all came crashing in my mind as my eyes widened slightly.
"You saw it too, didn't you?" Sarah asked carefully as I hesitated. I remembered nothing clearly.
Just pain. Only pain.
"…I don't know," I said quietly as
Mike rolled his eyes. "Just call for system." He said as silence fell between us.
"System," I said as blue screen appeared in front of me.
[Name:- Adrian Elijah
Species:- High Human
Grade:- F (No further upgrade potential)
Mutation:- None
Characteristics:- None
Abilities:- Telepathy
Authority:- Level 9
Artifact:- 1]
[Telepathy
Grade:- F
Level:- 1
Description:- Able to connect mind and communicate with them in 100 meter range.
Limit:- 0 / 3.]
[Note:- This apocalypse is a trail. The world as you know it is no more. Those who pass the trail will be allowed to enter the New World.]
[Trail:- Survive 1000 days of apocalypse.]
[You are given 3 free questions to ask from system, the answer will be given depending upon your authority level.]
"What is all this?" I asked out aloud as Mike sighed.
"It is as you see, we know too much because we used our free questions, everyone here gave up their 2 questions and shared knowledge with each other. It allowed us to know a lot more than expected. You can use your 3 questions however you want, we all know everything we can with level 10 authority anyways."
He said as I stared at him blankly for a while, "Level 10?" I asked as he nods, "Everyone here has level 10 authority." He said.
"We don't even know how to increase authority anyways, so better use it than keeping, who knows it might help." He said as I look at my authority.
It clearly says 9 but I decided not to tell him that, "What about artifact?" I asked as he shook his head.
"Maybe some kind of weapon? Who knows, no one have it anyways..." He said as I looked at my status again, it says 1.
Do I have an artifact? I asked myself but I don't see myself holding a weapon or anything of that sort with myself.
"What about abilities? Characteristics? Mutation?" I asked as Sarah nods, "Those who evolved into high humans got abilities." She said.
"It's either, Telepathy, Telekinesis, or Transcendence. Mutated humans however got Characteristics of the animals we mutated into, like I got 2 characteristics." Mike said.
I looked at him. "…Two?" I asked as he lifted one massive claw and tapped his shell proudly. "The number depends on amount of meat you ate, I got two. First one is this... Exoskeleton Armor." He said as he knocked on his chest.
A metallic clank echoed and he started explaining, "My skin is basically natural armor now. Blunt force? Reduced. Cuts? Harder to go through. I tested it already."
"You tested it?" I asked as he looked away, "I may or may not have let Pig Guy punch me."
"Second one — Regenerative Molting."
"You can regenerate?" I asked as Mike nodded. "Minor version. If I get seriously injured, I can shed damaged outer layers and regenerate slowly. Not instant healing, but… better than nothing."
"That's broken." I said as he shrugged.
"Comes with downsides. Shell makes me heavier. Less flexible. And these claws?" He lifted them. "Not exactly great for typing emails."
Despite everything, I almost laughed... Almost. Another roar echoed outside. This time closer.
Was it from downstairs? I asked myself as the building trembled slightly.
My eyes shifted back to my blue screen.
High Human.
Telepathy.
Authority Level 9.
Artifact: 1.
Everyone here had Level 10.
Except me.
Why?
Maybe, it's because of the artifact thing. Do I have level 9 authority because I have some artifact or do I have an artifact because I have level 9 authority? I don't know.
But one thing is for sure, there's something connecting these two, because they are what make me different from others.
Shaking my head, I glanced at Sarah. "What about you?" I asked as she adjusted her wings slightly.
"2 as well. I got Enhanced Vision and Aerial Mobility."
"You can fly?" I asked as she nods, "For short distances. Gliding mostly. Still figuring it out."
Her feathers shifted softly as she moved. I remembered how warm they felt earlier.
Mike leaned closer. "High Humans are different. You guys don't get animal traits. You get abilities tied to mind or body."
I looked at my Telepathy skill again.
100 meters.
0 / 3 limit.
Three uses.
That meant I could connect with three minds at once? Well, human have been group hunters too begin with.
"What about grade? Mine shows F and it's not possible to upgrade this." As I asked this, they both went silent.
"Well, that's what make you unlucky I guess." Mike said as I tilted my head, confused.
"Adrian," Sarah said as I looked at her, "High Humans, they don't have any further potential, only mutated ones do..."
.
.
.
A half-pig man slammed his fist on a desk, cracking the wood slightly under the pressure of his strength.
The unrealistically beautiful human from earlier was pacing back and forth, his sharp features tense under the dim emergency lights.
"But this plan is too dangerous," the human said. His name was Ethan Vale.
Even in the middle of an apocalypse, he looked like he walked out of some fantasy novel... perfect skin, silver-like hair, calm but sharp eyes. A High Human, just like me.
But unlike me, he had already accepted it. "We don't have a choice," the half-pig man growled. His name was Raghav. His snout flared slightly as he breathed heavily.
"The food on this floor is gone. Even the cafeteria is completely looted." he said, he wasn't wrong.
The cafeteria shelves were empty, anack machines broken open and water bottles rationed down to the last few.
Beside us, there were 3 other group on just this floor alone, and everyone is trying their best to survive this whole day.
It was night now, and dark outside as electricity is already cut out and almost everyone hadn't eaten since morning.
Hunger was starting to make people restless and loss of internet and other contacts is also cut off.
Calls were not going through and even the government is using some high tech technology to send news of outside to our phone.
Those videos of mutated animals... They were terrifying if anything.
Suddenly, Ethan stopped pacing and ran a hand through his hair. "Floor below hasn't been checked since the evolution but it is certain there's a mutated monster there."
Silence filled the room as he said that. Everyone knew what that meant... Danger.
But it is also a fact that the floor below housed storage rooms, extra supplies that can help us all survive better and the small company grocery stock.
But... It also had large open spaces, broken glass walls and multiple stair exits. It s a perfect place for something to hide... And hunt.
"People on that floor… didn't make it back up," someone muttered quietly, another group send some of their people and none of them make it back here alive.
"We heard screams, terrifying ones and and then nothing." other guy said and a heavy silence followed.
Outside, something howled, some other monsters maybe, we have been observing a few flying ones whole day and they sure are not to be underestimated.
After a while, Ethan finally spoke again. "We send a small group. Three people. They go there, grab whatever they can and return."
"And if there are mutated monsters comes then?" someone asked as my grip tightened on the desk.
"Then they fight." someone said as Ethan shook his head. "No. We don't engage unless necessary. This is a supply mission, not a suicide run."
He looked around the room."We need two High Human. One with Transcendence and other with telepathy who can report in real time, both floors are less than 100 meters apart so it should be fine. Lastly, we need someone with strong mutation."
His eyes briefly flickered toward me... Then away.
"I will be the one going aswell since I only have Transcendence ability." he said as the room felt heavy with tension.
Hunger on one side and fear on the other... Below then? Possibly mutated creatures.
"We leave in ten minutes. Volunteers only."
No one moved at first.
Because everyone understood something very clearly.
This wasn't just about getting food.
This was about testing whether they could survive the first night of the apocalypse.
With 999 more to go...