There I sat. I had an idea that I thought might be interesting. I liked writing stories myself, but I had never written much for very long because it took a lot of time. I wondered what it would be like if I could write a story with someone. Inspire each other.

I opened my internet browser, looked for an AI and asked it:

"You are an artificial intelligence. If you were writing a fantasy story where monsters were attacking the world and people were suddenly getting different abilities, like in video games, how would your story start?"

I know very cliché...

She answered:

"One day, when people were leading their ordinary lives, monsters suddenly began to appear out of nowhere and attack the world. People were completely unprepared and helpless against the attacks of these creatures. But amidst the despair and terror, some people discovered that they suddenly possessed special abilities, the likes of which were usually only seen in video games. With these powers, they fight against the monsters and try to save their world."

Not really impressive I thought to myself. I had hoped for more. But I did not want to stop yet.

"What kind of monsters are they? Where do the monsters come from? And what abilities did they gain?"

"The monsters that attack the world are different and diverse. There are huge, invincible creatures that destroy cities, and there are smaller, faster monsters that attack in swarms. Some have powerful magic, others invincible weapons. The origin of these monsters remains obscure, there are many theories about them, but no confirmation.

The people who suddenly gained abilities also have different powers. Some have the ability to control fire, others can become invisible, still others have incredibly strong physical powers. There are also people who are able to read the minds of others or turn into animals. It is unclear why or how these abilities came to be, but they offer people a chance to fight the monsters and save their world."

Like a mix of manhwa and superhero stories. Now I just had to get the AI to tell it like a story.

"Tell me the story of the main character of this story with lots of details. Generate suspense and a dramatic twist on the main character's first day when he got his abilities."

I sent the question off. The AI considered. She thought much longer than I had expected. Then finally came the answer:

"The story begins with the protagonist, a young man named Alex, who grows up in a small town. Alex had always dreamed of traveling the world and having adventures, but he never had the chance. He worked in a supermarket and lived an ordinary life."

Alex, what a funny name, I thought to myself. Mostly I read Korean names, which is why Alex seemed out of place at the first moment.

"One day, when he came home from work, he suddenly noticed that something was wrong. He heard explosions and screams in the distance. He ran to the window to see what was going on and saw monsters attacking the city. People were running in the streets in panic, buildings were on fire and cars were exploding. Alex was terrified and didn't know what to do. He decided to look for his family and friends to make sure they were safe."

But so far, Alex has fit the classic image of a protagonist. Of course, family and friends come first for the main character.

"He ran into the street and tried to fight his way through the chaotic crowd. Suddenly, he was attacked by a monster that hit him in the chest with its claws. Alex fell to the ground and thought he was going to die.

But then something strange happened. He felt his body changing and incredible power rising inside him. He stood up and saw that his hands were on fire. He realized that he had the ability to control fire. With this new power, he could defeat the monster and continue to search for his family and friends.

As he ran through the streets, he discovered more and more people with unusual abilities fighting the monsters."

Wait a moment... Where was the fight with the monster that had hit him? The AI had simply skipped the fight with the monster and left a gap. As a lover of good stories and a co-author, I must now tell you about the fight with Alex and Monster. So rewind briefly again.

"With this new power, he could defeat the monster and continue to search for his family and friends. The fire that burned in his hands felt like a part of his body. Adrenaline rushed through his whole body and with his heart pounding he stared at his hand until the loud roar of the monster tore him out of his stupor. It ran toward him. Foam shot out of the monster's mouth and..."

I wondered what this monster actually looked like. Did it walk on two legs? Did it have fur? What was special about the monster that attacked Alex?

So I asked my co-author, the AI.

"The monster that attacked Alex when he discovered its powers was a huge humanoid creature that was over two meters tall. It had green, scaly skin and a long tail that looked like a whip. It had two arms that ended in claws that it used to strike its victims. It also had two long, pointed ears and red glowing eyes that spread fear and terror.

This monster had the ability to turn invisible and suddenly appear on its victims to surprise them. It also had incredible strength and endurance that allowed it to destroy buildings and throw cars with ease. It also had a kind of energy shield that protected it from attacks"

If this is not a difficult opponent for a tutorial monster.

"Foam shot out of the monster's mouth but suddenly it disappeared. Alex was confused. Suddenly, a huge blow hit him in the chest and he flew crashing into the windshield of a car. A loud crash and a screeching bending of metal could be heard. This blow would have killed a normal person twice, but not our Alex. He struggled to his feet, leaning on his knees. His eyes darted around the area in search of the monster. Nothing to see, but from his left, he heard stomping footsteps running toward him. He wrapped his fists in flames and struck blindly in the direction of the footsteps. A column of flame shot volcano-like from his fist and wrapped itself around the outline of an invisible opponent. A shrill scream. The monster became visible again. His green skin hung down in melted streaks. The force shield had apparently not been strong enough to take on Alex's newfound powers. Probably the shield was only useful against physical attacks. Alex took another swing and another column of flames shot towards the beast. Screeching, the beast collapsed and so did Alex. He remained conscious, but his new powers cost him a lot of energy, as he noticed, but he couldn't rest yet. He had to find his family"

Satisfied, I sat back and let the AI continue to tell the story

"He came across others who had the ability to turn invisible or had incredibly strong physical powers. They worked together to defeat the monsters and save the city.

The twist in the story comes when Alex realizes that not only does he have the ability to control fire, but he also has the ability to read the minds of others. With this new ability, he realizes that the monsters did not come from outside the world, but were created by the people themselves"

I did not expect that. I was just spoiled by the AI...

How he found out this piece of information, we will probably find out later on.

"Finally he reached his parents' apartment. They lived in a high-rise building in the city. But his parents were not there. What clues does Alex find to pick up their trail?" I asked the AI but the Answer was:

"An error occurred. If this issue persists please contact us through our help center"

Noooo... I didn't really want that answer. I tried to reload the website and asked the same question again and this time my co-author gave me an answer

"When Alex finally reaches his parents' apartment in the high-rise, he finds it empty. He searches for clues to pick up their trail and discovers a few things that might help him:

- He finds a note left by his mother saying that she and his father went to the nearby church to seek shelter from the monsters.

- He finds his parents cell phones on the table, but neither of them can be reached, which means they either lost their phones or have no reception.

- He discovers a backpack belonging to his father, apparently made ready for escape, on it are water bottles, medicines and emergency rations.

- He discovers a map of the city that shows a route that leads to the church.

These clues help Alex find his parents and pick up their trail. He decides to go to the church as soon as possible to find them and bring them to safety."

I am just as confused as you are by these clues...

Nonetheless i am impressed by the mother who managed to write a note in the chaos along the lines of "food is in the fridge, honey" while they didn't manage to take their backpack nor their smartphones with them but that's not just my story. So i asked:

"How does the story continue? Will Alex find his parents in the church?"

"The story continues when Alex decides to look for his parents in the church."

Well i expected this much..

"He takes his father's backpack and the map of the city and sets off. Along the way, he has to fight his way through the chaotic city, with the help of other people with special abilities that he meets along the way."

At this point I would just give the AI a hand and add a little more detail.

*Clearing throat*

"He was still exhausted from the fight against the monster, even if he was able to strengthen himself a little by eating rations in his parents' apartment. But he could not afford to take a break. He would find his parents, come what may. He descended the staircase and examined the map, which his parents had left lying around. From a distance he heard screams. Both human and those of the dying monsters, and as chance would have it, he had to go in that direction. When he got there, he saw a pile of torn monster bodies and a group of four people. Their clothes were a little torn, but they seemed to have been able to avoid major damage."

What kind of people are they? I ask the AI

"A man named Jack, he has the ability to turn invisible and perform attacks from behind.

A woman named Sarah, she has the ability to control animals and use them as weapons.

A man named David, he has the ability to create a kind of energy shield to protect himself from attacks.

A woman named Emma, she has the ability to read minds, thus she can anticipate opponents and react to their next move."

There we go. We have our standard team combo. Jack as the Assassin, Sarah as the Sorceress, David for the roll of a Tank and well Emma equals a Ranger i guess.

"After many adventures and battles, Alex finally reaches the church. He finds his parents and the other people who sought shelter there safe. They are happy to see him and learn from him that he has special abilities."

That's a very big leap in time. I'll keep this part in mind for later, but it should tell about the above mentioned adventures that Alex goes through with his team.

In the next chapter