When Alan regained consciousness, he found himself in a small, all-white room known as the Virtual Waiting Room of the Apocalypse Game. As he slowly gathered his thoughts, memories of his previous experiences flooded his mind, and the familiar atmosphere of the room brought back a sense of nostalgia.
Shortly after, a mechanical voice resounded in his mind, breaking the silence.
[Game will be started in 10 minutes]
With a clear understanding of what was to come, Alan utilized the remaining time to assess his current status. He accessed the Game Link, a device attached to his arm, and a game-like interface appeared before him, displaying rows of notifications.
The first page showed his basic information and attributes:
[Authenticating User ID...]
[User ID Confirmed: Alan D Angello, Male, 27 years old]
[Level 1: 0/200]
[HP: 110]
[Stamina: 100%]
[Survival points: 0]
[Strength : E-]
[Agility : E]
[Endurance : E-]
[Perception : E]
[Intelligence : D-]
[Spirit : F-]
[Average Rating: E-]
The Apocalypse Game's advanced technology scanned the player's physical condition in the real world and then it would give out the attributes and its value based on the information it garnered. Each attribute was assigned a letter grade, ranging from F- to S+, indicating different levels of proficiency.
Alan was pleasantly surprised to see that his starting attributes had significantly improved since his last playthrough. A smile curled on his lips as he realized the fruits of his intense training over the past four weeks.
In his previous life within the game, Alan had begun with meager F and F+ ratings in Strength, Agility, and Endurance. However, this time around, his attributes had received a substantial boost, reaching E and E- levels. This upgrade placed him on par with a trained soldier or a strong prime athlete. The satisfaction of seeing his progress filled him with renewed confidence.
Following that, Alan went through the second page which showed his equipment as well as his inventory.
[Equipment]
[Name : Beginner Suits]
[Type: Clothes]
[Rarity: Common]
[Equipment Rating: 0]
[Attributes: None]
[Effect: None]
[Able To Bring outside of Game: No]
[Remarks: This is everyone's starting clothes. Better than being naked]
####
[Inventory]
[Name: Water Bottle]
[Type: Consumable]
[Rarity: Common]
[Attributes: Recover 30 HP and 10% Stamina regeneration within 5 minute]
[Effect: None]
[Able To Bring outside of Game: Yes]
[Remark: Keep yourself hydrated, taste better when served cold!]
The beginner suit given by the game was a red-colored tracksuit that covered the player's entire body, from neck to ankle. Apart from being the player's uniform, the suit also served as an attribute that differentiated between the players and NPC (Non Player Character) within the game.
However, for Alan, it was best to change the outfit as soon as possible because thanks to his experiences he knew that sometimes being not easily recognized as a player would have its own benefits.
As for the Inventory, it came with a standard backpack that could store limited number of items. The first essential thing he had in his inventory was the water bottle, which would come in handy, especially in the early stages where having healing items could easily determine one's life and death.
What Alan was waiting for the most, however, was the third page. The page that would show a list of skills he possessed. He felt kind of anxious, yet on the other hand he was also excited to see what skills he would have.
He sighed with hope as he waited for the page to refresh, and when the page finally showed what he had been waiting for, Alan couldn't help but throw his fists into the air. He was truly overjoyed by what he saw at this moment.
[Skill]
[Scanning appropriate skill]
[7 skills found]
"7 skills! This is great!" Alan exclaimed with surprise.
####
[Common Skill]
[Unarmed Combat (Novice)]
[Dagger Weapon (Novice)]
[Small Firearm (Expert)]
[Sword Weapon (Expert)]
####
[Uncommon Skill]
[Repair (Basic)]
[Sneak (Basic)]
####
[Unique Skill]
[Science (Basic)]
####
Alan's disbelief turned into pure elation. In his past life, these seven additional skills were his main areas of expertise, some of them even reaching master and grandmaster levels.
The game's system had evidently recognized the skills that were deeply ingrained in his memory, albeit in a downgraded form. Alan felt immense gratitude for the unexpected advantage these skills would provide him.
As Alan savored his newfound skill, a final notification appeared, signaling the imminent start of the game
[10 minutes are up]
[Authenticating Element...]
[Apocalypse Game welcomes you. The game will begin shortly...]
[Server location: New York, America]
[9,328 players detected]
[Entering Game, Round one...]
[Human versus the force of nature]
[Background: A massive tropical depression brought a gigantic hurricane superstorm. It is confirmed that the force of the storm will be extremely strong, that the entire Northern Hemisphere would be in a new ice age once it ends.]
[Main Quest: Survive for 8 hours]
[Secondary Quest (Optional): Aid civilians until the disaster ends. Each civilian helped can provide you with a higher rating.]
[Bonus Quest (Optional): Escape the city for extra rewards]
[Fail mission penalty: 1000 survival points]
With the final notification popping up, the first round of Apocalypse Game, Year 4 has finally begun.
----------------
Author Note
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Attributes Details
Strength: A measure of raw physical power. It affects the damage of all melee attacks plus how much you can carry, and the ability to carry heavy items.
Agility: A measure of overall finesse and reflexes. It affects reaction speed, and also dexterity in handling an item
Endurance: A measure of overall physical fitness. It affects how much health and stamina are affected in all activities.
Perception: A measurement of environmental and situational awareness, the ability to hear, feel and see further. Influence attack precisions.
Intelligence: A measurement of brain capacity, ability to solve complex solutions faster
Spirit: A measurement of mental acuity, it affects all magic-related activity
####
Attributes level: F-, F, F+, E-, E, E+, up until S, a total of 21 level
General example of how levels are categorized using [Strength] as an example
F-: Impaired, having a disability
F: Less than a grown man's strength; a woman's or teenager's strength
F+: An average fully-grown man's strength.
E-" A strong prime, like a sportsman
E: Buff, like a collie working at a station or a trained soldier
E+: A professional weightlifter, a specially trained soldier.
D-: Weightlifting champion
For one's rank to reach D or higher, one had to have superhuman strength.
####
Item and Proficiency Rarity
Common - Uncommon - Unique - Legendary - Divine
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Skill level
Basic - Novice - Expert - Master - Grandmaster - Transendence