Through the smoke and haze, I caught glimpses of shattered electronics and twisted metal. The futuristic gadgets and holographic displays that adorned the walls were now nothing more than charred remnants of the advanced technology that once defined this place.
The air was thick with smoke, making it difficult to breathe, and I fought to maintain my composure amidst the swirling chaos as I thought of what to do next.
Frantically, I searched for an escape route, my mind racing to find a way to lead us to safety. The emergency sprinklers above our heads activated, releasing a torrential downpour that hissed against the raging flames, trying to quell their destructive dance.
It provided a momentary respite, but the danger was far from over, the ground was shaking as something seemed to have been rising up to the surface of the ground outside the object.
With adrenaline surging through my veins, I mustered every ounce of mental and physical strength, pulling the untransformed Smool into a dude, closer to me as we made our way through the debris and smoke-filled air.
The path ahead of us was treacherous, hindered by fallen furniture and unstable structures. We stumbled and coughed, our vision obscured by the thick smoke, but we pressed on, fighting the disgusting urge of throwing up when we came across corpses.
Well, at least I did. Smool seemed to be alright with dead bodies.
As we reached the shattered remains of what was once the cafe's entrance, I caught a glimmer of hope.
The outside world was a chaotic scene, with emergency responders rushing to the scene, their sirens wailing in the distance, although, their rapid deployment vehicles had already been destroyed by what I could only call the Marbringers of death.
We pushed through the wreckage and emerged into the cool evening air, gasping for breath as we thought about our next course of action.
Turning back, we watched as the once vibrant cafe, now reduced to a smoldering ruin, continued to be devoured by the merciless flames and the numerous monsters diving into it.
The shock of the explosion didn't settle as more and more monsters appeared out of thin air.
"I'll be transforming now," Smool voiced as she tapped something on her system which was invisible to me, and immediately after, her skin caught into a golden glow.
I had to cover my eyes for a second till she fully transformed into the dude I had seen from yesterday.
"Sigh, I truly think you look similar to Kim Dogeza in this form." I let out an exasperated breath as I also swished down my hand to open the system menu.
"I won't mingle with my stats right now," I voiced towards Smool, "My stat points are already over a hundred which should be quite easy to keep things under control here."
"That sounds like a plan, I won't touch mine either for now. Who knows what will happen if the Emberhorn system takes notice of us."
"That's true–!" I took hold of my S-Graded Dagger from my weapons section and hacked into the air immediately.
The monster which seemed to be like a mix of a gorilla with arms that contained a bat's wings and red eyes with sharp canine teeth fell to the ground as its head flew in another direction.
"Nice reaction." The deep baritone voice entered my ear as he pulled out the same sword from yesterday's.
I stood in front of the burning coffee shop, my heart pounding in my chest, as the reality of the situation began to sink in, "Thanks…"
The once vibrant streets now were fully chaotic filled with a chorus of terrified screeches.
Thick, towering barriers had been erected, enclosing a section of the city that had been overrun by the unimaginable horror of the Emberhorn.
Swarms of monstrous creatures roamed freely, their grotesque forms casting eerie shadows in the dying light as they tried to destroy everything.
I gazed through the barrier far into the horizon, taking notice that multiple such spaces had been created through this city alone.
"The start of the Emberhorn is already different compared to the game. I wonder if our knowledge through the forty-four floors will really be useful…"
"No time to space out, move that useless body of yours!" Smool howled towards me as he slayed numerous Marbringers within the span of a few seconds.
Thus, the fight began for me too.
A chaotic symphony of screams, roars, and the sickening sound of flesh tearing overtook my senses.
Adrenaline surged through my body as I swung my weapon, fighting for my life and the lives of those beside me, trying to protect at least one more life from being lost.
The air filled with a cacophony of battle cries and the stench of blood, both human and monstrous.
The people within the enclosed space were all given access to the system, the younger ones already making use of its supportive capabilities and the starter pack that it offers.
Whereas other people lost in fear only thought of it as something else added to this bad dream of theirs.
And I… could do nothing but try to get them to safety. Do my best to help them survive even if I risked getting damaged myself.
Hours after grueling hours, I and Smool fought with unwavering resolve for this enclosed space. We pushed ourselves to the limits, tapping into a primal instinct buried deep within our beings.
In the final moments, as dawn was close to breaking over the horizon, a wave of relief washed over us.
No more Marbringers of Death were spawning as the countdown for the quest had finally reached zero.
"Kgrha!" Roared Smool as he swung down his blade unto the last Marbringer's brain after dropping from a six-meter height like it was nothing.
Ding.
[Story-Main Quest #1: Cleared!]
"Huff, huff…" I wiped sweat away from my forehead as I swished my dagger in the air, getting rid of the blood etched on it.
We had survived.
Some were battered, bruised, and some even dead.
The city that was scarred and wounded, bore witness to the resilience of the two humans with the hacked system amongst them.
"Uwey!" Smool grinned as she turned into the former female, although her hair color was different this time.
I fist-bumped her, "Good job!"
"Yey!" She slumped to the ground.
"We kept the casualties minimal–"
"Huh?"
My ears rang as the world turned upside down.
Ding.
[Someone from Lenticular has associated directly with the Main Story Quest]
My body slumped against the ground as I grew numb to everything.
The dark sky was turning into a blue hue as someone's soft steps approached me.
[Is this enough to knock you out?]
A mystical voice entered my ears as a silhouette with long dark hair approached me.
The moment my eyes met with that being's, death was the only thing close enough to being described with words.