Slowly, Axel's eyelids fluttered open and his vision returned. His head felt heavy and his body was sore. He found himself lying on the express road where cars drove at high speeds.
"I'm alive," he muttered weakly to himself as he struggled to lift his body off the ground. "I'm still in Canada, but where is everyone?" Axel wondered as he surveyed his surroundings.
Everything seemed different. The once bustling expressway now felt isolated, devoid of any signs of life. The world felt empty.
The memory of his wife and daughter, their lifeless bodies in a pool of blood, flashed through his mind once more.
"Camille! Zoe!" Axel called out bitterly, tears streaming down his cheeks as he fought to control his emotions.
Ding!
His thoughts were interrupted by a large screen that appeared in front of him, causing him to jump and scream in fear.
Arrrrgh...
[CHESS GAME SYSTEM ACTIVATED]
Axel stared at the screen in disbelief, his eyes wide open. He closed them and opened them again, trying to determine if he was hallucinating.
"What is happening?" he thought, his brow furrowing in confusion. He pinched himself hard to confirm if he was dreaming, but the pain he felt was real.
The screen displayed:
(IDENTITY REGISTRATION COMPLETED)
(User: Le Blanc Axel)
(Race: Human)
(Level: 0)
(HP: 10/10)
(Strength: 20)
(Agility: 10)
(Stamina: 10)
"What the hell is this?" Axel yelled angrily, his fist clenched, but his anger subsided as another message appeared on the screen.
Ding!
(Hurry up and head to the hospital to meet the other players. Your first mission will be announced there.)
"So, I'm not the only one in the city?" he thought. "Did I die? Is this some kind of transmigration like in the movies?" Axel's mind raced with questions.
"But I'm still in Canada, so there's no transmigration, right? Damn, this is confusing!" he groaned in frustration.
Ding!
(Hurry up and meet the other players as your first mission commences in an hour.)
"Hey! Enough with the games, okay? What am I doing here exactly?" Axel demanded, his expression filled with anger as he stared at the screen, awaiting an answer.
(For every mission completed, there will be a reward.)
"Arrrrrgh, that's..."
Before Axel could express his dissatisfaction further, the screen disappeared, leaving him in disbelief, and his face boiling with anger.
"Damn! What the hell is happening to me? I need to find those people and ask them about this strange world," Axel thought, recalling the destination described in his head. He began walking down the isolated road, determined to find answers.
After walking several miles down the lonely street, Axel finally stumbled upon a tall building.
"Ahahaha, there you are," Axel said with a wide smile as he stood in front of the building, which had "Success Hospital" hung high on top of it.
Axel gave a smirk at the hospital name. "Success, I hope everything turns out successful," he said and entered the building, his curiosity growing as he anticipated meeting others and getting the answers that had been troubling him.
Upon stepping inside, the building looked more like a clubhouse than a medical facility. People inside were smoking cigarettes and drinking hard liquor. It seemed more like a gang's hideout rather than a hospital.
All eyes turned to Axel as he stepped in, and if looks could kill, he would have been dead. Axel returned their cold stares, his gaze eventually falling on a couple engaged in sexual activity in a corner. The woman's moans echoed in his ears, filling him with disgust and anger.
"Can't they find a more appropriate place?" Axel thought, rolling his eyes away from the couple.
"Hey you!" a voice called from behind, causing Axel to turn and see who it was.
It was a bald-headed man with a beard, holding a cigarette and blowing smoke in Axel's face.
Ding!
(Number of players completed for the first mission.)
"Oh, I see! You're the last player we've been waiting for," the bald-headed man said with a wide smile, stopping blowing smoke in Axel's face.
"Last player? What does that mean?" Axel wondered, his face filled with confusion.
"Welcome on board, homie," the woman Axel had seen earlier greeted as she approached him with a smile. Her curves were captivating, and her blonde hair and blue eyes made her a true beauty queen.
If it were in the real world, the lady would have ended up in Axel's bed as she was exactly Axel's type, but he seems uninterested as being involved with a sexy woman is the last thing on his mind.
"Never did I expect the last player to be a hot guy," she said, giving Axel a seductive wink.
"What do you mean by last players? Why does the city feel empty? Where is everyone else?" Axel asked, with a serious expression, not interested in her flirtatious behavior.
"I wish I had answers to those questions, but unfortunately, I don't. I've been trapped here for over a year, waiting for the last player so we can start the game, and here you are finally," she replied, winking at Axel.
Over a year? Is she serious? Axel smirked at the thought.
"I'm Lewis Adrian, but you can call me Rian," the bald-headed man introduced himself, extending his hand to Axel.
It wouldn't be cool to hide my identity from these people when I just got here and since I'll be needing information about this strange world from them if I want to survive. Axel thought to himself.
"And I'm Le Blanc Axel, Axe for short," Axel introduced himself, without shaking Rian's hand, rather he crossed his arm on his chest, prompting Rian to withdraw his hand.
"My name is Moore Olivia, but you can call me Livi," the woman introduced herself, gazing into Axel's eyes and biting her lip seductively.
Looking around the room, Axel noticed four people present, two girls and two guys.
"Are we the only ones left on Earth, including them?" Axel asked, gesturing towards the other two engaged in various activities.
"I don't know, but we need five people for the game to start," Livi replied with a smile, wrapping her hands around Axel's neck. He quickly shrugged her off, causing her to roll her eyes in disdain.
"Game or not, it feels like I'm being punished for my sins in the real world. This must be what hellfire looks like, and these people, they were probably hardened criminals in the real world. Damn! People have been misled about hell being terrible, with fire and horrible angels. Who would have thought that you could live freely without laws and daily troubles in the real world?" Axel mused, lost in his thoughts.
Ding!
Axel was snapped back to reality as the large screen appeared once again, prompting everyone in the room to gather around and read the message displayed.
(Dear players, hurry up and go to ward 53. There are five scrubs available. Change into them immediately as the first mission is about to begin.)