Red energy began to seep out of the goblin, forming a long streak as it flowed into Justin's hand. Instinctively, Justin understood that this energy was the life force of the dying goblin.
"Ding!You are recharging depleted magic through Energy Drain."
"Ding!1 use of Black Missile has been recharged."
"Ding!1 use of Black Missile has been recharged."
The goblin, which had been coughing in pain, finally went limp and died. After using Energy Drain on the last remaining goblin as well, Justin began to process the information he had gathered.
"Even against a severely injured goblin, I can recharge almost 2.5 uses," Justin thought.
Had the goblin been in full health, he would have been able to recharge 5 uses or more. Considering that the test subject was a lowly goblin, this was an incredibly efficient use of magic. After confirming the recharge amount for a second time, Justin opened the dimensional gate and exited the dungeon.
As the environment around him instantly changed from the underground prison to his neatly arranged studio apartment, a smile crept across his face.
"No matter how many times it happens, I just can't get used to it. One step forward, and I'm in a fantasy world; one step back, and I'm in my rented room."
It felt like walking the line between dreams and reality. But Justin knew that by tomorrow, that line would completely disappear. As he pondered this, a thought suddenly popped into his head—one he had forgotten until now.
"Come to think of it, I'm not the only beta tester. What is everyone else up to?"
The game company behind World Breakerhadn't sent out a message to just him. In fact, Justin wasn't even the first to open a dimensional gate—he had simply followed the instructions posted on the game's official website. The last time he checked, some people were too scared to enter the gate even after opening it.
Curious, Justin turned on his computer and navigated to the World Breaker official site. As expected, the user forum was in chaos.
"Does anyone really know what the apocalypse is?""This is getting boring; cut it out already."
"It's like these guys are on drugs."
"LOL, feel bad for the ones who don't have a dimensional gate.""Can someone explain what happens if you choose the Path of the Craftsman?"
"Just as I thought," Justin mused.
The earlier posts, where players had angrily denounced the sudden game shutdown, were gone. Instead, the forums were now filled with debates between two types of users. Justin clicked on one of the posts that had an unusually high number of comments.
"I feel sorry for the beta testers who didn't make the cut.""What are we supposed to do when the apocalypse arrives tomorrow? How will you survive in this harsh world without a dimensional gate? We were once all players, but now only we have been chosen. I feel so guilty... all I can say is, do your best and live well."
"This guy's talking nonsense again. Are you high?"
"LOL, it's hilarious seeing the rejected players freak out."
"Stop teasing them. What if they come back for revenge later?"
"They'll probably come and get smacked around, then run away crying."
"So, doubts about the dimensional gate are almost gone now," Justin realized.
There were still some who claimed that the dimensional gate was a hoax, but they were in the minority. Most players now acknowledged the existence of the gates and beta testers. What had solidified this belief were videos uploaded by some users. While the dimensional gates and magic couldn't be directly captured on camera, scenes of people vanishing into thin air or objects being destroyed by magic had been caught on tape.
Additionally, players who knew each other had met in person, and those who could open the gates had demonstrated it right before their friends' eyes.
"I don't understand why I was rejected."
"At first, I thought the whole beta tester and dimensional gate thing was nonsense, but then my friend opened a gate right in front of me. I tried to follow him in, but I got thrown back. It feels awful. I started playing the game before he did, and I've got way more playtime, so why wasn't I chosen?"
"Hang in there. When the Day of Judgment comes, everyone will get a status window, so don't worry too much."
"I know, but getting rejected after playing for 500 hours really hurts my self-esteem..."
"That sounds like a novel title: 'My Friend Is a Legendary Hero, and I'm the Shopkeeper NPC?'"
"You bastard!"
"Piece of trash!"
"I swear, I'll kill you."
Justin skimmed through more of the highly recommended posts, but there was little useful information. Most were either bragging about being chosen as beta testers or just pointless arguments between users.
"I see now why we were only given three days," Justin thought.
Even with such limited time to prepare, many were wasting it boasting and bickering with each other. If they'd been given more time, it would have only led to deeper resentment between the two groups. By keeping the window short, the developers had likely aimed to prevent the conflict from escalating too far.
A few posts, however, showed that some players were making efforts to prepare for the apocalypse.
"I've bought some canned goods and preserved food, just in case."
"The apocalypse is coming, and if movies have taught me anything, the most important things will be food and a place to sleep. I bought a sleeping bag and some canned goods, just in case things get really bad."
"Wow, I didn't think of that. I'm going to buy some stuff now."
"This is a good idea. It won't hurt to be prepared."
"If you're going to buy anything, make sure to get the best quality. This might be the last time you spend money."
"That's why I've been ordering the most expensive meals since yesterday, LOL."
Justin wasn't too concerned about the sleeping bags, but the preserved food had caught his attention. After all, as a human, he would need to eat. Just to be safe, he had already bought a few days' worth of preserved food. However, he didn't think it was necessary to go overboard.
"If World Breaker is anything like I know it to be, they'll be more focused on making sure you don't get too comfortable."
Inaction would quickly cause players to fall too far behind to catch up. On the other hand, those who took risks and acted would receive far greater rewards. That was a fundamental rule of World Breaker. The game probably wouldn't encourage hoarding food and trying to avoid danger. There would likely be rewards that provided food or sleep to those who took action.
Seeing that there was nothing more of value on the forums, Justin turned off his computer and went to bed.
On the morning of the Day of Judgment, just as Julius had foretold, Justin woke up at 8 AM to hear the system message in his ear.
"Ding!The dimensional gates are now closing."