As my consciousness slowly returned to the real world, I couldn't shake off the feeling of wonder as I felt my body return to the real world. Sariel's one-sided parting gift, the power to level up, seemed like a joke at first. I mean, who gets a cheat code to survive the apocalypse? And my encounter just feels too surreal. A woman who suddenly appeared inside my apartment, explaining the truth of what actually happened, and giving me supposed to be an unlogical power that only appeared in some cheap story to survive? This is not a drag*n quest bullshit where the player can be a main character in a video game with a sense of purpose.
But as soon as I opened my eyes after getting rid of my overthinking thoughts, I was shocked to see a strange, blue translucent screen suddenly appearing, and hovering in front of me.
It was like nothing I had ever seen before as this kind situation usually only happened to some cheap plotted web-novel that I got addicted to.
The screen displayed a series of numbers and letters, arranged in a neat grid. My eyes scanned the screen, trying to make sense of it all.
Level: 1 Job: Survivor
STR: G
AGI: G
INT: G
Familiar: None
After observing the screen for a while, I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach.
'What did this mean? Did I really have the ability to level up like in the game?'
But as I gazed at the screen, I realized that it was more than just a simple status menu. There were options and tabs that were locked, hidden from view until I unlocked them later. Probably.
After all, with Sariel gone, I am clueless to what kind of situation I am in from now on.
Skills: Locked
Equipment: Locked
Quests: Locked
Stats: Locked
Job Talent: Locked
And so I continued stared at the blue screen, as I felt a sense of confusion wash over me.
'What was all of this? These bunch of options and stats, I had no idea what any of it meant. After all, I stake my life on it from now on as the thing on the screen becomes the key of my survival later. I can't just speculate with a gamer mindset, one I miss speculating about what is what in this option, I can lose my life easily later...
I pointed to the **Level** option, but all I saw was a number. I pointed to the **Job** option, but all I saw was the word "Survivor". I pointed to the **STR** option, but all I saw was a letter and a number.
I felt overwhelmed, I was like a clueless newbie who tried to understand the basics of the game but failed. I didn't know where to start or what any of it meant.
But then, something strange happened. As I continued to point to each option, I started to get... explanations. It was like my mind was suddenly flooded with information, and I could understand what each option presented.
Level: This represents your current level of strength and experience. As you complete quests and defeat enemies, you will gain experience points (XP) and level up. Each level will grant you increased stats and a chance to learn new abilities.
I nodded to myself, taking in the information.
I then pointed to the Job option.
Job: This represents your current occupation or role in the world. As a Survivor, you are a novice who has not yet specialized in any particular area. You do not have any unique talents or abilities to unlock at this time.
I thought about this for a moment. Being a Survivor sounded... basic. But I guess it made sense. I was just starting out, after all.
Next, I pointed to the STR option.
STR: This represents your Strength stat. It affects your attack power, giving you higher attack damage. The higher your Strength, the more devastating your attacks will be. With G as the lowest rank, and SSS as the highest rank
I flexed my arm, feeling a surge of excitement. I had always been pretty weak, but now I had the chance to become strong. I continued to point to each option, getting more and more explanations in my mind.
AGI: This represents your Agility stat. It affects your movement speed, dodge chance, and accuracy. The higher your Agility, the faster you will move and the more likely you are to dodge attacks. With G as the lowest rank, and SSS as the highest rank
INT: This represents your Intelligence stat. It affects your magic attack power and your ability to learn new skills. The higher your Intelligence, the more powerful your magic will be. With G as the lowest rank, and SSS as the highest rank
Skills: This represents the abilities you have learned and can use in combat. As you level up, you will unlock new skills and abilities.
Equipment: This represents the gear and weapons you are currently using. As you complete quests and defeat enemies, you will obtain new equipment to aid you in your journey.
Quests: This represents the tasks and missions you have been given. Completing quests will reward you with XP, equipment, and other benefits. You can view your current quests and their objectives in this menu later after the feature is unlocked.
Stats: This section will be unlocked during combat, displaying your current HP, MP, and other attributes. It will also show you your attack and defense stats, as well as any status effects you may be under.
Job Talent: This is currently unavailable to you as a Survivor. As you level up and specialize in a particular job, you will unlock unique talents and abilities that will aid you in combat.
I felt a surge of excitement and curiosity after digesting all this information. What kind of skills and equipment could I unlock? What kind of quests would this system given by Sariel bestow upon me? I hope it will not the same like the typical sadist system who like to torture it host? And last but not least, what kind of job talent would I be able to unlock as a Survivor?
Even though I found the one-sided contract with Sariel as unreasonable, I can't deny that what Sariel described me as a coward to be spot on..
After all, if I am that brave, I will just end my suffering here and there now, but the truth is I am still here living in flesh. And so, even though I was slightly annoyed before, seeing that she really gave me the power to survive later on the approaching apocalypse, I couldn't help myself to feel excited.
But for now, I was stuck with this...this...G-rank status. The lowest of the lowest.
'seems like the future is not suddenly become easy after I get this power..., thought it's not my first time playing the game of survival, since the time i was born, till now, I always try my best to survive... but the recent thing that happened to me was a different case... she.. the one I thought to be the only light I have in this world, betray me mercilessly.. I wonder if she is also getting isekai-ed like the other humans? What fate awaits her after arriving at the new world? Forget it..'
The sudden excitement I felt disappeared like a candle extinguished with a bucket of water, after I began reminiscing about my past.
Along with The blue screen that flickered and disappeared, leaving me staring at my humble apartment.
But I knew that nothing was humble about my situation anymore. For now on, I should set my goal again, back at the beginning, that is to survive during the approaching apocalypse.
'And I hope I will meet Sariel again, and force her to tell me the truth about the gods intention... there is no way they just forgot me here, and not take me along with the other humans, there must be a reason that prevents her from telling me the truth...'
This thought lingering inside my head, as I moved my gaze outside the window, seeing the approaching gloomy sky slowly covered the city I am currently in.