[Cosmic Will: The Cosmic Will descends. The Planet Kepler-22b Proving Ground officially begins.]
[Cosmic Will: This is a brutal evolutionary game. Here, if you have the strength, you can become a god or a demon of legend. Power, wealth, treasures—everything you desire can be attained here! All the old rules will now be rewritten.]
[Cosmic Will: Every surviving human will be transformed into an Evolutionary! Levels, talents, and growth will come.]
[Cosmic Will: Viruses, animals, and other species that have mutated will also compete in this trial of evolution. Secret realms, world fissures, and Planet Kepler itself will undergo changes.]
[Cosmic Will: All creatures of the Planet Kepler—unleash your full strength, potential, and will. Kill, evolve, grow, and rise.]
The voice that echoed in the minds of all humans was cold, emotionless, as if electronically synthesized—calm and detached.
At this moment, the voice resonated in the minds of every person on Super Earth.
Whether it was the people of the East, asleep in the dark of night, or the people in the West, where daylight reigned, it made no difference.
No matter the country, no matter the individual, everyone heard the same chilling voice. It felt as though the heavens themselves had spoken, indifferent and pitiless.
"What!? Did you hear that? What was that voice?!"
"Oh my God, zombies! Where did all these zombies come from?!"
"Talent?! My talent... I'm going to become a god!"
"What is the Planet Kepler Proving Ground?! What is the Cosmic Will?!"
"I'm losing my mind..."
In the West, where daylight still shone, chaos erupted almost instantly. On the streets, people with defective genes transformed into bloodthirsty zombies in mere minutes. This was nothing like the earlier days when infection was required for such transformations.
Chaos, like wildfire, spread across the entire Blue Planet.
In the East, and especially in the country of Faeloria, things were even worse.
Some people turned into zombies in their sleep, unaware of their fate. Others, still groggy from rest, awoke to find their loved ones—now zombies—attacking them, tearing them apart. In their final moments, they too were infected, joining the ranks of the undead.
However, there were a few who hadn't fallen asleep. They had heard the voice of the Cosmic Will clearly in their minds.
These were the people who had seen the mysterious post on the internet earlier—the ones who had stumbled across something strange.
One of them was Vespera.
"The Cosmic Will?"
"Evolutionary?"
"Talents?!"
Vespera was stunned as the voice echoed in his head and a translucent reminder box appeared before his eyes, like a curtain of water shimmering in the air.
He leaped out of bed, heart racing, and immediately turned on his computer. His fingers trembled as he moved the mouse to access the forum.
The Evolutionary Pioneers Forum of the Cosmic Will.
It was still there—the same familiar name.
At the top of the forum, the same few posts were pinned, just as they had been before. Posts mocking the strange theories that had been circulating online, ridiculing people who believed in this so-called "cosmic evolution."
Just yesterday, Vespera had been among those skeptics, laughing at the absurdity of it all. But now? Now those very posts mocked a different audience—those who remained ignorant of the true nature of the world.
Even at this moment, Vespera didn't fully understand what it meant to be a pioneer.
Yet, he couldn't help but refresh the page.
Suddenly, a flood of new posts appeared on the screen—so many that the entire forum, which had once seemed like a quiet, obscure corner of the internet, was now overrun with activity. The page was filled, occupied, and swarming with dense clusters of new posts.
The content of these posts was simple, almost overwhelmingly so.
What is the Cosmic Will? What does it mean to be an Evolutionary?!
The question that lingered in Vespera's mind mirrored the shock of the world. Yet, his reaction was swift. In that instant, he remembered something crucial and quickly opened another post.
"Evolutionaries can search for Chat Group No. 001 and join! For future changes, for the wave of the new era to come, evolutionary pioneers will support one another here, forming an equal platform for communication!"
This was what the post said. It had been ridiculed by many before—Vespera included.
Now, however, Vespera finally understood what the group truly represented. The realization hit him like a tidal wave.
His thoughts raced. He focused his mind on his newly revealed attribute interface and, with deliberate concentration, found the small group function nestled in the corner.
[Please enter the group number you want to join!]
He hesitated, but his fingers soon typed [001] into the prompt.
Vespera's hands trembled as he pressed the confirm button. The next moment, a message from the Cosmic Will clarified everything:
[Chat Group No. 001 has been restricted by the administrator and cannot be joined via search. You may apply to other chat groups or spend one gold coin to create your own group!]
It was real! Everything matched the descriptions from the post!
Even the gold coin—a currency mentioned that Vespera never thought could exist—was now a reality.
The group Vespera once mocked had transformed into something unattainable, a top-tier circle of those who knew the truth about the world.
He sank back into his chair, overwhelmed.
Suddenly, a piercing howl echoed from outside, snapping him from his daze. His face paled.
---
Meanwhile, Novak sat calmly, sipping his now lukewarm black tea. It was enough to moisten his dry lips as the darkness deepened around him.
The eerie voice of the Cosmic Will had reverberated through his mind as well, but he remained unaffected.
Daphne and Dane stood frozen nearby, lost in their own thoughts, likely focused on their attribute lists, examining their newfound talents with the same awe as a child discovering the world for the first time.
Novak didn't rush. He had no need to hurry.
Closing his eyes, he allowed his attention to drift to Chat Group No. 001. The group had erupted in activity.
[Your King— Bart: I heard it, bro! I heard it! The Cosmic Will has arrived!]
[Overlord: Just as expected.]
[Vince: Everyone, stay sharp. Remember the "Doomsday Rules." Even pioneers aren't invincible. In this apocalypse, caution is key.]
[Truth Teller: +1]
[Ruby: +3]
[Crow: +10]
The group had once been bustling with noise and chatter, but now it shifted. Idle gossip was replaced by discussions of the real-world changes and explorations of their new abilities. Curiosity about these developments overtook everything.
It was as if a long-awaited game had finally launched, and the open beta had begun.
Despite the initial excitement, Novak knew that, in time, Group No. 001 would settle back into its usual rhythm.
A smile tugged at Novak's lips as he returned his attention inward, instinctively reaching up to touch the Hourglass of Time hanging around his neck.
He had waited for this moment for what felt like an eternity—ever since his rebirth, ten days before the apocalypse.
Now, that day had finally arrived.
The question gnawing at his mind was whether this Hourglass of Time was truly responsible for his return to the past. Was it his power, or just a fluke of space-time disorder?
His heart pounded in anticipation.
As his fingers grazed the hourglass, he hesitated. A strange, indescribable sensation seemed to envelop him. The hourglass was still there, but now it was growing unbearably hot.
Novak couldn't understand what this meant. Nor could he remove the hourglass—it seemed impossible to do so. All he could do now was wait.
Suddenly, a sharp howl pierced the night, shattering the eerie silence that had gripped Novak and those around him.
Daphne's eyes widened, her pupils turning a deep violet. She seemed stunned, as though she had just been snapped out of a trance.
That scream, Novak realized, had stirred something in her. A slight smile formed on her lips. Whether it was her own attribute panel that intrigued her or the chaos unfolding outside, Novak couldn't tell.
The entire De-M-anila Ocean Blue Villa Area was in turmoil. One scream followed another, each one signaling the arrival of doom.
Lights that had been dimmed flickered back to life.
As Daphne listened to the growing commotion—the frantic cries, the terrified howls—she was dazed.
"Is this... the end?" she asked, her voice barely audible.
Novak's answer was firm, unshaken.
"This is the end."
With those words, he gripped the Hourglass of Time once more. The heat from the relic was rapidly rising, growing hotter by the second.
Yet, Novak was prepared. He clenched the hourglass tighter, as though trying to imprint its power onto his very soul.
The pain in his palm, coupled with the strange sensation coursing through his body, caused beads of sweat to form on his brow. To distract himself, Novak reopened Chat Group No. 001, hoping it would help steady his nerves for what was coming.
But as the frantic messages flooded the chat, Novak was momentarily taken aback
[Your King— Bart: Help! What should I do?!]
[Your King— Bart: Brothers, does anyone know how to turn a zombie back into a human? Please, if you can use the trading function to lend me the item, I'll repay you tenfold, a hundredfold in the future!]
[Overlord: Ian, it's in the Doomsday Rules—you can't turn back once you become a zombie. What's going on?!]
A tense silence followed, more ominous than any explosion of words.
[Your King— Bart: F@#$ the Cosmic Will!]
By now, more members had returned to the group after exploring the new features, curious to see what was happening. Ian, always a prominent figure in the group, was typically known for his relaxed, funny personality. But now, his desperate pleas were a shocking departure from his usual self.
[Lotte: Ian, what happened?!]
[Your King— Bart: W-w-w-woo… my dad… he's turned into a zombie! What should I do!? He's right outside my bedroom door! What should I do!?]
Ian's messages were no longer just text—they came through as voice recordings, his trembling voice betraying the fear that gripped him.
The entire group fell silent, as if collectively stunned into stillness. The usual chatter was replaced by an unnerving quiet, with only Ian's panicked voice breaking the stillness.
[Your King— Bart: My dad has been in poor health, always coughing. I thought that since I was a pioneer and had awakened talents, he'd be safe! I thought he'd be fine!]
[Your King— Bart: My mom died early, and my dad raised me by himself. Now he's outside my door, scratching, trying to get in… trying to eat my flesh and drink my blood! What should I do?!]
No one in the chat could offer Ian an answer. Though they all knew what needed to be done, the truth was too cruel to articulate. Some members, perhaps, were dealing with the same horrors at that very moment, but remained silent.
Novak observed the chaos unfold with a heavy heart.
The apocalypse wasn't what many evolutionaries and pioneers had imagined. It wasn't some game where killing monsters would grant them effortless power. It wasn't about being nature's chosen heroes. This was the 'real' end of the world.
In such a reality, the first thing that had to change wasn't just their strength—it was their mentality.
Ian, the first member Novak had interacted with in Chat Group No. 001, was Talent Awakening Forerunner No. 007. Despite this, in Novak's previous life, he had never heard of Ian. Even when Novak had traveled to the capital where Ian lived, there was no trace of him.
It was likely Ian hadn't been able to overcome this psychological hurdle in time. He must have died, eaten by his zombie father in his own home.
Novak allowed himself a rare moment of emotion.
'Maybe it's fortunate that I have no family left… no ties to hold me back,' he thought, reflecting on his quick adaptation to the brutal rules of this apocalyptic survival game.
The pain in Novak's palm, from clutching the Hourglass of Time, seemed to lessen with the weight of his thoughts. Moved by his renewed perspective, Novak decided to make a small change. If there was something within his power that could help, he would try.
He spoke for the first time in the group since its members had multiplied.
[White Emperor: This is what it means to be part of the new era.]
His message was calm and detached, just like his recent words to Daphne.
After sending the message, Novak closed the group, ignoring any potential responses from Ian.
At that moment, a sharp 'crack' echoed in his ears.
Novak instinctively looked down at the Hourglass of Time in his hand.
The hourglass, which had been a constant presence, had completely vanished!
Before panic could set in, a cold voice echoed in Novak's ear:
[The Time Hourglass has successfully identified its owner.]