3rd of September, 2025
Manhattan, New York
United States of America
Amidst the heavy downpour trickling down the bolted window, the deafening rumble of the thunderstorm bellowed, flashing the entire night sky with momentary glints of radiance. Inside the lone, compact studio of an apartment building was the ear-splitting blare of an digital alarm clock.
Enshrouded by the darkness of midnight, a hand escaped the grasped of the cozy blanket and slammed the screeching digital alarm clock, promptly turning it off. The silence and solace of the bedroom was broken thanks to the infuriated groan from the blanket.
Stirred awake from the raucous alarm was a young man whose eyelids gradually opened, unveiling a pair irises, resembling sapphire gemstones. His name was Everest, a college dropout.
As the college dropout roused from his slumber, a disorienting realization struct him like a wayward truck. He was still alive, breathing and feeling the warmth of his body. He should have died from the nuclear hellfire that consumed everything.
Yet, he found himself alive and surprisingly uninjured.
Everest composedly scanned the pitch-black bedroom and discovered it to be strangely familiar. Confused by the set of peculiar circumstance. , he turned his attention towards the nearby lamp beside the digital alarm clock and switched it on.
What followed was the luminous shimmer of the bedside lamp, painting the entirety of the bedroom with radiant luster. Finally, at long last, he could finally perceived his surroundings through the lenses of his eyes.
Though, what he saw made him furrow his eyebrows.
No wonder the bedroom seemed abnormally familiar to him.
The modish bedroom tinted with ivory, and the cultured posters plastered across the walls, reminded him of a long-forgotten residence when he was an innocent, young man, trying to find meaning in a vast world brimming with possibilities.
To think that he would able to see it again, beyond the decrepit blurs of his failing memories.
But why?
Now that I think about it... My body feels weaker than before, however, it's jammed with vigor.
It reminds me of when-
Getting up from the pleasant embrace of his comfy bed, Everest walked towards the wall-planted mirror adjacent from his wardrobe. His gaze landed upon a young man whose jet-black hair was vibrant with zeal.
-I was younger...
Everest's unusual condition now made sense. Whether it'd be awakening within a familiar room with a weak yet vigorous body and breathing intoxicating oxygen after the supposed hellfire that had befallen the world.
He had returned to the past, where it all begun.
Although his lips curled into a smile, his expression remained lackluster. It wasn't without reason, doubts had peered through his heart as he wondered about the reason of his return to the past.
While he could affirmed to himself that the apocalypse was nothing more but a long, insufferable nightmare. The experiences of the apocalyptic era had etched themselves into his very soul. The old, now young man, had his heart and mind shackled by the tragedies of the past.
Did I return to relive every tragedy in my live? What is the point of returning to the past? Did something or someone want me to save the world? But why? There were people who were much better, smarter, and stronger than me.
Why couldn't it be them? Why does it have to be me?
Everest already carried and understood the oppressive weight of the world for half a decade before the concluding end of humanity. It wasn't a pleasant duty and was far from an easy one. Every action of his could utter change to thousands of lives.
It was difficult to not be repulsed from the thought of even taking over such a mantle.
I'm exhausted... I don't want to go through that ever again.
He shook his head and slumped to the cozy embrace of the bed. His mind was riddled with thoughts that belong to the apocalypse-him, along with the past-him, and the present-him.
It gave him a headache, but it also brought forth a much-needed wakeup call.
"I can make this work, and I can do so with the assistance of future knowledge."
Everest muttered with a long-forgotten purpose making its return into his mind. Instead of trying to halt the lengthy voyage of humanity towards their imminent destruction, he could live a life free from the tragedies that haunted him.
It wasn't as difficult as thwarting the end of humanity.
And, through it... he could finally reach the very end in his own terms.
But before he could begin scheming for the future, Everest took out a mobile phone from his pocket. It has been a quite some time since he had seen a functioning phone. Fortunately, with the help of his past-present memories, it didn't become too arduous to use the phone.
"The date... It's 3rd of September, 2025. Two days before the outbreak became a worldwide pandemic."
He mumbled, and quickly searched through the internet regarding the upcoming apocalypse. There were no current traces of a country fighting against an epidemic, however, if the theory that the outbreak started in the continent of Africa was correct.
"Hmm... there seems to be a few countries that had been silent for quite some time."
Everest was suspicious, but it wasn't an unfounded conjecture. As someone who commanded the last legions of humanity, he was privy to some national secrets that had survived the passage of the apocalypse.
Amongst the restricted knowledge was the confidential information regarding the untold suppression-campaign that had swallowed the continent of Africa. Through the utilization of various international resources, the first outbreak stood as nothing more but a rumor.
However, while knowledge regarding the outbreak was utterly suppressed. Nations across the globe would be preparing for what was to come.
And I was right.
He smirked, gazing upon various articles that had called out the recent surge of bolstering border security. Although most correlated it to the escalating tense global politics, nations with an adequate intelligence agency were getting themselves ready.
I'm glad that the apocalypse isn't that different from the one I have experienced. Otherwise, my knowledge of the future wouldn't be too effective in assisting me in survival.
Needless to say, suppressing undisclosed information from escaping the massive landmass was a pointless endeavor. Understandably, the global pandemic broke out with most of humanity ignorant of the apocalypse that was about to come.
Time is running out.
I need to head out and get as much groceries as possible.
Everest stretched his arms upward and took a deep breath. Although his body felt considerably weaker than before, it still retained the healthy condition of a young man.
But as he was about to leave the comfort of his studio apartment and purchase some necessities within a nearby convenience store, his vision blurred, prompting him to halt. His eyes narrowed as he steadily leaned against the wall beside him.
"What the-"
Everest found himself muddled, unable to think clearly. The momentary weakness was puzzling, but the digital icon blinking at the bottom of his perception made him doubt his sanity.
A blinking icon?
Even when confused, he kept his calm and observed the digital blinking icon with intrigue. It made him wonder whether or not the blinking icon was the late arrival of his madness. It was already astounding that he could last long without some sort of problem in the mental faculty.
Everest weakly rubbed his eyes as he took another deep breath. Nevertheless, it persisted at the bottom of his perception, blinking in and out of existence. The problem with hallucination was its persistence within the mind.
Don't tell me I'll have to live with a blinking icon for the rest of my life?
He wryly smiled, realizing that he might not be as fortunate than he had previously expected. But at the very least, he wasn't handling an abomination constructed by whatever nightmare his mind conjured.
Everest closed his eyelids and decided to calmed himself down before going outside. While the digital blinking icon did present a set back, it wasn't a troublesome one and merely needed a moment for him to adapt.
I can live with this-
Before he could continue with his thought, he became dumbfounded since the blinking icon vanished and was replaced by a bluish translucent digital screen. Written inside were two notifications, a congratulating remark and an introduction.
[ Congratulations, Everest! ]
[ You have initialized the Apocalyptic Leveling System! ]
Apocalyptic, what?
Reading the two notification carefully, Everest bemused as the creeping concern regarding his mental health departed and was replaced with fascination. Although it was tough to believe, it appears that he had received his cheat.
"One cliche after another..."
As a cultured individual, he wasn't ignorant about the literatures of power fantasy. It was amongst his favorite genres or formulas within fantasy works. His circumstance reminded him of such literatures.
Although, even he was tentative in regards to the possibility of receiving a system from whatever or whoever threw him into the past. But now that he had been blessed by a leveling system, his arsenal wouldn't only be constrained with his knowledge of the future.
The playing field has been leveled.
If my judgment is correct, I should be able to interact with this leveling system.
Hm, please expound some information regarding the apocalyptic leveling system.
While he could converse out loud with the leveling system inside of him, it would be preferable if others didn't see him as a crazy man talking to something that didn't actually exist.
At any rate, the response was quick as the second notification materialized before his eyes.
[ Affirmative, Sir Everest! ]
[ The Apocalyptic Leveling System is an apparatus that ensures the survival of its user. Through leveling and completing quests given by the system directive, the user can grow stronger and stand beyond the realms of normality. For as long as AXP was provided, there is no limit. ]
Scrutinizing the newly-emerged translucent and bluish digital screen, the notification that had recently materialized only confirmed the conjectures that had taken form inside Everest's mind.
Leveling, completing quests, and AXP... Since leveling has been separated from quest completion along the lack of effort in welding the two concepts, it looks like I can level up without the assistance of quests.
But the amount of AXP I would received from the general leveling and quest leveling is something I am unaware of.
Should I ask? Well, there's nothing harmful in doing so.
He pondered if it was wise to questioned the difference in AXP proportion between the two. Though, he quickly realized that there was nothing remotely detrimental when inquiring new information.
System, can I know of the difference between leveling and quest completion?
[ Hunting hostile entities provide the user an AXP quantity correlated to their assessed threat level to the world. Leveling through this method grants the user the ability to level up without the need to delay for quest bestowal or to undertake its requirements, giving the user complete freedom. ]
[ On the other hand, completing quests bestowed by the system directive provides the user an AXP quantity multiplied in equivalence to the difficult standard. Through this method, the user can receive items, skill cards, and mass AXP quantity. ]
The detailed explanation between the difference of the two concepts were rather simple to understand. The former provided freedom, but lacked exceptional rewards. Meanwhile, the later awarded better rewards, however, in the price of accomplishing the strict quest requirements.
Everest thought of the possibilities and strategies he could utilize in leveling up. After all, from the emergence of the apocalyptic leveling system, his objective had received an upgrade. Although, there was a question that kept bothering him.
Hmm... The ability to level up and grow stronger is good and all. But-
-How do you survive the apocalypse with a leveling system?
As if responding to his questioning thoughts, a translucent and bluish digital screen materialized with a notification written across it.
[ Please choose the user's method for class acquisition: standard procurement or advanced procurement. ]