Life in this world was… ordinary.
I walked down the cobblestone streets of my village, a basket of supplies slung over one shoulder. The marketplace buzzed with activity—elves and humans bartering over fruit, a dwarf smith hammering out the blade of a sword, and a lizardkin lumbering past with a stack of firewood balanced on his broad shoulders. For everyone else, these sights might have been strange, even fantastical, but for me, they were as mundane as the sound of the morning breeze.
It had been two years since I woke up in this world, and to be honest, I still didn't know why I was here. I didn't remember any bright light or divine intervention. One moment I was in my small apartment in my old life, and the next, I was here.
At first, I thought I was in some kind of dream, but dreams don't last two years. Over time, I adjusted. I found a job at the smithy, learned the customs of the people around me, and even made a few friends. My life here wasn't exciting, but it was peaceful.
I thought that peace would last forever.
But then it happened.
I was walking home from the market, the sun just beginning to dip below the horizon, when a voice echoed in my head.
"Infinite Apocalyptic Dimensions System activated. Welcome, host, to your new journey. Prepare for your first task."
I froze mid-step, nearly dropping the basket in my hands. The lively marketplace around me faded into the background as those words repeated themselves in my mind. My heart started pounding. A system? What the hell was that supposed to mean?
Before I could even process what was happening, a glowing panel appeared in front of me, hovering in the air.
Infinite Apocalyptic Dimensions System
Status: Active
Task: Teleportation to the first apocalyptic realm.
Objective: Survive the first wave of hostile creatures.
Timer: 10 seconds until teleportation.
I barely had time to register the words before the countdown began.
"Wait, what?! Teleportation? Hostile creatures?" I stammered, looking around frantically. No one else seemed to notice the glowing screen or the panic written all over my face.
"5 seconds remaining."
"Hold on! I didn't sign up for this!" I yelled, as if the system would listen.
"2 seconds remaining."
I barely managed to set the basket down before the world around me warped.
Everything went dark for a split second, and when the light returned, I wasn't in the marketplace anymore.
I stood in the middle of a desolate wasteland. The sky above was a sickly red, and the air smelled of ash and decay. Ruined buildings stretched as far as the eye could see, their skeletal frames casting long shadows over the cracked ground. The peaceful hum of the marketplace was gone, replaced by an eerie silence broken only by distant growls.
My stomach turned as I tried to take it all in. This wasn't just a teleportation—it was like I'd been thrown into another world entirely.
"Task: Survive the first wave of hostile creatures. Eliminate 10 enemies."
Before I could even think about what that meant, I saw them. Dark figures began to emerge from the shadows of the ruined buildings, their glowing red eyes fixed on me. They were humanoid, but their twisted forms were anything but human. Blackened skin stretched tight over sharp bones, and their claws gleamed as they crept closer.
I took a step back, my heart hammering in my chest.
"This has to be a mistake," I muttered, my voice shaking. "I'm not a fighter. I can't—"
"Combat mode activated. The system will provide necessary assistance."
The words had barely registered before one of the creatures lunged at me. I stumbled backward, raising my hands in a desperate attempt to shield myself. But instead of claws ripping into me, something else happened.
A burst of energy exploded from my palms, slamming into the creature and sending it flying into the rubble. It let out a guttural scream before collapsing, its body twitching once before going still.
I stared at my hands, my mind struggling to catch up. What… what had I just done?
"You have dealt damage. Task progress: 10%."
The voice in my head was calm, almost detached, but I wasn't. My breathing was ragged, my heart threatening to burst out of my chest.
The other creatures didn't give me time to think. They charged at me in unison, their movements fast and feral. I didn't even have a weapon—what was I supposed to do?
But as they closed the distance, something inside me shifted. I felt a strange, almost instinctive pull, like a current of energy coursing through my veins. Before I could stop myself, I raised my hands again.
This time, the burst of energy was stronger, more focused. Two of the creatures were thrown backward, their bodies crashing into the ground in a heap.
"Task progress: 40%."
I didn't wait for the voice to finish. The adrenaline pumping through me drowned out everything else. I raised my hands again, blasting away another creature, then another. Each time, the energy felt more natural, as if it was a part of me I'd never known existed.
By the time the last creature fell, I was shaking. My hands trembled, and my chest heaved with every breath. The air was thick with the smell of burnt flesh, and the ground around me was littered with the bodies of the monsters.
"Task complete. You have eliminated 10 enemies. Experience gained: 200 points."
I barely had time to catch my breath before the world around me began to warp again. The red sky and broken buildings blurred together, and within seconds, I was back in the meadow.
The sudden change in scenery almost made me dizzy. I collapsed to my knees, the soft grass beneath me a stark contrast to the cracked wasteland I had just left.
"Teleportation to home world complete. Please prepare for your next task."
I looked up at the bright blue sky, the calm breeze brushing against my face. It was hard to believe that just moments ago, I had been fighting for my life.
But the truth was undeniable. Whatever this "Infinite Apocalyptic Dimensions System" was, it wasn't going away.
My quiet, peaceful life was over.
And something told me it was just the beginning.