The Ruin of Humanity

It was an arduous task to describe the current situation on planet Earth. In the year 2100, just after the beginning of the great Quantum Age, two breaking news items completely shook up the global situation.

The first news was the discovery of the existence of intelligent species other than humans. Most of them were creatures never seen before, looking like characters out of fantastic stories, such as orcs, fairies, and elves. However, unlike how they were portrayed in most stories, most of these creatures were not so friendly.

The second big news was the confirmation of the existence of parallel universes, new realities accessible through quantum portals. This revelation nearly drove the various world powers crazy, as they saw the opportunity to expand their territories beyond other dimensions.

Although this news initially filled the world with festivity and hope, humanity's foolish dreams did not last long. Before humans could take a step toward these new lands, they were suddenly confronted with a joint attack by dozens of different races.

Although most of these new civilizations outnumbered humans both physically and intellectually, there was another determining factor in humanity's defeat.

"Release! Release! Release! Release! Release!"

A crowd chanted this chorus, whose number was enough to easily fill every square meter of three different blocks. People of all kinds were present, men, women, old people, and even children, holding amateurish placards, not fully understanding what was happening.

Other people just watched this fervent crowd from the safety of their homes, peeking through the gaps in the curtains without letting their presence be known to the protesters outside.

One man tried to shout from the window of his house, alerting the protesters to the absurdity they were performing at that moment. His words fell on deaf ears. His warning was met with curses and a shower of different objects being thrown at his residence.

"Idiots!" He shut the window tightly.

It wasn't long before the demonstration abruptly came to an end. All the people there began to be slaughtered like chickens, while a general chaos spread among them.

Heads were chopped off, limbs exploded, and people died without any apparent explanation. Those who tried to escape, seeking refuge by breaking into houses, were killed in front of desperate families. This carnage persisted for thirty minutes, until all those who had been screaming fervently a short time ago were dead.

Peter peered through the gap in the curtain, his eyes catching all the events since the first death. It was incomprehensible... That was simply an ability beyond the reach of any human being.

Peter could not contain the liquid rising in his throat. Squirming, he leaned forward and vomited, releasing everything that was trapped. It was the first time he had witnessed something like this. Most of the time, human protests were contained from the start, but this particular one had reached gigantic proportions.

It was a cruel move on the part of the other races. Letting a pro-humanity movement grow only to crush it like an ant minutes later was a strategy designed to shake human morale.

Peter sat in a corner of his room, still shaken by what he had just witnessed. How could humanity fight against something with such immense power? At that moment he could not even see the attackers moving.

Peter stood up, ready to walk to the bathroom and take a shower. His steps were slow and his movements extremely awkward. At first he thought he was weak from mental stress, but the waves of pain that followed were proof to the contrary.

It was as if someone was deliberately squeezing his heart hard, making his entire nervous system roar with pain. Without the strength to support himself on his legs, he dropped to his knees, panting.

"Why? Why will I be killed too?" questioned Peter, not knowing what to think.

For centuries, humanity had been forced to act submissively before other races. After the great defeat, the entire territory of the planet was divided among these new races, and the few humans who were allowed to live had to conform to the culture and will of the dominant races. In general, human beings were considered useless by these races.

Humans were considered too weak for physical labor and too stupid for intellectual pursuits. The only thing that prevented the complete annihilation of humans was the small amount of energy their bodies were capable of generating each month.

For the most part, the humans huddled in the lower regions of the territories had the sole and exclusive function of providing energy each month. Although they suffered constant harassment and violence from the other races, most of them managed to lead a relatively normal life if they could avoid contact with members of these races.

Peter fell exhausted to the ground, his hands instinctively clutching his chest as his lungs struggled in vain to get some air.

In the midst of his anguish, a bizarre scene unfolded before his eyes. It was as if a part of the scene was corrupted, similar to a defective piece of software. Everything around him was taken over by glitches and static.

Feeling that he was about to die, Peter was unable to hear the voice in his mind before his consciousness gave way to fainting.

[Synchronization! Universe Detected!]

[Initiating Infinite Leveling System!]

[Universe 0478C! Initiating First Campaign!]

[You are most welcome, Host!]

At the same time, clouds laden with fierce lightning covered the city sky. The purple lightning snaked menacingly through the void, causing even the coldest hearts to shiver. Regardless of race, this sight would perpetuate itself in everyone's mind as one of the most beautiful and mysterious scenes they had ever witnessed in their lives.