The fateful hour

"No no no! Are you guys blind or what!" cried Diego with a fake desolate expression. "Of all the univ, it is obviously Asuna the most suntuoso!" he assured with a pronounced accent.

"What a nonsense! You just say that because of her big boobs!" Light scoffed as the other members of the group giggled.

"What do you want? Boobs are life!"

"You got it man!" Henry cried, giving Light a sly look.

"It's not true." Light sighed. "Why do I keep hanging out with you anyway?"

"Birds of a feather flock together." philosopher Ling yao.

"No not at all, I am on a whole different level my dear gentlemen." said the light-skinned black handsome with curly black hair styled in layers.

"Ha really! And what kind of taste in women do individuals of this high dimension have?" Diego asked.

"A good size, nice hair, a toned body with maybe a few abs and above all a magnificent and sublime ass."

"The weird delirium!" they scoffed.

"We will never be able to understand each other." Light sighed with some pride.

"Speaking of misunderstanding, you still haven't embarked on the great adventure of 'Zero Humanity'!" Diego reproached him.

"That's true! Seriously man that's not cool!" others said.

"I know, I know, but I just don't have time. Between classes, work, family and revision, I just can't find the time to launch my game!" he justified himself, shrugging his shoulders.

"I know you want the best results and you have to deal with all these things with your parents and the tree littles ones. But that doesn't mean you have to work your butt off and not have fun once in a while! And don't you dare say that bodybuilding is great entertainment." Diego said calmly.

"But it makes me look even sexier and more handsome." he boasted humorously.

"Never mind!" Ling yao said. "Why don't you take advantage of this break to start your game? Man this game just came out twenty nine days ago and it's number one all over the world!"

"You can play it on both console and mobile and it's free too!" Henry continued.

"Besides, the thirty-day countdown ends today at twelve o'clock." Diego remembered taking out his cell phone.

"What is this countdown?" Light asked.

"That's what all players would like to know. It started when it was launched and it ends today. Maybe the end of free game access and downloads." Ling yao guessed, touching his chin like a thinker.

"All the more reason to throw you bro!" Diego shook him so that he took out his cell phone too.

"Okay, okay!...Can one of you explain everything I need to know about it?"

"Zero Humanity is a kind of MMORPG in which a gigantic black dragon threatens to exterminate Humanity by sending fantastic creatures like elves, goblins, all that stuff, so all players have to do their best to survive the longest time possible and protect theirs territories. When a new player launches, he creates a customizable avatar and must choose from a panoply of classes which he prefers the most before finally starting his adventure." explained Ling yao with calm and erudition.

"When you start, you can immediately join a guild or play it solo, but I advise against it because the game is extremely difficult and in addition team victories allow you to share the experience between all the members of the guild, the best for a beginner." Henry added.

"And what is the end goal of the game?" asked Light, more and more interested.

"The game promises the fulfillment of any of our wishes. Well, it will only work in the game and anyway, it's just entertainment, but I have to tell you that the thought of finishing such a difficult game first really gives me shivers of joy." Diego said with a slight smile.

"Given the passion with which you talk about it and the short time I have left before the countdown ends, I can only jump in." said Light with a smile.

"Hurry up!"

Diego sent him the link and his finger landed on the icon of the intriguing video game which had the incredible shape of a black dragon holding a tiny sphere similar to the beautiful blue planet in his right hand. There were also twelve golden stars near him with a darker and ominous thirteenth one behind his back.

In short, this simple icon made with a master's hand already made you want to embark on the intense universe it promised. The screen then welcomed the new player and displayed a personalization menu in which the young man was surprised to see his spitting image in miniature with a smile full of confidence and a white underpants.

He entered the name 'Fost' as his player nickname and went through the long list of classes reading the major information for each one.

Mages, tanks, warriors, fighters, healers and many more made up the many elements that flashed before his eyes as he devoured the descriptions and abilities they offered. The game offered such a wide variety of classes, that it seemed very difficult to choose.

As he scrolled down the list again and the appointed time approached, his gaze fell on a strange colored stripe presenting an interesting proposal from the game, the choice of a 'mystery job'.

The game guide explained that this was a feature for the undecided or challengers to let the game choose a job for them at random.

"I strongly advise against it." Diego said seeing the twinkling stars in his friend's eyes.

"Come on! It looks fun and then it's just a game."

"Hurry up then! It's already 11:59!" urged Henry.

He hastily touched the strip of light and a kind of roulette shot before his eyes full of impatience and excitement. Before the spinner's arrow landed on a choice, her cell phone abruptly stopped, prompting a general roar of anger.

Ling yao handed him his watch and his eyes saw with frustration the little hand pointing to the twelve. It was noon, the countdown had just ended and it was certainly for this reason that the game had to stop. The theory of the handsome Asian was therefore confirmed and the mischievous smiles that his friends were now throwing at him irritated him even more.

"If at least you had listened to us." said Henry calmly with a smirk.

"So cheeky dear Light." said the other two with a provocative tone.

"I remind you that this is just a fucking game!" annoyed he.

"However, we played it for free." they provoked him with malicious smiles.

"Maybe he still has it for us..." Diego continued before noticing that his cell phone wouldn't turn on.

He tried again several times and very quickly, the other three did the same with their devices without obtaining results. No light, no sound, it was as if the four devices had stopped working at the same time.

Soon, all around them, the other students in the classroom were also trying to turn on their precious phones without receiving any response from them.

After three good minutes of complaints and questions, the capricious devices all turned on again at the same time to eject above them golden screens on which were written a lot of information similar to that of video game characters.

All, without exception, in this room and all the other places of the great establishment as well everywhere else in the world, whether they were players or not, saw shining before their amazed eyes the screen of the Zero Humanity system.

There was murmuring and curious hands. The screens slipped through and always presented the same information, although it was quickly noticed that there was a difference between those who had already played ZH and those who had not yet.

Players had the same level, class, stats and skills that their avatars exhibited unlike non-players who all exhibited stats commensurate with their actual abilities and the class of 'viewer'. Viewers had no levels or skills. Just stats and this more than strange title.

Light meanwhile, had the system of a player and it is with amusement that he noticed that he did not yet have a class.

[ Survivor System ]

< Status >

Name:Fost

Race:Human

Level:1

Job:None

Rang:None

HP:100

MP:50

Strength:12 Magic:7 Vitality:12 Agility:12 Stamina:12 Intellect:12 Sense:10

"What the hell is that?! Augmented reality?!" questioned all the students present in the room trying to get rid of it.

"It is surely a joke of these developers! Those motherfuckers!" asked Henry, putting away his cell phone.

"Sounds like the kind of stuff you see in novels and manga, doesn't it?" Ling yao whispered.

"But we are in real life moron!" the dark-haired man got even more annoyed, looking towards the window.

"Admit that it would still be cool if it were real! That one is able to use magic to experience incredible adventures and everything!"

"Shit! Shut your mouth mister isekai!"

"Calm down now!" Light interjected before a change occurred in the screens.

The latter began to scroll through an extraordinary number of miniature writings before ending with a more than disturbing message written with a oppressive style and more larger letters.

<...The peaceful days are now lost and behind you...>

<...Judgment has been cast and the keys have been prepared...>

<...A dark and unknown future awaits you now... >

<...The Apocalypse arrive...>

<...It's up to you to survive...>

As soon as the writings disappeared with all the golden screens, the sky darkened and a violent earthquake shook the whole building. The students rushed out of the buildings and gathered in the large grassy courtyards where they could look up at the dark and threatening sky.

12:07 p.m., it was at this time that all humans on earth and even in space raised their eyes to the sky to admire with dread and torpor this gigantic creature which seemed to cover the entire galaxy and which let the little blue pea that was the Earth turning on his right hand. All creatures remained motionless and trembling before this being inspiring horror and torment, the great black dragon, symbol of despair and the beginning of the Apocalypse...