The Beginning After The End

I thought I was going to die. With trembling hands, I pried my eyes open, only to be met with a chilling sight—a frozen zombie lurched mere centimeters from my exposed neck, its decaying mouth agape in a gruesome hunger.

"Why? Why isn't this demonic thing moving? Why isn't it killing me?" My voice quivered with terror, but the grotesque creature remained immobile, locked in a nightmarish tableau.

As I grappled with the inexplicable horror before me, a blindingly bright window suddenly materialized in my vision.

[Congratulations, player!]

The abrupt appearance of this message sent shivers down my spine. "What? Are my eyes deceiving me?"

[No, they aren't. You have inherited the great power of the Chrono-Interface.]

My breath quickened as I realized that this enigmatic system could somehow comprehend my frantic thoughts. But before I could fully grasp the situation, an unexpected flash engulfed my face, and an eerie sensation washed over me, as if I had been touched by an otherworldly force.

[You can now use the basic powers of the Chrono-Interface.]

"What are they exactly?" I stammered, my voice quaking in trepidation.

[Chrono Skills]

Time Manipulation: You can slow down or speed up time in a localized area.

(Area: 5 meters) (Duration: 10 seconds)

[You can unlock new skills or strengthen the ones you already have by killing zombies and absorbing their cores.]

I realized that I had only a limited window of time to act. Desperation clawed at my heart as I glanced back at the frozen zombie, the seconds ticking away.

"How much freeze time do I have left for this guy here?"

[Remaining Time Manipulation: 12 seconds , it has boosted by the system for the tutorial!]

"F**k, I have to kill it," I whispered urgently.

With adrenaline coursing through my veins, I scrambled to my feet, hastily seizing a rusted metal pipe from the ground. Swallowing my fear, I swung it with all my might, the impact connecting with the zombie's cranium. A purplish-black aura erupted from the creature as it convulsed, and a small, eerie purple stone materialized in front of me.

[Do you want to absorb the Necro-Stone?]

"What is a Necro-Stone?" I questioned, my voice shaking.

[It is simply the essence of the Necro-Magic that empowers the zombies—a foul energy they use to strengthen themselves.]

My heart raced as I contemplated the choice before me. "What happens if I absorb it?"

[You will purify it and empower your Chrono-Interface. This is your only means of strengthening yourself.]

"Okay, I want to absorb it," I declared, determination flickering in my eyes.

As the words left my lips, the stone hurtled toward my forehead with lightning speed. Upon contact, it dissolved into nothingness, and a new message appeared before me.

[Congratulations on unlocking the Status Window!]

"Wait, I have a status window?"

[Status]

Lvl 1 (100/1500 EXP)

Mana: 100/100

Strength: 10

Agility: 12

Stealth: 4

Intelligence: 14

Wisdom: 16

[Stat Points: +0]

[Skills]

Time Manipulation: You can slow down or speed up time in a localized area.

(Area: Int + Wis / 6) (Mana Consumption: 10 mana per second)

"Okay, that's a great explanation of the power, actually. So, I have to kill 15 zombies to level up," I mumbled to myself, coming to terms with the eerie interface that had just granted me supernatural abilities.

The surrounding scene began to take shape as the adrenaline-induced haze cleared. I found myself in a grim, post-apocalyptic landscape—a construction site in Tokyo. This very place was once my workplace, and I had been nothing more than a young laborer here. Now, it had become a battleground where life and death were separated by mere moments, and the power of the Chrono-Interface was my only ally against the encroaching darkness.

The construction site was a skeletal monument to unfinished ambition, a towering skyscraper that pierced the heavens above Tokyo. Located on the outskirts of the city, it had stood as a colossal testament to human progress before the apocalypse. Now, it was a nightmarish battleground where the boundaries between life and death had blurred.

As the chaos of the zombie outbreak had unfolded, I had joined a desperate group of coworkers, all striving to escape the relentless horde. The journey had been brutal, and one by one, my companions had fallen to the relentless onslaught of the undead.

With grim determination, I had fought my way to the uppermost floor of the unfinished skyscraper, my lungs burning with exhaustion. It was here, on the precipice of this skeletal structure, that the mysterious Chrono-Interface had chosen me as its wielder.

Now, trapped on the last floor, I leaned on the rusted railing, gazing out over the once-vibrant city of Tokyo. The scene before me was apocalyptic in its devastation. Skyscrapers, once symbols of prosperity, now stood as charred and skeletal remnants, their windows shattered and their steel frames exposed. Smoke billowed from countless fires raging unchecked throughout the cityscape, casting a dark shroud over the ruins below.

The streets were no longer bustling with life but littered with the grotesque remnants of humanity—lifeless corpses lay in twisted, unnatural positions, their vacant eyes staring up at the ashen sky. The city had become a graveyard of dreams and ambitions, a place where the living dared not tread.

With a heavy heart, I knew that this city, once teeming with life and energy, had fallen into the abyss of the undead. I stood as a lone survivor, armed with newfound powers and a grim determination to confront the horrors of this world and, perhaps, one day, rebuild the civilization that had crumbled beneath the weight of the apocalypse.