Stronger one

The End of the World

When people hear the phrase "the end of the world," their minds often conjure familiar images—dark skies, raging fires, ruined cities, and scorched earth. It's the sort of scene you see in movies, the stuff of nightmares. Yet, for many, it's just a phrase. Something distant. A vague concept.

The end of the world doesn't care for titles or power. Presidents, kings, the mighty—they are all swept away in its unrelenting storm. No one is spared as it devours everything in its path. But how many people have truly imagined it happen, not to talk of what they would do if it happened? The answer, most likely, is no one. Not until an hour ago, when the impossible became real.

And now, as the chaos unfolded before them, the people standing at the stadium gate were facing the reality their own apocalypse.

Their answers were different, unique, but the truth was the same for all: this was the end.

To the west, leading toward the hostels, things had changed dramatically. Five female hostels once stood proudly on the left side of the road, complete with small car parks where parents dropped off their children.

On the right side, a footpath ran alongside an open expanse of grass. Mini-stores nestled between the buildings provided some comfort and convenience for the students who lived there.

But that was no longer the case.

Four of the five hostels were reduced to charred skeletons, their blackened ruins standing as grim monuments to the devastation.

The last remaining hostel seemed to be clinging to life, barely standing, as if defying gravity. Cars were scattered across the road, their twisted frames evidence of violent collisions. Blood streaked the ground, leaking from the wreckage of shattered vehicles.

The earth itself seemed fractured, split by deep cracks. Bodies lay strewn across the street, heads split open, bones broken—some still alive, crawling in vain for safety. The so-called security forces, who were supposed to protect the refugees, had long since become the undead, now part of the chaos they were meant to control.

Though, not all of it were just bad news. Screams still echoed from the hostels, meaning there were still survivors. Some, however, had managed to escape, fleeing toward the empty grasslands, desperately trying to outrun the horde of zombies that chased them.

Amidst the carnage, a group of girls stood their ground, fighting back. They had already killed some zombies and were now rallying others, working together to form a protective circle.

Back at the stadium gate, the shrieks of the girls and the groans of the undead snapped the group out of their daze. But the sight before them only dragged them back into a deeper sense of horror.

Compared to what lay beyond the gate, the chaos within the stadium was child's play.

The first to shake off the shock was surprisingly a girl who had fainted earlier. Her eyes flew open, and she shook her head vigorously, stumbling toward Jon and shaking him vigorously. Her voice trembled as she yelled, "HEY! WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING—IF WE DON'T—" She didn't need to finish her sentence. The unspoken word hung heavy in the air: Death.

Jon, who had received another calming sensation jolted into action, quickly formulated a plan.

"Jenny, we're going to help those on the grassland and direct the non-fighters here." He couldn't believe how fast the plan came together in his mind, but everything seemed to click as he thought of the skills he had recently gained.

Jon noticed something—this time, everyone around him seemed calmer, more focused than before. Jenny could see it too, and she felt a bit happy at their attitude.They were stepping up, doing their best to help. And all they had to do for now was listen and stay quiet.

But then suddenly, Jon and Jenny exchanged a look. And as if they had spoken to each other, they dropped the bags they were carrying and ran ahead, leaving the others behind. The panic that had subsided began to rise in the group, but Tunde quickly stepped in to calm them.

From the stadium, Jon and Jenny had been growing more accustomed to using their skills.

Jenny, having now acquired a sword from one of the orbs, now coated the blade in her silver flames.

She swung the weapon clumsily at a massive zombie wearing a security uniform. The flames slashed across its face, but it didn't fall as planned.

Though a little shaken, she channeled more of her mana, creating two chains to bind the zombie's arms.

CHNG...CLANG

She then threw another spear to its chest and with a swift stab to the head, the creature finally collapsed. As its body hit the ground, messages flashed before her eyes:

[YOU HAVE OBTAINED LEVEL 7 ZOMBIE REMAINS]

[YOUR LEVEL HAS INCREASED]

[YOUR LEVEL HAS INCREASED]

[YOUR LEVEL HAS…]

"This one was stronger than the ones in the stadium," she muttered, wiping sweat from her brow. She glanced at her wrist and activated the bracelet she'd gained from another orb, speeding up her mana recovery.

Meanwhile, Jon was locked in his battle. He had been observing Jenny's use of her silver flames earlier, since he couldn't outrightly ask her about it.

And from what he could see, she could shape anything she wanted and, the flames also acted like an energy on its own. Like on her sword, she coated the flame itself. It now looked like a different power.

Then Jon had a thought. If her skill worked like that, even though it wasn't the creating part. His skill was named 'Moon' and taking it as it sounded, it was the moon that hung up in the sky.

Now all he could do with it was just stop movements, but didn't the moon also have its own energy? The blue glow always hanging around the moon definitely had to be the energy.

The moon was already out so it made things easier to imagine and his new 'Instant calculation' boosted his thinking speed. And as if something seemed to click in place, he raised his spear and blueish smoke began to emanate from his body, freezing the zombie in its tracks.

Then his spear began glowing with a blueish-white light, the same color as the moon. Without hesitation, Jon thrust the spear forward. The spear hadn't reached when zombie's head exploded, followed by a cascade of gore.

BOOM.

It was the first explosion caused by a skill since the chaos began, and it drew immediate attention. Even Jenny's flames had only burned or pierced; they had never caused an explosion like this. And the system rewarded Jon for his ingenuity:

[YOU HAVE OBTAINED QUALIFICATIONS TO EVOLVE SKILL]

[MOON (FIRST REALM) LEVEL 1 —> LEVEL 5: YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE MOON HAS INCREASED. YOU GAINED QUALIFICATIONS TO USE MOON ENERGY]

[INSTANT CALCULATION (FIRST REALM) LEVEL 1 —> LEVEL 5: INCREASE SPEED TO CALCULATE BY 15%]

[YOU HAVE OBTAINED LEVEL 9 ZOMBIE REMAINS]

[YOUR LEVEL HAS INCREASED]

[YOUR LEVEL HAS…]

Jon didn't have the opportunity to check the messages. The explosion had caught the attention of the remaining zombies. Some even stopped chasing the fleeing girls, turning toward the sound.

Jenny glanced at him, stunned. In the stadium, his fighting style had been quiet, controlled because he had only been assisting from behind. But now, it was explosive, and a competitive spark flared inside her.

Jon was already preparing for his next move when five zombies started closing in, one of them noticeably larger than the rest. So he aimed his spear at the four smaller ones. And pierced out, like he did with the former and then,

BOOM… BOOM… BOOM… BOOM.

The bodies of the zombies revealed large holes as they collapsed. "Huff..." he gasped the air for a large breath afterward. His mana was nearly depleted with just this attack, but the larger zombie was still coming.

And as it lumbered toward him, its grotesque form jogging now, Jon immediately knew it was different. The zombie didn't wait and raised its arm, preparing to strike. And his face was in the way of his claw.