Chapter [6] Post Apocolypse

"Who are you and where am I?" I immediately asked the officer.

The officer responded, "Getting right to the point, huh?" He remarked as he gazed at me with curiosity. "To begin with, I am a police officer... well, I suppose I was once an officer. I go by the name Mark Phillips, and at the moment, we are in a deserted small building that I found after rescuing you."

Mark Phillips, huh? I suppose I shouldn't be too suspicious considering that he rescued me and likely ensured my safety up to this point.

Mark made his way to the wall of the room with difficulty before leaning against it and retrieving a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his pockets. "And you, kid, what's your name?" he inquired as he lit a cigarette.

The way he is walking with a limp... he may be injured. He appeared to be moving as though his legs were starting to

give up on him.

"My name is Yejin.... Yejin Choi."

His deep inhales of the cigarettes were prolonged and satisfied, indicating that he is a seasoned smoker who has no intention of quitting anytime soon, as evident by his expression.

"Well Yejin Choi, you should be lucky to be alive right now."

I had just noticed the deep and hoarse quality of his voice.

"You probably already know this, but at the moment, Seoul is in a state that everyone is referring to as a Post Apocalypse," he mentioned as he exhaled the smoke.

Mark described how the monsters annihilated all the police stations in the city, eliminating all the officers. And for some reason, guns have no effect on them whatsoever.

"I was the only one who survived entirely by luck, along with my friend of course."

He shut his eyes tightly as he spoke, "However, he died while I was trying to save you. Those monsters tore him from limb to limb, and it was..."

"All. My. Fault."

His gaze was empty. Devoid of any happiness or peace he had once probably experienced. The sense of loss was so profound that he appeared as a hollow shell, too overwhelmed with sorrow to even shed a tear.

He casually smoked his cigarette while staring at the ground with a sense of aimlessness, possibly searching for a glimmer of hope amidst the apocalypse.

...Wow, that was quite a venting session. He must be incredibly stressed and has witnessed things that have deeply affected him. I can't even imagine the pain he must be going through.

But I do know one thing.

Before I came close to death, and it was the most terrifying experience I have ever had.

I felt the cold grip of fear wrap around my heart as I struggled to breathe. The darkness closed in around me, suffocating and overwhelming. My mind raced with thoughts of all the things I had yet to do.

The feeling of absoloute pain. The feeling of going to a dark place and never coming back.

Just the thought of it makes my blood crawl. I do not wish to feel that again.

This is no longer a game, but reality. I can't just come back to life after multiple deaths and carry on as if nothing happened. If I die now, it will be permanent.

Plus my family might still be out there, I have to find them aswell.

Which means I can't let my guard down and I have to avoid making foolish mistakes.

I need to defeat the Goblin Champion and quickly go to Jung-gu in order to gather as many points as I can and take advantage of my situation.

Speaking about that...

[Leaderboard Points]

#1 - Chun Chun (16p)

#2 - Womaniser (14p)

#3 - Fuji (10p)

#4 - Fol Sungwoo (8p)

#5 - Seo Jun (6p)

See more...]

Simply by imagining it, a huge display showing statistics with names and scores appeared.

I quietly muttered, "it seems all I need to do is imagine it for the screen to appear. Good to know."

[#3 - Fuji (10p)]

"Hm.. some of these names are familiar."

That person (Fuji) was listed on the leaderboards in the actual Enhanced Adventure game as well.

[YOU - #8 Anonymous (4p)

You have yet to register a name in the system.]

I'm at 8th place? That isn't too bad, I'm still top 10.

Points is equivalent to what kind of monster you have killed so far.

And if I can remember, I think Weak Goblins gives you 1 point while Normal Goblins gives you 2 points. If I manage to defeat the Goblin Champion howver, I'll be able to secure 6 whole points and get extra rewards and stats.

But still... I'm still pretty low compared to the others.

[ALERT]

[All players have limited time to collect as much Leaderboard Points as possible.

Time left until Tutorial Level ends: 3hours]

"The time limit is starting now?! How long was I passed out..."

"This is even more worse than expected."

At this moment, a motivation unlocked inside of me for the first time in a very long time. A desire to keep moving forward no matter what.

Wait.. am I having 'fun' right now?!

I might be crazy.

Is this what nearly dying does to someone. I mean can you blame a guy for being afraid of death?!

After taking in all the new information, I found the drive to keep moving forward. I inquired to Mark, who was still smoking excessively, about the whereabouts of my jacket and shirt.

He glanced at me and responded, "Over there, hanging on the bedhead behind you." He indicated towards it.

I swiftly grabbed my shirt and put it on, then I stood up and layered my jacket over it, making sure the knives I had taken were still inside the jacket.

"Kid... don't tell me you plan on actually going out there?"

"That's too dangerous y'know? It's better to stay inside here where its safe."

I understand his perspective, but I can't afford to behave that way at the moment. "Do you think its best we stay here and wait for the monsters to come to us?" I said firmly as I moved towards the door. "I would rather not."

Nothing can change my mind right now.

He knows I am correct, yet he felt afraid. Mark huddled in silence in a corner while he tried to gather his thoughts. He had likely experienced significant loss so I cannot blame him for behaving in such a manner.

By his words it it seems like he doesnt know that this so called 'Post Apocalypse' is actually a dead game that is suddenly becoming reality.

"Thanks for saving me mister, but I can't afford to stay here."

I grasped the metal door handle and started turning it gradually, causing the door to slowly open with a creak as I took a deep breath.

I am supposed to be an expert at this.

So I'm going in with everything that I've got!