Animals Went Berserk

The further Zephyr's group pushed into the alien wilderness, the more the glittering ghosts of the past faded. With each step, they navigated the treacherous terrain, their tired muscles screaming, their eyes scanning the horizon for a flicker of hope in the endless green expanse.

Along the way, they also began to meet other groups who had none other than the same goal.

To the Fortress of the Divine Light! The nearest shelter of humanity for Asia.

Zephyr's gaze darted towards dozens of groups, sharp as an eagle's beak. He saw them easily: the Gamers, walking swaggeringly like men holding maps, their eyes shrouded in secrecy.

Behind them, waves of weary souls shuffled along, their faces filled with doubt and fear. They follow, not out of faith but out of desperation, clinging to whispers of a shelter that might just be a mirage in the wasteland in their minds.

After Zephyr became aware of his surroundings, sunlight filtered through emerald leaves and painted dappled shadows on his face. But the day's greeting wasn't the chirping of birds. It was the low groan of the earth, another tremor ripping through their peaceful stride.

"Keep going. There's no need to worry about this earthquake. It won't shake violently because the world has almost finished transforming." Zephyr said directly to calm the four siblings while Young-Jae steadily continued to walk as if he was not affected by the shaking of the ground anymore.

Jae-Sik's throat tightened like a knot. He swallowed hard, the tremor in his Adam's apple mirroring the shaky earth beneath his feet. With a silent nod, he raised his hand, the signal clear to his two wide-eyed sisters and fidgety younger brother.

Out of nowhere, a chime penetrated the head, disrupting the rhythm of Zephyr's steps. He stuttered, but only for a moment, the flash of surprise quickly covered by a stony calm.

Ding!

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[The System has been modified in such a way to suit this miserable host....]

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The holographic screen shimmered into existence, a familiar blue spirit in the twilight. Zephyr lifted a single eyebrow, his gaze flicking to the arcane message. An internal sigh, barely a tremor, rippled through him. 'Modified for the "miserable host," was it? Such melodrama.' He thought. He scanned the text. His expression was unreadable, a man accustomed to deciphering oracular pronouncements. There was no point in wasting energy on indignation.

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[ Status Window ]

Name: Zephyr Quinn

Vitality: 29/100

Status: Exhausted

Legacy: Human/Unrefined

Credits: 00000

Sync: (Inactive)

- Level: 00 /000 Exp (Inactive)

- Armor: 0 (Inactive)

- Attributes: 0 Strength | 0 Dexterity | 0 Endurance | 0 Intelligence (Inactive)

[ Abilities: (N/A) ]

[ System In-store: (N/A) ]

[ Inventory: (0/6) ]

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Zephyr's eyes settled on the "Status Window," a faint echo of a childhood fascination with fantastical worlds. He may not be a real gamer, but he knew such things. After all, he occasionally played MMORPG games, and the menu displayed to players was almost the same as in front of him, although different from most.

He studied the screen, not with the wide-eyed awe of a novice but with the practiced scrutiny of a seasoned strategist. His fingers, calloused and etched with the memories of a thousand battles, brushed against the flickering interface, a silent conversation between an old soul and a new reality.

Zephyr tried to examine and understand what happened in a short time, and the results were not as bad as imagined. He understood some information in the Status Window to decipher, such as status and vitality, which had different outputs from the first time he saw it.

Even so, there were still many questions surrounding the System screen.

Where had this spectral interface sprung from, hovering like a phantom before him? Every instinct screamed of disarray, yet beneath the icy grip of fear, a spark of hope for new power shimmered. Could this cryptic language, these alien glyphs, hold the key to his survival? In the unforgiving maw of the Apex World, a single weapon, however enigmatic, could tip the scales against the blood-soaked claws of ravenous beasts. Yet, a cold whisper echoed in the caverns of his mind: why him? Why now?

The translucent screen glows blue, beckoning Zephyr deeper into its mysteries. But just as he started discovering its logic, the forest erupted in a chorus of horrors. Screams, both human and animal, tore through the canopy, weaving through guttural roars and desperate, unknown pleas. It was a panicked symphony, chaos echoing through the leaves.

Young-Jae, his face pale as moonlight, clutched his arms. "Mr. Quinn… that's not good, right?" His voice, a strangled whisper, was barely audible amidst the din. Even without understanding what was happening, the terror within gave him the creeps.

The Kim siblings' faces drained of color as Young-Jae's words hung heavy in the air. Their eyes darted around, searching for the unknown threat. The memory of past tremors and upheavals clawed at their minds, fueling the fear that coiled like a serpent in their bellies.

Zephyr couldn't help but shift his focus, and the System screen just disappeared into thin air. He also felt the same as Young-Jae but could guess what was going on. "Run straight ahead," he commanded, his voice firm despite the unease gnawing at his gut. "Don't look back! If anything… comes after you, use the knife. Remember, no matter what it is."

He knew this wasn't just another tremor, not just another land shift. This was something different, something insidious that crept into the air, turning it into a suffocating poison. The world was changing, and the animals were the first to feel its bite. Itchy rashes blossomed on exposed skin, a harbinger of the horrors to come.

A pandemonium erupted. A wave of human bodies, thousands strong, surged past, faces contorted in a mix of terror and desperation. The dense undergrowth offered no sanctuary, only a treacherous maze that swallowed them whole.

Behind them, the earth trembled with the thunderous approach of something immense. The deer, usually ghosts gliding through the trees, became panicked, battering rams, scattering the fleeing crowd like startled birds. Even the towering silhouettes of giraffes and elephants, symbols of serenity, were swept up in the tide of fear, their lumbering strides sending tremors through the ground.

The air was thick with the metallic tang of sweat and the primal roar of animal fear. Even familiar shadows – a stray dog cowering beneath a log, a cat's eyes flashing in the undergrowth – were not to be trusted. In this whirlwind of chaos, survival was no longer a matter of outrunning the unseen threat. But of navigating a sea of unpredictable terror.

Zephyr clicked his tongue when he saw two aggressive and mutated animals, a cat and a deer, heading towards the group. He made a move, nimbly maneuvering his two kitchen knives.

Sweat stunned his eyes as the cat danced just out of reach of his makeshift weapons. He couldn't match its agility. But he wasn't out of his wits. Using the trees as cover, he lunged, forcing the beast to retreat. Adrenaline pulsed through him, every instinct screaming for survival. He spotted a loose vine – a chance. With a swift kick, he sent it whipping towards the cat's legs, tripping it up just long enough. In that fleeting moment, he propelled the knife. Not a brutal blow, but a calculated thrust that ensured the creature wouldn't threaten them again.

But that was not the end.

"M-Mr Quinn! W-Watch out behind you!" Young-Jae, holding the knife while shaking with fear, tried to help because he didn't dare to confront the animals.

Zephyr, whose sense of hearing had been synchronized with his past self, immediately acted, turning around to welcome the deer that came charging. He released the knife in his right hand and grabbed the deer's neck while pushing his body aside, avoiding the impact. He then stabbed the knife in his left hand while twisting it so that the deer died and did not cause serious injury to him.

Sadly,

The danger was not over yet because not only were those animals coming and chasing their safety, but human stampedes were also a threat that couldn't be ignored.