From Skyscraper to Savannah

Zephyr couldn't quickly gather his thoughts about the holographic interface. No matter how much knowledge of the future he had, there was nothing like that on his life's journey to the end.

'What's this!? Is there something wrong with my eyesight?! I can't recall that there was something like this in my previous life.'

In the midst of Zephyr's confusion that exploded like a crashing wave, suddenly, the hologram interface gave a change warning.

Ding!

-----------------------------------------

[Due to numerous errors and incompatibility with the host, the System was forced to do a complete rework. Please wait for 48 hours....]

-----------------------------------------

A crease furrowed Zephyr's brow as he scrutinized the ethereal hologram floating before him. Its origin and purpose remained an enigma, yet he could decipher the text inscribed upon its translucent surface. The familiar lines of Apexian lettering, a language he had grasped within the Apex World, served as a beacon guiding him toward unlocking the mysteries of the projection.

'Status Window?! Looks like it's showing information about me. Like..., in a video game?'

But before he was about to delve into the presence of the holographic interface, the young boy behind him approached and nudged his shirt.

"Hyung, can't we just go? I think the first phase has started even though I can't feel it."

Zephyr immediately woke up, and the notification interface disappeared. His focused face returned to the present. He then turned to look at the boy and realized that he was in the midst of a disaster. 'Right. That can be taken care of later. What matters is where the shelter will spawn now because the landscape of the world will change rapidly. If we don't hurry, it will be difficult to wander in the wild without the Exosuit armor.' He though.

"We're not that close for you to call me Hyung. It's Sir Quinn for you.

"Other than that, the current situation isn't that uncertain. The Terraform has already started, though the earthquake wasn't strong."

Zephyr said while pointing towards the youth's back, where a building had shifted about a meter. After that, he busily fastened his backpack and made sure his shoes were in good condition.

Meanwhile, the youth couldn't help but get stupefied after focusing on the building Zephyr was referring to. It was terrifying for him, even though he knew the storyline through the game he was playing.

"Since you followed me, you should know that my words are the rules, understand?!"

The young boy could only nod repeatedly, in stark contrast to his previous demeanor. He had once been firm in his resolve to leave all matters behind, but now he was nervous and frightened by the initial changes.

"What's your name?" Zephyr asked.

"I-It's Oh Young-Jae, sir." The young boy replied haltingly.

Zephyr then scanned the horizon to pick the best path. He wanted to make sure his journey didn't have too many obstacles. He started walking, followed by Young-Jae. While in his stride, he said.

"When we travel, we will extend invitations to everyone we meet along the way. If the situation requires, we may have to do a mission to save those in trouble.

"But remember one thing. We can't overstay or take too much time on rescue or persuading those people to come with us."

Young-Jae tilted his head in confusion. "Sir, why are we bothering to warn them?" he asked. "The earthquake is only going to get worse, and I doubt they'll believe us anyway. After all, who believes in talking about calamity or doomsday?"

"Then don't follow me if you don't want to do that."

Zephyr's stern answer made Young-Jae lower his head and agree reluctantly. He had no other choice, as he felt that following Zephyr was the safest course of action.

On the other hand, Zephyr knew that the terraform period was an unavoidable process that would result in the deaths of billions of people. Even if he had the power of his Exosuit armor, he still couldn't prevent it.

Not only that,

His current state, with his untrained body and unsharpened senses, made it even more difficult.

But he was determined to do what he could to save as many lives as possible. Hence he gave the order to Young-Jae, knowing that it was the best chance they had of mitigating disaster.

In their brisk but unhurried steps, the city's atmosphere was still calm, even though the ground was cracked in several places and several buildings had shifted.

Young-Jae was taken aback. In fact, the situation was quite concerning.

But for Zephyr, all of that was normal. It was what had happened in his previous life as well. When some gamers tried to convince them that the world was about to be hit by a great calamity, none of them even flinched.

Even in the worst scenario, when many buildings disappeared or collapsed due to a strong earthquake, people still insisted on staying.

They would only be shaken into action when the scenery began to change abruptly. It was where a modern civilization turned into a wilderness without them noticing later.

As if to confirm their fears, a second earthquake occurred. This time, the vibrations were more pronounced than the first but still within a tolerable range, unlike the brief jolt that had accompanied the appearance of the massive hologram of Apex World in the sky earlier.

Even so, Zephyr and Young-Jae stopped in their tracks, their bodies rigid. They knew that the real danger was not the earthquake itself but the possibility of an unexpected terrain shift.

'If this were a pseudo-random mechanic like in games, then a mathematician could theoretically predict when an earthquake would occur or which terrain would shift. But the truth is, no one can prove that until the conclusion is drawn. In reality, this is pure randomness. It cannot be predicted or prevented. One can only hope for luck to survive.'

But Zephyr refused to give up. He clenched his fists and bit his lip. 'I survived death once, and I'm not going to die early like this!' He focused his hearing on the surrounding area, knowing that his sense of hearing was more reliable than relying on luck.

'If only all my senses were as sharp as they were before, I wouldn't be so nervous or worried about danger.'

Suddenly, his ears perked up. He turned around and shouted at Young-Jae, "Move! Jump forward!"

But Young-Jae was just standing there, gaping in surprise, not understanding what Zephyr meant. The people around them were also startled by the shout, and they turned to look at Zephyr and Young-Jae as if they had been injured in the earthquake.

"Tsk!"

Zephyr clicked his tongue in annoyance and immediately pulled Young-Jae's shirt, forcing him to jump forward.

Zap, zap

Not long after, the spot where Young-Jae had been standing changed drastically as if a photograph had been replaced with a different one. The highway and several buildings that had been there moments before were now replaced by a plain of land, with dense grass and trees filling the view. In the distance, there were other roads and buildings, but they looked as if they had been cut off. It was like a cake with two different flavors, and it was both strange and frightening.

The people who had been standing in front of Zephyr were now staring at the scene with horrified expressions. They had just witnessed an unreasonable and unbelievable supernatural occurrence, the kind of thing that only happens in games or movies.