Chapter 2- Awakening Amidst Apocalypse: The Rise of the Triplets 

Elandra stared at the system fairy, her mind racing with questions. 'What? A system fairy? How is this possible?' 

Ella's urgent yet steady voice cut through the silence, addressing Elandra's shock. "I must act quickly. Your world is experiencing an apocalypse, but there's a way to combat it - an awakening, which you've just experienced." 

Elandra nodded slightly, encouraging Ella to continue. "You can awaken various gifts: talents, skills, classes, bloodlines, items, and powers. You've awakened the skill Invincible Stealth, allowing unlimited stealth and making you one with the world, breakable only by godly powers." 

Ella took a deep breath and asked, "What will you do now? Hide or fight to protect those who can't defend themselves?" Empowered, Elandra stood up, pumping her fist in the air, and mouthed, "I'll fight for those who can't fight for themselves." She checked her system by saying "status." 

[Level: 0 | Class: None | Bloodline: None | Skill: Invincible Stealth | Talent: None | Items: None | Power: None ] 

[Attributes: Strength: | Agility: | Constitution: | Intelligence: | Charm: | Luck: ] 

Ella smiled humorously. Meanwhile, Elandrei had a calm conversation with her system fairy, Maribelle. "You're quite calm for a human of this world," Maribelle observed, curious. 

Elandrei nodded, seeking understanding. "Thank you. What information can you provide about the current situation?" 

Maribelle explained, "Your world is experiencing an apocalypse, but there are opportunities. You can awaken skills, talents, classes, items, bloodlines, and powers." 

 Elandrei pondered the revelation's enormity, her thoughts drifting to her family. "How are my sisters and parents managing this?" she wondered, focusing on the global impact. "Will everyone on this planet awaken one of these gifts?" Maribelle nodded in agreement. 

Meanwhile, Elandria fought for her life, escaping deadly tree roots and branches. Reaching the hotel, she headed to the roof, the safest place, and many survivors followed her. Exhausted, she sat in relief when her system fairy, Juzella, appeared. "You're the only one who can hear and see me," Juzella said, offering consolation. 

Back with Elandra, the reality of her new abilities weighed on her. "How can I activate this skill?" she asked. "Why aren't there numbers in the attribute slots?" 

Ella responded calmly, "Your world now contains mana, used to activate awakened gifts. Your skill is maxed, meaning it's sentient and can pull mana from the air. Be cautious, as powerful beings can detect mana changes; you'll learn about your attributes later." 

Elandra activated her skill tentatively, straining to sense its interaction with the surrounding mana, but couldn't perceive it. Ella smiled encouragingly. "I'll teach you to sense mana another time." 

Emboldened, Elandra walked silently out of the employees' area, her movements unseen. As she wandered through the mall, the grim reality struck her – dead bodies lay everywhere. Overcome, she fell to her knees, vomiting her breakfast, and then dry-heaved. Ella offered somber comfort: "This is just the start, so please get used to it." Her words echoed the harsh new reality they faced. 

Elandra nodded, thinking it unlikely she would ever get used to this. As she approached a glass window, a thought struck her, and she looked outside. The window faced the outside parking lot, where she saw the mall's occupants being herded like sheep by a group of goblins. Fearful, she covered her mouth and watched. 

Reluctantly, she ventured out towards the parking lot, devising strategies to gain the goblins' attention, leveraging her gaming expertise. Hoping they would be easily distracted, as depicted in books and games, she devised a plan. Before leaving the mall, she grabbed a metal bat from the sporting shop. She smashed the windows of a car furthest from the goblins, and upon hearing the noise, a small group of goblins left their post to investigate. She continued smashing car windows, and the people, realizing someone was trying to save them, scattered across the parking lot. 

Unbeknownst to them, Elandra's heart raced with terror, yet she felt a hint of exhilaration from fighting monsters, as in games. Ella advised, "Kill them, or they will slaughter more humans and gather them like sheep again." Meanwhile, Maribelle explained to Elandrei that she had awakened the small universe orb, allowing her to manipulate space and time. Elandrei checked her status: 

[Level: 0 | Class: None | Bloodline: None | Skill: None | Talent: None | Items: small universe orb | Power: None] 

[Attributes: Strength: | Agility: | Constitution: | Intelligence: | Charm: | Luck:] 

Elandrei pulled out a sharp katana with a blue-tinted blade and black tiger handguard from under her bed. "I'm ready to turn this mansion into a safe haven," she declared sternly. Unlike Elandra, she didn't inquire about her attribute numbers. 

Meanwhile, Elandria was still grieving her boyfriend's death, but a calm started to envelop her face, replacing her sorrow. In ten minutes, she was numb to his death, unaware that she had awakened the unlimited growth talent influencing her. 

The system fairy, Juzella, sensing the profound impact of Elandria's newly awakened talent, gently rose to eye level. Her voice was calm, a stark contrast to the chaos unfolding around them. "As you've seen, you're experiencing an apocalypse, but it's not just you; your whole world is experiencing it. There's hope, though: you can awaken a gift—either a skill, an item, a bloodline, a talent, a power, or a class." Elandria, overwhelmed yet attentive, stared at Juzella, absorbing the gravity of the fairy's words. The fairy, noting her silence and the weight of consideration in her eyes, continued to unveil the mysteries of this new reality. "You awakened a talent called unlimited growth." This revelation seemed to hang in the air, a beacon of potential amidst the despair, offering a glimmer of what might be possible in this new, brutal world. 

On Elandrei's side, she left the safety of her room and slowly roamed the mansion, quietly taking out zombies with her katana and orb. It was an instinctive usage of the orb and katana in conjunction. At the back of the mansion, in the gardens, she found most of the zombies and some guards fighting against them. She joined their effort and successfully quelled the zombies in the mansion. Elandrei sighed in thought, "Thankfully, not all staff were turned into zombies." They searched every corner of the mansion to ensure no other danger was present. 

On Elandria's side, a troubling thought surfaced, prompting a deep, personal question for Juzella. Her voice carried a mix of confusion and relief as she asked, "Why am I no longer sad about my boyfriend's death?" Juzella sighed, a sound filled with empathy and a hint of sorrow for the harsh realities of the gifts bestowed upon those like Elandria. "That's because of your talent," she answered softly, her words meant to soothe yet explain the profound changes within Elandria. Understanding dawned on Elandria as she nodded her head, absorbing the implications of Juzella's explanation. Her talent, it seemed, shielded her from the full emotional turmoil that might otherwise cripple her in these desperate times. As each sister experienced their own awakening, the world itself was a different story.