When the apocalypse launched, no one believed it actually happened. But still, the fact a blue screen with a quest panel appeared in front of them couldn't be ignored.
Every part of the world had turned into a level. Once stepped into the area, a quest panel arrived.
[You Have Entered Area Level 10]
[Quest: Slay The Red Steel Snake Queen to gain rewards and level up EXP points]
It was left for the players to continue playing in order to level up. Places had become dungeons, and they realized the more they leveled up, the stronger they'd become.
As of now, all players had one goal—who'd be the first to reach the final level, a game apocalypse as Doomsday Lord claims.
Though along with the apocalypse came fun, death and destruction were more imminent.
"Shit, did that tree just swallow Tom?"
Unbelievable things needed to be done in order to level up. Getting a mutated apple, for instance—only a few could get this.
Only a few could avoid dodging the burning leaf tree, or trees with mutated veins used as weapons to launch attacks, or mutated trees capable of sending out their tongues to eat players.
Aiden had everything in place. He just thought about the obstacle and its traits—it became a level. Time spent as a gamer was definitely paying off.
As he sat, legs crossed on his red throne while eating pizza, he oversaw the apocalypse through multiple blue screens like Belle had done earlier.
"Jeez, so no one can take an apple from the Mutated Mother Tree? I specifically did say it would give you a boost in reaching level 5 instantly," Aiden sighs.
"To think humans could even pass my levels... or should I lower it a bit?" Aiden asked.
Belle, who was standing at the side of a pillar, stepped in with her hands stretched out as if stopping him from doing what he just said.
"No, no... If the tutorial apocalypse is made easy, the main one isn't. I'd suggest you make it even harder."
"You're right. But this is shit, though. I'm going out to test my apocalypse."
"No, you can't," Belle quickly rushed the words, causing Aiden to turn toward her. Her voice sounded like a warning mixed with care.
"Why? I can't sit here all through—it'd be boring as hell."
Belle sighs. "There's an exceptional player out there looking for you."
"What? Should I be frightened by that? This is my apocalypse. You think they could hurt me in my world?" said Aiden as he walked toward the door with the ant monster behind him.
"No, you don't understand. The player is not ordinary. He calls himself the Savior," Belle tried stopping him, but Aiden wouldn't even turn to listen.
And when he turned around, he was very mad. "Look, I know where this is going. The Savior killed me. I saw it when you did that magic kiss thing with me. I saw the ending of that possibility. In every possibility, I died," said Aiden. The wooden mask with a cracked left eye appeared on his palm.
Belle fell to her knees, knowing she shouldn't have shown him to that extent. Tears almost fell.
Now, two masked figures are out there seeking to end each other. Aiden had just found his fun in his own apocalypse.
"I am the big bad boss of this apocalypse. If he's called the Savior, then I'll embrace myself as the villain—as Doomsday."
Aiden's voice, sounding from the mask, became that of a monster, his left eye once again glowing a purple hue behind the cracked-eye mask.
————————
The lower side of the city—the subway—was filled with different stains of blood, monsters, and humans alike.
As Aiden walked through this path, his mask was off, and his loyal ant companion was nowhere to be seen.
"Still cannot believe I made someone strong enough to kill me," Aiden sighs, adjusting his black hood sleeve covering his head.
Soon, he began hearing strange noises, like someone running toward him and definitely breathing heavily.
His thoughts were proven right as a man jumped out from the dark subways. "He... help me!" he yelled, falling to the ground so hard that he coughed out blood.
Before Aiden could say or do anything else, a goblin monster jumped out of the dark as well, pouncing on the pathetic man.
"Grrraaaahhh," the green goblin growled like a zombie and endlessly began stabbing the man with its knife, causing the pathetic man to scream and stretch his hands toward Aiden for help.
But from the looks of things, Aiden was stepping back away from the man, to avoid getting stained by the blood.
When the goblin was done with the man, the ground was filled with a pool of blood. And then it faced Aiden with a grin across its face.
'I programmed every creature to have one objective: kill all humans. So I'm just another human to them, and not their creator,' Aiden thought, knowing he was mildly in danger.
As the goblin dashed at him, Aiden heard a voice from behind. "Step back!" yelled the strange feminine voice.
The girl dashed toward the goblin, her black jeans fitting her body shape like a second skin. Inches away from the monster—
Bam!
She projected her baseball bat, covered in blood, connecting it with the goblin's neck so hard that it made a twist and crack—Boom!—and sent it slamming against the subway bus, dead.
[Ding: Server Announcement: Player Xs has reached level 5 after clearing the Subway Goblin Quest]
Aiden's eyes quickly glued themselves to the blue holographic notification screen on top for everyone to see.
'I created a server announcement for only the top players—how I planned to track the Savior. Still no announcement about him,' thought Aiden.
"Hey, are you okay? You looked like you had a panic attack just now," said the girl. Aiden, on the other hand, just kept looking at her.
Her purple eyes and short black hair weren't something that should be stunning—but it was definitely stunning Aiden, until he got a tap on the shoulder that brought him back.
"Panic attack... hahaha, don't get him started," said a middle-aged man. "The kid doesn't look like someone who'd panic, right kid?"
"Uh—" Aiden stutters.
"That's my dad. Where you headed?"
"Just looking for someone. More like a hero who'd save us from this apocalypse, you know," Aiden said, shrugging his shoulders.
"Yeah, I don't think someone like that exists. Though you've seen that from the announcement. But I'm Xs. What's yours?" she introduced herself, smiling, while her father was getting supplies from around the subway.
"Aiden."
As they were about to shake hands, her dad came from behind and slammed his big hand against Aiden's back, disorienting his stance.
"Damn kid, you don't look much of a fighter. What level you in?"
"Come on, Dad, you don't have to ask every guy who looks at me about his level."
"Course I do, kiddo. How else would I know who can look out for you? Come on, let's move," said the man.
"We're looking for my mom. Good luck with this Savior you're looking for."
"Thanks for saving me. I would love to come with you, but there's something I gotta take here first. Maybe I'll see you at...?"
"Oh, um... Lighthouse Hospital. That's where my mom works."
"Xs!" her dad yells. "Hurry up!"
With that, she waves at Aiden, smiling and thinking he was cute, before climbing out of the subway. As they left, Aiden sighs. Bringing his hands forth, the mask appears.
"Seems I might as well have made the subway too dangerous," Aiden mutters as he puts it on, with the purple hue and the ant demon conjured from his shadow.