Greg chose the username Nemesis.
[Nemesis selected. Creating avatar for user... Avatar created. Welcome to Apocalypse.]
Greg's vision dulled momentarily before he found himself transported to a remote village, the starting point for all players.
"Status window," Greg called softly.
User: Nemesis
Title: N/A
Job: N/A
Level: 1
Health: 100
Strength: 5
Speed: 7
Stamina: 4
Intelligence: 3
Constitution: 3
Talent:
EX Rank – 100% Absolute Dodge Rate
??? Rank – Death
Greg stared at his status screen, shaking his head in disbelief. His stats were pitiful. Apocalypse was a game that perfectly replicated the physical stats of a person before they joined. But what caught his attention was the mysterious talent marked "Death." Intrigued, he tapped it for more details.
[??? Rank – Death: The ability to change the fabric of reality and break the laws of the world.]
Abilities:
Death Immunity – As an anomaly of the universe, the user transcends death. After dying, the user is reborn through transmigration, resurrection, reincarnation, or regression, depending solely on luck.
Death Awakening – Upon death, the user earns an achievement, unlocking an awakening slot.
Talent Replication – The user can utilize this talent in the real world before the game merges with reality. The user can replicate 20% of their abilities in the real world, though skills are excluded. This ability grows stronger as the user grows.
Locked
Locked
Greg was stunned. The seemingly useless talent he had once looked down on was far more powerful than he had expected. The ability to transcend death and return through regression felt like a blessing of unimaginable proportions. He was relieved his "luck" had chosen regression—it allowed him to right his wrongs and exact revenge on his enemies countless times.
Curious, he decided to inspect his newly awakened EX-rank talent.
[EX Rank Talent: 100% Absolute Dodge Rate – A talent that disrupts the balance of the world. The user cannot be hit by any form of attack. Any attack aimed at the user is automatically dodged.]
Good God, Greg thought. Short description but insanely overpowered. The implications were staggering. If he couldn't be hit, wasn't that another form of immortality? And thanks to the Death talent's replication ability, this talent could be used in the real world as well. He smirked at the thought of anyone trying to assassinate him before the apocalypse fully descended.
"Well, Kyle, guess you jinxed it," Greg muttered with a bitter laugh, recalling the man responsible for his suffering in his past life.
Now, it was time to choose another talent.
The reason he could choose another talent? When he regressed, his old soul had merged with his new soul. The new soul, unable to awaken the Death talent, had instead awakened the 100% Absolute Dodge Rate talent, while the old soul retained the Death talent and the right to awaken a new talent. Although the souls had merged, the number of talents capable of awakening had increased to three.
[Talent Selection Triggered. Congratulations! You have awakened the S-Rank talent: Talent Share.]
[Talent Share: The user can share their talent with up to five individuals. Shared talents can be utilized by all parties involved.]
Greg was speechless. All the luck he had lacked in his past life seemed desperate to make up for it now. With this talent, he could share his abilities with his sister. Did that mean she'd also become invincible? The thought warmed his heart.
Still, Greg couldn't bring himself to trust anyone else—his past life had ensured that. His talents would remain hidden, shared only with his sister. The Death talent, however, was far too important to ever reveal.
Greg stretched his body and made a decision: he would grind to level 10, earn a class, and gather enough money to buy two gaming capsules—one for himself and one for his sister. This time, he'd ensure she was strong enough to protect herself.
As for quests? He scoffed. Let the NPCs keep their menial tasks. He wasn't going to work for anyone. His only goal was to climb to the top and crush everything beneath his feet.
With a determined expression, Greg strolled toward the nearest grinding spot, intent on growing stronger as quickly as possible.
Elsewhere...
"Son, this game must be taken with the utmost seriousness. Rally those you believe can rise above the others and form a formidable team. The survival of our family depends on this," Alexander, the CEO of Xander Corporation, instructed his son, Kyle.
"Yes, Father. I won't fail you," Kyle replied calmly before leaving his father's office.
If only he knew that his future actions would lead to anything but success. If only he could see what awaited him, perhaps he'd already be apologizing to Greg.
But whether Greg would ever forgive him was another matter entirely.