Thud!
Contrary to Vincent's expectations, the Revenant didn't vanish like in a game or drop items. Instead, its motionless body lay on the floor, bringing forth a sudden silence.
[+300 xp]
[Player Level Up +1]
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Please choose a level up reward:
[+1 Chosen Attribute]
[+100 mana]
[Rejuvenation]
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Vincent took a while to check the announcement. He was reeling from the mana surging through his veins. He anchored himself to the cold, hard ground before eyeing the rewards.
He hesitated. Though his understanding of games told him that Rejuvenation meant a full heal, this was reality—he didn't have a wide margin of error. There was also no health bar to see how badly he was wounded.
"...What's Rejuvenation?" His voice rasped, sounding weak.
But it was loud in the silence.
The siblings heard him, pulling them from whatever thoughts were attempting to drown them. They wanted to get closer and check his state, but none of their muscles would cooperate.
The system didn't answer him.
That didn't bode well.
'So it's a game that forces you to find out for yourself.'
Vincent sighed. His hesitation disappeared, knowing there was no use debating it. He locked in his choice with his mind.
Warm light wrapped his body in a few seconds, a feeling akin to being submerged in a hot spring—refreshing and relaxing. When it disappeared, only his messed-up clothes told of the battle he had undergone.
"Woah! What... Did you just heal??"
Daniel was invigorated. He skipped over, holding his chin as he analyzed Vincent's body. His eyes widened when Vincent stood and hopped, looking like he was ready to fight another Revenant.
"Damn... This is actually real. I was paralyzed, dude."
"Shit! How did you do it??"
Thud!
Startled, they both turned to look at the sound, finding Angel in the midst of resting her foot back on the ground.
"Fucking Cthulhu wannabe, I knew we should have bought that Not-A-Flamethrower."
Angel spat, her feet drawn back for another kick.
"Hey, hey, be careful—!" But Vincent was too late.
Angel landed the kick, and her body froze. Her eyes widened before she frowned. She turned to look at Vincent, pointing at something in the air.
"Player 5,577th?"
Vincent gasped. "You got it? That's it!"
"What?! So all I gotta do is beat the shit out of this corpse??"
Daniel was exasperated. He stomped towards the Revenant, pushing his sleeves up. His sister hadn't voiced any pain, so he punched with all he had.
Instantly, he soundlessly screamed.
"Mother f— Ain't his skin a bit too tough?! And why are you okay?!"
Angel rolled her eyes, shrugging. "I didn't say it didn't hurt."
"Well, did it work?"
Daniel paused. The pain had distracted him, causing him to miss how his vision glitched.
"Dunno, I'll try again."
"Use this."
Vincent tossed him the pole he had used earlier, and Daniel caught it.
After another strike, Daniel happily announced that he was the 5,579th player.
Vincent was naturally happy for both of them, but there was a bitter taste on his tongue.
"So... Am I the only one who got a massive headache after hitting the Revenant?"
The siblings looked at him with pity, something they couldn't get used to no matter how many times it happened—actually, it was in every game.
"Wow, even this game's system hates you."
Vincent could say that his luck in drops and encounters was average. But for some reason, he was a magnet for bugs.
When he wasn't trying to find them, his rate was once a week. But every time he beta tested, he could fill up a page in point form with all the bugs he encountered in an hour of playtime.
Vincent sharply inhaled. He didn't want to talk about it anymore. "Alright, check your characterization or something. I was in the middle of a fight, so the system forced me into a class. Maybe you guys get to choose normally."
He shouldn't have mentioned the emergency characterization—now the pity in their eyes deepened.
Swiftly, he flicked their foreheads before arching his brows.
The siblings obediently sat on the ground to listen to the system, holding their foreheads.
"Take your time, I'm going to barricade the front door."
"Wait, what class did you get?" Angel caught his hand, tugging it.
"Hunter, and I have Shadow Bullets for my first skill. There's no indicator for health or mana either. But maybe I'm just bugged."
Angel nodded and let him go.
Vincent went to check the door.
There wasn't much he could do without making a lot of noise, so he brought a dark blanket instead and used it to seal the opening. The duct tape helped keep the cold out, but he knew this was only temporary.
They had to find a way to better seal the house and keep the warmth from leaving. Regina's winter could reach -40°C, and it was only December.
This night it was -23°C already. Technically, they would only have to endure this for another two months, but…
'Here's hoping spring is actually spring next year.'
Vincent gathered all the spare blankets he could find and brought them to the master's bedroom. No matter how much the attic appeared safe, the encounter earlier told him that it wasn't ideal.
When they all regathered to where he was, he specifically set the central heating to only focus on the master's bedroom. Hoping that would help conserve the city's power, prolonging its end.
"What classes did you choose?"
Angel chose to be a cook, while Daniel chose tinkering.
The system had initially given them the choices to attack, defend, or support. From there, it branched out to specializations.
Their fighting styles were also considered. Highly active combatants were given options like barbarians and sorcerers, while the opposite had witches and priests.
The "non-combatant" option was basically for life skill players.
Vincent slowly placed his hand over his face, groaning in defeat. There were so many options—he could have been a summoner!
"Cents, I might have to break your heart even further," Angel deadpanned, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"...Speak."
"We can see the bars. I have 6 health and 100 mana, while Dan has 14 and 300 mana… You're bugged."
"Urgh…"
Not even the low numbers made him feel this much disappointment—having clear indications would have helped him in his decision-making for future encounters. Not knowing his own stats was going to be a volatile factor.
But Daniel and Angel weren't done.
"By the way, dude, are you sure your class is Hunter? When I checked the class, the basic skill should have been Bear Trap!"
Vincent froze. He looked up at the siblings, confused. "Basic skills…?"
Angel nodded, repeating what she got for her basic skill.
-----------------------------------
Campfire | 100 mana | 5 minutes cooldown
-> Fire Attribute
-> Requires wood
-> Food cooked over fire is always edible (unless overcooked)
-> Weak to water and earth
-----------------------------------
Daniel did the same.
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Quick Fix | 100 mana | 5 minutes cooldown
-> Metal Attribute
-> Requires tools
-> Repairs minor damage on tech
-> Weak to fire and lightning
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"You guys didn't get an option to choose from three skills?" Vincent frowned. His situation was chaotic. He could only hope it wouldn't end badly.
The siblings looked at each other, then shook their heads. Daniel was grinning, reminiscing about the many occasions they abused Vincent's unique constitution.
"Hey, Cents, it's a good thing. Maybe the next time we gain skills, you get to choose from a list of three again!"
Vincent couldn't mirror his enthusiasm because the state of their party finally sank in.
"Hang the fuck up… you're a cook… and you're a tinkerer?"
They paused, wondering what he was getting at.
"We are all life skill players?!"
Like a strike of lightning, it dawned on them. Angel's lips twitched, snorting as she turned her head.
"Don't question mine. Food is crucial for any survival game."
"What—and you think fixing tech isn't?! We're modern humans! You can't possibly be thinking of finding a cave and living the rest of your life there!"
"Alright, enough. It's not like the system told us we can only have one class. At the very least, we have my Shadow Bullets."
Shadows coiled around his right arm, gathering at a center. In a second, a black orb the size of a marble appeared on his palm. He attempted to make another one, but static cut through his concentration.
"Looks like I have 200 mana. Now I just need to figure out a way to know my health."
"Do it tomorrow," Angel yawned, claiming one side of a king bed. "It's 2 a.m. Since it's the end of the world, we better sleep while we can."
Vincent and Daniel locked gazes, both sighing before finding their own couches.
Angel had a point. Every second had turned precious, as every moment carried the risk of encountering something like the Revenant.
Outside, where distant roars and screams finally reached their ears after a quiet hum of silence enveloped them, the world was changing.
Every corner of the planet was affected—civilization, forests, oceans... The reckoning had come unbidden.