The world ended, but not all at once. It started with a whisper.
A promise.
A lie.
—
I used to have everything. Money. Friends. Power. I was untouchable.
Then the world cracked open, and the System rained down.
And I got nothing.
Everyone else awakened to abilities, strength, power. My friends—no, the people I thought were my friends—evolved. I stayed the same. A goddamn nobody.
And nobodies don't last long.
They laughed at first. Joked about it. "Bro, you got scammed."
Then the world got worse. The laughter stopped.
Then came the beatings.
Then the starvation.
Then the screams.
They told me it was my fault. If I had just awakened like everyone else, none of this would've happened. If I had just been stronger, they wouldn't have had to do this to me.
But now?
Now I am strong.
And I am going to bury every last one of them.
—
The first time I heard his voice, I was starving to death in a pit.
"Oh my, oh my. Such a tragic little tale."
I thought I was hallucinating. I had already spent three days at the bottom of this hole. No food. No water. Just my own filth and the echoes of their laughter above.
Then he spoke again.
"Would you like to play a game?"
I ignored him. The hallucination would go away if I just stayed silent.
"Oh dear, how rude. And here I thought we could be friends."
"Fuck off," I muttered.
"Manners, manners! I am here to help."
I didn't believe him. Not at first.
But then the System spoke.
A window appeared in the darkness.
> You have awakened a Unique Ability.
[Mutual Destruction] – When you are about to die, all damage you have received will be amplified and reflected upon your attacker.
For a second, I just stared.
Then I smiled.
—
They threw me back into the arena the next day.
The rules were simple: Fight, survive, entertain.
The stronger ones bet on our lives. The weak ones fought for scraps.
I was the weakest.
So they gave me a sword and threw me against someone bigger, stronger, better.
And I let him tear me apart.
Blow after blow, his fists crushed my ribs. I didn't block. I didn't dodge. I just let it happen.
I heard laughter from the stands.
"Useless."
"Waste of food."
"Just kill him already!"
I let him break me—until my body finally reached the threshold.
And then Mutual Destruction activated.
The pain surged outward, ten times stronger. My attacker's body convulsed. His bones snapped, his skin tore, his organs liquefied.
The laughter stopped.
Silence.
Then screams.
I stood up, bloodied, broken—but alive.
And I smiled.
Orestes chuckled. "Oh, this is going to be fun."
—
The first grave was dug that day.
I would fill the rest soon.