Aurora City, The Old Forge

The legendary basketball arena was now the theater of a chilling and surreal spectacle. In the bleachers, instead of the usual lively and vibrant crowd of supporters, there were only countless bodies strewn around in all manners. The deafening silence that hung in the air gave the place an eerie graveyard-like atmosphere that sent shivers down the spine.

Then, after a time so long that some wouldn't dare to imagine yet so short that it only seemed like a few moments went by, the silence was broken by a faint and almost inaudible grunt released by one of the motionless figures strewn across the area.

The figure belonged to none other than Jay. 

Confused and disoriented, he wondered what happened as his awareness returned and he blinked his eyes open.

‘So I was talking with Oliver. Then a strange voice sounded inside my head, talking of system and universe ascension. Then the next instant, everyone just fainted,’ Jay thought as he quickly recounted the previous events in a bid to find some clues that could help him make sense of his current situation. 

Unfortunately, that little trip down memory lane wasn't that helpful as it only made his already strange situation stranger without answering a single of his questions. Still, it wasn't completely useless as it did give him a few thoughts to go. And that was better than having nothing to work with.

Though Jay already had a hunch that the current situation wasn’t the result of human actions.

‘Well, at least I wasn't whisked to some unknown and dangerous place,’ he thought as he stopped staring at the ceiling. A quick scan of his eerily quiet surroundings told him that he was still within the premises of the arena and wasn't under any imminent threat.

Another thing worthy of note was that he seemed to be the first or one of the first to regain consciousness. However, he wasn't sure whether it mattered as only a few seconds had gone by since he awakened and anyone who was already awake could just be lying down like he was doing a few seconds ago

Besides, a few moments after he rose to his feet he noticed that the twins too were already up, more and more people following suit soon after.

In a short instant, hundreds of people quickly rose to their feet. The previously silent arena growing increasingly noisier as their confused and worried voices filled the places. 

“What happened? Why did I faint?” 

“Hey, what was that voice? Did anyone else hear it? What did it mean by ascension?” 

“Is this a terrorist attack?” 

“It is over, the apocalypse is upon us.” 

“Shit, why is there no signal here?” 

“Does anyone know how long we stayed unconscious?” 

“Dad, wake up, please. Someone help me.”

“Fuck, I can see. This is incredible. Praise the Lord.”

At first, Jay tried to pay attention to them, wondering if he could glean any useful intel. Unfortunately, he was quickly disappointed as whatever he managed to hear through the noisy mess only served to prove that everyone else was as clueless as he was.

With a sigh, he stopped paying any attention to the noisy crowd and focused on his body as he waited for the twins who were already making their way toward him.

Luckily, after a quick check, he found nothing wrong with it. Instead, he noticed that it was in an extremely good state. One so good that it struck him as suspicious. First of all, he couldn't feel any of the fatigue he should have gained during the previous game. Then, he had this odd sensation that something was off with it. However, despite his perfect understanding of his body, he was unable to put a finger on the source of this feeling and try as he may, it remains just that, an odd feeling.

However, before he could delve deeper into this new enigma, a soft voice reached his ears. And judging by the sounds it undoubtedly belonged to Lexie.

“Hey, Jay are you alright?” she asked as she and her brother stopped beside Jay.

‘Forget it, I will check more carefully later. Everything should be alright now,’ Jay mumbled to himself before turning to look at the twins. When he saw the familiar face, a sense of relief washed over him and a small smile found its way to his lips. “Not too bad. What about you?”

“As good as you can be in this kind of situation,” Lexie answered with a tired sigh before returning a smile of her own. 

“What about you, Alex?”

“Fine and curious mostly. Besides, is it normal for your friend over there to be unconscious until now?” Alex asked with a frown on his face.

“Hum,” Jay mumbled as Alex's words attracted his attention to the still motionless figure of Oliver.

By now many people were already well awake and back on their feet. However, there were still several people who were showing no sign of waking up. As he looked at them, Jay wasn’t sure whether there was something wrong with them or if they just needed more time to recover.

Still, he decided to check on them just to make sure. It was with this intent that Jay crouched by Oliver’s side and started checking his pulse. 

“What?” Lexie questioned as she noticed the scowl that disfigured Jay's face a few seconds later. 

In response, Jay simply shook his head and continued his quick check before motioning for Alex to come forward. Without a word, the latter too crouched beside Oliver and with practiced ease took his pulse, quickly noticing the lack of it.

At that moment, the gravity of the situation fully dawned on Jay. While they may be wrong, and he hoped so, the chances were low and in all likelihood, Oliver didn't come out of the prior events unscathed. Now, if everyone who was still unconscious until now shared a similar fate to his, the situation just went from strange to utterly macabre. 

Even Jay who had his fair share of death couldn't help but feel cold when faced with the realization that all those people who were perfectly fine moments ago may be dead now.

“What the fuck is going on?” Jay cursed, his concern for those close to him growing as he considered the possibility of this event not being limited to this area.

As for Lexie, having noticed the expression on the two men's faces, she didn't need any more words to understand the situation. “I have a bad feeling about this. Let's get out of here,” Lexie said, earning a nod from the two men.

Jay knew not to underestimate a woman's intuition. Even more, if this woman was Lexie. Besides it was now clear that while this place may appear safe now, it might not stay that way for much longer.

Then as if trying to prove him right, a voice -the one that started it all and one he wished he didn't have to hear again- sounded through their mind, bringing more curious and unsettling news.

This time, instead of a single time, the message was repeated three times. 

{CONGRATULATIONS!}

{Universe 711 has completed the ascension process.}

{Life world U711X2000D19 has been integrated into realm U711X2000Ω2!}

{Congratulations on stepping into the SYSTEM ERA.}

{Dimension stabilization and System synchronization are in progress. Remaining time: 24:59:59.}

[Mandatory quest: Survive and prove your worth

Rewards: Permanent access to the system.

Additional Rewards: Based on individual performance

Good luck]

“You heard it too, right?” Jay asked as the voice finally stopped and the floating holographic windows that accompanied it blinked out of sight.

“Yeah,” Alex nodded absentmindedly.

“I wish I didn't,” Lexie expressed.

“There is no denying it,”  Jay said as the latest appearance of what he guessed was the “System” pretty much confirmed the kind of conundrum they were in.

Even if the other part of the announcement may still be confusing, the part welcoming them to the “System Era” couldn't be more straightforward.

“Hey guys, I think I know why it asked us to survive,” Lexie said, her tone becoming sharp and her focus fixed on Oliver.

As he heard her, Jay once again remembered the quest and probably the most important part of the latest announcement, his gaze unconsciously shifting to where Oliver’s body should have been.

However, instead of a cold corpse, he was greeted with the sight of a much livelier or deadlier Oliver.

“Zombie,” Alex said, dazed by Oliver’s current situation and look. 

 “I guess,” Jay answered as he too briefly stalled at the sight of Oliver. And to be honest he did look how one would expect the legendary undead to look like. At least he looked less like a healthy person and more like a freshly baked corpse.

Coupled with the fact that he was presumed dead a few moments ago, it wasn't too far-fetched to assume that he was a  zombie.

However, more than what Oliver became, Jay was more interested in how he became it. Unfortunately, he wasn't given any time to dwell on this question. 

Indeed as they took in its sight, the creature too noticed them. And the moment their gazes crossed it sprung toward him like a famished dog seeing a tasty bone, its mouth wide open as if trying to swallow him whole. 

Was it anyone else, facing such a scary scene, they would have probably panicked and wildly scrambled to escape the grasp of the beast about to unleash its rage upon them.

However, Jay knew that panicking in such a situation would only get him killed faster. Besides, since his awakening, he has always been on his guard, ready to deal with any unexpected developments. 

Thus, when the creature pounced on him, he reacted instantly as his fist flew forth and smashed against its face with tremendous force.

Then as the two met, Jay could feel his fist squeezing the creature's face and its bones shattering. The sound of breaking bones filled the air as the creature was lifted off its feet and blasted backward like a speeding bullet.

“The heck…” Jay cursed, feeling speechless as he looked in wonder at his still-extended fist and then at the creature which twitched slightly before returning to stillness.

As he confirmed the creature’s death, Jay couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. After all, the creature was still a normal human a few minutes ago and there may be a possibility of getting them back to normal.

However, those thoughts were fleeting. If he had to do it again, Jay would act all the same without any hesitation.

Besides, he never expected to kill the thing with one punch. While he was strong, very strong by human standards, he knew better than none the extent of his abilities and his limits. And the incredible might he just displayed with that punch was well outside of those limits or the limits of any human no matter the context. Punching someone and sending them flying was some movie-level shit and the last time he checked he was still in real life.

‘And yet another mystery,’ Jay sighed. However, he wasn't going to complain too much about this one as he would need every bit of strength if he wanted to leave the arena in one piece. So, this unexpected power-up, no matter how weird it was, was more than welcome.

“Wow,” a surprised exclamation from Alex brought Jay back to his senses. As he turned his eyes toward Alex, he could see him catching a zombie and throwing it toward two others like a cannonball. That was Alex for you. Simple, brutal and efficient 

“Look like they weren't the only ones to change,” Lexie said as she slightly sidestepped to dodge the pounce of another zombie. Then as it moved past her, a chirurgical kick landed on its knee making it tumble forward. Before it could hit the ground, her slender hands seized its head and she stabbed her butterfly knife in its temple. The ease and grace with which she executed this series of moves made it clear that it was something she had done countless times.

“My guess. Nothing is as it was before,” Jay answered as he immediately picked the abnormalities in his companion's performance. While Alex was as rough as ever, it was still abnormal for him to just throw a grown man away and look like he didn't break a sweat. As for Lexie, her speed was such that it looked like she had instantly appeared behind the zombie before killing it. Something had changed, not just in their surroundings but within themselves as well. “We shouldn't think too much about it. We'll eventually get the answers to our questions.”

“You're right. Our priority is getting out of here alive,” Alex affirmed.

“Yeah,” Jay nodded without hesitation. Even though the current situation showed that one or two zombies were far from a threat to them, he knew it’d be of utmost foolishness to further engage with the zombies. Now was the best opportunity to make a run for it as there were still enough people present to share the burden with them.

“Alright, twenty hostiles between us and the player tunnel. It'll be hard to avoid battle. The entrance is a hot site. ETA is fifteen seconds,” Lexie swiftly shared the observations she made with them. 

“Make it thirty,” Jay said calmly, aiming to give them more time to reach the entrance without unnecessarily endangering themselves.

“Alright,” Lexie nodded, the small smile stretching her luscious lips a reflection of her appreciation of Jay’s thoughtfulness

“We move,” Jay said as he took a last look at the arena.

Hell.

That was the first thing Jay thought of as he took in his surroundings. 

Barely a few seconds had passed since the voice’s message. However, in those few seconds, the arena had already turned into a slaughterhouse littered with corpses and painted red with blood.

Everywhere, people were running as they asked for help and desperately tried to escape the clutch of the zombies. 

Everywhere, people were screaming in pain as zombies feasted on their bodies. 

Everywhere sounded the maddening roar of the zombies, striking fear in the heart of anyone present. 

It was hard to imagine that a few moments ago, all those people were still chatting happily and looking forward to the future. However, it only took a few seconds and everything was gone.

Now, all that remained was madness, fear, pain, despair, and death. Now and for long, all that mattered was survival.

And as he saw all this, Jay could only shake his head sadly. Right now, he could do nothing to change the overall situation. It was better to focus on his and the twin’s survival  

****

Simon’s POV

Lately, Simon's life had taken a turn for the worse. First, he was involved in some troubles at his work resulting in a salary cut. Then, his rent was increased and to top it all he had been arguing more often with his girlfriend.

As a result, he had been feeling pretty stressed out and figured out it could be a good idea to go out and relax a little. Turn out it wasn't.

At first, everything was going well. The game was a true feast for the eyes and his team won. Everyone was happy. He was happy.

Then, as if the universe was determined to mess with him, everything just went wrong. In a sudden and bizarre turn of events, everyone just blacked out. Then he regained consciousness, while his girlfriend didn't. No matter what he tried, she remained unmoving and his worries only continued as he started fearing the worst. 

By the time, the voice sounded for the second time, his mind was already a complete mess and he seriously needed some time to tide through all the things that were happening. 

However, that was a luxury he couldn't afford as things were only about to get worse. Indeed, the next moment he caught sight of his girlfriend and when he saw her or the creature she turned into, it wasn't relief but pure terror that coursed through him. The overwhelming amount of bloodthirst and malice she radiated was so much that his mind just went blank.

Then as it pounced on him, he could only watch helplessly as his body just stood there, frozen in fear and seemingly devoid of any strength. No matter how much he struggled inside and begged himself to move, he just stood still, not even uttering a scream as the creature slammed into him. The mouth he once craved giving him more than kisses as the creature started to ravenously bite him down, tearing apart his flesh as if it were the sweetest delicacy.

In a final surge of desperation, Simon did find some strength as he lifted his hands and weakly tried to push the creature off him. However, his feeble efforts were futile, and a few moments later his hand just fell limply as he took his last breath.

And Simon was far from being the only one with such a tragic fate.

On this day, humanity was once again reminded of a long-forgotten feeling. A feeling they believed they had left behind, since reaching the apex of the food chain on the planet. But now, as new hunters stepped on the field, they were confronted with the primal fear of becoming the prey once more.

****

Louisa’s POV

“Run, Silvi. We need to go. Fast!” a black-haired girl shouted, her voice filled with panic as she dragged her reluctant friend away.

“B..bu…but Caleb is still there. We can't leave him behind, Louisa,” Silvi retorted as she looked behind, her face filled with unwillingness. It was obvious that all she wanted was to go back and help her boyfriend.

“No, we can't. We need to run,” Louisa said as she tugged on Silvi's arm and continued to run after taking a last glance at her father and her brother who were doing their best to keep two of the creatures at bay.

“I am sorry,” she mumbled, tears streaming down her face. Louisa never hated herself as much as she did at this moment. She hated herself for being so selfish, for being so weak and cowardly. 

She too wanted nothing more than to go back. However, she knew they would have only made things worse had they stayed back. They were the only reason her father and brother had to get entangled with those creatures in the first place. Hopefully, they’d be able to get now that the two of them were out of the way.

As for her, the only thing she should focus on now was bringing Silvi to safety.

Those were her thoughts as she dragged Silvi toward Jay’s group.

She had noticed them earlier when they started to run. It was hard not to as they stood out too much. Unlike everyone else who was panicking and holding on for dear life, the three were simply wreaking havoc in the midst of the creatures. Any of the creatures that approached them were dealt with swiftly and ruthlessly. 

It seemed so simple that she could hardly believe that the three were facing the same creatures that drove everyone to the brink of despair. She had seen how easily one would get down once caught by them and she knew that despite their sluggish appearance, the creature's strength wasn't to be underestimated. But now, it looked like none of that mattered in front of those three.

Louisa wasn't sure why there was such a stark contrast between the rest and those three, and to be honest she didn't care. The only thought that struck her mind was that they were Silvi and her only way out. And as chance would have they weren't too far from them.

“Quick, Silvi, let's follow those guys,” she said as she continued to move forward. Their only chance at survival was right in front of them and she had no intention of missing it