The sun blazed overhead, scorching everything in sight.
"Feels like it's trying to turn me into barbecue," Zane muttered, wiping sweat from his forehead. His boots crunched over cracked asphalt as he trudged through the desolate ruins. Around him, rusted car skeletons and crumbling buildings stood like ghosts of a forgotten era. Vines and overgrown plants clawed through the concrete, reclaiming what was once a thriving city.
Zane exhaled, pulling up the system interface in front of him. A translucent map flickered into view, showing his location and—thankfully—no nearby monsters. He wasn't in the mood for another fight. His body still ached from his last battle against a Beast-Class monster. If another showed up now? He was screwed.
His gaze drifted across the ruins. He had never seen this world before it fell, but the system had recorded everything. A past that belonged to another time, another humanity.
"The system says it's been a thousand years since the world turned into this wasteland," he muttered, scrolling through old data logs. "Back then, this was a busy street—full of people, neon lights, and noise. Even with wars, life was still… normal."
He sighed. "Honestly? That sounds better than this apocalypse."
The system archives detailed exactly how it all began.
---
The Day God Changed Everything
One day, without warning, the sky filled with screens—glowing projections that appeared on buildings, streets, even inside every piece of technology. Every human on Earth saw the same message.
A booming voice echoed across the world:
"This world is now my playground."
The voice—powerful, absolute—continued:
"I will bless every human with a system. In 24 hours, monsters will flood the Earth. Safe Zones will be established, along with new rules. Survive, grow stronger, and defeat the 15 Special-Class Archfiends to restore your world. Succeed, and you will earn the right to meet me."
Then, silence.
At first, people laughed it off. A hacker? A prank? Mass hallucination? Theories spread like wildfire.
But then, the system interfaces forcibly appeared before every human—adults, children, even newborns. A notification flashed across their eyes:
[Welcome to God's Game. You are now a Player.]
A status screen followed:
Name: ???
Age: ???
Level: ???
Class: Choose one from the Seven Classes
Skills: ???
Several locked tabs were visible:
▶Weapons
▶ Storage
▶ Shop
▶ Daily Bonuses
A Rulebook explained the new laws of reality. The system stated that while every Player's system was unique, they all followed the same core mechanics.
But nobody understood what was coming.
---
The 24-Hour Countdown
As the countdown ticked down, the world fractured into factions.
The Fearful rushed to Safe Zones, desperate for protection.
The Skeptics dismissed it as a hoax and carried on with their lives.
The Preachers screamed that this was divine judgment.
The Survivalists hoarded weapons, determined to fight whatever came next.
The Governments & Militaries scrambled for a plan. Some even proposed escaping into space—until the system crushed that idea.
[Leaving Earth's orbit is strictly forbidden. Any attempt will result in instant death.]
Panic erupted. Riots broke out. Society unraveled.
And then, the countdown reached zero.
---
The Apocalypse Begins
A deafening trumpet blast echoed across the planet.
Then—
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
Fifteen figures descended from the heavens. They were humanoid, yet monstrous—their twisted forms radiating an overwhelming sense of dread. Each bore a different color: crimson red, abyssal purple, radiant gold, and more. These were the Archfiends—the ultimate enemies of humanity.
They claimed territories for themselves, though they were not bound by them.
And then— the true nightmare began.
Monsters poured into the world.
Cities burned.
Streets ran red with blood.
Governments collapsed in hours.
The Safe Zones, however, remained untouched—protected by an impenetrable barrier. But they had one rule:
By 10 PM, the barriers would activate. Anyone left outside… would be trapped with the monsters.
And so, the true crisis began at the stroke of 10 pm.
---
A Thousand Years Later
Humanity adapted.
Most people stayed within Safe Zones, treating survival as their new normal. The System Shop became the foundation of civilization, where Players earned points by killing monsters and used them to buy weapons, potions, and skills.
Even the Archfiends, the greatest threat to humanity, were powerless against the Safe Zones' barriers—except once every two months, when the shields weakened. During that time, Safe Zones had to be reinforced using points contributed by their inhabitants.
Despite all this, after a thousand years, not one Archfiend had been defeated.
Sure, humanity had managed to take down Abyssal-Class and even Colossal-Class monsters.
But the Archfiends?
Untouched.
---
Zane's Choice
But me? I didn't care about Archfiends.
I didn't want to be a hero. I just wanted to survive.
At least… that's what I thought. Until one day, everything changed.
While battling an Insect-Class monster, a system notification popped up in front of me:
[Do you want to leave this accursed world?]
I froze. My heart pounded.
Without hesitation, I tapped YES.
Then—another message appeared.
[New Objective: Kill 50 Beast-Class monsters.]
My stomach dropped.
Fifty.
I had never even killed one.
Beast-Class monsters were on another level far stronger than anything I had faced. But if this was my chance to escape, then I had to take it.
So, I kept hunting.
I slaughtered Insect-Class monsters, leveled up, and saved every point to buy potions and gear from the system's shop.
Somehow—through sheer luck or stubbornness—I survived. Again and again.
And now?
I'm one kill away.
Just one more Beast-Class monster, and I can finally activate the Destiny Rewritten skill—a power that will let me swap places with another version of myself from a different universe or reality.
I don't know what the difference is between the two.
But I don't care.
I'm ready.
---
Beep beep.
Monster nearby. Beast class.
"What? Another beast-class monster? Hmm… let me check my stats."
Name: Zane Mercer
Class: Assassin
Level: 40
HP: 200/250
MP: 40/160
Attribute Points: 7
Currency Points: 3000CP
Skills:
[Shadow Step - 2/5]
[Poison Blade - 0/3]
[Quick Escape - 2/5]
[Silent Takedown - 0/3]