The scene in front of Andrew's eyes was no different from the one he had witnessed in the past. The flashes of red and the glint of steel reflecting the moonlight reminded him of his own world.
If anything was different, it was his mental state.
Unlike the past, he did not try to help the others. Instead, he focused on his own objective of killing the zombies.
His body moved clumsily, but his 1000 years of experience overrode his body's instincts of wanting to stop. Still, it took him 15 minutes to clear the first objective.
[Congratulations. You are the first person to kill 50 Zombies. A special bonus will be given to you.]
[You can no longer participate in the hunt.]
A barrier formed around him, stopping him from reaching the zombies.
A few people stopped to look at him with envy, but the ever-looming threat of the zombies caused them to go back to their hunt.
"Oh my-! What is this? A human is already done? It seems as if this challenge was not enough for you."
The goddess noticed him, her glittering and unsettling eyes looking at him. Andrew felt his hand flex in anger and he immediately looked down. It wouldn't do him any good to show his emotions to the goddess.
Since he did not reply, the goddess turned her attention away from him and toward other participants.
It gave Andrew some time to look over his skills.
'For now, I should put my points in speed and intellect. I need to level up as quickly as possible so that I can start killing stronger opponents. But most importantly, I need to get a job.'
A job was something players could usually choose once they hit level 10. However, not everyone was guaranteed a job of their choosing. What stats you invested in mattered a lot.
However, a normal job wouldn't do for Andrew. What he needed was a 'Special Job' that would only be granted if specific conditions were met before hitting level 15.
His aim was to get the Archmage, the most powerful class of mages. And the way to get it was right in front of him.
'I should open my mana first.'
Mana was a sub-stat that opened up when someone leveled their stat up to 10. Andrew barely had enough to get it to 10.
[Player Name: Mark Dawson
Title: None
Skills: Spell Casting Level 1
Profession: None
Strength: 2
Speed: 4
Intellect: 10
Luck: 2]
[Congratulations, you have met the requirements to open mana stat. Your Spell Casting is Level 1]
Andrew flexed his hand to immediately test out his spell. A small ball of fire erupted from his hand, but he immediately extinguished it so as not to alert the entity looking over humans.
The goddess seemed to be having fun, her eyes lighting up every time she saw a human getting squished by the zombies.
"Oh my-! You all should hurry up. We are about to run out of time."
Her sing-song voice caused even more panic. No one wanted to die at the hands of the zombies. But the bodies kept falling.
Finally, the bell struck its final blow and the goddess clapped her hands. The zombies disappeared in a flash and people let out a relieved sigh. But that relief only lasted a second.
Andrew knew what was going to happen next, but he still did not have enough time to close his eyes as the whole square exploded.
Those who had finished killing the zombies in time and were granted the protection of the golden walls survived, while everyone else outside lay dead.
"Hmmm, it seems like about 80% of you humans managed to die. Not bad for a species that has no survival instincts. But this is not so bad for the first game."
The goddess told them, and the people who survived immediately turned toward her to see what would happen next.
"Y-You think our lives are a game? How dare you—"
A man complained, but before he could finish, his body was cut in half. The goddess's eyes kept looking down, daring the humans to rebel against her.
"So, does anyone else have a question for me? If not, then I will explain what is going to happen. If you all look at your system, you will see a countdown. It will tell you how long you have left before the next game. Prepare accordingly. Now, I shall take my leave."
The goddess told everyone, and Andrew knew it was his chance to speak up. The reason he had worked hard to come first.
"Excuse me, but I have not gotten my reward for coming in first."
Everyone paused to look at him as if he had gone mad. Even the goddess looked at him as if he had lost his mind.
"Your reward? Why do I need to care about it? I will give it to you later."
The goddess told Andrew, but he knew how to push her buttons.
"Oh, so you cannot give it to me now? Aren't you all-powerful and such? Surely this will be a piece of cake for you?"
He asked, and the goddess faltered for a second. He knew he was wounding her pride and she would be forced to act soon.
"You… are right. Of course, you are right. I am all-powerful. Hmm, if you truly want your reward, then step into the portal. I will give you the reward there."
The goddess told Andrew, and he stepped into the portal. The goddess turned to look at humanity and extended her finger. A golden glow formed around everyone's neck before it disappeared.
"Humans, once again, remember that you have been chosen and take it as an honor. Not everyone gets to experience the kindness of the system."
The goddess told them before she stepped into the portal as well. She was done with humans, and all that was left for her to do was to dispose of the human who dared to challenge her.
"Hmm, are you dead yet—"
She entered the portal, expecting to see the human on the ground. But a sharp stab of pain caused her to look down, only to see herself bleeding.
"W-What… How did you…"
The goddess questioned as she died. Andrew stood above her, his hand lit on fire and his arm still bleeding. A little further away lay a dead demon she had sent to swiftly end the human.
"This is just a little revenge and nothing more. Now, I hope you rot in hell, you demon."
That was the last thing the goddess saw before she died.