Chapter 3. Countdown

"No one will find us here," Shin said to Elena and his grandmother as they arrived in the garden of a once-grand mansion. It belonged to one of the wealthiest families in town, but now it was nothing more than rubble and ash. The walls were scorched black, the windows shattered. Bodies of the mansion's owners were scattered across the garden—twisted, mutilated, and left to rot like dead rats. This only showed Shin that the massacre hadn't just swept through his neighborhood—it had engulfed the entire town, or the entire world. "This used to be where Grandpa worked," Shin murmured. "He showed me a secret CCTV room underground once." He knelt beside a patch of disturbed earth and pulled open a hidden safe embedded in the ground. One by one, he helped his grandmother inside, then Elena, before slipping in himself and reaching up to pull the hatch shut behind them. The tunnel was narrow and reeked of old metal and soil. Just ahead was a reinforced steel door. Shin pushed it open and stepped into a small, lit room that still had power and the monitors were working perfectly. There was a single bed pushed to the corner, beside a desk cluttered with laptops and various electronic tools. He let out a soft, relieved chuckle. "The cameras are still working..." "You want us to live here?" Suzune asked, eyeing the room with fear. "It's safer than being out there in a real house where we could be attacked at any time, Granny," Shin replied. He gestured to the bed. "Look. It's even comfortable. You two can sleep there—I'll take the floor." Elena collapsed onto the bed, burying her face in her hands. Her voice cracked. "Just what the hell is going on with the world?" Shin sank into the desk chair as he tapped a glowing blue button that had appeared in front of him ever since the chaos began, and a screen with his name and everything appeared before him. "I don't know either. But it feels like the world has turned into some kind of... survival game. And these screens—they're like systems." "Systems?" Suzune asked, confused. "Is that what killed my husband?" Shin looked down, unable to meet her eyes. "I wish I knew. But from what I've seen—and from everything I understand as an otaku—this system... it's what's controlling everything now. If we want to survive, we have to follow whatever it says we do." "You mean... killing others to level up?" Elena's voice trembled with sorrow. He nodded solemnly. "I guess so. But the system also mentioned quests—completing them might help us survive without resorting to murder." Suzune pressed her hands together in prayer, tears streaking her cheeks. "Oh God... What has this world turned into?" Shin stood up, dismissing the system screen. "We need to work together to survive. So... what skills do you each have? There should be a blue button hovering in front of you. Just tap it." The two women hesitated before reaching out. As their fingers touched the invisible buttons, translucent blue screens materialized in front of them. "It says I have a healing skill!" Elena said, blinking at the screen. "That's perfect. Healing will keep us alive when things get bad," Shin encouraged. "What about you, Granny?" Suzune squinted at her screen. "It says... magic nullification?" Shin's jaw dropped. "Holy shit. That's amazing, badass! That means no magical attack can touch you! You're basically immune to it!" "How do you know all this?" Elena asked, glancing at him. He smirked. "Let's just say... years of watching anime and playing games are finally paying off. These kinds of skills are common in games." "A game..." Elena let out a bitter laugh, but her eyes were wet with grief. "You're telling me our world has become some twisted game? Our families... our friends... killed like animals just so someone can 'level up'? How is that even real?" Shin inhaled deeply. He knew she had every right to feel that way. He felt it too—the weight of helplessness pressing down on his chest. Without a word, he stood, walked to the bed, and sat between the two women. Then he wrapped his arms around both of them, pulling them into a tight, desperate hug. "I know it's hard," he whispered, his voice shaking. "Cry. Scream. Do whatever you need. But don't give up. We have to survive. Whoever created this system... they must've created an ending too. Every game has one. I don't want to lose either of you. You're all I have left. So let's survive. Together." Tears soaked his shoulder as the women clung to him, trembling. "And maybe," Shin continued softly, "just maybe, our loved ones aren't dead. I saw people get torn apart and bled like real deaths. But your dad, Elena... my grandpa... and everyone 60 years and above— they just vanished. Like dust. Not like the others. I know it's just a theory, but what if they're not really gone? What if they're still out there?" Elena's breath caught. She looked at him with wide, tear-streaked eyes. "You think... I might see my father again?" "I'm not sure," Shin said gently, "but I hope so. And to find out, we have to survive till the very end." She hugged him tightly again, her fingers digging into his back. "Thank you for giving me a reason to live, Shin... I'll survive. No matter what." Just then, the muffled sound of gunfire echoed above them—closer this time. The slaughter hadn't stopped. It was spreading. The women huddled even closer to Shin, clinging to him like he was the last thread of safety left in a crumbling world. And yet, deep inside, Shin knew the truth. He had no combat skills. No power to protect them, and he didn't even understand the bizarre rare skill he got. [Quest 1: Kill three people to level up.] [Quest 2: Use unique skill: Lewd-Reap – Steal another person's skill.] A notification blinked across his vision. Shin stared at it, his fists trembling. The system wasn't giving him a choice. Survive... by killing. Or by stealing other people's skills using his skill? He clenched his teeth. The countdown to the second Elimination Round was also ticking! And who knows if this round, they'll disappear like the elderly— or die on the spot. TBC