Chương 208: Chapter 202: A Rough Start Part 1

Tutorial - Horizon Beach, Arcachon Bay, France, Earth. Tutorial - Selected difficulty level: Impossible. Before Priam's eyes, the holographic interface, visible only to him, flickered to life. System Initialization... The Seven welcome you to their Tutorial! Choose a specialization. Fighter. Non-combatant.

"... Fighter." Better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war. Main Quest: To Infinity and Beyond. Cross one of the hundred portals scattered across Earth. Rewards: Access to the Seven Concepts Universe,???. Difficulty: Impossible. Time remaining: 7 days. Description: In an alternate reality, the arrival of the Seven has upheaved the world order. Earth is changing as fauna and flora adapt to the Concepts. Humanity faced a choice. Every human who chose a Free or Easy Tutorial disappeared.

The rest were corrupted by the [Redacted]. Only those who chose an Impossible Tutorial survived. This reality will disappear in a week. This Tutorial is sponsored by [Redacted]. Survive for a day to receive a reward. Time was freed, and the sun vanished behind the horizon. Priam read and reread the system message. Information was concealed within those words, and Priam didn't like what he understood. I have seven days. In this alternate reality, most of humanity is dead.

Surviving a day is impressive enough to warrant a reward. Fuck. His girlfriend squeezed his hand, pulling him back to reality.

"Do you think this is a prank?" asked Victoire. Priam banished the HUD with a thought and surveyed the surroundings. From atop his dune, he had a panoramic view of the beach for kilometers. The first thing that struck him was the disappearance of hundreds of vacationers. Their friends had also vanished. A glance confirmed that footprints in the sand abruptly halted. Not a prank. As far as his eyes could see, only about twenty individuals remained. All writhed in agony, seized by unspeakable suffering.

"I'm not sure these are actors," replied Priam, pointing to a man in his forties. Driven mad by pain, the man shoveled handfuls of sand into his mouth as he crawled toward the waves. Further away, a teenager trembled. In a particularly violent spasm, he stumbled over a basket and fell headfirst onto a driftwood trunk. The trunk, brought by the waves, hadn't yet eroded its branch stubs. Victoire gasped in horror as she saw a piece of wood pierce the boy's neck. Blood gushed from the mortal wound.

Horrified, Priam recoiled. A hundred meters away, the black blood dripped onto the sand. With night falling, the scene became even more terrifying due to the lack of light. Suddenly, the trunk trembled, then lifted, propelled by the adolescent rising to his feet. Priam widened his eyes, retreating once more. The inhuman movements animating the boy sent shivers down his spine. A form passed by them. Swearing, Priam lunged to grab Victoire's hand.

"What are you doing?!" he hissed.

"We need to help him!" she cried. Priam's heart raced with fear.

"Don't shout!" Victoire shot him a puzzled look.

"He's injured and terrified," she whispered.

"Go alert the rescue center." This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

"What are you talking abou—" Priam stopped and took a quick breath. It wasn't the time to argue.

"It's too late for him, you know that." At least, it was too late for a human. Victoire gritted her teeth, refusing to acknowledge reality.

"Let me go!" A howl made them turn around. The sand-eating man was running toward the teenager. Priam and Victoire watched him tackle the boy before violently biting his neck.

"Oh my god..."

"Shit. We're in danger, Vic!" Victoire's eyes were red from tears, but Priam held her gaze. He knew she would come to her senses. His girlfriend was as altruistic as she was intelligent.

"It's just us two now, Vic." A tear rolled down Victoire's cheek, and Priam pulled her into an embrace.

"... I'll follow you," she murmured. Behind her, other howlers were rushing to the feast. Priam's family owned a house behind the dunes. The village, located at the end of a peninsula, was wedged between the ocean and a colossal basin. The two lovers had returned through the dunes, then crossed three gardens and two roads before reaching the house. On their way, they encountered no living soul. Only the chilling howl of a dog and the sound of smoking cars disturbed the quiet village.

The drivers who drove them had vanished, not their vehicles' momentum. Opening the glass door of his house, Priam ushered Victoire inside before locking it behind them. She drew the curtains while her boyfriend quickly searched each room. A minute later, they sat down in the living room. Priam's eyes stared into space, a sad smile adorning his face. Few other people would be able to comprehend the young man's thoughts, but Victoire had been in love with him for a long time.

"The house is empty…" Priam was only here for vacation, but his father lived permanently in the villa he had built with his own hands. Yet nothing moved in the house as night fell. Alain must have chosen one of the first two difficulties. He had thus escaped the corruption mentioned by the System. The image of the impaled youth appeared before Victoire's eyes and she shuddered.

"Alain's probably kicking back just fine," Victoire reassured Priam as he reached for his phone.

"We're in some kind of parallel universe. If he opted for Free or Easy mode, he's probably soaking up rays on a beach somewhere."

"No signal," Priam stated, a sad smile playing on his lips.

"A parallel universe... You're not buying into this, are you?"

"Do you?"

"I believe that an entity capable of teleporting humans, freezing electromagnetic waves, and improving my body can pull off a lot of stuff." Priam's tone put Victoire on edge.

"What kind of improvement are you talking about?"

"I gained a skill just by rushing here. [Stealth]. It bumped up my agility by a point, and... I feel more nimble," he said, leaning forward. With legs straight, he reached down to touch his toes with his palms. Victoire's eyes widened. She could do that, but Priam had never managed it. Deciding to follow Priam's lead, Victoire leaned forward to touch her toes. You have gained the skill: [Gymnastics]. [Gymnastics] - You're practicing in order to stretch and warm up your body. Get ready for splits and backflips.

The word "gymnastics" comes from the Greek word γυμνός, meaning "naked." That might explain why many System users boost this skill level when procreating. AGI +1 Deciding to put her newfound agility to the test, Victoire launched into a quick warm-up. She was used to regular training and knew her body well. After a minute, she stopped.

"My muscles are more supple and quicker. My joints are more flexible. It's mind-blowing!" She looked up at Priam.

"But how?"

"No clue," Priam replied, shrugging.

"Part of me is convinced I'm dreaming."

"And the other part?"

"It's wondering what the limits of this System are..." The contrast between Priam's priorities and their situation made Victoire smile. With humanity's disappearance, monsters, the possibility of death... Priam was leaving all that behind and moving forward, eager to explore these new possibilities. He had been waiting for something like this his whole life.

"You're elated." Priam looked at her before shaking his head.

"I—""Don't lie to me, my love. I'm not accusing you. I'm even happy for you. I know very well that you always dreamed of more than what this life gave you. I thought, by being with you, that I could bring that spice, but... it was really the magic that you were missing." Priam stared at her for a few seconds before dropping his mask. A smile spread across his face.

"I'm worried about my dad and sister, but you're right, I find all this fascinating. And you, Vic, you okay?" The apocalypse was here, billions of people had been erased, and Victoire had just witnessed a teenager bleed out. And worse. Yet Priam's gaze reassured her. Far from being scared, he was confident. It was one of the qualities she loved about him. When he decided to do something, Priam gave it his all. And she had never seen him fail when it mattered.

"I'm scared, but I have faith in us..." Her voice cracked. A tear rolled down her cheek. A moment later, Priam's arms enveloped her. His sea scent reassured Victoire.

"We'll make it. We'll find that portal."

"... And then?"

"Then, we'll repopulate the world." Victoire let out a small laugh.

"Fool," she smiled, wiping away her tears. Laughing had done her good.

"Priam?"

"Yes, Sunshine?"

"We're highly likely to die." It was more of a statement than a question, and Priam remained silent.

"But there's also the chance to survive and discover a new world, right?" Priam's embrace tightened.

"Yes, Vic." A question rose within her. Victoire tried to push it away. As long as she didn't voice it, as long as she was uncertain, anything was possible.

"In this new world, do you think..." Victoire's voice faltered, and she stepped back to look into the eyes of the man she loved. Priam's dark gaze shone with emotions. Sadness, excitement, warmth, tenderness, and... Love? Could you love me back in this new world?

"Vic?" Victoire suppressed her tears and feelings. It wasn't the time. She didn't want to pressure him. She didn't want a pity response. Summoning all her strength, the young woman forced a smile.

"I'll tell you if we survive."