The Safe Zone was silent except for the ragged breathing of the survivors. Blood streaked the floors, and the acrid scent of burnt flesh clung to the air. Liam's hands trembled as he wiped grime from his face, his drone hovering close, its lens capturing every exhausted expression.
[Audience Engagement: 100%]
[Fan Gifts: [Emergency Beacon] (A Rank) - Ready]
[Fan Gifts: [Skill Analyzer] (D Rank) - Ready]
Aria stood beside him, her ice-blue eyes scanning the room. The silver streaks in her black hair caught the dim light, making her look almost ethereal. "We need to move," she said, her voice low. "The system won't wait for us to recover."
Marcus groaned, flexing his fingers around his crossbow. "Yeah, because fighting for our lives wasn't enough. What's next? A dragon?"
Priya's [Healing Mist] flickered weakly around her fingers. "If the system follows game logic, the final task is usually a boss fight."
Liam exhaled. "Great. Just what we needed."
A notification flashed before them:
[Final Trial: Boss Encounter]
[Location: Central Arena]
[Warning: Failure = Elimination]
The survivors exchanged glances. No one needed to say it—elimination meant death.
The Central Arena was a colossal, circular pit surrounded by towering obsidian walls. The ground was cracked and stained, the remnants of past battles baked into the stone. At the center stood a massive, pulsating crystal—the objective.
[Objective: Destroy the Core]
[Boss: Guardian Warden - Level 10]
A deep, guttural growl echoed through the arena as the ground trembled. From the shadows emerged the Guardian Warden—a hulking monstrosity of armored flesh and jagged bone. Its four arms ended in serrated claws, and its face was a featureless mask of chitinous plating.
Rita tightened her grip on her flaming sword. "Oh, come on."
Aria's [Eagle Eye] flared, scanning the beast. "Weak points at the joints and under the chest plating. But it's fast. And smart."
Liam activated his [Skill Analyzer], the information flooding his vision:
[Guardian Warden - Abilities:]
[Titanic Slam] (B Rank): Shockwave attack, high knockback.
[Regenerative Carapace] (Passive): Heals minor wounds over time.
[Adaptive Threat Response] (A Rank): Learns from combat patterns.
Marcus cursed. "It learns? How are we supposed to beat that?"
Liam's mind raced. "We hit it hard and fast. No patterns. No repetition." He turned to the others. "Aria, you're distraction. Marcus, explosive bolts on my mark. Rita, aim for the weak spots. Priya, keep us on our feet."
Aria smirked. "Finally, a plan that doesn't rely on dumb luck."
The Warden charged.
Aria blurred forward with [Shadow Step], her staff striking like a viper against the Warden's knee. The beast roared, swiping at her—but she was already gone, reappearing behind it to strike again.
"Now!" Liam yelled.
Marcus's homing bolts screamed through the air, detonating against the Warden's chest. The explosions staggered it, but the carapace held.
Rita lunged, her sword carving a molten gash across its thigh. The Warden bellowed, backhanding her into the wall.
Priya's mist swirled around Rita, sealing the worst of the damage. "I can't keep this up forever!"
Liam activated [Improvised Arsenal], snatching a shard of broken crystal from the ground. It morphed into a jagged spear in his grip. He sprinted forward, aiming for the gap under the Warden's chest plating—
The beast learned.
It twisted, avoiding the strike, and retaliated with [Titanic Slam]. The shockwave sent Liam flying, his ribs screaming in protest.
[Warning: Critical Damage Detected]
[Cameraman Never Dies: Active - Immortality Sustained]
Liam gasped, forcing himself up. The Warden was adapting. They needed something unpredictable.
Then it hit him.
"Marcus! Give me one of your bolts!"
Marcus tossed him an explosive round. Liam caught it—and activated [Echo Mimic], copying Marcus's [Explosive Bolt Enhancement].
The bolt in his hand glowed with unstable energy.
"Aria! Get clear!"
She vanished as Liam threw the bolt—not at the Warden, but at the ground beneath it.
The explosion erupted, flipping the beast onto its back, its vulnerable underbelly exposed.
"Rita! NOW!"
Rita's sword plunged into the Warden's chest, the flames searing through flesh and bone. The beast convulsed, its limbs thrashing—
Aria landed the killing blow, her staff crashing through its skull.
Silence.
The crystal at the arena's center shattered, bathing them in golden light.
[Tutorial Complete]
[Rewards Pending...]
The survivors cheered, but Liam's celebration was cut short.
A figure descended from above—the same silver-cloaked Astral Observer from before. Its voice was a chorus of whispers, echoing inside their minds.
"Interesting. A Level 0... and yet you persist."
Aria stepped in front of Liam, her staff raised. "What do you want?"
The Observer tilted its head. "To witness. To test. The Ascension is not merely survival—it is selection."
A notification blared:
[Astral Directive: Immediate Extraction]
[Target: Liam Crest]
[Reason: Anomaly Detected]
Liam's blood ran cold. "Uh. That's not good."
The Observer raised a hand, space warping around it—
Aria moved faster.
Her staff slammed into the Observer's wrist, disrupting the energy. "Run!"
The arena shook as portals tore open around them, more Astral figures stepping through.
Liam grabbed Aria's arm. "We're not leaving without you!"
She hesitated, then nodded.
The group bolted, the Astrals in pursuit.
They sprinted through crumbling corridors, the system itself seeming to fracture around them.
Priya panted. "Where are we going?!"
"The exit!" Liam yelled. "The tutorial's over—we just need to get out!"
Aria's [Eagle Eye] spotted a hidden path. "Here! Now!"
They dove through a collapsing archway—and tumbled into blinding light.
When Liam's vision cleared, they were no longer in the tutorial.
Ruined skyscrapers stretched into a blood-red sky. Monstalkers prowled in the distance. This was the real apocalypse.
[Welcome to the Ascension Apocalypse]
[Level: 0 (Locked)]
[Current Objective: Survive.]
Aria's grip on her staff tightened. "We made it."
Liam grinned, despite everything. "Yeah.."
His drone buzzed to life, the lens focusing.
[Livestream: Active]
[Viewers: 10,000 Astrals and Counting...]
The game had changed.