"...suddenly—ahhhhhHH!"
Immediately after glowing subdued, they plummeted from the atmospheric height, the sudden shift in scenery causing Lucasth to feel a surge of confusion. He thought he was hallucinating, yet the sensation of wind forcefully tearing through his body was unmistakable. Were they teleported? Why? His mind raced, desperately seeking an explanation for this maddening situation.
He first calmed his racing thoughts, instinctively shielding the still-unconscious girl from the roaring wind. Then he surveyed his surroundings, searching for a safe landing spot. Amidst the chaos, they continued falling from a towering altitude, with no apparent safety net below—only rugged mountainous terrain and dense forests stretching into the distance, with no nearby water bodies in sight.
With limited options, Lucasth decided to trust in his body's resilience to withstand the impact. He closed his eyes, shifted his position downward to protect Emily from the brunt of the fall, and prepared himself for the inevitable collision.
When he finally made contact with the ground, he was surprised to feel no pain. Confused, he opened his eyes and checked his body for injuries—nothing. No sign of broken bones or bruises from the fall, nor any wounds from their escape from the facility.
Still overwhelmed by the bizarre series of events, Lucasth stood up cautiously, scanning their surroundings for any unexpected threats. He clutched Emily close, ready to run if danger arose. But then his ears caught a voice from below.
"Ugh! What the hell is that!?"
Looking downward, Lucasth saw Lauren lying face down on the ground, with Lucasth's foot still resting on his back. Awkwardly, he lifted his foot and extended a hand to help Lauren to his feet.
"Thanks, have we been gotten isekai'd?"
"Isekai?"
"You know, like being teleported from another dimension or universe... Didn't you read those kinds of tropes?"
"I don't recall anything like that. More like we've been abducted by aliens."
Lauren shook his head, murmuring, "Well, that's one way to look at it..." as he surveyed the surroundings, trying to assess their situation.
"So, what do we do now?" Lucasth asked.
Almost immediately, a luminous interface screen appeared before each of them.
[Hello, warriors from the far galaxy. I am Velvet, a System Goddess.]
[Host of today's generational event, the Divine Game!]
[An event that offers a chance to extend the limited lifespan of a dying star!]
[Each participant species will fight to the death for a slot to become part of a newly formed embryo nebula, and be reborn as a new god!]
"..."
"..."
Both men stared in stunned silence at Velvet's proclamation. Such words were not spoken lightly, and being thrown into this freakish game left them trembling with dread. They had no choice but to face the reality of their predicament.
[The first match: Goblin Survival!]
[On Planet Krego, the entire world has been overrun by goblin colonies.]
[They devour all races of men, mate with other female races, and even breed with animals—their appetite knows no bounds!]
[Now, you have the chance to wipe out this pest from the entire galaxy!]
[First rule of the match: survive for 30 days.]
[Second rule: eliminate as many goblins as possible.]
[All your movements will be monitored and scored!]
[But don't worry—each warrior participant has access to a System that increases their strengths and skills!]
[Spoke Status to your status to check your abilities, which will be visible only to you, or spoke Status Open, to show to others.]
[The first match begins!]
"Status."
________________________________________________
Name: Lucasth Kaineson
Age: 28
Race: human
Level: 1
Class: none
Bloodline: none
Health: 100%
Energy: 100%
Status: normal
Strength: 12.00
Vitality: 9.15
Constitution: 9.14
Intelligence: 4.21
Agility: 8.07
Mana: 0.00
[Unique Skill]
[Reload Pandemonium (Passive)]
The damage received by the user will be reflected as additional damage upon release. Each new type of physical damage inflicted on the body causes a minor stat increase, which can be either permanent or temporary and randomly distributed among small physical attributes. Accumulating damage stacks up to a maximum of 30 before triggering the cooldown, which occurs after the combat ends. The duration of the cooldown period varies depending on the total seconds spent in combat, with longer engagements resulting in a longer cooldown.
[Active Skill]
Level 2: Berserk
Level 1: Throw
Level 2: Presence Detection
[Passive Skill]
Level 3: Gun Mastery
Level 1: Axe Mastery
Level 4: Unarmed Mastery
Level 5: Combat Mastery
Level 2: Survival Mastery
Level 4: Tactical Mind
Level 1: Instinct
[Trait]
Ailment Immunity X
Nuclear source II
Empty Naught
________________________________________________
Upon viewing his status, he notices that he was a combat expert with limited survival experience. Showing his mysterious past had been rough, even before he was experimented on. Nevertheless...
"Tch"
Now he knows what those scientists put in his arms—a mysterious, possibly radioactive substance —raising the threat that he could become infected and turn into a dangerous zombie.
After the nuclear war, the entire atmosphere was saturated with residual nuclear radiation, leading to widespread infection and rendering most lifeforms extinct. Fortunately, a significant number survived, gradually developing immunity to the radiation. However, the dead did not rest; their bodies reanimated, warped by uncontrollable mutations.
"Ugh!"
Suddenly, Lucasth's head throbbed intensely as fragmented memories surged forth—images of being kidnapped by armed forces, witnessing shadowy figures whispering and dismantling him.
"We are thankful we found you."
"After many years... we finally have the cure within our grasp."
He saw scientists with medical tools; some injected him with mysterious, glowing liquids, while others cut into his flesh. The pain and trauma flooded back with relentless intensity.
"...Hey, hey! Lucasth, bro, are you okay?" Lauren asked hurriedly, noticing Lucasth's unresponsive gaze.
"Yeah, just... recalling something from the past, seeing my status," Lucasth replied, attempting to compose himself.
"Speaking of status, what about yours?" Lucasth inquired, quickly switching topics.
Thankfully, Lauren understood the hint and chose not to press further.
"Heh heh, I figured you'd ask. Status Open," Lauren said with a slight grin.
________________________________________________
Name: Lauren Faust
Age: 22
Race: Human
Level: 1
Class: None
Bloodline: None
Health: 100%
Energy: 100%
Status: Normal
Strength: 8.52 (3.52)
Vitality: 3.49
Constitution: 3.50
Intelligence: 1.22
Agility: 16.70 (11.70)
Mana: 1.22
[Unique Skill]
[Proton Acceleration (Active)]
Once activated, the body charges lightning mana across its body, creating a crackling aura. When released, it discharges surge lightning throughout the body, significantly boosting movement speed and reaction time. The skill can be prematurely released or pushed to overlimit, sustaining as long as lightning energy remains.
[Active Skill]
Level 5: Dash
[Passive Skill]
Level 2: Etiquette
[Trait]
Gentleman I
Athlete III
Sprinter V
Cyborg II
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"You did a good job keeping up with me despite no combat training. But still..." Lucasth marveled at his status in light of their previous encounter. Lauren's skills focus on explosive speed, devoid of power, making him just a rapid runner.
He also possessed an Etiquette skill and a Gentleman trait, indicating a wealthy elite background with a sporting lineage. However, Lucasth disregarded these, considering them unimportant in survival situations.
"Is it okay to reveal those?" he wondered if sharing such details might be risky.
Hesitated, doubtful about not hiding valuable information that could serve as a trump card in dangerous scenarios.
"If I don't reveal these, will you still trust me? I want to show all my cards so there are no doubts later, as we're still guarding each other," Lauren said honestly, knowing his greatest asset was his speed only.
"Plus, I'm weaker than you, and surviving alone means death, so I must stick with you two."
"You have a point..."
"Now that we understand our abilities, what's the next plan?" Lauren asked.
As he spoke, Lucasth gently lowered Emily to the ground, then unloaded his backpack and retrieved an item.
"Take these," he said, handing two combat knives to Lauren.
"Only knives? What about guns?" Lauren asked with confusion, aware that Lucasth and Emily's backpacks were stocked with firearms and ammunition.
"Still no full trust between us, right? And also, what if you shoot us?" Lucasth replied casually, implying that he preferred not to waste bullets on non-life-threatening situations—especially when the person wielding the firearm lacked skill.
That's why he also took a hatchet and placed it firmly on his hips. As he had an Axe Mastery skill, which made a significantly more effective weapon than others without prior skill.
As Lucasth finishes preparing his gear—carefully strapping many throwing knives to his vest, attaching various tools to his waist, and holstering a sturdy pistol to his right side—he picks up his backpack and gently lifts Emily again.
"Let's go."
He then walked steadily toward the dense forests, the canopy thick with intertwining branches and leaves rustling in the breeze.
Wait, no consultation? Lauren asked, confused, why they hadn't discussed their plans first.
"Why do I need to discuss my plans with a person who hasn't had experience on combats?" Lucasth replied bluntly, his gaze was still fixed ahead as he continued moving.
"Ugh! I got, I got it!... I'll just follow right!? Damn it! I'll remember this!"