[DING! The Kill Game has descended. The global apocalypse begins!]
[Game Rules: Please discover them on your own.]
[Only one tip: Only the strong have the right to survive. And only the survivors have a chance to become strong.]
[Now initializing personal data panel... 10%... 33%... 66%... 99%...]
[DING! Personal data panel activated successfully!]
[Beginning talent awakening... 10%... 33%... 66%... 99%...]
[DING! Talent awakening complete!]
The mechanical chime echoed through Kai's mind, and for a moment, everything went blank.
Wasn't he dead?
He remembered it clearly—his strength stripped away by that terrifying force, body and soul annihilated by the Kill Game. The system had confirmed it. He was dead.
So why… why was the initialization sequence playing again?
Talent awakening? Data panel?
Wasn't this the very beginning—the moment when the apocalypse started?
Before he could make sense of it, the world around him burst into chaos.
"What the hell?! Kill Game? Global apocalypse?! Am I hallucinating?!"
"No, I see it too! There are words floating in front of my eyes!"
"A data panel?! Holy shit, this is a system! I've got a system! I'm the chosen one!!"
"Wait—everyone has a system? I thought I was the MC!"
"HAHAHA! I awakened A-tier Dragonflame Explosion! I'm OP already!"
"Damn, mine's just C-tier Strength Boost. So unlucky…"
"Screw this… I got F-tier talent: Tiny Fireball…"
Tiny Fireball...
Kai's gaze sharpened as it locked onto the voice's owner—Hongyu Li.
In his last life, Hongyu had died on day one—slaughtered by a bottom-tier dimensional bug.
And this setting… the familiar gymnasium, the familiar faces…
Kai's pupils contracted.
Then, a wave of exhilaration surged through his chest.
He had been reborn.
He was back at the exact moment when the Kill Game descended—back to day one of the apocalypse!
Without hesitation, he summoned his status panel:
[Name: Kai]
[Level: 0 (0/10)]
[Strength: 0.9]
[Constitution: 1.0]
[Speed: 1.2]
[Spirit: 1.1]
[Talent: Fireball]
A basic set of stats.
But Kai knew—his Talent section was not like the others.
For example, Hongyu's panel would say: Tiny Fireball (F-tier).
And the A-tier guy, Yuan Feng, had: Dragonflame Explosion (A-tier).
Only Kai's talent didn't display a tier at all.
In his previous life, Kai had assumed that his Fireball was just a crappier version of Hongyu's.
Weaker than F-tier. Practically useless. Couldn't even hurt living things.
He was labeled a trash player.
His teammates abandoned him without hesitation.
It wasn't until Day 5 that Kai discovered the truth:
His Fireball had a purpose—one more sinister than anyone could imagine.
It could burn corpses to ash.
Instantly. Completely.
And after the fire consumed a corpse, it would return to Kai's body—enhancing his strength.
The attributes, skills, and even talents of the dead could be plundered by his flames.
Despite starting five days late, Kai had risen like a glitch in the system.
He became nearly invincible.
But the Kill Game wasn't called that for nothing.
Even the strongest couldn't rest easy.
He would never forget the moment when the system, in its mocking robotic tone, declared:
[System Update: World Integration Gameplay has been enabled.]
That day shook Kai to his core.
Invincible?
Not even close.
Kai clenched his fists.
This time, he would do everything to grow strong—faster, harder, smarter.
"Only the strong survive."
So many had dismissed this warning.
Only those who endured the "World Integration" understood its weight.
His burning desire for power surged.
He turned his eyes toward the A-tier awakened: Yuan Feng.
Just then, a white blur streaked across the gym.
Screams erupted from the crowd.
"AHHHH!! Help! What is that?!"
"There's a monster! It's real!!"
"Don't scare me! I hate bugs!!"
Chaos. Panic.
The crowd scattered like headless chickens.
And yet, Yuan Feng, the self-proclaimed badass, stood up straight. He had trained in Taekwondo.
He shouted, "Everyone calm down! It's just a big white grub! Watch as I roast it with my Dragonflame!"
All eyes turned to him.
Sure enough, a grotesque white worm, nearly a meter long, slithered through the gym.
Slow, fat, ugly.
But its two antennae were lightning-fast—strong and lethal.
In under thirty seconds, it had already strangled four people to death.
Panic escalated.
Yuan Feng's face twisted. He wasn't as calm as he acted.
As the creature's antennae released Hongyu's corpse and darted toward him—his legs buckled.
He collapsed to the floor.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Only Kai, hiding within the masses, watched with quiet excitement.
He hoped Yuan Feng would die here.
But fate stayed the same.
"DRAGONFLAME EXPLOSION!!!" Yuan Feng roared.
A massive fire dragon surged from his hands.
BOOOOOM!!
The blast rocked the gym. The intense heat scorched everyone nearby. Screams, smoke, and chaos followed.
In that moment, Kai moved.
Amid the smoke, he darted to the fallen corpses left by the white bug.
One by one, he summoned his fireball—and burned the bodies to ash.
The system responded:
[DING! Corpse of Level 0 player incinerated. Strength +0.1]
[DING! Corpse of Level 0 player incinerated. Speed +0.1]
[DING! Acquired Talent: Constitution Boost (F-tier)]
[DING! Corpse of Level 0 player incinerated. Strength +0.1]
[DING! Acquired Talent: Tiny Fireball (F-tier)]
A smirk curled on his lips.
"Let the harvest begin."