Apocalypse Baby

Alex stepped forward and tapped Nancy on the shoulder, snapping her attention away from the group's chatter. She turned to face him, eyebrows raised in curiosity.

"All of this... did the damned—" Alex bit back his words, forcing a calmer tone. "Did the Overseer really tell you all this?"

Nancy nodded without hesitation.

"Yes. He explained the basics of the tutorial and answered any questions we had. Willingly, too. The only time he clammed up was when we asked about the Deities or the origin of the system."

Alex froze for a split second. His expression didn't change, but inside, his frustration flared like wildfire. He forced a smile, though his body betrayed him—his fists curled tight, his shoulders tensed.

"Oh, is that so," he said absentmindedly, the words rolling off his tongue while his mind boiled.

Before Nancy could notice anything strange, Alex added quickly, "Thanks." Then he turned away, his expression darkening the moment she couldn't see his face.

"That damned rabbit…" he cursed silently, his thoughts a storm of anger. The Overseer had handed them everything on a silver platter—information, guidance, answers—while leaving him to stumble around blind, piecing things together the hard way.

But then he paused, taking a slow breath to steady himself. His anger began to cool, and for a moment, Alex let the truth sink in.

"I have to admit... figuring it out myself wasn't all bad."

The thought hit him like a realization. Every hardship, every piece of knowledge he had earned on his own had shaped him. Made him sharper. Stronger.

He glanced around at the other players—their faces still tense, their eyes filled with uncertainty. If he wanted to, he could wipe them all out right now. They weren't even close to his level.

The corner of Alex's mouth twitched into a faint, almost amused smile.

"Let them have their answers. I'm already ahead."

Nancy, who had been watching him, suddenly tilted her head and frowned.

"Are you constipated or something? Why do you look like that?"

The question blindsided Alex. His faint smile disappeared, replaced by an incredulous look. He blinked at her, then let out a small, almost inaudible chuckle as he relaxed.

"It's nothing," he replied, shaking his head.

He focused on the other players, carefully observing how they interacted—their body language, their conversations, and the subtle way they grouped together.

It didn't take long for him to notice something interesting.

"Jonah's more resourceful than I thought," Alex muttered to himself.

Jonah moved through the crowd like it was second nature. He spoke to everyone, his tone confident but approachable. Even the players who had been withdrawn—arms crossed, faces tense—found themselves talking to him. Alex watched as their walls came down, bit by bit.

He noticed the way their eyes lingered on Jonah when he spoke. They weren't just listening; they were hanging on his words. His presence carried weight. Influence.

"Yeah, he'll probably be their leader," Alex thought, his expression unreadable.

Turning away from the group, Alex walked to the edge of the massive tower they stood on. Wind rushed past him, carrying with it the faint noise of distant shouting. He squinted into the distance, his sharp eyes scanning their surroundings.

His gaze landed on other towers rising through the misty horizon, their silhouettes standing tall like forgotten giants. He noticed players—other people like him—scattered on top of each one.

"Same number as us…" Alex realized, narrowing his eyes. Their confusion was clear even from this distance. They milled about, looking as lost and uncertain as he had felt when he first arrived.

"We're not alone in this mess," he muttered under his breath.

Then, as his gaze drifted further, something caught his attention—something that made him freeze.

Atop another tower, a single player with a scythe sat at the very edge, legs dangling carelessly over the side. Alex's sharp eyes took in the unsettling sight just behind the figure—several unmoving bodies strewn across the rooftop.

Dead.

A chill ran through him.

"Did he kill all those players?"

His body tensed, his mind racing. They had just arrived, and hadn't even faced any tutorial monsters yet. And already, people were dying.

Alex exhaled, shaking his head as a bitter thought surfaced.

"I knew it. Humans are bound to cause trouble here."

He let out a quiet sigh, staring at the chaos unfolding from afar. He was human, too, yet he'd already caused enough destruction in just a few days. Multiply that by thousands of people running around in a place like this, and chaos was unavoidable.

For a fleeting moment, Alex wished he was the only one here. Alone.

Behind him, he heard footsteps approaching. He glanced over his shoulder to see Nancy walking toward him. She slowed when she noticed his distant expression.

"What are you doing here all by yourself?" she asked, her voice curious but cautious.

Alex didn't answer immediately. Instead, he pointed across the misty expanse.

"See that?" he said, his tone quiet but firm. "Other players. Just like us."

Nancy followed his gaze, narrowing her eyes as she stepped closer. Her lips pressed into a thin line as she squinted to make sense of the distant scene.

But Alex noticed something. She stopped short, careful not to get too close to the edge. Her posture stiffened ever so slightly.

Alex's lips twitched into a small, knowing smile. "Is she afraid of heights?" he wondered silently.

Compared to Alex's enhanced eyesight, Nancy's vision was laughably poor. She squinted into the distance, clearly struggling to see what he'd pointed out.

"Wait… oh," she murmured after a moment. The players on the other towers appeared as tiny, barely visible dots to her. "It's true."

Before Alex could stop her, Nancy turned back to the group.
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"Hey, Jonah! Look—other players!" she called out, waving an arm and drawing everyone's attention.

Jonah looked up, his interest piqued. "Where?"

Nancy pointed toward the towers. "Over there. Alex spotted them."

Alex frowned, his jaw tightening slightly. "You didn't have to say it was me…"

Jonah grinned at him, his usual enthusiasm bubbling to the surface. "Good job, Alex." He turned to address the others, his voice carrying the kind of authority that naturally drew attention.

"We should try to meet up with them," Jonah said, optimism shining in his words. "If we join up with a larger group, we'll have better chances of survival. There's no need to worry too much, everyone—if we work together, we can get through this place."

The crowd murmured in agreement, hope flickering in their expressions.

But Alex stood quietly at the edge, shaking his head.

"Naive,"

He turned his gaze back toward the lone figure on the far-off tower who looked like a grim reaper, and his fingers curled slightly.

He sincerely doubted everyone would share Jonah's wide-eyed, team-player ideals.

Heck, he didn't even agree with Jonah's views.

This place was dangerous.

And people—when pushed—were far worse than any monster lurking here.

He planned on leaving the group soon as working in a group, especially with people who had treated him poorly, wasn't going to happen.

Trust in a place like this? Impossible.

In a world with no rules or regulations—where strength made the rules—humanity always ended up being its own worst enemy. People would fight, betray, and tear each other apart long before the real threats did.

Alex's thoughts were interrupted when the archer who had spoken earlier raised a concern.

"Okay, I agree with the idea of meeting up with others," the archer said, crossing his arms. "But how are you planning to get down? We can't exactly climb."

Alex's eyes narrowed, and he stepped closer to the edge of the tower. He peered downward, scanning for a path. The sheer drop was dizzying—smooth, unforgiving walls that stretched straight to the ground below.

'That's right,' Alex thought. 'There's no way down.'

At least, not for most people.

For him, getting down wouldn't be an issue. With his enhanced agility, he could scale the walls easily, or better yet—he glanced at the [Glider's Cloak] draped over his shoulders—he could simply soar down.

But the others?

They were newbies. Climbing that sheer wall would be suicide.

"Maybe," a player suggested hesitantly, "if we put our free stat points into agility, we might be able to climb down."

The idea floated through the group like a weak spark, but it was quickly met with skepticism.

"I don't advise that," another player shot back. "We all have innate abilities, right? We should put our points into the attributes that match those abilities, so we can actually use them properly."

"Attributes? Agility? I don't get any of this," someone else muttered, frustration lacing their voice.

Another player chimed in, "I don't even have an ability."

"Me neither," a second one admitted, shoulders slumping.

The tension thickened in the air. Confusion mixed with uncertainty as the group stared at each other, wondering how they'd gotten here and why some of them seemed luckier than others.

Jonah stepped forward, raising a hand. His calm voice cut through the chatter.

"There's no need to worry," Jonah said confidently. "If it's about getting down…"

The group turned to him, hopeful.

"…then I can solve it."

"How?" Thompson asked, his tone skeptical.

Jonah's lips curled into a grin. He took a step forward, and without another word, his body began to rise into the air.

Gasps echoed across the rooftop.

Jonah floated effortlessly, rising higher and higher, as if gravity had simply stopped existing for him. His clothes rippled in the wind as he hovered several feet above the ground, arms casually crossed.

The players stared, wide-eyed.

"No way…" someone whispered.

Even Alex, who had remained quiet until now, felt his brow twitch.

'Of course,' he thought bitterly, narrowing his eyes. 'He has the ability to fly.'