NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1: Chapter 1: The End Begins
Ren groaned as he rolled onto his side, the glow of his computer screen illuminating the disaster that was his apartment. Empty instant noodle cups, soda cans, and crumpled snack wrappers littered the desk and floor. His phone buzzed beside him, but he ignored it. Probably another "Are you looking for work?" message from his mom.
It was already past midnight, but sleep wasn't even an option. He had spent the last few hours grinding in an MMO, only to get kicked from his party for being "undergeared and useless." Typical.
Ren yawned and lazily reached for the remote, flipping on the news in the background.
> BREAKING NEWS: AN UNIDENTIFIED METEOR HEADING TOWARD EARTH
A massive rock, glowing with a faint purple hue, was streaking across the sky on the screen. Scientists debated its size, impact zone, and potential threat level, but the reporter's voice remained calm.
"Officials assure the public that this meteor will burn up in the atmosphere and pose no threat—"
Ren changed the channel. Not my problem.
His stomach growled. He rubbed his eyes and sighed. His food supply had officially hit zero. Nothing left but expired soy sauce packets and despair.
"Guess I gotta hit the convenience store."
He grabbed his hoodie, slipped on some sandals, and stepped outside.
---
The Moment Everything Changed
The streets were mostly empty, a few neon lights flickering in the distance. Ren shuffled down the road toward the 24-hour convenience store, the automatic doors sliding open with a familiar chime.
As he walked past the shelves, he grabbed a cheap sandwich and a bottled drink, heading toward the counter.
And then—
BOOM.
A tremor shook the entire store. The glass doors shattered, alarms blared, and the shelves rattled violently.
Ren stumbled forward, gripping the counter for balance. "What the hell—?"
A blinding purple light filled the sky, and an earsplitting roar echoed through the city.
Through the broken window, Ren saw a meteor impact in the distance, a shockwave ripping through buildings like they were made of paper. The ground cracked beneath him, and then—
A floating window appeared before his eyes.
> [Emergency System Activation]
[Class Selection in Progress]
[To verify your class, grab any object nearby.]
Ren's breath caught in his throat. His mind refused to process what he was seeing.
"What the—"
Around him, others were seeing the same thing. A businessman grabbed a kitchen knife, and suddenly, his body glowed with golden light—
> [Class Acquired: Blade Master]
A girl in a hoodie grabbed a lighter—
> [Class Acquired: Pyromancer]
Someone else picked up a bat—
> [Class Acquired: Berserker]
People were screaming, running, grabbing anything they could get their hands on.
Ren's heart pounded. This isn't a dream. This is real.
He reached for something—anything—
But then, his vision blurred.
A sharp pain shot through his chest. His legs gave out beneath him.
His chronic illness. Not now.
The last thing he saw was the system window flickering in front of him.
> [Warning: No Item Detected]
[Class Verification Failed]
And then—
Darkness.
---
A Nightmare Reality
Ren gasped, jerking awake in his bed.
He sat up, drenched in sweat. His computer was still on, the news was still playing, and everything in his room looked exactly the same as before.
He held his head. "Was that... a dream?"
But it had felt too real. The tremor, the system window, the screaming—
Ren exhaled. Maybe he had just hallucinated everything from lack of sleep.
He stood up, stretched, and casually walked to the window—
And froze.
The city outside was unrecognizable.
The once-busy streets were in ruins. Skyscrapers were half-collapsed, vehicles were burnt-out husks, and thick black smoke rose from the wreckage.
Shapes moved in the distance, not human—twisted, unnatural monsters crawling through the wreckage.
And then, the system window returned.
> [Class Selection Failed]
[Assigning Default Class...]
[Class Acquired: ITEMLESS CHAMPION]
Ren stood there, staring at the message in disbelief.
"What the hell is happening?"
And then, from the shadows, something growled.
A mutated beast, its eyes glowing red, crawled toward his apartment building.
Ren took a step back.
And for the first time in his life—
He realized he was completely unarmed.