Destiny stood beside his classroom window, staring at the dark clouds gathering above the city. The atmosphere had been strange since morning. Birds had disappeared, the temperature had dropped, and an unsettling silence had settled over the usually noisy streets.
"Destiny! Are you listening?"
He turned around to find his mathematics teacher glaring at him.
"Sorry, sir."
The entire class burst into laughter.
"Since you have so much time to stare outside, perhaps you can solve this question on the board."
Destiny sighed and walked toward the blackboard. At seventeen, he was neither the smartest nor the strongest student in his class. He was an ordinary boy with ordinary dreams. He wanted to graduate, enter university, become successful, and give his family a better life.
Unfortunately, the world had other plans.
BOOOOOOM!
A deafening explosion shook the entire school.
The windows shattered, sending fragments of glass flying across the classroom. Students screamed and scrambled beneath their desks as the building trembled violently.
What was that?!" someone shouted.
Before the teacher could respond, a terrifying roar echoed from somewhere outside.
It wasn't the sound of any animal Destiny had ever heard.
It sounded enormous.
Then the emergency sirens began.
11:42 AM | WARri, NIGERIA
A red notification suddenly appeared on every student's phone.
EMERGENCY NATIONAL BROADCAST
WARNING! WARNING! UNKNOWN HOSTILE CREATURES HAVE BREACHED THE CITY'S DEFENSIVE PERIMETER.
All citizens are instructed to seek immediate shelter. Military personnel have been deployed. Do not approach unidentified creatures under any circumstances.
Destiny's heart began to pound.
"Monsters? What kind of joke is this?" his friend Daniel muttered.
Suddenly, a loud crash came from the school gate.
Through the broken classroom windows, Destiny saw something that would haunt him for the rest of his life.
A monster.
It stood nearly three metres tall, with grey, rough skin, elongated arms and enormous claws. Its mouth was filled with rows of razor-sharp teeth, while its glowing red eyes scanned the school grounds.
A security guard stood frozen in front of it, holding a rusty rifle.
"RUN!" the teacher screamed.
The creature moved.
One moment, the guard was standing. The next, he was thrown several metres into the air.
Blood splattered across the school entrance.
Students began screaming uncontrollably.
The monster turned its head toward the classroom.
Destiny felt his legs go weak.
"Everybody out! Use the back exit!" the teacher shouted.
The students rushed toward the door, pushing and shoving one another. Destiny grabbed Daniel's arm, but before they could reach the exit, a massive claw smashed through the classroom wall.
The creature had reached them.
"DESTINY!"
Daniel's scream was the last thing Destiny heard before the monster struck.
He was thrown across the classroom and crashed into a desk. Pain exploded through his body. His vision blurred, and he struggled to breathe.
When he finally raised his head, the creature was standing directly in front of him.
Its enormous jaws opened.
Destiny crawled backward, desperately searching for something, anything, that could save him.
His fingers closed around a broken metal chair leg.
It was useless.
The monster raised its claws.
"Is this how I'm going to die?" Destiny whispered.
Then everything went black.
...
DING!
\[LIFE-THREATENING SITUATION DETECTED.\]
\[SEARCHING FOR A SUITABLE HOST...\]
\[HOST CONFIRMED.\]
\[MILITARY SYSTEM SUCCESSFULLY ACTIVATED!\]
Destiny's eyes snapped open.
A translucent blue screen floated before him, displaying strange words that seemed to exist inside his mind.
\[MILITARY SYSTEM\]
WELCOME, HOST DESTINY!
* Rank: Recruit
* Level: 1
* Strength: 5
* Agility: 6
* Vitality: 5
* Intelligence: 10
* Military Points: 0
\[BEGINNER'S MISSION\]
Kill your first monster.
Reward: Basic Combat Training, 100 Military Points and a Random Military Supply Crate.
Penalty for failure: Death.
Destiny stared at the screen in disbelief.
"A system? Am I dreaming?"
Before he could think further, the monster roared and lunged toward him.
\[EMERGENCY QUEST ACTIVATED!\]
\[SURVIVE THE NEXT 60 SECONDS!\]
A strange sensation spread throughout Destiny's body. His heartbeat accelerated, his senses sharpened, and he suddenly became aware of every movement around him.
He rolled sideways just as the monster's claws smashed into the floor.
Destiny scrambled to his feet and spotted a fire extinguisher lying beside the broken wall.
He grabbed it with both hands.
The monster charged.
"COME ON!"
Destiny swung with everything he had.
CRAAACK!
The metal cylinder struck the creature directly across its head. It staggered backward, releasing a furious howl.
Destiny didn't wait. He struck again, this time aiming for its glowing red eye.
The monster collapsed.
\[CONGRATULATIONS! FIRST MONSTER ELIMINATED!\]
\[100 MILITARY POINTS AWARDED!\]
\[BEGINNER'S MISSION COMPLETED!\]
Destiny dropped the extinguisher, breathing heavily.
He had actually killed a monster.
But before he could celebrate, the system displayed another notification.
\[WARNING! A LARGE GROUP OF HOSTILE CREATURES IS APPROACHING.\]
\[ESTIMATED NUMBER: 500\]
Destiny's blood ran cold.
Through the shattered windows, he saw hundreds of monsters flooding the streets. In the distance, military helicopters flew overhead while explosions illuminated the darkening sky.
Then the system displayed one final message.
\[MAIN MISSION UNLOCKED: BUILD THE STRONGEST MILITARY FORCE ON EARTH.\]
\[HOST, YOUR AGE OF WEAKNESS IS OVER.\]
Destiny clenched his fists and stared at the approaching monsters.
He had no idea what awaited him beyond those school walls.
But one thing was certain.
The world he had known was gone.
And the age of humanity's survival had begun.