Victor's mind was suddenly assaulted by all kinds of information, each more insane than the last.
This information could be considered basic knowledge, however, there was no doubt it would give him a significant advantage for what was to come.
The most important piece of information among all of it was what was going to happen to Earth from now on.
A planetary apocalypse, a change in the very structure of his world.
The arrival of the system also meant the appearance of all sorts of creatures and the mutation of animals already known, as well as some humans.
Yet, he didn't feel any more powerful or anything of the sort.
« I know what you're thinking, little one. However, I cannot and will not grant you power directly. The only thing I will do is give you one or two abilities, however, you will have to wait until your soul returns to your body to assimilate them. »
The boy did not complain: first, he had no right to, and second, it would be extremely ungrateful toward the being of incomprehensible power who was currently granting him its blessings.
« By the way, one question has been gnawing at my mind for some time now. Why me? »
A heavy silence followed, broken only by Victor's steady breathing as he hoped his curiosity would be satisfied.
Finally, after a few minutes, the superior being deigned to give him an answer.
« Because that is how it must be. »
A vague answer, devoid of any sense. Was it saying it was the result of chance? Fate? Luck? Something else?
Victor didn't know, and he wouldn't dare demand an answer by force.
« Now, I will send you back to your body. The others have been waiting for us for some time. Farewell, little one. »
« Wait— »
Victor had more than a thousand questions, but his complaints fell on deaf ears.
The boy suddenly disappeared, only to reappear in his own body a few seconds later.
The world was still paused, however, Victor now knew that, in just a few seconds, he would have to prepare to survive all kinds of dangers that had been completely foreign to him until today.
Fortunately, although his strength hadn't increased, the simulation had hardened his mind to the utmost degree, a skill that would now be extremely useful.
He barely had time to organize all the information he had received before time resumed.
Most of those who had turned toward him when he had suddenly stood were now wide-eyed with astonishment.
« What the hell is going on? »
« Hey dude, do you see what I see? »
« Damn, I think I'm going crazy. »
Victor scanned the room with his onyx eyes, he saw the confused faces of most of his classmates, but they weren't his concern.
« What the hell is happening to me?! »
« It hurts too much, damn it! »
Some contorted under the pain inflicted by mana seeping into their bodies.
According to the information Victor had received, the absence of certain genes in some people could cause a mutation of mana, resulting in the transformation of the living being.
A total of six students, in addition to the teacher, showed the early signs of mutation.
Their skin whitened, their limbs twisted at abnormal angles, some shrank in size while others grew taller.
Before anyone could react, Victor grabbed his chair and, without hesitation, approached the nearest one, striking it on the skull with all his might.
The sound of metal against bone echoed through the room, provoking horror in those still conscious, who clutched their mouths.
« What is he doing?! »
« He's gone mad, someone stop him! »
Victor glared at them, sending chills down more than one spine. It was a gaze that should not belong to a sixteen-year-old boy.
He ignored them and continued to attack the body of the now immobile person on the ground.
Technically, it was no longer a human per se, but a brainless creature, driven only by the desire to devour any living being crossing its path.
For now, only Victor knew this, but the others would learn soon enough.
[Congratulations. You are the seventh to have killed a Fallen. You gain 20 free points.]
[Level up. You gain 5 free points.]
A cold smile spread across Victor's face as he saw the notifications appear in his vision.
« Seventh, huh…»
He would pay dearly to know the identities of the six others, but now was not the time to think about it.
He turned to his classmates and said coldly,
« If you want to live, you'd better do as I do. »
In reality, he didn't care at all, whether these humans lived or died was of no concern to him. He just hoped they would be useful long enough to distract the already transformed creatures.
He had little time left before they regained consciousness and began devouring everything that moved. He summoned his stats window.
┌───────────── STATUS ─────────────┐
Name : Victor
Title : X
Class : X
Level : 2
Free Points : 25
STR 8 | AGI 9 | END 7
PER 12 | SPI 28 | MAG 17
[Skills]
[???] - [???] - [Child of the Swarm]
└───────────────────────────────┘
Victor already had a rudimentary understanding of the stats shown.
Strength, as the name implied, was simply his physical power, nothing more.
Agility corresponded to speed but also reflexes, reaction time, and muscular coordination.
Endurance would prevent him from tiring too quickly, accelerate healing, harden his skin, and strengthen his natural armor against the environment and even diseases.
Perception would allow him to develop each of his senses, including hearing, sight, smell, and even more complex senses, such as detecting surrounding mana.
The last two stats were a bit more complex.
First, Spirit, which increased his mental power, allowing him to resist attacks on his soul or attempts at mind control.
Magic increased both the number of spells he could cast and their power, as well as his control over them. With enough points in Magic, he could, if he wanted, alter the trajectory of a fireball in midair.
Victor focused on his skills. The one he assumed was Beelzebub, had given him no indication of their effects, and the fact that two were hidden did not help.
He focused on the only available one.
[Child of the Swarm] : Allows you to command certain dipterans at will.
Victor gave a bitter laugh upon reading the description. He wasn't mocking, far from it, after all, he had witnessed the fall of entire civilizations in part thanks to this skill.
It was simply useless in the current situation.
He decided to spend twenty points, investing ten in Strength and ten in Agility, raising them to eighteen and nineteen, respectively.
He preferred to save as many points as possible for emergencies, which is why he hadn't spent them all.
A euphoric sensation ran through his body from end to end, a sign of growing power.
The chair he still held felt at least twice as light.
He refocused on the six remaining creatures, now almost fully transformed.
He gritted his teeth and leaped at a speed previously impossible, targeting the second creature just two meters ahead.
The transformation nearly complete, all could now see the grotesque new forms of their former classmates.
Their skin was gray, elbows and knees reversed, jaws dangling down to their protruding collarbones.
Arms varied, some long and sword-like, others short and hooked.
Some creatures were over two meters tall, towering over everyone, looking at each person with a vacant yet murderous gaze, while others were under a meter but no less fierce.
« What the hell are these things? »
« Am I dreaming? Yeah, it must be that…»
Only two maintained their composure, a small, muscular boy with long hair, and a girl with a long blonde ponytail.
The boy, Mickaël, and the girl, Lucie, mimicked Victor's movements, grabbing what they could and attacking one of the mutant creatures, still slightly stunned by the sudden transformation.
This inspired other students, who, though hesitant, followed suit.
[You have slain a Fallen.]
Victor had already dispatched the second with a well-placed chair strike, his doubled strength allowed him to crush the creature's fragile skull with ease.
He looked around with satisfaction tinged with bitterness, each monster others killed meant one less for him.
But now wasn't the time for selfishness, he had to survive.
All monsters were occupied by other students attacking them with whatever they could. Only the teacher remained, clearly unlike the rest.
He easily reached two and a half meters, almost touching the ceiling. His bald head bore no face, no nose, no mouth, no eyes.
Yet somehow, Victor felt it could see him without problem.
Without waiting for the enemy to strike first, Victor launched himself, the monster did the same.
They met mid-room. The collision between the Fallen's arms and Victor's makeshift weapon drew astonished, terrified stares.
With his free hand, Victor punched the monster's skinny belly, pushing it back a few steps before it charged again, striking him in the face with its one-and-a-half-meter-long arm.
Fortunately, he dodged just in time, tearing his leather mask and revealing his deformed mouth.
Yet who cared about that when real monsters were right in front of them, trying to devour them?
He blocked the creature's arm with his and slammed a knee into its elbow, the sickening crack of bones echoed, distracting others from their struggle for survival.
The creature, expressionless, seemed to feel the pain, its body trembling from this new sensation, but Victor gave it no time to recover.
He pushed the inert arm away, leapt onto a table, and grabbed the creature's neck, determined to finish it.
With a sharp motion, he snapped its neck backward with all his strength, sending it to the floor like a marionette with its strings cut.
Without hesitation, he jumped and crushed his former teacher's head, reducing it to a pulp of black blood and bone fragments.