In a dilapidated underground sewer in a ruined city, the spinning sounds from a worn-out washing machine rattled evenly.
[Time remaining: 42 minutes until the trial begins]
[Player, prepare yourself.]
A young man with a naked body had been sitting, leaning against the washing machine. His black eyes looked at the screen ahead with visible boredom, as if it wasn't the first time he had seen it… but many times before.
He took a long breath, tiredly dismissing the vague screen before gently scratching an itch on his back by rubbing against the washing machine's rusty outer shell. Then, he quickly scratched another itch on his buzz-cut head.
''Graaaa! Goddamn lice!''
As though it were a bad omen, the streak of bad luck started appearing one after another.
First, the washing machine suddenly broke down.
Second, a faint burning smell reached his nose. Acting on instinct, the young man shot up and quickly rescued his precious pants.
"Still fine…"
However, the washing machine didn't have the same luck as his pants.
"It's not my fault."
The young man sighed, forced to wear the pants that had already worn thin after being used and washed many times – patched with several pieces of fabric in some spots.
At this moment, he felt like a literal homeless person… no, even worse.
Well, he couldn't ask for anything more. Just a week earlier, he hadn't even had any pants to wear.
Back then, he woke up in a stasis chamber in a devastated city without having a clue… No, actually, there was one thing: he'd seen a scissor symbol on the outer shell of the stasis chamber.
He was confused, but when he got out of the chamber and looked at the ruined scene of the city around him, his emotions stirred – he felt cold in his naked body.
No humans.
Not even a single living creature.
Just the wreckage of modern buildings, remnants of mankind's golden age, looking like something out of a science fiction movie.
A future he never could've imagined was now in front of him.
He had no idea why a youthful single man living in the 21st century like him could be here.
He couldn't remember the last thing he had done, in his vague memory. Maybe playing games or reading books.
His family? His friends? Perhaps all of them were dead.
A feeling of sadness gripped his heart, but it quickly turned to emptiness.
He felt utterly lonely… until a passerby caught his attention – an old man.
***
"Kid, let's see the fruits of my hunt."
By the time the young man had been boiling water on a rusty induction cooker, an old man emerged from the darkness, far from the dim light of a bulb hanging from the ceiling of the underground sewer, its unsteady flicker looking like it could give out at any moment.
The messy silver-haired old man gently took off his old gas mask, revealing a smudged, wrinkled face – especially his yellow teeth when he smiled.
He lifted two rats, each the size of a fully grown cat, limp in his hands.
"I have a name, old man. Please call me Cedric," Cedric grumbled.
The old man, called Polly, chuckled, nodded at Cedric, and tossed the two big rats into the boiling pot.
Cedric sat on a worn-out piece of cardboard, watching what might be their last meal float in the boiling water, their eyes hollow.
20 minutes later…
Cedric gulped as he watched the rat lying on an old tray of food, and picked it up. He glanced at the old man chewing the rat deliciously, as if it were a premium meal, then turned his black eyes back to his meal.
Even though he had been eating rats for almost a week, he couldn't restrain the nausea at the sight.
"I have to try. Whatever foul it is, I still need the energy."
He took a big bite, devouring it without chewing. Yet the disgusting taste lingered on his tongue – a bitter, meaty flavor, like liquid squeezed from a sock worn for a year.
He grimaced in extreme disgust, tapping gently on his bare chest to force it down.
A dozen minutes passed after they finished their meal.
"Take it."
The old man spoke while handing Cedric a gas mask. It seemed he had found it on one of his scavenging trips in the ruined city.
"Thank you, old man. I owe you for this."
However, the atmosphere suddenly shifted. Polly's voice turned completely serious.
"Do you remember what I told you?"
Cedric sighed and repeated Polly's warning.
"Absolutely do not take off your mask in any situation. Because a virus in the air will invade your respiratory system and turn you into a kind of monster… a so-called dusker?"
The old man had explained the current state of the world for Cedric– a dystopia where humanity must struggle to survive against the Duskers.
Why were they called Duskers? Because of their habits and weaknesses. The sunlight would make them weak and drowsy. They only became active when dusk fell.
It was also why Polly could venture to the surface to scavenge for useful supplies, helping them survive before the sun went down.
But the dangers didn't stop there – every person in this world faced trials week by week, constantly testing their survival.
Cedric had asked the old man about the origins of it all, but the answer was always, "No idea."
The old man only knew that these things had existed before he was born, and he had accumulated experience to survive them.
"That's right."
The old man lingered for a moment before taking out a six-shooter from his pocket. He tossed it to Credic.
"Use it properly."
Credic caressed the old six-shooter – worn, yet still in good condition thanks to the old man's care. It seemed this thing had followed him for a long time.
He gazed at the old man with a complicated look. After a moment, he shook his head slightly.
"Old man, are you sure?"
Polly clicked his tongue and answered,
"It's just decoration to me, kid. At my level, and with the opponents I face, this thing would barely scratch them."
"The one who needs it most is you. Your gene integrity is pathetically low. I'm afraid you can't even survive against a common player, let alone fight a dusker."
Credic let out a long breath and nodded at the old man's harsh comment. He opened the status screen.
Name: Cedric Carlson
Level: 0
Experience: 0/100
Gene integrity: 1 [Transcendent perfection]
Gene ability: [Empty]
Neural imprint: [Empty]
In this world, in order to have a high chance of surviving, even obtaining the power to stand at the peak of humanity, each individual needed high gene integrity, which represented their genetic potential.
A deadly weakness of low gene integrity was that the host could be easily mutated after killing the Duskers – a 100% chance of mutation after doing so.
Once he mutated, bizarre things would appear in his body. Harmful genes would manifest, and he might grow an extra finger, ear, or eye – becoming a malformed creature. In worse situations, his gene abilities could be severely damaged or replaced with useless ones – as if he had been cursed.
In contrast, if he had high gene integrity, it meant he possessed a solid, stable genetic structure against factors that caused dangerous mutations. Moreover, it meant he had many valuable genes, abilities that could help him become invincible.
Cedric's eyes grew gloomy as he spoke.
"1… It's quite pathetic."
Polly gave Cedric a sympathetic nod.
"With that stat, you'd be at the very bottom of humanity's gene integrity list."
He added, a hint of curiosity in his voice,
"At your stats, you look like unevolved humans from centuries ago… but that's impossible. They've been extinct for a long time. Nowadays, no one has a gene integrity below 300, so you must be incredibly unlucky to inherit such bad genes from your parents."
The old man chuckled while Cedric just sighed in a bad mood.
He really wanted to say that the old man's argument was true, but would Polly believe it? No.
At some point, the familiar sounds rang out.
[Time remaining: 2 minutes until the trial begins]
[Player, prepare yourself.]
Cedric blinked for a moment before speaking.
"Old man, seems like it's time to say… 'goodbye.'"
The old man nodded, glancing into the distance. It seemed his time for the trial had come too. He hesitated a few times, then said,
"Cedric… for some reason, I feel like this is the last time we'll talk. So, I have a few words for you."
His face turned firm and serious, different from his usual joking expression.
"No matter what… don't let yourself turn into a Dusker. It would be a curse for you. So… save one last bullet for yourself, just in case."
Cedric looked thoughtful, considering the old man's advice. After a few seconds, he gave a small nod.
"You too."
[The trial has commenced. Preparing to transfer you now.]