After all, I left those people to die. Whether to protect my family or not, the outcome remains unchanged.
I knew my family would struggle to keep the secret. I also knew that if they warned a few people, word would spread. A chain reaction. Streets flooded with panicked crowds, exits blocked by desperate drivers breaking every traffic law in their rush to escape—only to cause greater chaos.
So I made them promise: say nothing until we were close to the exit. I manipulated my parents, feeding them only the truths that served my purpose. Guilt gnawed at me, but survival demanded it.
Even so, as we neared the highway, they started calling friends and relatives.
By then, I had already decided. I crafted a bulletproof excuse—how, when, and why I had no proof of what was coming. But still knew it was coming. Then, I posted on my groups and social accounts.
An hour remained when I hit upload. Then, I cut my connection, ignoring the flood of messages I knew would come. Staring out the window, I tried to leave my thoughts behind, just as I left the city where this version of me was born.
Maybe this was fate. On the same day both halves of me merged, the Catastrophe was destined to fall. If I had remained the old me, escape would have been a nightmare. My family’s survival uncertain.
But now, thanks to the system—and Vex—we escaped. Not just that, but with the money Vex brought back from the Usub Family, we could afford to start over.
When Eden’s countdown reached zero, a system-wide announcement echoed across every connected human in the affected zone.
[ Announcement! ]
Due to severe pollution, Kew Dew City and all territory under its jurisdiction will be designated as a “Wild Territory.” Vegetation will overrun the streets and buildings. Beasts will emerge to protect the land. Escape while you can. Find safety.
Disclaimer: The system does not endorse the destruction of the environment or harm to other living beings. Pollution is a poison that affects all life, not just its creators.
Pay attention to your future actions—and do your best to survive.
Good luck!
Five seconds after the notification, it began.
A low hum trembled through the neon-lit skyline of Kew Dew, rattling glass towers and flickering sky-high holograms. At first, it was subtle—a glitch in the city's chaotic pulse.
Then, all at once, the world cracked.
Vines erupted from the chrome streets, thick and writhing, as if enraged by decades of suppression. They lashed out like starving predators, weaving through cracks in the pavement and wrenching apart the city’s foundation. Concrete split with a thunderous groan as roots—gnarled and ancient—forced their way to the surface, reclaiming what had once been stolen.
Buildings trembled under the siege of nature’s resurgence. Moss crept like a slow infection, overtaking sleek facades, while colossal flowers bloomed in bursts of color, exhaling thick clouds of violet pollen. The air shimmered with floating spores, turning streetlights into eerie halos of bioluminescent haze.
Screams shattered the illusion of evacuation. Not everyone had escaped.
Trees burst through rooftops with explosive force, their branches spearing through steel and glass like jagged spears through flesh. A network of green tendrils coiled through the streets, snatching at fleeing citizens as if the city itself had turned against them.
A woman sprinted down the boulevard, her smart-cloth bodysuit flickering with distress signals. She barely made it a few steps before something wrapped around her ankle—a vine, its veins pulsing with an eerie glow. It jerked her off her feet, dragging her backward toward the gaping maw of a flower too large, too sentient. Translucent teeth glistened with viscous nectar, and deep within its throat, something pulsed hungrily.
Not far from her, combat drones hovered into formation, their turrets whirring as they unleashed rapid bursts of laser fire. The city’s last line of defense. But the jungle was learning. Thorned creepers cracked like whips through the air, slicing through metal, pulling the machines down in a cascade of sparks.
Vault Breakers fought alongside the city’s armed forces, a desperate last stand against the encroaching wilds. Gunfire rattled, voices shouted in overlapping commands, abilities flared in bursts of flux and flame—but resistance only drew more attention.
The beasts came next.
From the deep shadows of the undergrowth, they slithered, prowled, and stalked forward. Predators reborn from the Catastrophe. A towering creature with four rows of unblinking eyes and jagged, bark-like skin emerged onto the main avenue, its claws clicking against the pavement. It turned its head, inhaling the scent of prey.
A Vault Breaker—a Virean, armed with a neon spear—launched into motion, engaging the monster before it could turn on the panicked pedestrians. Their clash sent shockwaves rippling through the asphalt.
Elsewhere, a reptilian beast, its moss-covered body adorned with glowing fungi, released a guttural snarl before leaping onto an abandoned hovercar. Its talons sliced through the reinforced metal like wet paper, sparks flying as the vehicle collapsed under its weight.
Above, the city’s defense turrets locked onto targets, their mechanical arms whirring into place. But it was already too late.
Kew Dew was lost.
A colossal tree ruptured from the center of the city’s main plaza, its trunk a twisting labyrinth of silver and green veins. From its canopy, creatures leapt—half-plant, half-animal, their eyes gleaming with an intelligence far older than the civilization crumbling around them.
They were the new rulers of this land.
I watched it all unfold from above, my spirit hovering weightlessly in the air while my body remained resting in the car.
The chaos felt distant, like watching a nightmare from which I had already awoken.
I wouldn’t have survived this. That much was obvious. I was still weak, still untested.
But as I stared at the evolving battlefield, at the city reborn in nature’s wrath, another thought took root.
I had to come back.
This place would be a hunting ground. A place to grow, to increase my rank, to claim whatever treasures the Catastrophe had left behind or created. But for that, I’d need a license. Approval. Neither of which my parents would ever give me.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
They probably wanted me to settle into a new academy, resume my studies, pretend none of this had ever happened.
I sighed.
Guess I’ll have to run away from home, huh?
. . .
"Brother, you're awake." My little sister's voice pulled me from the haze of sleep.
"Yeah." I stretched, feeling the stiffness in my limbs. Blinking away the drowsiness, I glanced around. Only the two of us were in the car, parked at what looked like a gas station. "Where are Mother and Father?"
"They went to buy some snacks for the road."
"Snacks?" I muttered, opening the door to get some fresh air. Even though my spirit could separate from my body and drift with the wind, prolonged stillness still affected my physical form.
"Mother said to stay in the car. We can't leave it alone."
"I'm aware, Julie. Thank you."
I had no intention of leaving my sister alone, no matter how badly I needed to stretch or find a bathroom. Still, a good stretch would do me some good.
One-two, three-four, five-six—I rotated my arms, loosening my muscles.
Pow!
A gunshot shattered the quiet.
The sharp crack echoed through the parking lot, startling me and everyone else nearby. I snapped my head toward the gas station. Flux surged into my eyes, sharpening my vision—but even with enhanced sight, I couldn't see inside from this distance.
I didn't need to.
The people bolting away from the station, their faces twisted in fear, were enough proof.
This can't be good. I yanked the car door open.
"Lock the car and stay inside," I ordered.
Julie’s lips parted as if to protest, but years of drilled-in obedience took over. I heard the soft click of the locks engaging.
That was my signal.
I sprinted forward, keeping low as I weaved between parked cars. Charging straight to the station would be reckless—I could be spotted too easily. Instead, I used cover, closing the distance as quickly as I could.
When I reached the last vehicle before the station, I activated my ability—[Ethereal Vision].
The world around me darkened, like ink blotting out reality, leaving only a spectral blueprint of my surroundings. Objects glowed with faint blue outlines, their structures clear in my mind. I couldn't see through living beings, but their forms and energy signatures were visible.
Which was more than enough.
Inside, only three figures moved. Two stood near the entrance—guards. The third was at the counter, trying to hack the terminal. The rest of the people were lying face on the floor.
The gunshot had come from the third guy. Unlike the others, who carried only knives, he had a firearm.
What a pathetic heist, I thought, already moving.
Objective: Kill the assailants
Progress: 0/3
Rewards:
- 10 HPF (High-Penetration Flux) bullets
- 120 VP (Void Points)
Accept? [Y/N]
What kind of sick joke is this?
I was about to refuse. The hassle of dealing with the authorities, the wasted time—none of it was worth the meager rewards. But then it happened.
A sharp breath left my lips, curling into something I hadn't intended—a mischievous grin.
"Haaa."
The Madman had taken over. I felt its excitement. It felt so... refreshing, so... alive. And with that, all caution was abandoned.
A fragmentation grenade materialized in my palm. I pulled the pin without hesitation, pointed a finger at the closed gas station doors, took aim—and threw. Glass and metal screeched as the doors were forced open by [Telekinesis], just in time for the grenade to soar inside.
"Go kaboom!"
I ducked behind the nearest car, fingers stuffed in my ears, waiting for the explosion.
But nothing happened. Instead, the grenade flickered—then vanished. It had dematerialized the moment it left my control radius.
Shit. The realization hit like a punch to the gut. I almost slaughtered innocent people.
A cold shiver ran down my spine. My fingers twitched toward the revolver at my hip. I forced myself to breathe.
Focus.
I grabbed hold of a fire extinguisher near the sliding doors, lifting it into the air with my [Telekinesis]. A flick of my wrist sent it hurtling inside.
Bang!
One well-placed shot was all it took. The canister burst open, engulfing the entire station in a thick, blinding white mist.
Time to move.
A [Burst] to my feet, and I was airborne, landing right at the entrance. My eyes snapped shut as I activated [Ethereal Vision]. The world turned to darkness, replaced by spectral blue outlines.
The gunman’s silhouette flared in my mind’s eye. I pulled the trigger.
Crack!
His weapon flew from his grasp, clattering across the floor. I spun, revolver aimed at the remaining two.
"Don't shoot, man!" One of them raised his hands, voice shaking. "Please!"
I didn't fire. Not yet.
Up close, they didn’t look like hardened criminals. No gang tattoos, no dead-eyed indifference. Their clothes were worn but not tactical—more like factory workers than thieves.
Then I checked their karmic score. Not in the negative. They were not evil.
"On your knees. Face down!" I ordered, my mental power grabbing the gunman and slamming him onto the floor next to them.
I crouched low, voice dropping. "Do you have a family? Do you want to see them again?"
They nodded frantically.
"Then what the fuck are you doing here?" I barked, yanking off the cheap plastic masks covering their faces.
The oldest one—their leader, maybe—swallowed hard. "We… we're from Kew Dew City." His voice cracked, thin and frantic. "We lost everything. Homes, job, family."
I frowned. Kew Dew...
"We stopped here to refuel when I got the quest," he confessed. "It told me to rob this place."
I stared at him, disbelief simmering into rage. "And you just accept every damn quest that pops up?"
"We were desperate!" The youngest, barely more than thirty, choked out. "Please, my child is in the car outside."
I went still. A breath. Then I whispered, "It happens that I also received a quest."
The air in the station seemed to freeze. Their eyes widened in terror as I continued, voice flat. "A quest to kill all three of you."
A shudder ran through them. The oldest one clenched his jaw, his hands trembling against the floor.
I exhaled slowly. "But what? Should I turn this place into an execution site?"
"Eden!" A voice cut through the air.
Mother. I turned my head.
Her face was pale, her hands gripping the edge of a shelf. After everything we'd been through today—another near-death experience for her to witness.
I sighed, rubbing my temples.
"Lie on the floor and wait for the police," I told to the thieves. "If you so much as twitch before they arrive, I’ll kill you on the spot."
My energy flared for emphasis. "For your knowledge, I’m a Virean. A future Vault Breaker. Don’t be foolish enough to test my capabilities."
The three robbers flattened against the ground, barely breathing. Tension bled from my shoulders. I stepped past them, heading for the back of the store.
"I want a box of spicy chicken drumsticks," I muttered to my mother on my way to the restroom. "Please."