For a moment, the chamber was filled with silence. The four stared at Kai, their earlier worry about families and pets momentarily replaced by curiosity.
"Twelve...?" Ralph muttered, adjusting his cracked glasses. "We only had a few... Why would the system give you so many?"
After learning the others’ choices, they realized that there were nine Apocalypses: Alien Invasion, A.I. Rebellion, Deep Sea Awakening, Demon Invasion, Divine Judgment, Magic War, Parasitic Evolution, Ragnarök, and Zombie Outbreak.
"What are those missing Apocalypses?" Wallace asked curiously. He couldn’t think of any other type of Apocalypse anymore.
Claire, on the other hand, had a different idea. "Does that mean... you’re different? Special? Or maybe... chosen?"
Kai shook his head firmly. "No. I don’t think it’s about being chosen."
Then, he listed the Apocalypses he had been given, and as expected, they all felt amazed. Apparently, there were still Dragon Awakening, Fairy Realm Collision, and Lycans versus Vampires.
"Ahhh! What a waste! I should’ve gotten that option. I want to be a Lycan..." Wallace suddenly said, surprising everyone.
"Fairy Realm? Is it related to something like goblins, orcs, elves, and dwarves? That’s..." Claire muttered, feeling that she would’ve chosen that instead.
As for Ralph and Victor, they simply felt curious why Kai had all the options available.
Nonetheless, Kai decided to shift the topic. "Do you remember the message we all saw when we selected this Apocalypse?"
The others paused as they tried to recall it. However, after some time, they still shook their heads.
Kai smiled helplessly, then repeated it slowly so they wouldn’t forget:
"The fate of the continent is in your hands. Survive and earn the title that is rightfully yours, and save your own world..."
"It seems that we have to earn a title to save our own world. Probably referring to Earth. Maybe... there’s still a chance to return."
Everyone’s eyes lit up.
"Ahh! That’s right!"
"I remember now..."
"I read something like that."
They had failed to notice it before, since they were too focused on their Gift Packs and the shock of arrival. Now, the words made sense.
Wallace clenched his fists. "So if we survive long enough... if we earn that specific title... we can go back?"
Kai nodded. "Well... that’s what it sounds like. Our families, our homes... they’re not gone yet. The system gave us a path. Let’s just survive here, fight here, and maybe we can return."
Although he didn’t have a family to return to, he still wanted to go back—since no machine would hunt him there.
With Kai’s encouragement, the atmosphere shifted. The despair that had hung over them like smoke began to clear. Finally, everyone had a clear goal.
"Destroy these goddamn machines," Victor muttered.
"If that’s the way back, then I’ll fight until I drop," Wallace added.
Claire managed a faint smile. "At least now we know what we’re fighting for."
Ralph exhaled slowly. "Then we need to learn everything about the A.I. from Russel and Augustine. If Haven‑45 is going to survive the Mech Siege, we need intel."
Claire added, "And we should talk about our Gift Packs and Talents too. The Gift Packs are just items, so we can share those openly. But Talents... those seem personal. Maybe we don’t need details, just a general idea of what each of us can do. That way, when the Beginner Protection ends, we’ll know who’s suited for combat, support, or survival."
"..."
Seeing no rejection, Claire decided to take the lead since she had suggested it. "Alright. I’ll start. My Talent is related to physical strength... but remember, I don’t have combat experience. I’m just a convenience store clerk. I can lift heavy objects, but if possible, don’t make me fight."
Ralph pushed his glasses up and spoke without hesitation...
"I’m good with guns. My Talent is Sharpshooter’s Focus," he said directly.
"Unfortunately, I didn’t select the Weapon Gift Pack. I chose the Shelter Gift Pack instead... so I have a tent with me."
He gave a small shrug, half‑embarrassed. "I hope they have gun here or something."
Wallace chuckled before stepping in. "Mine’s Iron Stamina
Kai nodded thoughtfully. "That’s useful. Endurance and recovery are critical in this environment."
Victor sighed. He actually liked these Talents that they have. He would trade it to someone else if it were possible.
"My Talent’s Mechanic. I have no experience, but the system says I can repair machines, weapons, and other devices as long as I study them for a bit. Well, it’s probably decent in some cases, but it’s only a Rare Talent."
The others, except Kai, looked at him curiously.
"Ah..."
Victor realized that these guys had no idea, so he continued, "I played a lot of games when I was young. In those, Talents or Skills were graded. Common, Uncommon, Rare, and others like Epic, then higher tiers like Legendary, Mythic, and even Divine. Mine’s Rare. Not bad, but not the best either."
Ralph whistled softly. "Ohhh... Rare sounds pretty damn good... But I have Superior! Is it above Rare or below?"
"Ugh... I’m not sure." Victor replied. He felt that it was higher than Rare, but such matters depend on the developers.
Claire nodded. "I thought it’s not important... My Talent is just Uncommon..."
"That’s still amazing..."
"No one has a Common Talent then?"
"Even if you have, that’s alright!"
Kai studied them all carefully. Claire had strength talent, Ralph had accuracy talent, Wallace had stamina talent, and Victor was actually a mechanic!
All passive, but together they were a solid foundation.
He felt the system had deliberately scattered abilities to force cooperation.
Then, one by one, the four survivors turned their eyes toward Kai.
They had shared their Talents already and only Kai remained!