Andrew sprinted down the dim street, his boots splashing through shallow puddles left by the evening rain.
The town square's massive clock tower loomed ahead, its gears grinding louder than usual as the hands approached midnight.
It was almost time for the hunting game to begin.
A couple of drunk girls stumbled out of a bar and pointed at him.
"Hey! What's a guy like you doing running around at night?"
One of them called out, laughing as if he were part of some spectacle. Another woman stepped directly into his path, grinning as she leaned forward into Andrew's personal space.
"Slow down, sweetheart. No need to rush. Midnight's not going anywhere."
Andrew dodged her without even acknowledging her existence, his eyes fixed on the star-streaked sky above the tower. Someone tried to reach out to grab his arm, but he easily dodged that attention and kept walking.
The square was already filling with late-night wanderers, festival-goers, and curious bystanders.
The clock tower always chimed beautifully at midnight, and some locals liked to gather to listen. Tonight the crowd was thicker than usual because of the New Year's Eve.
Andrew stopped right at the center of the square. His chest rose and fell quickly, but his gaze never left the sky.
Thirty seconds.
He clenched his gloved hands as he looked up. Someone whistled in admiration.
"Damn, man, looking dramatic out here. You waiting for a lover to drop from heaven?"
If only they knew.
Ten seconds.
The crowd began to murmur. Static tingled in the air, crawling across skin like invisible sparks. The clock's minute hand trembled as it slid into place.
Five.
Four.
Three.
Two.
One—
The bell struck midnight, its chime echoing across the town. But before the second chime rang, a deafening crack split the sky, causing people to take out their phones and start recording.
The crack widened until a hand appeared from beyond and that was slowly followed by a body and then wings. The woman that appeared was beautiful, almost divine in nature. But Andrew immediately saw the madness in the creature's eyes.
'It's finally here. The game is starting.'
Andrew exhaled shakily. He was mentally ready for this, but the starting of the game never got easy.
"What… is that…?"
Someone whispered.
"A hologram? A projection?"
Another suggested weakly.
"The city must be doing some kind of new festival stunt…"
But the woman's voice silenced all speculation.
"People of Earth. Rejoice—or despair. Humanity has been chosen for evolution."
She said, her tone melodic yet impossibly firm, vibrating through bone and air.
A wave of confusion hit the crowd.
"Evolution… what does she mean by that?"
A girl nearby asked her boyfriend.
"Chosen? Evolution? Is this a prank?"
"Is this a cult ad??"
But the woman paid them no mind.
"From this moment forward, each of you is granted an opportunity to reshape your destiny. Do you have a desire you want to fulfil? Now is your chance."
Someone burst out laughing.
"Okay, okay, seriously—who's running this stunt? Netflix? Disney? This CGI is insane!"
The celestial woman tilted her head, almost amused.
"This is not a stunt. This is your new reality."
A wave of silence rolled across the square as her golden eyes swept over them calmly.
"In five minutes, the first test of humanity will begin."
People stared.
A few clapped sarcastically.
"That's cute. What's the test? We get coupons for playing along?"
A man said loudly.
Andrew gritted his teeth. The starting was the same as it had been in his world. These innocent people around him were making a joke out of this whole situation, but they would not be able to do that for much longer.
The celestial woman continued.
"To aid your survival, I will bestow upon you access to the system. Think the word 'system' in your mind. It will reveal your status—your abilities, your potential, and your foundation for evolution."
A teenager snorted.
"Sure. Just think it? What is this, a video game tutorial?"
Still, humans were curious creatures. Within seconds, dozens of people cautiously thought the word.
System.
Screams erupted.
"What the—! Something popped up in my vision!"
"I see numbers! Levels! Titles?!"
"This can't be real!"
Andrew quietly opened his own status screen, already familiar with the interface. Nothing had changed. He was exactly as he had been since the beginning.
[Player Name: Mark Dawson
Title: None
Skills: None
Profession: None
Strength: 2
Speed: 3
Intellect: 4
Luck: 2]
The celestial woman smiled faintly.
"Your confusion is natural. But you will have little time to dwell on it."
The clock ticked loudly in the sudden silence.
"Your first trial begins in less than one minute."
People panicked.
"Wait! We didn't agree to this!"
"What happens in this test?"
"What are we supposed to do?!"
The winged woman spread her arms, and the sky pulsed with cosmic energy.
"Your objective is simple. To survive the first test, each of you must kill fifty humanoids within the next five hours."
Silence filled the square… and then someone shouted, voice cracking,
"Humanoids? What the hell does that mean? Are you telling us to kill each other?!"
Laughter, cold and musical, spilled from the celestial woman's lips. It wasn't cruel—just chillingly indifferent.
"You may kill humans if you desire. It will count."
The entire square erupted.
"What—?!"
"This is insane!"
"You want us to kill each other?!"
"But you may instead choose to kill the humanoid zombies that have already begun appearing."
She continued smoothly.
Someone screamed.
Heads whipped toward the sound.
A malformed figure stumbled between two buildings, its limbs twisted, its skin gray and rotting.
"What the hell—?!"
"Is that—no, no, no, no—"
Andrew didn't wait.
The moment the creature let out its guttural snarl and lunged at the nearest screaming civilian, he was already moving.
He had grabbed a small pipe from nearby and he immediately smashed the head of the zombie in front of him. It immediately exploded upon impact, and a soft chime echoed everywhere.
[Congratulations. First Kill Achieved.]
[World Notice: Player Mark has obtained the FIRST EVER KILL.]
Silence dropped over the entire square.
Every pair of eyes snapped to him.
The girl the predator had been about to reach, stared at Andrew with trembling disbelief.
"You… you just…"
People looked at him in fear as his white dress got smeared with red and green from the zombie.
The celestial woman's lips curved into a pleased smile.
"And thus, the first kill of the evolution trial has been claimed. Let the test begin."
She said, her wings shimmering wider, and more zombies began to appear. It was a fight for survival now that not a lot of people were going to live through.