Chapter 1: The Sirens Woke
The sirens came without warning.
Arjun Kim was walking home through the quiet streets of Seoul when the first scream pierced the night—sharp, metallic, endless. People froze mid-step. Car alarms blared. Panic spread like wildfire.
Phones buzzed everywhere. Notifications flashed:
GLOBAL EMERGENCY ALERT
Unknown biological and spatial anomalies detected worldwide. Stay indoors. Avoid crowds.
Arjun smiled.
Not because it was funny.
Because finally, the world was honest.
While everyone panicked, he calmly stepped into the nearest convenience store.
Rice. Canned food. Medicine. Batteries. Everything packed neatly into his cart. No hesitation. No distractions.
From the shadows, a familiar voice whispered.
"Mina?"
A girl emerged, gun strapped across her chest—Mina Park, calm and collected even as chaos erupted outside.
"You're late," Arjun said, not looking up from his inventory.
"I'm on time," she replied coolly, checking the street through a cracked window. "The people outside won't last. We need to move before they get desperate."
Arjun nodded.
Efficiency over morality—that was his way.
Then the lights flickered and went out.
A soft blue glow appeared in front of him—the system.
[Survival System Initializing…]
Arjun exhaled slowly.
"This is real," he murmured.
The store door rattled violently. Screams grew louder. Someone tried to break in.
Arjun grabbed a metal rod. Mina raised her gun.
Together, they didn't hesitate.
One swing.
One shot.
The blue screen flashed:
[First Blood Achieved.]
[Storage Unlocked.]
Arjun looked at Mina.
She smirked faintly.
"Let's see how long we last," she said.
Outside, the world burned.
Inside, the first step of survival had begun.
In the apocalypse, hesitation is death.
And Arjun Kim had no intention of dying.