The Divine and Demonic Arena On the Edge of Evolution, Humanity's Final Battleground

The cafeteria of Riverton University was eerily quiet at two in the afternoon. The students had already eaten and gone to their classes. Ethan Carter placed the last washed plate on the rack and muttered to himself, "Finally done. Looks like I’m going to be late for class again today. But it’s not the counselor’s lecture first, so it’s nothing to worry about." Ethan, an orphan since childhood, had grown up in an orphanage. After being admitted to university, he had to juggle work to pay for his education. Currently, he worked as a cleaner in the university cafeteria. “Lowly humans! You may call me God or Demon. You always complain about life’s unfairness, so I shall grant you fairness. From this moment on, your mundane lives will be no more. I will transform your Earth into a merciless arena of gods and demons. Pick up your weapons, fight, struggle! Only by doing so can you grow stronger, can you survive. Let your despair entertain me! Now, the countdown begins: 10…” A voice suddenly invaded Ethan Carter’s mind. The moment he heard it, the entire world seemed to freeze in place. “9… …1. Now, the game begins.” The voice faded, and the world returned to its usual state—or so it seemed. Something felt off, yet Ethan couldn’t put his finger on what. “What’s going on? Who’s pulling this prank?” Ethan wondered, his thoughts laced with unease. Though he tried to dismiss it, a creeping sense of dread took root in his heart. “What is this?” Ethan murmured, staring at the object that had inexplicably appeared in his hand—a wooden stick, about a meter long and as thick as a rolling pin. It felt heavy, weighing around four or five pounds, though he couldn’t determine what kind of wood it was made from. “Crude Wooden Stick, a beginner’s weapon. Attack: 0–3. Note: This is the weapon provided by the system to you as a beginner. Keep it safe, or you won’t survive. Name: Ethan Carter (A name is merely a label. In this brutal game, who cares who you are?) Level: 0 (The higher the level, the stronger you will become.) Class: None (Different classes grant unique, extraordinary abilities.) Title: None (Earning special titles will bring you mysterious benefits.) Strength: 8/10 (As a beginner, strength determines your attack power.) Constitution: 9/10 (Constitution determines your endurance, carrying capacity, and recovery rate after taking damage.) Spirit: 9/10 (Spirit determines your reaction speed and helps you sense hidden dangers.) Agility: 7/10 (Agility affects your speed.) Skills: None Pets: None …” As Ethan studied the wooden stick in his hand, a transparent interface suddenly materialized in his mind, displaying the information above. “What is this? This doesn’t feel like a prank!” Ethan instinctively sensed that something extraordinary was happening. There was no time to change out of his grimy clothes. Ethan Carter grabbed the wooden stick and dashed out of the cafeteria kitchen into the dining hall where students usually ate. “Help!” A piercing scream cut through the silence as soon as Ethan stepped into the hall. Following the direction of the scream, Ethan saw something that would be etched into his memory forever. A girl in a gray blouse was surrounded by two or three guys. At first, Ethan thought they were trying to assault her and instinctively stepped forward to intervene. But he stopped dead in his tracks a moment later. Because he saw the boys weren’t harassing her—they were biting her. Savagely. Flesh was ripped from her body in bloody chunks and devoured with disturbing speed. Within moments, the girl ceased her struggles and fell silent, lifeless. Once she stopped moving, the boys released her and began wandering aimlessly. From Ethan Carter’s vantage point, he could clearly see their faces—grayish-white skin, lifeless, vacant eyes, and slow, clumsy movements. “Is this… a horror movie?” Ethan muttered, his voice quivering with fear. The scene shattered everything Ethan thought he knew. A living, breathing human being had just been killed—right in front of him. His body froze, chilled to the core as though trapped in a nightmare. Click-click-click... Just as Ethan Carter stood frozen in shock, the girl who had just been mauled to death began to move. Slowly, stiffly, she rose to her feet, her movements unnervingly jerky. “Oh my god, is this Resident Evil? That’s a freaking zombie!” The sight sent a chill down Ethan’s spine. He turned and bolted, unable to process that what he had only seen in movies was now unfolding in reality. Crash! In his haste, Ethan collided with a nearby table. Hhhrrgh… The noise seemed to draw the attention of the zombies. Slowly but surely, they turned toward him, their movements deliberate but menacing. Bang! Ethan dashed back into the cafeteria kitchen, slamming the door shut behind him. For now, it was the safest place he could think of. Only after securing the door did he allow himself a moment to catch his breath. “Right, my phone! I need to check on Chris.” Chris was Ethan Carter’s roommate. The two got along well due to their similarly humble backgrounds, though both were usually too busy with part-time jobs and tuition payments to spend much time together. Their relationship was slightly closer than that of casual acquaintances. Beep… beep… beep… The call connected quickly. “Hello? Chris? Where are you? What’s going on out there?” “Ethan? I’m in the dorm. Oh my god, what’s happening to the world? Everything’s turning into monsters… Look out, they’re coming—” Click! The line went dead. “Hello? Hello?!” Ethan shouted into the phone, but there was no response. He slipped the phone back into his pocket and slumped against the kitchen door, utterly drained. “It’s all changed. The whole damn world’s changed… What the hell is going on?” Ethan muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. Bang! Bang! Bang! Suddenly, the door behind Ethan Carter began to shake violently. “Damn it, it’s the zombies!” Ethan sprang to his feet, his eyes fixed in terror on the kitchen’s thin wooden door. Crack! The door splintered as a large hole was punched through. A zombie’s head pushed its way in through the opening. “What strength!” Ethan gasped, his breath catching in his throat. The door wasn’t particularly thick, but smashing a hole through it in just a few strikes required incredible force—far beyond the capability of an ordinary person. The zombie’s head pushed further through the hole, its bloodied jaws snapping and letting out guttural growls. Outside, the sound of fists and bodies slamming against the door grew louder. “Zombies—humans who couldn’t withstand the gods’ and demons’ transformation of Earth, reduced to mindless creatures. They exist only to hunt humans by instinct. Eliminate them quickly, for they can evolve. But beware—if they scratch you, you’ll become one of them,” a mysterious voice echoed once more in Ethan Carter’s mind. “Kill them?” Ethan muttered under his breath. His eyes hardened, and with a quick lunge, he swung the wooden stick at the zombie’s head. Having grown up an orphan, Ethan had fought in countless brawls. Now, overcoming his initial fear, he realized these zombies, while grotesque, were slow and clumsy. They could be taken down. Thwack! Thwack! The wooden stick in Ethan Carter’s hands hammered against the zombie’s head relentlessly. After a few powerful strikes, the creature’s skull caved in, and its head slumped lifelessly to the side. As the zombie collapsed, a faint white light emerged from its body and surged into Ethan. “What was that?” Ethan muttered, baffled by the phenomenon. Still, he felt no discomfort or change in his body. Deciding this wasn’t the time to dwell on it, he turned his attention back to the three zombies still outside. No sooner had the first fallen than a second zombie shoved its head through the hole in the door. Ethan dispatched it in the same way, his stick striking with precision and force. Again, a faint white light emanated from the corpse and entered his body. This time, a small gray box also dropped from the zombie’s body. But with two more zombies outside, Ethan dared not step out to retrieve it. Roar! The third zombie forced its head—and part of its torso—through the widening hole. The suddenness of its advance nearly allowed it to grab Ethan, who stumbled back just in time. Ethan Carter quickly stepped back, raising his wooden stick before slamming it down onto the zombie’s head. After a few forceful strikes, the creature went limp, though its body became lodged in the doorframe. As the zombie fell silent, another faint white light streamed into Ethan’s body. At the same time, his sharp eyes caught sight of two objects tumbling from the corpse—a black ring and a black book. Taking two swift steps forward, Ethan snatched them up. “Storage Ring: Contains a space of 100 cubic meters. Capable of storing anything except living beings. Space is determined by volume, not weight. Equip?” “Equip!” Ethan didn’t hesitate for a second. The moment he uttered the word, the black ring slid onto his middle finger, seemingly of its own accord. When Ethan Carter looked at the ring, a white cubic space materialized in his mind—vast, empty, and boundless. With a mere thought, the wooden stick in his hand vanished into the space. He glanced at his hand again, finding it empty. Another thought, and the stick reappeared as if it had never left. “This is incredible. A space this large… the possibilities are endless. But no one can know about this,” Ethan muttered to himself, fully aware of the dangers of drawing unwanted attention. Next, he turned his attention to the black book in his hand. “Level 5 Skill: Summon Phantom Assassin. Skill Description: Consumes 20 points of Spirit to summon a Phantom Assassin from the depths of Hell to fight for you. The Phantom Assassin starts at Level 1, with the following attributes: Strength 30, Constitution 30, Spirit 30, Agility 40, Health 200/200. Cooldown: one month. Note: Before reaching Level 20, you can only learn two active skills. Learn this skill?” “Learn!” Ethan said without hesitation. In a world as unpredictable as this one, having an extra means of survival was never a bad idea. The moment Ethan Carter uttered the word “Learn,” the black book in his hands dissolved into a stream of dark light, surging into his mind. It coalesced into a sinister gray symbol that hovered ominously in his consciousness. As he mentally touched the symbol, a prompt surfaced in his mind: “Summon Phantom Assassin? This action consumes 20 Spirit points.” “Summon Phantom Assassin!” Ethan blurted out instinctively. As soon as the words left his mouth, he began to chant mysterious incantations, his hands tracing intricate gestures in the air. Before him, a black portal, about a meter tall, materialized. Its eerie, shadowy presence sent an involuntary shiver down Ethan’s spine. It was terrifying—chilling, as though countless malevolent spirits were howling within. Simultaneously, Ethan felt a sudden heaviness in his head. A strange, disorienting sensation gripped him, as if something essential was being drained from his mind. Ethan Carter watched in awe as a figure emerged slowly from the dark portal—a ghostly being draped in a black cloak, its entire form shrouded in swirling shadows. The oppressive aura of death radiating from it was palpable. The portal vanished, leaving the Phantom Assassin standing before Ethan. Phantom Assassin: Level: 1 Strength: 30/30 Constitution: 30/30 Spirit: 30/30 Agility: 40/40 Talents: Invisibility, Phase Through Walls Skill: Phantom Strike The Phantom Assassin stood silently in front of Ethan, its piercing gaze meeting his for a brief moment. Then, without a sound, it moved behind him, blending into the shadows. It became nearly imperceptible, a faint, eerie silhouette that one wouldn’t notice unless paying close attention.