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They had no idea that, because of this conversation, Memphis would now have a pretext to spend more time building up his strength and preparing for the coming apocalypse.
“Can I get a copy of the apocalypse game?” he asked.
They answered in unison:
“No, you’re still too young to play games like that.”
He’d already known what their answer would be, but Memphis was still a little disappointed that he couldn’t use the game to train his skills. He would have to keep working hard to prepare for life after the apocalypse.
While his friends were in preschool, playing and laughing, Memphis had already begun training, slow jogging, jumping rope, push-ups, exercises that seemed simple but were challenging for a five-year-old’s body, moving from easy routines to harder ones. Time passed slowly, and Memphis’s arduous journey began, a path he knew he would have to walk alone to protect his family.
In the blink of an eye, nine years went by. Memphis was now fourteen. Throughout that time, aside from going to school, he spent most of his energy improving his physical strength. Thanks to the memories of his previous life, though he couldn’t remember every detail, simply keeping up in class was enough for him to maintain decent grades at school.
Because of this, his parents were quite surprised, since in their eyes, Memphis was practically a sports fanatic. They never expected that his academic performance was always so good as well. His parents had advised him many times to spend more time studying so he could become even more outstanding.
But Memphis ignored this advice, always using his dream of becoming an athlete as an excuse. His parents had no other choice, after all, their son continued to maintain excellent grades, and physical training wasn’t a bad thing that should be stopped. So, in the end, they accepted it, since Memphis had always told them since childhood that his dream was to become an athlete.
In these years, the world hadn’t changed much; the popularity of the apocalypse game kept increasing. Of course, it was too realistic; everyone wanted to experience a new world. But nobody yet realized the horror that was about to come.
In Memphis’s private gym, there was a full range of sports equipment necessary for any athlete to train every muscle group, speed, flexibility, strength. Memphis always maintained a balance; at just fourteen years old, he was already over 1.7 meters tall, with a balanced physique and muscles honed and maintained through his daily diet. At this moment, he was doing his daily exercises to build his health. This grueling training regimen was something few could keep up for even a year, but he had maintained it continuously for nine years. The difficulty of his training had increased year by year since he was five.
After completing his daily workout, he wiped himself down with a towel and got ready for a meal. After nine years, his parents looked a little older, but not by much, after all, they had married young, and business had never been too hard for them. Memphis was also a thoughtful son, so they didn’t have many worries. Their biggest concern was that he spent too little time playing with friends; ever since the accident when he was five, he hardly ever went out to play. He spent nearly all his time training. Sometimes his parents thought there was something not quite normal about him. They always hoped he would go out and socialize, but every time, he would use his dream of becoming an athlete to refuse.
“Dad, Mom, can I have a set of apocalypse game gear?”
Unlike before, his parents hesitated for a long time. After all, he was already fourteen and could distinguish right from wrong, and perhaps participating in the game would help him make new friends. So the two of them discussed it and eventually agreed to his request.
“Alright, I’ll have someone buy a set of game gear for you.”
Purchasing a game helmet for the apocalypse game was convenient; you only had to place an order and it would be delivered right to your house. The game helmet seemed to materialize out of thin air, no one knew where it came from, only that it was always delivered directly to the recipient. Just transfer money to a website and no matter how far or dangerous the place, it would arrive. It had once been a mystery, but later people learned the game itself was behind the delivery.
The next day, after receiving the apocalypse game set, Memphis looked at the helmet with a complicated expression.
“At last, I have to enter the apocalypse game.”
Buzz... buzz... buzz...
[Ding...]
[Game restarting]
[Please wait a moment]
“Could my helmet be broken or something?”
Buzz... buzz... buzz...
[Ding...]
[Welcome, player, to the Apocalypse Game]
[Please select your username]
Memphis pondered what name would suit him.
“Superhuman”
[Username already in use]
Memphis thought to himself, the game had been out for nearly ten years, by now, all the cool names had probably been taken. Well, it wasn’t a big deal, he could just pick any name. After thinking for a while, still unable to come up with a suitable name, he tried:
“Apocalyptic Reality”
[Ding...]
[You have been registered as: Apocalyptic Reality]
There was meaning behind this choice. While the apocalypse descending seemed far-fetched, even Memphis, if someone had told him before that the game would become reality, would have brushed it off, thinking that person was crazy. Still, if by chance even one in a million believed, and his name could save a life, why wouldn’t he try?
“I hope someone understands the intent behind my name and prepares themselves.”
After that, Memphis’s character was created.
[Please select your starting location]
[You have made your selection]
[You will appear in the town of Ballin]
[Enjoy your Apocalypse Game]
When Memphis opened his eyes, he found himself in a city filled with bustling crowds, all kinds of bizarre equipment. Some people carried swords, sabers, axes, bows; others wielded staves or books... every kind of weapon under the sun. No one paid much attention to Memphis, a new player was nothing special in the apocalypse game, nor did they have any particular value.
Memphis muttered to himself and called up his character status screen:
[Character Status]
Player Name: Apocalyptic Reality
Level: 1 (Each level up increases physical stats)
HP: 100% (Numeric attribute; injuries judged by percentage of blood loss)
MP: 25 (Points depend on intelligence, INT x 5)
Strength: 5 (Physical attack power)
Agility: 5 (Movement and attack speed)
Stamina: 5 (Ability to keep going, resistance, defense)
Intelligence: 5 (Thinking ability, magic adaptation)
Charm: 1 (Attractiveness)
Luck: 0 (Special stat for crafting, hitting weak points, etc.)
Talent: None
- Writer
