MAGNUS DEI: CRIMSON RESOLVE

CHAPTER 2: NEW SYSTEM OBJECTIVE

Pitch Black.

Dead.

He remembered dying, his head flooded with memories. Memories of a wound that should’ve killed him.

He remembered it clearly.

There had been a bullet in his chest, his mother’s unconscious face, and the cold silent ache.

But now, he was here. Alive. Or something like it.

Then light shone on his face.

Sharp, bright blue panels hovered before his face. His chest heaved as his lungs craved air. Faced with the sudden adjustment of his sight, his brain came alive.

“Why can I see?” He blinked twice to clear the blur, only to be flooded by more blue light.

Confusion deepened, coiling like smoke in his mind. How was he alive? If someone brought him back, where were they? Why him? And the most pressing question, what had they brought back?

His hand hurriedly moved to his chest.

There was solid flesh, no pain. The only reminder of the gunshot was the gaping hole in his shirt.

“That man.” He clenched his fist, remembering the horrible commander. What if his mother was harmed? Then a sigh escaped his lips. There was nothing to worry about.

Alex rose to his feet with a tremble in his limbs and he glanced around. The land was desolate, cracked, and colorless. No buildings were in sight, and a strange, heavy quiet hung in the air.

The fresh aroma of life rose from his body and drifted into the air, alerting the flesh-craving monsters in the area, but the young man couldn’t understand his current danger.

“Where am I?”

[Current Location: Outer Region.]

[New Objective: Survive 48 days in the Outer Region.]

Alex stared at the words above his head. It seemed like he resurrected with a game in his head. However, nothing was a game in this world, and there had to be an explanation for what was happening to him.

Who brought him back to life? How did he get all the way to the Outer region? The Outer Region was known for the appearance of the red viral moss that surrounded various buildings, which could infect upon touch.

Even the air was contaminated. Those evil people! To think they would go this far. They could have buried him normally, but to think of making him turn into a mindless crawler.

Since the advent of the virus, men had turned on each other, and those who were without the virus were moved to stay in the Safe Haven after three years of war with the virus.

No, those who could afford it were the desired residents of the Safe Haven. It was due to his father’s sacrifice that they were able to find a space for themselves.

Despite it, the government was ruthless, giving them less than they deserved.

A low growl echoed for a distance, causing him to raise his gaze. The air carried a coppery scent, and something sour curled in his nose. He didn’t notice the growl until it was almost too close.

[Warning! Infected Approaching. Please leave the current surroundings.]

Alex didn’t need to be told twice, his questions would have to wait. He spun around and bolted across the ruined highway.

Rubble crunched beneath his feet. There were no nearby buildings, but ahead, he could make out some fallen structures and a tower-like structure, but it was still too dark to see vividly.

The growls got louder, and soon enough, he could hear the heavy sounds of rushing footsteps behind him.

“I can’t fight without weapons,” Alex muttered, noting the increasing dull ache in his legs. His breath grew ragged, “I didn’t think you’d resurrect me just to let me die again? Quite a sadistic system, if you ask me.” He said through gritted teeth, taking a glance behind him and instantly regretting his action.

Five corrupted humans thundered behind him, the thirst for fresh blood fueling their ability to catch up with him. They snarled as their bones cracked and shifted to increase their speed.

Alex faced forward, sucking in a breath as his mind began to move. There had to be a way to slow them down.

An active skill. He remembered that the prompts he saw had an active skill. If the system were like those games, he should be able to use his skill.

[Current Active Skill: Dominator.]

The prompt came up as if reading his mind.

[Would you like to activate the “Dominator” Skill?]

[The Dominator skill allows the host to suppress a certain number of living beings within the host’s range.]

Alex was hesitant, this was something he wasn’t familiar with. One wrong move, and those monsters could rip him to shreds, but if he stood still, he would still be killed. It was a gamble.

[Dominator Activated. Lv 1]

[Range: 8 feet.]

[Target: 5]

[Bonus: +30% Physical stats.]

[Lasts for Ten minutes! The time interval would increase with level!]

Alex glanced at the screen, and in the next second, he tripped, crashing to the ground.

“No.” He turned around, dragging his body on the floor in a futile attempt to create distance.

Sensing that their prey had come to a stop, the infected closed in, bringing in the stench of rot and decay.

“Activate Dominator.” Suddenly, a golden gleam shone in Alex’s eyes. Golden light spread through his body and illuminated his veins as he gave the aura of a golden god, and the monsters froze.

Alex kept silent as he watched them, mere feet away. He knew they could see him, and somehow, he could feel their thoughts, fear, confusion, and instinctual submission.

Wasn’t this guy like the others? So why couldn’t they eat him, and what was this sudden spike of fear? They snarled in defiance, their claw-like fingers raised in an attempt to get closer, but it was instantly retracted as they winced in pain.

“It’s working,” Alex said, his eyes focused on the screen above him, before looking down at the

[Dominator skill active. 5 infected have surrendered to your will. Would you like to cure the infected?]

“What?” Alex did a double-take. Could he cure them? From the reapers’ handbook, they learnt to instantly kill any infected on sight, to avoid further casualties. Now this thing was here saying they could be cured?

Everyone knew the scientists had spent years trying to find a cure for the SYN virus, but they were unable to. However, a young teenager was staring at what could be a high possibility of a cure.

It looked impossible. Alex took a good look at the snarling beings around him—the blood-stained and yellowed teeth, those bloodshot eyes, there was no hint of sentience.

“How?” he whispered, rising to his feet. At his movement, one of the infected instantly tried to claw at him, but it fell to its knees, screeching in agony.

Alex stepped back, realizing the effect of the skill he had. These things would never be able to harm him.

[Incoming disturbances.]

[Target approaching your direction.]

A warning chimed in his head, causing him to suck a deep breath. It had to be noise coming from the infected before him.

“Stop your crying,” Alex whispered harshly, but of course, these things couldn’t understand him. “System, turn off the skill.” Maybe that would stop the pain causing the screams.

[You are surrounded. Stopping the skill would be detrimental to your survival. Do you still want to stop this skill?]

Alex facepalmed upon seeing the message; it was obvious. He looked at his legs; he would be unable to run.

“How far is this target?”

[Target is 10000 meters away.]

“Okay. That’s an hour walk from here for a normal human,” Alex paced, his thoughts moving intensely in his mind. “These infected have thrice the speed of man, if their desire for flesh fuels them, but without the urge, they walk a lot slower.”

The studies he learned at his academy played in his head. He was always known for his brain, and it was one of the reasons why he was bullied.

[Would the host like to cure the infected?] The prompt appeared as if the system read his mind.

“I don’t have a choice.” Alex’s eyes burned with resolve. If he could get the cure to the virus through this system, it would open a lot of doors, especially for his family.

His gaze focused on the infected, known as the crawlers. If the cure worked on them, they would have no problems reverting to their former selves. However, what about the mutated ones? Would they ever be able to go back?

[Confirmed. Your blood will be extracted to prepare for the cure. The extraction might hurt.]

“My blood?”

[Yes. The host’s blood is needed for preparing the cure.]

Alex frowned. This wasn’t happening. “I am still infected,” he asked, remembering his status from the beginning.

[The host’s new body is able to overcome viral takeover.]

New body? It was strange, but at the same time, it piqued his curiosity.

The system said the cure was because of his new body, which meant his former physiological makeup would not be able to produce one. He could not reveal this to anyone. If people knew the cure was in him, they would never let him live in peace.

Was this a curse or a blessing?