Apocalypse System: I Evolve by Devouring Everything

"Hey, wake up, you piece of trash! Stop playing dead!"

A brutal kick landed right on Jonathan’s ribs. He collapsed, his face smashing into the wet asphalt mixed with rain and grime. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. Standing over him was a pair of shiny loafers that probably cost more than Jonathan’s entire yearly salary.

"Rey... that's enough, Rey. You already took everything from me," Jonathan groaned, struggling to hold back the sharp pain piercing his lungs.

"Took everything? I didn’t take anything, Jon. I just picked up what was rightfully mine. Your job, your position, even your girl. Right, Sienna?" Reymond laughed loudly, wrapping his arm around the slim waist of the woman next to him.

Sienna, the woman who was Jonathan’s fiancée just yesterday, stared at him with pure disgust. She leaned closer to Reymond, acting as if Jonathan was a pile of rotting garbage.

"Don't say my name, Jon. We’re done. Look at yourself. A loser. No future. You think I want to live in poverty with a failure like you?" Sienna said, her voice cold and cutting.

"But we were together for three years, Sienna! Three years!" Jonathan screamed, his voice hoarse with emotion.

"Three wasted years! Just get out of this city before my boys turn you into an actual corpse," Reymond sneered, signaling the two large thugs behind him.

"Finish him, Boss?" asked one of the thugs, Berto, cracking his knuckles.

"Beat him up. Just don’t kill him in front of me. I don’t want cheap blood on my shoes," Reymond replied casually.

Berto and his friend moved in immediately. Punch after punch rained down on Jonathan’s face. He couldn’t fight back. He was too weak. In the corner of the narrow alley, people walked by, glancing briefly before speeding up. But a young girl with a worn-out backpack stopped, her eyes tearing up at the brutality.

"Stop it! You’re going to kill him!" the girl, Emma, screamed with a trembling voice.

"Oh, look at this sweetie. Keep your mouth shut, or do you want to join our little 'game'?" Berto threatened with a lewd grin.

"Don't... leave her alone..." Jonathan tried to get up, but Berto stomped his head back onto the asphalt.

Suddenly, the dark, cloudy sky turned blood-red. A deafening boom, like a nuclear explosion, shook the entire city. Skyscrapers swayed violently.

"What the hell?! An earthquake?!" Reymond panicked, letting go of Sienna.

"Rey! Look at the sky! It’s tearing open!" Sienna screamed, pointing up.

A massive black hole—a dimensional rift—ripped open above the city center. Purple lightning struck wildly. The intimidating atmosphere instantly turned into pure terror. People on the streets began screaming hysterically.

"Monsters! Monsters are coming out!" someone shouted from a distance.

Creatures resembling giant insects with hard shells and razor-sharp legs began raining down from the hole, instantly attacking anyone nearby. Screams of death echoed everywhere.

"Berto! Let's go! The car! Where’s my damn car?!" Reymond yelled in fear, his arrogant face now pale as a ghost.

Jonathan lay on the ground, staring at the shattered sky. His vision was blurring. "Hilarious," he thought. "I’m going to die exactly when the world ends."

Suddenly, a cold, mechanical voice echoed directly inside his head. Crystal clear, as if speaking right into his ear.

[Signal Detected...]

[Genetic Synchronization Identified: 0.1%... 15%... 50%...]

[Subject Condition: Critical. Initiating Emergency Protocol Alpha.]

"Huh? What voice is that?" Jonathan mumbled weakly.

[Host Error Detected...]

[Subject Not Registered in Alpha Database.]

[Initiating Emergency Override...]

[Temporary Host Assigned: Jonathan.]

[Status: Alpha Predator (Locked — Authority Unstable).]

[Emergency Mission: Survive the Initial Invasion.]

[Reward: Genetic Evolution Stage 1.]

[Warning: Original System Owner May Reclaim Authority at Any Time.]

A transparent blue virtual screen appeared right in front of Jonathan’s eyes. The status was clear.

"Is this... a game? Am I going crazy?" Jonathan shook his dizzy head.

"Jon! Jon, wake up! We have to run!" Emma ran over, trying to pull Jonathan’s arm, even though an insect monster was only a few dozen meters away.

"Emma... just run... I can't make it..."

"No! I'm not leaving you!"

Just then, one of the insect monsters spotted them. The creature leaped with insane speed, its mandibles dripping with toxic green slime, ready to tear Emma apart.

"Watch out!" Jonathan screamed.

[Warning: Low-Level Threat Detected.]

[Activating Momentary Absorption Mode...]

[Available Alpha Energy Nearby: 10 Units. Consume?]

"I don't know what this is, but if it can save her... YES! DO IT!" Jonathan yelled in his mind.

BZZZZTTT!

Something exploded inside Jonathan's veins. The pain he felt earlier vanished, replaced by a burning heat. His muscles twitched and expanded. His wounds closed in seconds.

BOOM!

Jonathan leaped. His speed was illogical. He slammed into the insect monster in mid-air with a raw, brutal punch.

CRACK!

The monster's hard shell shattered into pieces. Green fluid sprayed everywhere. The monster was thrown back ten meters and died instantly.

[Target Eliminated. Absorbing Energy Core...]

[Evolution Points Gained: +5.]

[Physical Strength Increased: +2 Points.]

[Warning: Genetic Instability Detected.]

[Body Synchronization: 12%]

[Mild Energy Overload.]

Jonathan stood tall, though his knees wobbled slightly. A strange heat coursed through his veins, as if his body was being forced to accept something it wasn't ready for. His once dull eyes now shone sharply, radiating a predator’s aura that would make anyone shiver. In the distance, Reymond, Sienna, and the thugs stopped running, frozen by the sight.

"Jonathan? Did he... did he just one-shot that monster?" Berto mumbled, trembling.

"Impossible! He's just trash!" Sienna screamed hysterically, refusing to believe her eyes.

Jonathan slowly turned his head toward them. A thin, icy smile played on his lips.

"Reymond... Sienna... you guys still here?" Jonathan’s voice sounded heavy, vibrating with unseen power.

"You... where did you get that power, huh?!" Reymond shouted, trying to mask his fear. "Berto! Attack him! He just got lucky!"

"But Boss, that monster died in one hit—"

"I said attack him! I pay you to be my dog, not a coward!"

Berto pulled out a switchblade, trying to bluff Jonathan. "Hey, Jon! Don't get cocky just because of one lucky kill!"

Jonathan remained silent. The system screen flickered in his eyes again.

[Enemy Detection: Weak Humans (4 Subjects).]

[Suggestion: Eliminate and absorb residual energy for genetic stabilization.]

"Eliminate? So this system can absorb human energy too?" Jonathan whispered.

"What are you mumbling about?! Die!" Berto lunged with his knife.

Jonathan moved with terrifying calm. He caught Berto’s wrist with one hand. The sound of cracking bones echoed instantly.

"AAAAAAHH! MY HAND!" Berto screamed.

"This is for that kick earlier," Jonathan said coldly.

Jonathan twisted Berto’s arm until the knife pointed back at him. With a swift motion, he drove the blade into Berto’s shoulder. He didn't kill him, but he forced the thug to his knees.

"Reymond, your turn," Jonathan stepped forward.

"Don't... stay back! I have money! I can give you anything!" Reymond retreated, cold sweat pouring down his face.

"Money? In a broken world like this, your money is just useless paper," Jonathan grabbed Reymond by the neck and lifted him into the air with one hand.

"Jon, please... I made a mistake... I still love you..." Sienna tried to grab Jonathan’s arm, her eyes full of crocodile tears.

Jonathan looked at Sienna with empty eyes. "Love? You loved my job, Sienna. Now, watch your rich boyfriend beg for his life."

Suddenly, the ground beneath them shook again. Harder this time. From behind the ruined buildings, a monster appeared—much larger than the previous one. It stood five meters tall, its head nothing but a mouth full of fangs.

[Warning! Field Boss Detected: 'The Devourer' (Level 10).]

[Survival Rate: 5%.]

[Suggestion: Run or Forced Evolution.]

The monster let out a roar that shattered nearby windows. Its red eyes locked onto Jonathan, who was still holding Reymond.

"I’m not running," Jonathan muttered. "System, activate Forced Evolution!"

[Warning: Forced Evolution carries a 40% failure risk. Are you sure?]

[Additional Warning: Host Body Unstable.]

[Current Synchronization: 18%]

[Forced Evolution May Cause Permanent Damage.]

"DO IT NOW!"

Pitch-black light began to envelop Jonathan’s body, his bones cracking loudly. The sensation of being crushed from the inside made Jonathan want to scream, but he forced himself to stand. Just as the giant monster leaped toward them, mouth wide open. Reymond screamed hysterically, while Sienna fainted from terror.

Emma could only freeze. "Jon..."

Right before the monster's fangs touched Jonathan’s head, a blast of dark energy knocked everyone back.

"W-what happened?" Reymond mumbled from the asphalt.

He looked up, and his eyes went wide. Jonathan was standing there, but he wasn't the Jonathan he knew. His hair had turned white, and in his hand, a sword made of pure black energy slowly took shape.

"System... what's my synchronization rate now?" Jonathan asked, his voice echoing like a beast.

[Synchronization: 85%. Alpha Mode: Berserk Active.]

[Warning: Evolution Instability Detected.]

[Synchronization Dropping...]

[85% → 41%]

[Alpha Mode: Unstable.]

Jonathan gasped for air. His vision wavered, and a sharp pain stabbed his brain as his body rejected the forced power. The giant monster roared in pain as Jonathan sliced off one of its legs with speed invisible to the human eye. But behind the dust cloud, the dimensional gate in the sky vibrated again, and something far larger began crawling out.

"Is that all?" Jonathan smirked at the sky. "This world... is going to be my kingdom."

But the smile suddenly froze.

Warm blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.

Jonathan’s knees shook violently. The energy sword in his hand flickered wildly before nearly vanishing.

His body felt like it was being torn apart from the inside.

The forced Alpha power... was starting to eat its own master.

But in the middle of his budding victory, the system screen suddenly turned bright red with flashing text.

[SYSTEM ERROR: Unknown Authority Attempting Override...]

[Warning! Original System Owner Has Detected Your Location!]

Jonathan froze. In the sky, a winged human figure emerged from the gate, staring directly at Jonathan with a gaze that could freeze blood.

"Who... who is that?" Jonathan muttered, as excruciating pain assaulted his head, far worse than any punch.

The figure in the sky raised a hand, and suddenly the entire city went silent. Jonathan felt the system being ripped out of his body.

"Don't you dare take my system!" he screamed. Jonathan’s body began to crack, purple light bursting from his skin.

[System Authority Forcibly Seized...]

A crushing pressure hit his chest.

It felt like something was ripping the power straight from his soul.

[Synchronization Revoked...]

Jonathan gasped.

His eyes went wide.

"No—"

CRAAAACK!!

Inhuman pain exploded from within him.

His vision went black.

An alien voice suddenly appeared inside the system.

[Host Invalid.]

[Initiating Extermination Procedure...]

Jonathan's eyes widened.

"N—"

THUD!

Jonathan's body hit the asphalt silently.

And the winged shadow... began to slowly descend towards him.